Good thing Dodge is doing the right thing and making it right by the customers. Ford would just sweep it under the rug and deny there is a problem.

Mike,

Should that read

•2008-2011 Dodge Ram 2500/3500 4x4 built between Feb. 14, 2008, through Aug. 15, 2011
•2008-2011 Dodge Ram 3500 Cab Chassis 4x2 built between Feb. 14, 2008, through Aug. 15, 2011

They didnt make many 2011 trucks in 2008 :)

That would bite if this failure happened to my 2005 Ram 2500 Power Wagon, while "off-roading" far away from civilization.

Realistically if a suspension pieces is going to break, it'll happen during low speed maneovers or dips but there's still an outside chance of them 'going' at fwy speeds. Still no need ot get excited but these are exclusively 4X4s we're talking about and just know that desert running can jar the suspension much worse than low speed cornering around town.

@P,

Ford does not make crappy Tie-Rods!

@ "P" - trolling the Ram thread for Ford boys. Still traumatized by that Crown Vic. Get over it.

@Lou,

He drives a Chevy Z-71 and keeps claiming it has better suspension then the SVT Raptor.

@DenverMike
You've obviously never driven on some of our fine roads out here in California. LOL...

Chrysler hasn't decided when it will start notifying dealers and owners about the new recall.

Why not? Not enough money?

@ Mark. Where does it say that? I read the story twice and didn't read what you wrote. This how recalls work no matter the brand. We are all made aware of the recall then in the near future they mail out the notices when warehouses have the parts in stock. I'd like to know what happens to the engineers who design these parts that fail.

It's from the Detroit News.

Normally when a recall occurs the company knows when they will start notifying dealers and owners.

"2008 Dodge Ram 1500 Mega Cab 4x4"

??? wtf ???

Another article states that a Chrysler spokesman said there have been a few crashes as a result of the issue.

There have already been crashes and they don't know when they will alert owners about the issue?

Wow.

This item was in the news a while back that the Canadian government was investigating these complaints. Maybe in the US too? Guess Dodge decided to get on it before ordered. We know what bad recall publicity can do.

@ uh huh

the Ram 1500 mega cabs sat on 3/4 ton frames, and this recall is for affected models with a solid front axle, which is why the 3500 4x2 chassis cabs are involved as well, because they feature a solid front end. Sadly enough i think this is probably every 4x4 HD pickup Dodge sold between '08 and '11, but the silver lining is at least they are being thorough before someone gets killed. On a more subtle note, they're doing this voluntarily and not being forced to do this unlike Ford was with the airbag wire issue

Looking back at Ford recall notice, 2004-2006. http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2011/04/ford-expanding-f-150-recall-for-airbag-problem-by-12-million-trucks.html
Hopefully something was learned on a problem ~ 5 plus yrs ago. Delay I read (if true) was learning problem was wider than one plant.
But Dodge recall is on current day product. I guess quality checks on their suppliers still not important or done often enough.

I had a recall for this same problem last year on my 2005 Ram 4x4 diesel. I got it inspected by my dealer and they said that my tie rod assembly was OK. There was a certin designed unit that they were looking for and mine had the good one. My Chrysler technician said that the tie rod assembly was built heavier around 2007 so obviously not good enough. Still love my Ram. Would buy another one in a heart beat.

Dodge front suspensions have always been a problem.Whoever is supplying parts are cutting corners,or else Chrysler has always demanded cheaper parts. (read up on Dakota,Durango,and Dodge 4x4 pickups and you'll know its an issue).

Guy's they can't alert people until they have a supply of parts into the dealers. When that is about to happen they will alert all affected customers.....

I wonder if this is the result of the drunks n potheads caught drinking n smoking during their lunch breaks. Was on fox news tonite.

@ Mark Gottcha, I thought that you where reading into something that wasn't there.

@Lou -

Point 1. GM has this one in the bag.

Point 2. Ford will come in last.

1. GM
2. Ram
3. Ford

Class dismissed.

@Frank,
"Ford does not make crappy Tie-Rods!"
Ford did make crappy sway bars. Mine broke off in my 95 Explorer backing out of my driveway. Without the sway bar, it handled like a baby carriage. Lucky it did not break going onto an onramp- I'd have bounced right off the road.

I got it fixed; a year later, a gov't mandated recall fixed all of them. The dealer at the time was saying "no, never happens, too bad it happened to you". So, no thanks to Ford.

Go to the Cummins forum and you will see a lot of 2010 -2011 Ram HD truck with broken tie rod, including my 2010 3500 Cummins. Finally Ram is going to rectify this problem and admitt to this being a potentially dangerous problem.

At least they recall them when there is a problem,not like Toyota and Ford that drag the known issue for decades.

Chrysler said it is going to make more parts in-house,as Dailmer (Mercedes) out sourced many of its parts,and this is what happens....though I would rather replace a tie rod than a rusty frame on a Toyota or a head caused by a stuck spark plug on previous generation Ford engines ! TieRods are only plus or minus $100 and 1 hr to replace.

@UXORIOUS -
Tie rods may be a cheep fix, but having one break can be catastrophic.
Having a spark plug break is an expensive pain, but killing yourself and/or your family, and or someone else, and/or their family is much worse.
Only an idiot would drive a truck with a severely rusted frame regardless of brand.

"Only an idiot would drive a truck with a severely rusted frame regardless of brand."

Don't know why this is reminding me of my 1973 Chevy Cayenne that rusted to death.

@LOU,

Ford/GM/Toyota all have had many more serious suspension and other problems that injure or kill people.Steering,braking,suspension,bad wheel bearings that wheels fall off,fire,rust,sudden excelleration,loss of steering on the highway ect...

Toyota has a serious issue with rusting frames,much harder to replace than a tierod,same with Ford engines a new head is more costly than a $100 tie rod.

Abviously you dont know anything about the tierods,they just dont automatically self destruct,over time you will notice a shake,shimmy but even way before that your tire will wear out around the edge first,then later down the road you will notice a slight shake or shimmy and rattle,if you are too dumb not to get it checked out when you first notice the problem,well it isnt going to go away on its own.Ity takes along time for it to fall apart.I am not making excuses for the truck,but you WILL notice something is wrong with the vehicle before anything happens that will harm you.

@FRANK,

I wasnt talking about old 40 year old trucks !

Many people were making payments on their Toyota that needed a frame replacement on a 2 year old truck ,it was very costly to replace.Remember for over a decade Toyota dragged their feet and denied any rust issue,people had to spend thousands to repair or replace their frame on their own out of pocket money,before the Toyota recall..

@ Frank

What good is the SVT Raptor suspension when you can't use it because if you do you will bend the frame? Therefore, the Chevy Z71 suspension is better, lol. I can see it now, some yahoo saying their Raptor's frame wont bend, take it out and come back with a newly re-designed 'A' frame Raptor!!

@UXORIOUS - you need to re-read the recall notice.
They are talking about Quote "the part may fracture". Unlike you - I can see the difference in risk between a part breaking and a part being worn out.
To quote the news story one more time -
"If a fracture happens, drivers could notice a loss in directional stability, increasing the risk of a crash."

It is obvious that a broken steering component is more dangerous than a broken spark plug hole or frame rust. If you don't crash - sure, the latter are more expensive to remedy, but that isn't the point.
Recalls are only issued for public safety issues.

I'm not slagging Dodge. Your attempt at minimalizing the seriousness of this issue is pathetic.

Does Ram coolaid taste like goat pee????

@UXORIOUS - odd nom de guerre. It means " Having or showing an excessive or submissive fondness for one's wife."
Most guys would call it by another name.
Don't you love Google. LMAO.

Raptors break when used irresponsibly. The truck is tough but you have to be smart. Some people are not smart. Mike Levine never broke a Raptor. Car & Drive did break the Ram Runner.

Toyota frames don't rust if you take care of them!

Man I love my Tacoma just as much as anyone else, but to sit here and defend Toyota if they just passed the sub par crap onto the 2nd Gens that they used on the 1st Gens just doesn't make sense. Just look at the spring tsb. They have been using the same sub par parts year after year now when they should have switched at the factory at years ago. Defend what should be defended. Not the greed that Toyota is currently. Everyone wants to get mad at the dealers on stuff like the tsb's, etc... But hmmm the problem to me is at the top.

The underside of these Tacomas rust fast. Period. I can go to a same year car\truck as mine (07) and it doesn't display the same amount as rust as the Tacoma does. So to sit here and say otherwise is just BS. Heck I even get the salt off ASAP so it isn't a neglect issue. Just admit that the damn things rust faster than they should.

@chevy guy - you sure do shine a positive light on the GM/Chev faithful.
Keep your ignorant comments to yourself.

Gee, big surprise. Dodge trucks being recalled due to being crap.

@Jay,

You really drive a Tacoma? I do not think so...

Stop trolling please, Dodge is at issue here with crap parts!

I am a long-time Toyota owner of many models and NEVER had any frame problems including racing down in Baja...

Maybe because I know how to take care of my pickup and I am not a zombie like the rest of society, too busy with their cell phones and flip flops to take care of their ride...

@oxi - you of all people should know that you can break anything offroad. Hasn't your years of Baja racing taught you that? or was it just years of Baja "bench" racing?
I've seen guys break 10,000 dollar MX bikes.
If you don't know how to drive/ride and/or you screw up - it will break.

The main culprit to why Raptors are breaking is because of its weight!

It's a heavy full-size pickup and jumping all the time without a proper suspension will break the darn thing!

I break suspensions into categories:

Stock = gay!

Light duty: new shocks or an add-a-leaf...

Medium duty: equivalent to a standard 2 or 3 inch lift most would call it but really some new upper control arms, new shocks and better springs or coils, i.e. Raptor...

Heavy duty: full blown desert racing setup for long travel, heavy duty springs/coils to fit boggers like 44's on or what I am doing building expedition style suspension with heavier rated coils up front and springs rear with matching shocks and control arms to carry weight off-road with larger tires...

@oxi - you just don't get it do you?

What would you say if it were Tacoma's bending frames?

We all know what you'd say.................

The same argument you used for rusty frames - guys are idiots and don't know how to look after their trucks

or

like the unintended excelleration fiasco - guys are idiots and don't know how to drive.

Oxi = TACOMA BOB.

Lou,
Get a load of this. The guy who bent his frame and was spreading all of the rumors all over the internet in his heavily moderated thrad that it was "Ford's fault" has now just admitted that it was "driver error."

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f39/houston-we-have-problem-bent-frame-thread-3103/index48.html#post54470

Quote - "The guys that didn't finish either quit early, or had mechanical issues. It was by no means a walk in the park, although there is NO reason you couldn't do the entire run at a moderate pace without any damage or issues... It all depends on the driver"

That falls under Toyota excuse number 2!

Another comment.

BlueSVT and his fellow crybabies/moderators at the "z" site are causing ALL Raptor owners to suffer (potential reduced resale value) in their quest to make Ford pay for damage resulting from the one thing that cant be warranted: STUPIDITY! He brags about destroying 2 BFG's on said Raptor Run and ruining the other 2 due to "spinning my tires like crazy", his own video showing 85mph+ speeds with no apparent regard for what is up ahead, yet will not accept responsibility for his actions. I hope he does sue Ford-they will depose and expose him...With the sheer number of posts (and the times of day of said post) he makes I wonder how he gets any work done or keeps his job; must be a union, government/public service or family job-anyone in the private sector would fire his ass. Time for BlueSVT and these other guys to step up, quit expecting someone else to pay their way, admit they have some responsibility and THANK Ford for building one of the coolest trucks to come out of Dearborn in many a year! End of rant.

http://www.fordraptorforum.com/f39/houston-we-have-problem-bent-frame-thread-3103/index49.html#post54642

Chief engineer at SVT talks about durability. Watch to the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf0hgA78vRY

I can break Oxi's Tacoma any time I want to.

@Lou

I agree with Oxi.

The reason why the Raptor frames broke is not because of driver error!

People know how to drive! Obviously you don't know how to drive if you think it is driver error.

The Raptor breaks because of manufacturer error. The weight of the Raptor cannot hold up going offroad. Period.

If you want to find out how to build up a real off-road rig to get ride of the factory rake and better approach angles, and less weight, just check out Oxi's 2010 Tacoma progress:
http://www.wi4x4.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=4862
This doesn't include stage two.

@ Jake HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA. Yes stage 2 will definitly put it in Raptor territory. Those extra lights and roof basket will make all the difference. I thought this was soposed to be impressive. A leveling kit, heavy duty shocks, and all terrain tires? Can you say poser?

jake/oxi nice SUV!

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/8fb4380f1d/the-laughing-man-from-monkeynuts

@Jake - now I know who Tacoman is.

Thanks for the laugh.

You can break anything offroad if you are careless, or reckless or both.

Oxi has put a lot of thought and effort into his truck to meet his needs.

BUT

Putting on steel bumpers, an industrial spec canopy and rack do not decrease weight but increase it.
Putting bigger tires on stock steel wheels also increase weight.

If the purpose was to save weight and you and Oxi seem to go on and on and on and on and on about weight, then aircraft grade aluminum and expensive titanium would be more in line.
Ditching the steel wheels will save weight and improve ride.
Aluminum racks, canopies, and even bumpers will reduce weight and provide durability.

Spare me the weight BS. Practice what you preach if that is your expert off road opinion.

Quote - "People know how to drive! Obviously you don't know how to drive if you think it is driver error. "
Wrong.
3-5 % of drivers are good to excellent.
62 % are just plain average.
33 % shouldn't be allowed to operate a motor vehicle.
Those are the statistics.
Put that same 33 % in a performance vehicle and you are guaranteed failure.
Put the 62% in a performance vehicle and things will go wrong as well.
Even the remaining 3-5 % can make mistakes and break things.

A poor tradesman always blames his tools.

All trucks have recalls. Just a few years back Ford recalled millions of trucks and cars because people were being burned alive due to faulty cruise control. Gm has recalled millions of trucks also. And anyone that thinks that Toyota frames don't rust prematurely should visit Ohio where they salt the roads.