2003 DODGE RAM 1500 — Complaint #856892
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about SUSPENSION:REAR filed May 16, 2011
NHTSA complaint #856892 (ODI reference 10401145) concerns a 2003 DODGE RAM 1500 and was filed on May 16, 2011. The owner reports the failure occurred on May 8, 2011. The vehicle had 58,004 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Colorado based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as suspension:rear, 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: 2, 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 1500 cohort independently describe similar suspension:rear 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 2003 DODGE RAM 1500 shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH ON A GRAVEL ROAD THE REAR SUSPENSION BOUNCED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CRASH IN AN EMBANKMENT AND ROLL OVER. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THERE WERE TWO OTHER OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE WHO WERE BRUISED AND SUSTAINED BACK INJURIES. EVERYONE IN THE VEHICLE WAS WEARING A SEAT BELT WHEN THE CRASH OCCURRED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MANUFACTURER HAD AN ADJUSTER INSPECT THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT ADVISE HIM OF THE RESULTS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,004. UPDATED 06/16/11*LJ UPDATED 06/24/11
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 856892 |
| ODI Number | 10401145 |
| Date Filed | May 16, 2011 |
| Failure Date | May 8, 2011 |
| VIN | 1D7HA16D33J |
Similar SUSPENSION:REAR Complaints for 2003 DODGE RAM 1500
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE RAM 1500. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, A LOUD NOISE CAME FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND THE REAR WHEELS SUDDENLY SEIZED. THE CONTACT WAS A CERTIFIED MECHA
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 DODGE RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THE DASHBOARD ON THE VEHICLE WAS CRACKED OPEN. THE CONTACT STATED THE GAUGES ARE CURRENTLY WORKING, BUT THE DASHBOARD AND INSTRUMENT PANE
2003 DODGE 1500 DROPPED DOWN ON THE RIGHT REAR OF THE VEHICLE RESULTING FROM PROBLEMS WITH THE REAR AXLE HOUSING.*MR THE CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND IT SPUN AROUND 5-6 TIMES INN THE RO
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.