Most common 2008 Dodge Ram 4500 problems
Share of the 10 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Dodge Ram 4500 complaints by model year
Best Ram 4500 years: 2009. Compare all years →
2008 Dodge Ram 4500 recalls (3)
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 4500 and 5500 trucks manufactured February 20, 2007, through December 22, 2012. The left tie rod assembly may break.
Remedy: On May 19, 2015 Chrysler notified owners that dealers would replace the tie rod assembly, free of charge. In July 2015, and under a consent order with NHTSA, the company agreed to offer owners three options for…
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2008 Dodge Ram 4500:
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.
What 2008 Dodge Ram 4500 owners say
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Dodge 4500. The contact was driving approximately 10 MPH when the steering wheel began to malfunction and became unresponsive. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician advised that the tie rods would need replacing and that there was a recall for the driver side tie rod in which the contacts vehicle was included. The NHTSA campaign id number was not available. The technician replaced the driver side tie rod and advised that the passenger side tie rod would not be repaired under the recall. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer in regards to the repairs but to no avail. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Dodge Ram 4500. The vehicle was included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number: 10V657000 (steering:linkages:tie rod assembly) and the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The contact was informed by the dealer that the necessary parts needed to perform the repairs were not readily available and would need to be ordered. The contact was told that they would notify him when the parts became available but he had not been notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 39,000.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2008 Dodge Ram 4500 a good car?
Based on 10 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2008 Ram 4500 rates average: about as many complaints as a typical year of the Ram 4500 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 2008 Dodge Ram 4500?
The steering — 8 complaints, 80% of all complaints for this model year, most often about linkages › tie rod assembly. Next are the suspension (2) and brakes (1).
How many recalls does the 2008 Dodge Ram 4500 have?
There are 3 recalls for the 2008 Dodge Ram 4500, 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 4500?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2009. See the full Dodge Ram 4500 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2008 Dodge Ram 4500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 59,000 miles; 25% 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.