Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While the NHTSA is looking at the later Dodge diesel pickups, the 5.9 engines commonly fail at low mileage (mine was at 100,000 miles) by the intank pump failing. Mine shut off at 45mph in traffic on State 33 in Idaho without warning.. My truck was towed to repair facility and waited 4 weeks for a substitute pump to be installed. The Turbo Diesel Register magazine commonly has articles of the hundreds of Doidge Ram owners who have been stranded and sometimes lives endangered by the pump failure. Dealers are aware of the problem, give a wink and a nod and as the part is not available, I paid nearly $1400 for a r & r fuel tank, labor, and a FASS brand pump/filter to get back on the road. This happened in August 2020 and didn't run till Sept 2020. Work order available. Truck has had 3,000 mile service it's existance, at Dodge 5 Star Dealer
In the past 6 months my steering and suspension components failed causing me to wreck and also somehow my engine bay deteriorated in turn having started a fire
My truck is only used for towing a fifth wheel, thus the low mileage. On a trip, the truck stalled with no warning on the freeway, lost power, power brakes and power steering in the 2nd from right lane. I was barely able to pull it over and stop, in an unsafe area. 4 hrs later a tow for truck and 5th wheel was arranged. The tacoma Dodge dealer replaced the lift fuel pump with an in tank lift fuel pump. Apparently the block mounted pump "always fails around 70K miles", which is what my truck has logged. The heat kills the pump. I paid $2106.47 for the repair. The new pump failed in less than 6 months or 2K miles. The everett dwayne lane dealer has the truck now for two weeks, and cannot get the warranted pump replaced for another 2 weeks due to back order from mopar. …
Truck dies while driving and makes it extremely hard to steer ! Seems to be some sort of fuel problem ! This has been ongoing for several years and I don't trust it to attempt to drive in traffic to a dealer for repairs ! The truck currently has approx. 87,000 original miles on it ! Problem seem to start shortly after last dealer visit in 2008 for replacement of A/C ducting under dash ! Dealer shut down right after our president took office, as did many of the local Dodge dealers ! To me, it acts as if the fuel just shuts off. Hard to restart or steer - definitely a safety hazard ! While surfing the internet for like complaints, most all complaints of the same nature, say that Dodge is aware of the problem and will do nothing ! I'm a 100 % service connected double amputee, and need this vehicle for transportation and travel to the va hospital 45 miles away from where I live ! …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that the fuel pump failed to function. The vehicle stalled and was unable to be driven. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who replaced the fuel pump. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer issued a technical service bulletin, but a remedy was unavailable.the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 71,741. Updated 08/23/17
I am concerned with my 2004 Dodge p/u 2500 diesel. On 1/17/08 I had to have my transfer pump (fuel pump) replaced. When it went out I was driving and had no prior warnings that it was going out or was bad. When it went out I was stranded and had to be towed but was luckily in a situation where I could maneuver my truck to the side of the road safely. When I called the dealership later that day to see if they had a chance to diagnose the problem the service guy I talked to said he hadn't looked at it, but was positive it was the fuel pump due to the amount of them they have had to replace. It seems to be very common for this year truck and previous year dodges to have this problem. The dealerships are very aware of it and are now replacing them with the new style that seem to not have the problems of the pre-2005's. …
I was driving my 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 5.9 diesel truck to work during rush hour morning traffic at approximately 25 MPH when the check engine light came on and a few seconds later the truck suddenly accelerated on its own to about 3500rpms. The roads were iced over from a previous snow storm. Due to the sudden acceleration on the ice, the rear tires broke traction and started sliding sideways before I could react to the sudden acceleration. I immediately applied the brakes with no results. Truck continued to slide sideways into the oncoming lane of traffic when as sudden as the acceleration happened, the rpms dropped down to an idle and I was able to get the truck under control. Luckily, there were no other vehicles in the oncoming lane. Dealership has truck now and is telling me the fault code indicates a bad acceleration pedal position sensor. …
I own a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel with a automatic transmission. This occurred on two occasions the first was on Saturday 1/31/2015 and the second on Monday 2/2/2015. I had just pulled out of my shop when the engine suddenly accelerated at extreme high speed, I slammed on the brakes immediately however as one can imagine the response time and/or the capacity of the braking system was limited due to the high torque of the engine. Non-the-less I was fortunate not to have any other vehicle in my vicinity. This same scenario occur two more time on my way home which is about 4 miles from my shop. The check engine light came on at the time of the first occurrence. I let the truck sit for a couple days, however needed to plow out from a large snowstorm. Upon restarting the truck, the check engine light was off and everything was back to normal. …
I was driving on interstate 20 in a 2004 Dodge 2500 diesel pickup at 70 MPH when, as I found out later, the lift pump went out leaving me with no power and no warning, with the truck immediately slowing with loss of power steering. I was in the left lane passing a line of trucks at the time with a line of traffic behind me. One of the trucks that I was passing saw the trouble, slowed and allowed me to cut through to the right shoulder, avoiding an accident. I later found out from dealership personnel that this part has a history of going out and that the factory will not allow the part to be replaced but requires a retro fit of a different system to solve the problem. There was no notification of the problem from Dodge warning of this possibility. They will not even acknowledge that this part is a problem even though they will not allow dealerships to replace it. …
Lift pump failed during normal operation while traveling at highway speed. Lost all power to steering and brakes creating very difficult to control vehicle. Dealer would not replace failed part and instead put whole new pump assembly inside fuel tank. This means they know the current method of mounting on engine block is a design defect. Reviewed online and found other comments have a similar story. Since this is a re-engineering of the fuel delivery system that they know is defective and because losing fuel stops the engine creating an extreme hazard for such a large vehicle, Dodge should be recalling trucks with this configuration immediately to prevent injury and remedy an obvious defective design. In my case, I have had the truck serviced with the same dealer since it was new and they never warned me about this, but clearly are aware of this problem.
Fuel System complaints in other Ram 2500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2004 Dodge Ram 2500?
NHTSA has 33 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2004 Dodge Ram 2500, 6% of the model year's 582 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2004 Dodge Ram 2500, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.