2004 Dodge RAM 3500 Problems, Complaints & Recalls

Source: NHTSA · Updated May 8, 2026 · 214 owner complaints analyzed

Compared with other RAM 3500 years
More complaints than other years 5th of 18 for complaints
NHTSA crash rating
Not rated

Owners have filed 214 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Dodge RAM 3500. That ranks 5th out of 18 RAM 3500 model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (64 complaints, 30%), typically at around 15,660 miles. Complaints mention 42 crashes, 4 fires, 19 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 8 defect investigations involving it.

Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.

Compare with another car

Most common 2004 Dodge RAM 3500 problems

Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.

Power Train64 · ~15,660 mi
Air Bags43 · ~107,500 mi
Steering41 · ~101,270 mi
Suspension25 · ~86,000 mi
Electrical System15 · ~93,500 mi
Structure9 · ~56,943 mi
Visibility9 · ~77,000 mi
Exterior Lighting7 · ~102,000 mi
Engine and Engine Cooling6 · ~5,375 mi
Visibility/wiper6 · ~98,850 mi
Problem areaComplaintsShareMedian milesOwners mention mostTypical repair cost
Power Train problems6430%15,660“park reverse” (14%)—
Air Bags4320%107,500——
Steering4119%101,270——
Suspension2512%86,000——
Electrical System157%93,500——
Structure94%56,943——
Visibility94%77,000——
Exterior Lighting73%102,000——
Engine and Engine Cooling63%5,375——
Visibility/wiper63%98,850——
Fuel System, Diesel52%109,000——
Service Brakes, Hydraulic52%43,500——
Tires52%47,000——
Unknown or Other52%54,000——
Fuel/propulsion System42%70,000——
Vehicle Speed Control42%72,500——
Fuel System, Gasoline31%64,350——
Service Brakes31%82,000——
Engine21%142,000——
Seat Belts21%68,583——
Wheels21%228,500——
Equipment10%———
Equipment Adaptive/mobility10%80,000——
Fuel System, Other10%38,000——
Latches/locks/linkages10%58,000——

One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.

Complaints by year received

Peak: 2015, with 32 complaints
2004: 252004252005: 31312006: 122006122007: 12122008: 4200842009: 332010: 122010122011: 992012: 3201232013: 882014: 182014182015: 32322016: 172016172017: 13132018: 7201872019: 332020: 1202012022: 112025: 1202512026: 22

n = 214 complaints · Source: NHTSA

2004 Dodge RAM 3500 recalls (4)

Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.

Air bagsDec 3, 2014 · NHTSA campaign 14V770000 · 250,896 vehicles

Problem: Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500, 2004-2005 Dodge Durango, 2005 Dodge Dakota, 2005 Dodge Magnum and 2005 Chrysler 300, 300C and 300 SRT8 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam, and American Samoa are addressed by this recall. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger’s frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.

Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. For vehicles that were sold, or are currently registered, in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, owners were notified and the recall began on December 5, 2014. For all other vehicles, Chrysler notified owners and the recall began on February 3, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is P40 Expanded. Note: This recall has been superseded by recall 16V-352. This recall superseded the passenger air bag portion of recall 14V-354.

Steering:linkages:tie rod assemblyNov 6, 2013 · NHTSA campaign 13V528000 · 706,664 vehicles

Problem: Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Dodge RAM 2500 4x4 and 3500 4x4, model year 2007-2008 Dodge RAM 3500 4x2 Cab Chassis and model year 2006-2008 Dodge RAM 1500 Mega Cab 4x4 trucks manufactured February 12, 2002, through February 13, 2008. The left tie rod assembly may break.

Risk: A failure of the tie rod assembly may result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Chrysler notified owners and launched its recall campaign in January 2014. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N62.

Steering:linkages:tie rod assemblyJul 6, 2011 · NHTSA campaign 11V350000 · 242,780 vehicles

Problem: 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 14, 2008, through august 15, 2008, because the left tie rod ball stud may fracture. This condition tends to occur during low speed parking lot type maneuvers when the customer is making a tight turn. Additionally, model year 2003-2008 dodge ram 2500/3500 vehicles may have received the affected tie rod assembly as a replacement part during normal service.

Risk: This condition could result in the potential loss of directional stability in the left hand front wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: 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. The safety recall began on october 3, 2011. Owners may contact chrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

Power train:automatic transmission:lever and linkage:column shiftOct 6, 2005 · NHTSA campaign 05V462000 · 250,433 vehicles

Problem: On certain pickup trucks equipped with diesel engines and automatic transmissions, in an attempt to exit the vehicle quickly without shutting off the engine and removing the key, the driver may inadvertently leave the automatic transmission shift control in indicated reverse.

Risk: This error is an unintended action that may result in a lack of transmission park pawl engagement and possibly delayed rearward movement of the vehicle.

Fix: Dealers will perform a software modification to equip these vehicles with an out-of-park alarm. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.

To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.

NHTSA defect investigations

  • Air Bag Inflator Rupture (EA15001) — opened Feb 24, 2015, still open, led to recall 14V668.
  • Chrysler's execution of 13V-528 & 529 (AQ14003) — opened Oct 20, 2014, closed May 16, 2016.
  • Air Bag Inflator Rupture (PE14016) — opened Jun 11, 2014, closed Mar 2, 2015, led to recall 13V172000.
  • Clutch Interlock Switch Malfunction (PE14013) — opened May 19, 2014, closed Dec 23, 2014, led to recall 14V795000.
  • Engine stall (EA05018) — opened Nov 2, 2005, closed Aug 29, 2007.
  • Engine stall (PE05027) — opened May 16, 2005, closed Nov 3, 2005.
  • False park (EA04025) — opened Aug 26, 2004, closed Dec 22, 2005, led to recall 05V462000.
  • False park (PE04039) — opened Apr 13, 2004, closed Aug 26, 2004.

Recent owner reports

Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge RAM. The contact received recall notifications, NHTSA Capaign Number: 16V352000 (Air Bags and NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V313000 (Air Bags) however the parts were unavailable. The dealer was contacted, however the contact was informed that the parts were in back order…

Air Bags · received May 8, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11736578

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 13V528000 (Steering), 16V352000 (Air Bags), 15V313000 (Air Bags), and 05V462000 (Power Train); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available while the vehicle was in for…

Steering · received Mar 24, 2026 · NHTSA complaint 11726711

upper control arm cracked which is a safety violation and should be a recall. TRW 52106776 Control arm is the cracked part in the picture My son replace both control arm and send it for alignment total cost was as below; Parts $280 + Alignment $192.59= $472.59 I like Dodge to refund me for $460

Suspension · received Sep 9, 2025 · NHTSA complaint 11686102

WHILE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE 90 IN WASHINGTON STATE, TRAVELING AT ABOUT 60 MPH I NOTICED A HAZE BEHIND THE TRUCK THROUGH THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR MIRROR. AT THE TIME, THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS BY INSTRUMENTS OR WARNING LIGHTS THAT ANYTHING WAS AMISS WITH THE TRUCK. WONDERING IF IT WAS COMING FROM…

Engine · received Apr 22, 2022 · NHTSA complaint 11461850

Steering became loose and had 1-2inches of slack before guiding the vehicle properly. Replaced with new steering unit. Transmission would not shift into low gear at busy intersection entering freeway. *tr started in second or third required costly rebuild. Fuel gauge reads empty required new unit…

Fuel/propulsion System · received Jun 16, 2020 · NHTSA complaint 11329101

Other Dodge RAM 3500 years

← 2003 RAM 3500 · 2005 RAM 3500 →

See all Dodge RAM 3500 problems by year, every Dodge model, or the Dodge VIN decoder.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2004 Dodge RAM 3500?

Owners most often report power train, air bags, steering problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 64 complaints.

Was there a recall on the 2004 Dodge RAM 3500?

Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.

Was the 2004 Dodge RAM 3500 a good year?

Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other RAM 3500 model years, the 2004 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.