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Model file · DodgeUpdated · 18 sources

Selling a broken-down Dodge Ram 2500

Steering is the part owners name most on the Dodge Ram 2500: 1,634 of the 6,395 in NHTSA's October 10, 2026 file. Steering leads the list on each model year from 2004 to 2012, and four separate recalls go after the tie rods and drag link.

A mud-splashed dark blue Dodge Ram 2500 four-door pickup with chrome running boards, parked on a dirt lot
Photo: Bull-Doser · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Model years on this page
1994-2012
Complaints to NHTSA
6,395
Year with the most complaints
2006 (670)
Recall campaigns
22
Component named most
Steering (1,634)
Years with no recall campaign
1993-1999 and 2002

If your 2500 is parked with a bad front end, a tired diesel or a transmission that quit, you can sell the whole car as it sits. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

Problems by era

This page has no generation dates for the truck, so the years are grouped by what owners reported. The EPA's fuel economy data lists light-duty 2500s only for 1994-1996; the range here runs to 2012 to cover NHTSA records filed under the Dodge Ram 2500 name.

1993-2002: brakes, then structure

Hydraulic brakes lead each year's complaints from 1993 through 1999, from 12 on the 1993 to 69 on the 1996. The 1995 also has 30 complaints about speed control, and tires show up on the 1996-1998. None of those years has a recall campaign in NHTSA's data.

Structure takes over for 2000-2002, with 174 of the 2001's 469 complaints. The one campaign covering 2000-2001 trucks, 01V153000, swapped the clockspring because padding in the steering wheel could break free.

2003-2008: steering, air bags and the diesels

The 2003 jumps to 661 complaints: 134 on air bags, 130 on structure, 117 on steering. Recall 15V312000 covers the 2003 passenger inflator, marked DO NOT DRIVE, on 385,686 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 trucks.

From here, steering dominates. The 2006 tops every other year with 670 complaints, 199 of them about steering. The tie rod campaigns that line up with it:

  • 13V528000: 2003-2008 Ram 2500 and 3500 4x4 trucks, plus some Ram 1500 Mega Cab 4x4s. 706,664 vehicles in all.
  • 11V350000: listed for 2003-2011 trucks in this data; its notice describes 2008-2011 Ram 2500 and 3500 4x4s. Dealers inspect the tie rod ends and replace the left outer tie rod as needed.

Diesel owners have their own campaigns. Recall 03V033000 reprogrammed 2003 Cummins trucks with manual transmissions that could idle high after long cruise control use. Recall 05V462000 added an out-of-park alarm to 2003-2005 diesel automatics. On 2007-2008 trucks with the 6.7-liter diesel, 08V641000 adds a bracket so a sagging engine-bay silencer pad can't rest on the EGR cooler; its 108,429 trucks include 3500s.

Other campaigns in this stretch: 06V038000, an ABS control unit on 2006 trucks that could lock the rear brakes early; 14V795000, a clutch ignition interlock switch on 2006-2007 manual trucks; and two DO NOT DRIVE inflator recalls, 15V313000 and 16V352000, both covering 2005-2009 2500s. The 16V352000 expansion alone added 73,712 2005-2009 Ram 2500s built at St. Louis North. Both campaigns top 4 million vehicles across many models.

2009-2012: still steering

Steering stays on top: 143 of 214 complaints on the 2009, 186 of 298 on the 2011. Two more linkage recalls apply. Under 09V005000, the drag link's inner tie rod end could break on 2008-2009 trucks with Powers and Sons steering linkage. Under 13V529000, the left tie rod on 2008-2012 4x4s gets inspected and replaced if needed.

Diesel trucks from 2010-2012 are also in 14V635000, for fuel system electrical connectors (315,325 vehicles through the 4500 and 5500). On 2010-2012 trucks in this data, 17V821000 pairs a software update with an inspection of the brake transmission shift interlock.

Complaints filed, model year by model year

We took these Ram 2500 figures from NHTSA up to October 10, 2026. A recall that reaches several model years is listed under each of them, so recall counts overlap.

Model yearComplaintsRecall campaignsTop complaint (count)
1993390Hydraulic brakes (12)
19941680Hydraulic brakes (35)
19952670Hydraulic brakes (55)
19962910Hydraulic brakes (69)
19972130Hydraulic brakes (31)
19982250Hydraulic brakes (31)
19993130Hydraulic brakes (56)
20002111Structure (55)
20014691Structure (174)
20021550Structure (35)
20036616Air bags (134)
20045826Steering (111)
20054226Steering (134)
20066706Steering (199)
20073618Steering (166)
20083177Steering (162)
20092145Steering (143)
20102364Steering (141)
20112984Steering (186)
20122834Steering (103)

Repair or sell?

Heavy-duty parts aren't cheap. Get the repair cost on paper, then see what the truck would sell for if it ran. Close numbers mean sell.

Getting the whole truck sold

  1. Have the VIN, mileage and engine (gas or diesel) ready, plus what's wrong.
  2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
  3. Tell us where the 2500 is and if it rolls. It's a heavy truck, so if it can't roll or steer, say so and we'll send the right equipment.
  4. Leave it as it is. Keep the wheels, hitch and bed on. Mention anything already pulled.
  5. At pickup, have the title and ID. No title? See selling with no title.

More Dodge trucks: the Ram 1500, the Ram 3500, the Dakota and every Dodge we cover.

Questions people ask

Which Ram 2500 model years have the most NHTSA complaints?
In NHTSA's October 10, 2026 count the 2006 is first at 670, just ahead of the 2003 at 661. Then the 2004 (582), the 2001 (469) and the 2005 (422). The 2012 shows 283; the latest trucks here have spent fewer years on the road than the oldest, which holds their counts down.
Why does the EPA list only 1994-1996 Ram 2500s?
EPA fuel economy data includes light-duty Ram 2500 rows only for 1994-1996. This page widens the range to 1994-2012 to cover the NHTSA records filed under the Dodge Ram 2500 name. Dodge branding on the truck ended with the 2010 model year.
Will you buy a diesel Ram 2500 that won't start?
Yes. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, gas or diesel, with free pickup anywhere in the US. Tell us the engine, whether it rolls, and where it's parked.
How do I know if the tie rod recalls were done on my truck?
Run the VIN through nhtsa.gov/recalls. Any campaign still open on that truck shows up, the tie rod and drag link recalls on 2003-2012 4x4s among them.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

  1. NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded October 10, 2026 nhtsa.gov
  2. NHTSA: Check for recalls by VIN nhtsa.gov
  3. EPA fuel economy data (model years and name variants) fueleconomy.gov
  4. NHTSA recall 01V153000: steering wheel sound deadener, 2000-2001 nhtsa.gov
  5. NHTSA recall 15V312000: passenger air bag inflator, 2003 nhtsa.gov
  6. NHTSA recall 03V033000: Cummins idle after cruise control, 2003 nhtsa.gov
  7. NHTSA recall 05V462000: diesel out-of-park alarm, 2003-2005 nhtsa.gov
  8. NHTSA recall 13V528000: tie rod, 2003-2008 4x4 nhtsa.gov
  9. NHTSA recall 11V350000: tie rod ends, 2008-2011 4x4 nhtsa.gov
  10. NHTSA recall 06V038000: ABS control unit, 2006 nhtsa.gov
  11. NHTSA recall 14V795000: clutch ignition interlock switch, 2006-2007 nhtsa.gov
  12. NHTSA recall 15V313000: driver air bag inflator, 2005-2009 nhtsa.gov
  13. NHTSA recall 16V352000: passenger air bag inflator, 2005-2009 nhtsa.gov
  14. NHTSA recall 08V641000: 6.7L diesel silencer pad and EGR cooler, 2007-2008 nhtsa.gov
  15. NHTSA recall 09V005000: drag link tie rod end, 2008-2009 nhtsa.gov
  16. NHTSA recall 13V529000: left tie rod, 2008-2012 4x4 nhtsa.gov
  17. NHTSA recall 14V635000: diesel fuel connector, 2010-2012 nhtsa.gov
  18. NHTSA recall 17V821000: shifter interlock, 2010-2012 nhtsa.gov