Most common 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 problems
Share of the 214 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Dodge Ram 3500 complaints by model year
Best Ram 3500 years: 2002, 2000, 1999. Years to avoid: 2012, 2011, 2006, 2007, 2008. Compare all years →
2004 Dodge Ram 3500 recalls (4)
Air bags
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500, 2004-2005 Dodge Durango, 2005 Dodge Dakota, 2005 Dodge Magnum and 2005 Chrysler 300, 300C and 300 SRT8 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. For vehicles that were sold, or are currently registered, in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S.
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 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.
Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Column shift
On certain pickup trucks equipped with diesel engines and automatic transmissions, in an attempt to exit the vehicle quickly without shutting off the engine and removing the key, the driver May inadvertently leave the automatic transmission shift control in indicated reverse.
Remedy: Dealers will perform a software modification to equip these vehicles with an out-of-park alarm. Owners May contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 8 possible defects involving the 2004 Dodge Ram 3500:
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Clutch Interlock Switch Malfunction
On December 16, 2104, Chrysler Group LLC submitted a Safety Recall Report to NHTSA describing a defect in the clutch ignition interlock switches in approximately 66,819 model year (MY) 2006 through early-2007 Dodge Ram Trucks, Dodge Dakota, and Mitsubishi Raider vehicles equipped with manual transmissions and built between July 1, 2005 and July 31, 2006 (NHTSA Recall No. 14V-795, Chrysler Recall No.
ENGINE STALL
On May 16, 2005,odi opened preliminary evaluation pe05-027 to investigate complaints of engine stalling in model year 2004-05 Dodge durango suvs and Ram 1500 series pickups equipped with the 5.7l v8 engine.information provided by daimlerchrysler during pe05-027 indicated that a large percentage of the complaints are related to an idle undershoot condition that May cause the engine to stall during turning…
FALSE PARK
There have been 50 complaints to odi and daimlerchrysler alleging incidents of reverse powered rollaway in subject vehicles that were parked with the engine running and the parking brake disengaged.the incidents are alleged to have resulted in 42 crashes and 3 injuries.
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
ENGINE STALL
Analysis of the complaint, field report and warranty data shows that the majority of stalling incidents in the subject vehicles appear to be related to the engine calibration concerns that daimlerchrysler addressed with service bulletins releasing revised PCM software.analysis of the complaints and odi's survey of owners of vehicles that received engine management software updates under TSB #18-013-05 show that…
FALSE PARK
The subject vehicles are heavy duty pickup trucks with diesel engines and automatic transmissions commonly used for commercial and work purposes.a column mounted shift lever is used for gear selection and an electronic PRNDL on the instrument panel provides gear position information to the driver.the subject vehicles are also equipped with a brake-transmission shift interlock that prevents the shift lever from being…
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…
What 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 64 →
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 13V528000 (Steering), 16V352000 (Air Bags), 15V313000 (Air Bags), and 05V462000 (Power Train); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available while the vehicle was in for service. The local dealer was made aware of the issue, and an appointment was scheduled to repair the vehicle. The vehicle remained with the dealer for a week before the contact was informed that parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that on several occasions, while the vehicle was in park(P), the vehicle unexpectedly rolled without warning. The brake pedal was depressed with extra force while shifting to park(P). The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. …
My 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 will go out of park and into reverse on its own and I was not told that this is an ongoing problem with this particular truck my truck went on its own one day over 250 feet and drove into my neighbors yard. The truck parking pawl was not completely in as I was told and this truck has the ability to do it on its own I find this unacceptable and a hazard to my health as long with my neighbors. Could you please look into this because there was not a recall sent to me or anything told to me when I purchased this from the Chrysler Dodge at the dealer I believe that people need to know what they're getting into and possible hazards that are linked to this could you please email me back with any information on this problem.
Air bags all 43 →
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 13V528000 (Steering), 16V352000 (Air Bags), 15V313000 (Air Bags), and 05V462000 (Power Train); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available while the vehicle was in for service. The local dealer was made aware of the issue, and an appointment was scheduled to repair the vehicle. The vehicle remained with the dealer for a week before the contact was informed that parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that on several occasions, while the vehicle was in park(P), the vehicle unexpectedly rolled without warning. The brake pedal was depressed with extra force while shifting to park(P). The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. …
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge RAM. The contact received recall notifications, NHTSA Capaign Number: 16V352000 (Air Bags and NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V313000 (Air Bags) however the parts were unavailable. The dealer was contacted, however the contact was informed that the parts were in back order. In addition, the contact was informed that the parts were unavailable until October 2026. The manufacturer was contacted. The cotnact was informed that the parts were unavailalbel.
Steering all 41 →
The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 13V528000 (Steering), 16V352000 (Air Bags), 15V313000 (Air Bags), and 05V462000 (Power Train); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available while the vehicle was in for service. The local dealer was made aware of the issue, and an appointment was scheduled to repair the vehicle. The vehicle remained with the dealer for a week before the contact was informed that parts for the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that on several occasions, while the vehicle was in park(P), the vehicle unexpectedly rolled without warning. The brake pedal was depressed with extra force while shifting to park(P). The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. …
I have had a vibration and "death wobble" on my truck since I purchased it. It has been to two different Chrysler dealers for a total of 5 or 6 times without resolution of the issue. The issue is two fold, one is when I hit a large bump at speeds greater than 45 MPH the steering wheel shakes violently, and the other this speeds over 60 MPH there is a vibration. I have spoken to Chrysler about the issues about a year or so ago. They tried to offer buy back because the issue could not be resolved, but then told me I was not qualified because I was the second owner. I also had to have the steering gear box replaced under warranty, and they replaced all the tie-rod ends ect. The issues is still the same without resolution. Now my warranty is up, and the truck still has this potential dangers issues and I have no where to go. Anytime I have the truck looked at now it cost me a lot of money. …
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 a good car?
Based on 214 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2004 Ram 3500 rates average: about as many complaints as a typical year of the Ram 3500 at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2004 Dodge Ram 3500?
The transmission & drivetrain — 64 complaints, 30% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic transmission. Next are the air bags (43) and steering (41).
How many recalls does the 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2004 Dodge Ram 3500, the most recent from December 3, 2014 (air bags). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Dodge Ram 3500?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2002, 2000 and 1999. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2012, 2011, 2006, 2007 and 2008. See the full Dodge Ram 3500 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 62,000 miles; 42% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.