Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving the vehicle suddenly lost engine power and turned off. When this happened the steering column locked. It did not just loose power steering. The column itself entirely locked up. At this point the vehicle had no steering and limited breaking and went off the road. Thankfully it just went into a ditch and no damage was done. The vehicle turned right back on. The next day I recreated the problem on some friends property. I gave the keys in the ignition a small tug and the engine would stop and the steering column would lock. The ignition never rotated out of the on position and the key remained in the ignition. I recreated this probably 5 times and it did the same thing every time. I then brought it to the dealer but they didn't have the parts to repair it so I didn't have them look at it. …
The right (passenger) lower control arm ball joint failed while traveling approximately 30 miles per hour. The failure was a separation of the ball and bolt from the cup that is pressed into the cup. Total control of the truck was lost and a minor accident occurred when the truck ended up on a median with the left (driver's) tire on the median and the other tires on the road. The median is approximately 16 inches above the road bed. The ball joint is part of the steering mechanism. The steering arm ended up pushing the right tire out at 45 degree angle outside or to the right. The left front tire was at a 45 degree angle to the left. The vehicle was on a city street nearing an intersection to a 55 mile an hour highway that the vehicle was about to turn left on. …
Death wobbles: I have replaced upper and lower ball joints with problem solvers. Replaced the tie rods and ends. Replaced the stabilizer shock, replaced the track bar rubber bushings, replaced the otter universal joints on the aam 9.50 14 bolt electric hubs. New shocks all around. Drove to salt lake city and the death wobbles came back have to pull off the hwy and come to a stop while it is shaking the truck apart. 15 times from idaho.. This is a major safety problem the steering box has problems and it is not listed under any recalls. New alignment also. New transmission, at 163,000 boiled over onto the turbo, the dipstick never fit in the tube and fluid caused the truck to catch fire. 3 years ago.
I was going 65 miles per hour on the freeway when my truck violently shake back and forth so hard I had to come to a complete stop to get it to stop. I've had the front suspension replaced 3 times in the past year and still have what they call a death wobble. I have spent so much money on rentals and on shop repairs trying to repair this problem and still cannot go over 40 miles an hour without it violently shaking. This is dangerous to my family it could kill somebody and I think Dodge should be responsible for taking action on repairing this or figure out the problem . I have called Dodge and they have told me it is not a recall so they cannot help me out. I had bought brand new tires a brand new drive line along with replacing the front suspension 3 times now and I still cannot drive my truck without it causing violent shaking. …
I have a 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 and have experienced problems with my steering components, as described by the ongoing death wobble situation. I have replaced the rh tie rod end myself as when I've contacted the dealers previously, they weren't sure if the rh side would be recalled. Later I've received notices for the n62 recall, for the lh side tie rod end. I have called and called the dealer and they have repeatedly said that parts were not available. Now the truck only has 58,5xx miles on it and the lh tie rod end is about to snap in half. The truck has a very bad noise up front and if around 50 MPH, you hit a bump, it goes into a death wobble scenario. I have just replaced the front axle u-joints, another common front end problem with these trucks. I am very tired of these issues. With the news of the buyback, I have called Chrysler and they have said that my truck does not qualify. …
I was traveling over railroad tracks on the 18 April 2015, Saturday when the rh steering drag link failed at the ball joint. The failure occur to the grease-able ball joint that connects to the lower a-frame of the rh passenger wheel. If I was traveling any faster than 30 miles an hour when this occurred. I would have lost total control and had an accident with the possibility of injuries occurring. I was able to slow the vehicle down with light touches of the brake pedal and turn to the shoulder of the road and safely stop the truck. The rh front tire was pointed to the left and slightly tuck under the wheel well so it was sliding the passenger tire as I maneuvered off the road. The above components where replaced along with the upper and lower ball joints and the lh tie rod assembly with all new components. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving 4 MPH, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he attempted to steer to the vehicle to the right however, the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was stopped in the middle of the roadway. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to his residence. The contact called colorado springs Dodge (7455 austin bluffs pkwy, colorado springs, co 80923, [phone]) and the dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 13V529000 (steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 289,000.
I was driving from detroit airport east on highway 94 when my truck started to shake like hell and I thought I had two flat tires in the front. I hit the brakes and the truck become un steerable and started to turn sideways with two lanes of traffic coming at me. This was a very scary ride. I pulled over after I downshifted and the shaking stopped but there was nothing flat or loose that I could see several other drivers stopped to see what had happened. I called a local Dodge dealer and was told that I most have bad brake rotors. I have changed the rotors on all 4 wheels the front wheel bearings the shocks the front stabilizer shock and new brake pads on all 4 wheels still shakes just as bad .I have had several close calls and I want a fix or I will buy a new Ford truck. The bad part of this, is that I retired after 44years with Chrysler.
The heater works on occasion from nov 13 till I replaced it in May 2015, now its August 2015 and the heater has completely stopped working. I live in alaska and a heater is a huge deal. Also during an oil change noticed the tie rod is all gooped with oil. Have an 09 1500 that the tie rod broke on. Curious if my 08 is gonna have the same issue. The rear differential is leaking oil all of a sudden as of June 2015 after hauling my 24 foot trailer 1200 miles. When I put the truck in 4 low and drive it makes a huge clucking sound doesn't turn very well either. It feels like my steering is about to go out. I can't drive up my driveway without digging wholes in the gravel. I bought the truck used November 2013 and feel like I got a lemon.
Loss of steering control while driving. As a last minute thought I decided to stop at a convenience store before heading down the highway, down a hill which had a sharp u shaped turn at the bottom. When making a right hand turn into the parking lot the steering wheel became disengaged and began to spin completely around without any control. Had I continued on my way I hate to think how I would have survived what waited at the bottom of the hill. I'm not a mechanic but it seems the steering rod bolt was not installed properly and was not completely through the holes to the connection. Thankfully, I had turned into a parking lot when it lost connection. I'm sure this has something to do with recalls: n62, n49, l16, h46, h36.
Related recalls
Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Dodge RAM 2500 4x4 and 3500 4x4, model year 2007-2008 Dodge RAM 3500 4x2 Cab Chassis and model year 2006-2008 Dodge RAM 1500 Mega Cab 4x4 trucks manufactured February 12, 2002, through February 13, 2008. The left tie rod assembly may break.
Remedy: Chrysler notified owners and launched its recall campaign in January 2014. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N62.
Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 RAM 2500 4X4 and 3500 4X4 trucks, 2008-2012 Dodge RAM 3500 4x2 Cab Chassis, and model year 2008 Dodge RAM 1500 Mega Cab 4x4. The left tie rod assembly may break.
Remedy: Chrysler notified owners on January 16, 2014 that dealers would inspect vehicles and replace the steering linkage assembly, if necessary.
Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Dodge Ram 2500/3500 4x4, manufactured from February 14, 2008, through March 28, 2011; model year 2008-2011 Dodge Ram 3500 cab chassis 4x2, manufactured from February 14, 2008, through March 28, 2011; and model year 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 mega cab 4x4, manufactured from February…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the tie rod ends for relative orientation and replace the left outer tie rod as required and perform a front end toe alignment as needed. This service will be performed free of charge.
Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Chrysler is recalling 32,782 my 2008-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 3500 and 3500 cab chassis pickup trucks equipped with powers and sons steering linkage. The steering linkage drag link inner tie rod to pitman arm ball stud May fracture. Also the steering linkage damper attaching the bracket May yield and shift on the linkage.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the steering linkage drag link inner tie rod end assembly, and inspect the steering linkage damper bracket free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on or before February 16, 2009.
NHTSA investigations
Outer Tie Rod Failure
ODI received complaints regarding failing tie rod ball studs on Model Year 2008-2011 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 vehicles resulting in loss of steering control.Chrysler concluded that misalignment of the left (driver side) ball stud on vehicles built with the Cross Car steering linkage system could allow contact between the bull stud and the ball housing which could weaken the stud and result in fracture.Chrysler…
Chrysler's execution of 13V-528 & 529
RMD opened this audit query (AQ) investigation in order to better understand and evaluate Chrysler's process(es) for timely and efficient execution of its safety recall campaigns, including its oversight and management of its parts division Mopar.Prior to opening this investigation, RMD had raised concerns with the company related to its execution of two safety recalls, 13V-528 and 13V-529, both of which involved…
Steering complaints in other Ram 2500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2008 Dodge Ram 2500?
NHTSA has 175 complaints about the steering of the 2008 Dodge Ram 2500, 55% of the model year's 317 complaints. The component named most often is linkages › tie rod assembly (16 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 steering problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 13V-528 (tie rod assembly, Nov 6, 2013); NHTSA recall 13V-529 (tie rod assembly, Nov 6, 2013); NHTSA recall 11V-350 (tie rod assembly, Jul 6, 2011). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Dodge Ram 2500 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to steering 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.