2008 DODGE RAM 2500 — Complaint #714930
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:UNIVERSAL JOINT filed April 6, 2009
NHTSA complaint #714930 (ODI reference 10264210) concerns a 2008 DODGE RAM 2500 and was filed on April 6, 2009. The owner reports the failure occurred on March 20, 2009. The vehicle had 26,177 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Pennsylvania based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as power train:driveline:universal joint, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: yes, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same DODGE RAM 2500 cohort independently describe similar power train:driveline:universal joint failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2008 DODGE RAM 2500 shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 DODGE RAM 2500. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE U-JOINT AXLE FAILED, WHICH JAMMED THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT. THE CONTACT CRASHED THE VEHICLE INTO A TELEPHONE POLE. HE WAS NOT INJURED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE DEALER ADVISED HIM TO CALL THE DODGE MANUFACTURER AND HIS INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MANUFACTURER SENT AN INVESTIGATOR TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT THEN RECEIVED A LETTER STATING THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED AFTER HE STRUCK THE TELEPHONE POLE; HOWEVER, HE STATED THAT THE AXLE FAILED PRIOR TO THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 26,177. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE U-JOINTS FAILED DUE TO LACK OF GREASE. WHEN THE U-JOINT BROKE, THE AXLES BINDED WITH EACH OTHER AND THE AXLE JAMMED THE SPINDLE MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STEER THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE CENTER. . THE CONSUMER COMPLAINED OF A NOISE DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, BUT WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG.
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 714930 |
| ODI Number | 10264210 |
| Date Filed | April 6, 2009 |
| Failure Date | March 20, 2009 |
| VIN | 3D7KS28DX8G |
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.