Model year record

2003 Dodge Ram 1500 recalls & problems

The 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 has 5 safety recalls and 1,171 owner complaints on file with NHTSA. The most-reported problem area is air bags (458 complaints).

Recalls5safety recalls

Complaints1,171filed by owners

Crashes · fires76 · 12reported in complaints

Injuries · deaths80 · 6reported in complaints

1 recall for this model year carries an NHTSA do not drive advisory. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Safety recalls

Air bagsMay 26, 2015

Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module

Recall 15V312000385,686 vehiclesopened after NHTSA action (ODI)

NHTSA advisory: do not drive affected vehicles until repaired.

Problem: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2003 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks manufactured August 29, 2002, to July 25, 2003 to address a safety defect in the passenger side frontal air bag inflator which may produce excessive internal pressure causing the inflator to rupture upon deployment of the air bag. This recall addresses both the passenger side frontal air bags that were originally installed in the vehicles, as well as replacement air bags that may have been installed as replacement service parts. A replacement air bag may have been installed, as one example, if a vehicle had been in a crash necessitating the replacement of the passenger side frontal air bag.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengerÂs frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the remedy is completed. Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag, free of charge. The recall began on March 16, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R26. Note: This recall partially supersedes recall 14V770.

WheelsAug 23, 2010

Hub

Recall 10E04000034,604 vehicles

Problem: FEDERAL-MOGUL IS RECALLING CERTAIN CARQUEST, NATIONAL, AND PERCISION BRAND WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLIES, P/NOS 515073 AND 515073, SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT ON MODEL YEAR 2002 THROUGH 2008 DODGE RAM 1500 PICKUP TRUCKS. THE INBOARD ROLL FORM USED TO MAINTAIN THE HUB ASSEMBLY CAN FATIGUE RESULTING IN NOISE AND/OR WHEEL SEPARATION ON THE TWO WHEEL DRIVE (2WD) APPLICATIONS. THE RISK OF THESE ISSUES DO NOT OCCUR ON THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE (4WD) APPLICATIONS, AND INSTALLATION ON THE 4WD APPLICATIONS ARE NOT PART OF THIS RECALL.
Risk: A VEHICLE CRASH CAN OCCUR IF THE WHEEL SEPARATES FROM THE VEHICLE.
Fix: FEDERAL-MOGUL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND TECHNICIANS WILL REPLACE THE AFFECTED HUB ASSEMBLIES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FEDERAL-MOGUL AT 1-877-489-6659.

SteeringMay 3, 2010

Gear box › Shaft pitman

Recall 10E0130001,500 vehicles

Problem: FABTECH IS RECALLING CERTAIN AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT PITMAN ARMS, P/NOS. FTS93001 AND FT44039, INSTALLED FOR USE ON CERTAIN 2003 THROUGH 2008 DODGE 2500 4WD, 3500 4WD, AND 1500 4WD MEGA CAB VEHICLES. THE PITMAN ARM CAN FRACTURE AND BREAK AWAY FROM THE STEERING BOX CAUSING TOTAL LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL.
Risk: STEERING LOSS COULD RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH POSSIBLY RESULTING IN PROPERTY DAMAGE, INJURY OR DEATH.
Fix: FABTECH WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND AUTHORIZED INSTALLERS WILL INSPECT FOR DEFECTIVE PITMAN ARM AND REPLACE IF NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 24, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FABTECH AT 1-877-432-2832.

VisibilityDec 11, 2007

Glass, side/rear

Recall 07E1040001,657 vehicles

Problem: CERTAIN CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF TEMPERED GLASS AND FAILS TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 205, "GLAZING MATERIALS."
Risk: IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT(S) MAY BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BY SHATTERED GLASS.
Fix: SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE GLASS FREE OF CHARGE. RETAIL CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE TOLL FREE AT 1-888-843-2906. SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS AND REIMBURSE WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS FOR CURRENT INVENTORY AND AT A SPECIFIED RATE FOR REPLACING THEIR CUSTOMER'S GLASS. WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE'S WHOLESALE DIVISION, SERVICE AUTOGLASS TOLL FREE AT 1-888-246-6298. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 15, 2008.

Engine and engine coolingMar 15, 2006

Engine and engine cooling

Recall 06E02400044,386 vehicles

Problem: CERTAIN REPLACEMENT K&N FUEL PERFORMANCE KITS, P/NOS. 57-1509, 57-1511, 57-1511-1, 57-1517, 57-1517-1, 57-1527, AND 57-1530. ALSO, A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THESE KITS WERE SOLD UNDER THE MOPAR PERFORMANCE PARTS BRAND NAME (P/NOS. P5007069 AND P5007070). ALL KITS WERE MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 20, 1999, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 23, 2004. THESE ASSEMBLIES WERE MANUFACTURED AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR CERTAIN DODGE PICKUP TRUCKS AND SUVS. A SMALL PIECE OF MATERIAL FROM THE TUBE WALL COULD BE SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE THROTTLE BODY, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE THROTTLE TO BECOME JAMMED IN THE OPEN POSITION.
Risk: A JAMMED OPEN THROTTLE COULD CAUSE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A CRASH OR INCREASED STOPING DISTANCES WHEN BRAKING.
Fix: K&N WILL PROVIDE OWNERS WITH A FREE REPAIR KIT ALONG WITH REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 20, 2006.

Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. A recall listed here may already have been fixed on a particular car: enter its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see open recalls.

Fuel economy

Ram 1500 Pickup 2WD

16mpg combined

City / highway	14 / 18 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

3.7 L · 6 cyl · Automatic 4-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive · about $4,200/year to fuel

Ram 1500 Pickup 2WD

16mpg combined

City / highway	14 / 19 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

3.7 L · 6 cyl · Manual 5-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive · about $4,200/year to fuel

Ram 1500 Pickup 2WD

15mpg combined

City / highway	13 / 18 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

4.7 L · 8 cyl · Automatic 5-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive · about $4,450/year to fuel

Ram 1500 Pickup 2WD

15mpg combined

City / highway	13 / 18 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

4.7 L · 8 cyl · Manual 5-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive · about $4,450/year to fuel

Ram 1500 Pickup 2WD

14mpg combined

City / highway	13 / 17 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

5.7 L · 8 cyl · Automatic 5-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive · about $4,800/year to fuel

Ram 1500 Pickup 4WD

14mpg combined

City / highway	13 / 16 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

4.7 L · 8 cyl · Automatic 5-spd · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive · about $4,800/year to fuel

Ram 1500 Pickup 4WD

14mpg combined

City / highway	12 / 16 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

4.7 L · 8 cyl · Manual 5-spd · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive · about $4,800/year to fuel

Ram 1500 Pickup 2WD

13mpg combined

City / highway	12 / 16 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

5.9 L · 8 cyl · Automatic 4-spd · Rear-Wheel Drive · about $5,150/year to fuel

Ram 1500 Pickup 4WD

13mpg combined

City / highway	11 / 15 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

5.7 L · 8 cyl · Automatic 5-spd · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive · about $5,150/year to fuel

Ram 1500 Pickup 4WD

13mpg combined

City / highway	11 / 15 mpg
Fuel	Regular Gasoline

5.9 L · 8 cyl · Automatic 4-spd · 4-Wheel or All-Wheel Drive · about $5,150/year to fuel

EPA estimates from fueleconomy.gov for each engine and transmission sold. Annual cost is the EPA's estimate for 15,000 miles a year at its current fuel and electricity price assumptions. Your results will vary.

What owners report

Problem area	Complaints	Crashes	Fires	Injuries	Typical mileage*
Air bagsFrontal	458	35	1	47	112,500 mi
StructureBody; Body › Door	238	4	0	13	76,000 mi
Power trainAutomatic transmission; Driveline › Differential unit	128	22	2	17	71,000 mi
Service brakes, hydraulicFoundation components › Disc › Rotor; Antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip	68	2	0	0	10,102 mi
Unknown or other	66	1	3	2	95,000 mi
Electrical systemWiring; Instrument cluster/panel	63	4	5	1	61,500 mi
SuspensionRear; Front › Wheel bearing	59	11	1	5	65,600 mi
Engine and engine coolingEngine; Engine › Gasoline	56	0	1	0	42,318 mi
SteeringRack and pinion; Linkages › Tie rod assembly	44	4	0	4	76,504 mi
VisibilityDefroster/defogger/hvac system; Power window devices and controls	25	1	0	1	73,000 mi
Engine	21	0	1	0	132,850 mi
Vehicle speed control	20	6	0	2	70,000 mi

*Median odometer reading when the problem happened, where owners gave one. One complaint can name several problem areas.

Recent owner complaints

Air bags
brought my 2003 dodge ram 1500 to Romeo dodge to have a Passenger Airbag Recall Repair on [XXX] and I was called one hour later and told my airbag replacement was finished and I could pick up my truck. So i picked up my truck and drove it from Romeo dodge [XXX] to [XXX] where I live I parked the truck . We were sick for a few days after we parked the truck home it wasnt moved at all until a few days later I tried to start my truck and it would not start , so i tried again and the truck started briefly and the gauges were going crazy and truck started bogging badly and shut off and wouldn't start again so I complained to Romeo dodge about this and the service manager Jason said the truck…
Sep 25, 2026
Air bags
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V312000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired; however, the contact was informed that the part to do the recall repair was on back order. The contact stated that the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles(DMV) had placed a hold on the registration of the vehicle, preventing the contact from being able to operate the vehicle on public roadways. The contact stated that the manufacturer had failed to provide the remedy within a reasonable amount of time. The contact had not experienced a…
May 26, 2015
Suspension › Rear
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being driven by a friend at 45 MPH, the rear axle detached. The driver was stranded by the roadside. The vehicle was towed to the driver's residence. There were no warning lights illuminated. An unknown local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 300,000.
Feb 7, 2026 · 300,000 miles
Suspension
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the steering wheel and the front wheels were uncontrollable. While driving from Georgia to Memphis, there was an unknown object loose by the wheel. The ball joint suspension was replaced by an independent mechanic. The low tire pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact was unable to control the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to an unstated location. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
Jan 1, 2023 · 180,000 miles
Structure › Body
Rear fenders are rusted such that wiring harness falls off from underside if fenders and rubs on tires. Middle of frame rusted through on right and left side and dealer's floor lift went about half-way through both sides when the technician. tried to raise truck to check wiring under truck. The lift only crunched about halfway through near the middle of the frame. That was the point when the technician noticed the truck was lifting unevenly and making a crunching sound when he started trying to lift it. He left the truck as it was - with two wheels on the floor and two wheels about an inch off the floor He hollered for th shop supervisor to look at, who came and got me in the waiting room…
May 4, 2014
Unknown or other
A few years ago, while driving down a rural road, I saw a tire rolling behind my truck. I stopped to remove it from the road and it turned out to be my spare tire.. The cross brace that is connected to the support cable rusted and folded to allow the tire to drop free. I replaced the cross brace and added heavy duty straps to be a backup support so as to assure this incident would not happen again. Last month my friend's son was injured due to an accident involving what appears to be a Pick-Up truck spare tire lost on a state highway. The tire size and a rusted cross brace led the responding police officer to conclude that it came from a Pick-up truck. Perhaps, pick up truck manufacturers…
May 15, 2018
Structure › Body
The frame/chasis rusted through and dealer could not raise truck because lift went through frame. If it had not been noticed at dealership, we and others could have been killed if the frame had broken through on the highway. The dealership and repair shop can confirm. The box and other body components are severely rusted. The body around the gas filler cap is so rusty that I have to hold the gas dispenser just so as to prevent gas leakage from the filler apparatus going into the gas tank. The gas tank fell off the truck twice and the truck was towed into the dealer to be fixed. The truck has less than 150,000 miles, and was purchased new. The incidents occurred between 2004 and 2020 -…
May 14, 2000
Tires › Temporary/emergency spare tire
The contact owns a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was an abnormal thump, prompting the contact to look through the review mirror, where he observed that the spare tire was on the roadway. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the spare tire hoist cable had detached, allowing the spare tire to fall from the spare tire compartment. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,600. The VIN was not available.
Oct 25, 2023 · 99,600 miles

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.

NHTSA defect investigations

Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpen
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. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 Blomquist Report at www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.Consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substance that traps and holds moisture) in US vehicles are under recall. These "non-desiccated" inflators either have been or are required to be replaced.In some cases, the remedy part for these recalled…
EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021
Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpenLed to recall 14V668
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 systems.During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.Nonetheless, at ODI's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico,…
EA15001 · opened Feb 24, 2015
Air Bag Inflator RuptureClosedLed to recall 13V172000
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 systems.During the course of PE14-016, ODI determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by Takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.Nonetheless, at ODI's insistence, all 10 vehicle manufacturers initiated a regional recall within approximately two weeks of the opening of the investigation.The regions recalled initially included Florida, Puerto Rico,…
PE14016 · opened Jun 11, 2014 · closed Mar 2, 2015