Most common 2009 Dodge Ram 3500 problems
Share of the 105 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 →
2009 Dodge Ram 3500 recalls (5)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango, 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C, 300S, and SRT8, 2006-2010 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Magnum, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler and Dodge owners and Mitsubishi will notify the affected Raider owners.
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 defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2009 Dodge Ram 3500:
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…
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
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 2009 Dodge Ram 3500 owners say
Steering all 69 →
Two issues: 1: knocking sound when turning at parking lot speeds. I've replaced bushings, linkages, ball joints, and nothing helped. I replaced wheel hub assemblies and the knocking is reduced, but not fixed. Shop owners that drive the same truck say they've spent thousands of dollars on their own vehicles and can't pinpoint the front end noises either. 2:vibration under the vehicle, from the transfer case, through the drive shaft, to the rear differential. Diesel shop says it's a common issue for the seals to get worn out due to imbalanced drive shaft. However, the drive shaft didn't lose any weights and was fine for the fist 90,000 miles. This is a very common issue with Dodge adam 2500 and 3500, according to the shop. At first I thought it was the tires, so I had them replaced and kept going to different shops, thinking that some May be better at balancing than others. …
My 2011 mega cab 3500 was purchased in nov of 2018 with only approx. 110K miles on odometer. After a short while of driving, a vibration started getting worse up until I took to a dealer at approx. 114K for a check on toe & alignment. It ended up being a total repair of upper & lower u-joints & ball joints. Also had to replace driver's mirror-had short, wiring harness on passenger headlight-had short, transmission shifter seal leaked, new pinion gear & seal, & few other items also. It seems like a diesel that has just started breaking in was falling apart on me before it's time. Needless to say, about 4 months or so after I made the purchase, I had to fork out a !!heap!! Of $$$$$ for repairs that I couldn't recover. Funny thing is, before I bought the truck, another gentleman told me these years of Dodge trucks he had heard they were having a lot of front end trouble. …
Suspension
My 2011 mega cab 3500 was purchased in nov of 2018 with only approx. 110K miles on odometer. After a short while of driving, a vibration started getting worse up until I took to a dealer at approx. 114K for a check on toe & alignment. It ended up being a total repair of upper & lower u-joints & ball joints. Also had to replace driver's mirror-had short, wiring harness on passenger headlight-had short, transmission shifter seal leaked, new pinion gear & seal, & few other items also. It seems like a diesel that has just started breaking in was falling apart on me before it's time. Needless to say, about 4 months or so after I made the purchase, I had to fork out a !!heap!! Of $$$$$ for repairs that I couldn't recover. Funny thing is, before I bought the truck, another gentleman told me these years of Dodge trucks he had heard they were having a lot of front end trouble. …
Death wobble while driving down the interstate going around 50/60 miles I hit a bump in the road and the truck shakes out of control. The truck doesn't stop shaking until you slow down til about 30. It's very dangerous, just today I hit a bump going across a bridge on the interstate and the truck started shaking dangerously and another truck was behind me and on the side of me. The vehile on the right side of me had to hit the shoulder because while my truck was shaking the truck was going in that persons lane. I was scared out of my mind, it seemed that the truck just wouldn't slow down while I was on my breaks. This is very dangerous and an accident waiting to happen. These trucks need to be recalled and fixed correctly before a life is lost or someone hurt badly because of a faulty vehicle by Chrysler/Dodge
Air bags
I was e/b hwy 26 around manning, or at approximately 50-55 MPH (posted 55). As I was passing a fruit stand on my right, I heard a loud bang and the vehicle jerked to the right jumped the curb and I veered to the right to avoid the steel guard rail and drove into a drop off about 20 feet below the roadway and struck a pile of 4-6" logs in tall grass. None of the airbags deployed during the collision.
Our son was driving a 2009 Dodge at approximately 60 MPH. He hit a vehicle that pulled in front of him with the front end of the Dodge. It continued to travel into a guardrail then flipped over on its top. During this accident the airbags did not deploy. Praise god our son was not injured during this. Shouldn't the airbags have deployed during this??????
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Dodge Ram 3500 a good car?
Based on 105 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2009 Ram 3500 rates average: 14% fewer complaints than 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 2009 Dodge Ram 3500?
The steering — 69 complaints, 66% of all complaints for this model year, most often about linkages › tie rod assembly. Next are the suspension (12) and air bags (12).
How many recalls does the 2009 Dodge Ram 3500 have?
There are 5 recalls for the 2009 Dodge Ram 3500, the most recent from May 24, 2016 (inflator module). 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 2009 Dodge Ram 3500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 50,000 miles; 50% 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.