Recall Alert: 1,058 Ram 4500-5500 HD

Ram 5500 Dump II

By Matt Schmitz

Chrysler is officially recalling 47,019 Ram pickup trucks in two separate actions for problems with both light- and heavy-duty vehicles, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The first we've already reported on early last week, which includes Ram 1500s built between June 26, 2012, and Feb. 5, 2013, specifically related to four-wheel-drive models that could see issues with the electronic stability control. 

The second recall is for 1,058 model-year 2013 Ram 4500 and 5500 pickup trucks that may have an incorrect bolt attaching the track bar to the frame. Affected vehicles were manufactured from Jan. 22 through March 8, 2013. The incorrect attaching bolt may break or fall out, resulting in the truck suddenly pulling to one side and increasing the risk of a crash.

Chrysler will begin notifying owners in August, and dealers will correct the trucks' respective problems for free. Owners can call the automaker at 800-247-9753 or the NHTSA's vehicle-safety hotline at 888-327-4236, or go to, for more info.




I wonder what Consumer Reports has to say about it?

For those keeping track, the number of recall blog posts for 2013:

Ram: 6
GM: 2
Nissan: 2
Toyota: 1
Ford: 1

It really should be 7 recall blogs for Ram because I didn't see a post for the engine cover fire recall on the 2013 Ram HDs.

For gawd sakes did they layoff the quality control/test group? This is becoming insane.

WoW! A warning light and a bolt. STOP THE PRESS!

Wow, you have to wonder who buy one of these things with everything we've scene, probably people that are uninformed I guess.

Dave = Keith?

@Dave, Ford F-150 EcoBoost Under Investigation for Power Loss

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will investigate whether the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engines in the Ford F-150 can stumble and lose power. The agency says it has 95 reports of F-150 engines stumbling or misfiring at highway speeds, which can lead to a loss of power when accelerating.

@ HEMIV8.....a bolt that could cause a crash.....Imagine poor mom in her minivan with her 2.5 kids as a huge 4500-5500 comes barreling down upon them and smashes into them. "it was just a bolt" would be your response. And here comes your witty remark in 3....2....1....blast off!!!!

let me guess.......Ford under investigation for Ecoboost power loss yadda yadda yadda!!!!!!

I feel sorry for Ram, they have a nice looking truck.Such a shame you can't trust the quality. They seem to take one step forward and two steps back.
I hope they get the quality right in the next few years.

This type of issue is caused by the person on the line assembling these vehicles.

It starts on the floor, lack of training and education or its a violation on the person who assembled these vehicles.

If the person who assembled these vehicles notified management (including his supervisor) and was told to use that specific component then the people above him should be held accountable.

They should be fired. The reality is this missing bolt can cause a catastrophic accident. I hope it hasn't as of yet.

Shakes my head maybe one day.


Still no sign of them completing the Ram 1500 rear axle fastener recall. The parts are still "not available", months later.

Note: Since its introduction last fall, the 2013 Ram has been recalled seven separate times.

How convenient that this comes out after consumer reports gives RAM it's recommendation. Wonder if it's a conspiracy? Hey somebody was gonna say it lol.

Ram has and always will be second rate. they are nice, but the downhill starts as soon as they leave the dealership. Build quality should be placed higher on the "to do list" than soft touch dash boards and ridiculous badging. If Ram can perfect the building part then maybe these recalls will stop.

WOW!!! I'm afraid to pass one on the road now after all these recalls. They need to put one of those flashing strobe lights on the top of the cab until they get they're crap together and this would let people beware a recalled fiat ram is coming!!

Well said @kibbsford

Not trolling , not branndbashing but the fact is with Chrysler products seem to lack the quality control and long term durability that there competitors have .

An "incorrect bolt attaching the track bar to the frame" could be as simple as using the wrong grade of bolt.

I am more concerned about software issues because as one has seen with Microsoft products, you can upgrade the software but if the flaw exists in the kernel or core of the system, you are just putting lipstick on a pig.

@ Lou

A bolt is a bolt , that to me seems like it could of been avoided very easily . My question is why is that bolt falling out ?

No lock washer , ? I am stumped even if u put a Home Depot deck bolt on with a 3/8ths ratchet not torqued to spec ,I would find it hard to believe bolts would just fall out ?

This to me seems like a machining / tooling flaw .

consumer reports, have flaged the paper bags ram drivers wear over their heads while driveing.

If I buy a new Ram, I know the first thing I check is going to be the track bar Jesus Bolt! I could care less about fancy electronics, as I will go with roll-up windows, and the standard radio thank-you! and as far as Stability Control goes, that is just for the idiots out there that can not drive properly to begin with.



People thinking "just a light or bolt" - you know how many other issues are hidden for every one discovered. Maybe they don't all result in wheels falling off but how reliable in the long run do you think it can be with so much evidence of half hazard manufacturing.

Wow big to ford whit ecoboost problem.afrais to do a recall they afraid to lousing sale..

I just guess the UAW worker putting the bolts in was just on another booze and doobie break--wait, or are these Hecho en Mexico?

It's just bolt inserted wrong direction. Not big deal. It's still there. No accident, nobody got hurt. Nothing to see here. Move along people.
Or start trolling, like you always do.

Unfortunately, Sandman4x4, you can't get away from the Stability Control. It's now on almost every single vehicle and in some of them you can't even turn it off (Ford, maybe?).


Posted by: MatthewJohn | Jul 17, 2013 2:58:59 PM

Now imagine a Ford ecoboost same scenario. Losses power while trying to merge onto a busy L.A. freeway while a semi is barreling down on her with kids and the ego boost falls on it's face and she gets killed along with her 2.5 children.


Recall Alert: 2008 Ford F-250, F-350
Posted by Mark Williams | May 13, 2013

One complainant stated the loss of steering resulted in a crash into a parked vehicle. A second complaint alleges a failure in the steering gear box resulted in a loss of control and departure from the roadway at 35 mph.


My RAM LARAMIE has a button to disable Stability and Traction Control.

@zviera @vulpine - mine does as well. I do believe that the new GMC siblings have a "disable" button but the system reactivates at 30 mph. The Tundra IIRC cannot have its system totally turned off. I am betting that we will eventually get to the point where those systems will not be able to be turned off.

Wow what a surprise a recall from it again and again and again Tony...heeeeeheeeee

Traction control on a Ram is never completely off. You can hit the disable button to mute it, but it is still kicking in when off.

@ Lou

You can turn the VSC off on a Tundra--most just don't know how.

That said, I think it is lurking in the background and will still kick on with "extreme yaw under braking" to try and save your ass from a likely imminent wreck.

Sandman, ESC is required as standard equipment. If there is an issue with the software, it won't matter if you think you're not an "idiot" or not.

@Dav - If I hit the button on my F150, it will shut off traction control but stability control will stay on. If I hold the button down for IIRC 6 seconds, it will disable stability control too. If I use 4lo traction/stability control turns off. My wife's Sienna is the same. Press the button and traction is off, press and hold and stability control is off too. The button on my wife's van is low and hidden below the steering wheel.

The only time I hate the system is when one needs a bit of wheel spin to keep the tires clean of mud/snow and to keep up momentum. I also do not like it when I get a little bit of yaw on slippery roads and it abruptly cuts throttle. I've always preferred coming out of a mild slide with throttle. No different really than powering out of a slide on a dirt bike.


You guys jumping on RAM for this bolt recall ... You HAVE NO LIFE and are so blinded by your lust for FORD and GM that every recall gets you Happy Happy thinking your brand is better by a huge margin. The bolt was probably found at the factory as a wrong part number and instead of leaving those trucks out on the road with a "potential failure" .. RAM chose to recall them and fix the issue.


Reading all of these constant brand bashing post makes this site hard to even check out anymore. Informative post are great. You 13 year old kiddos need to go play a sport or SOMETHING!

@ Tech
No, you are wrong. I can completely disable Stability and Traction Control at my RAM with one button and it's automatically disables at 4WD LO.
No any muting or kicking at all. Don't pull any false information from your azz.
I can even disable ABS completely by pulling fuse from the box if I want.

Let me be clear.

When your speed drops below 35 mph it can be in full-off. At 40 mph and above it goes back to the "Partial Off" with the Traction Control System portion of ESC, except for the “limited slip” feature, disabled and the "ESC Off Indicator Light" illuminated. However, all other stability features of ESC function normally.

You didn't say you were talking about 4WD Low, and if so, you shouldn't be going over 25 mph. If you're in 4WD low on hard surfaces you can cause tire wear and driveline damage.

Pulling the ABS/Stability Control fuse will also disable the rear brake proportioning. This will cause the rear tires to lockup early under normal braking.

Sandman said Stability Control was for stupid people or he was going to ignore it, I don't see how that's possible but for a couple exceptions.

Mexico's finest truck

Now we are talking. So you can turn it Full Off without muting and kicking at last.
Page 392.


@Lou, From the Ford owner's manual, pressing the button for 5 seconds shuts it down under 35 mph. Over 35 mph it goes back on.

This is the same as the GM's.

"We questioned a few GM engineers and found out that no matter what you do when turning off GM's StabiliTrak system, it always comes back on if you go more than 35 mph."

4x4 Low is a different story and I don't even touch it.

I do not recommend pulling ABS fuses and cannot recommend what zveria is recommending. It just sounds really dangerous.

Say one bought a 2013 1500 and you didn't go in for the recall and instead you decided to pull the ABS fuse. You opt to pull the fuse but never replace the faulty parts or do the recall. This tends to speaks volumes about your style of maintenance.

If you had an accident I would love to see the insurance company deny coverage as they should. If you intentionally disable it and it causes harm, you should be found liable. Not sure how people cannot see that happening.

We are a highly litigous society and when it comes to being a defendant in a civil suit, the case only needs to be made that your actions or lack there of (negligence) was a contributing factor to the accident, injury, death, etc. If a vehicle originally equipped with ABS that has it disabled is found to have had the ability to stop sooner on that snow/ice covered road had the ABS system been working, and that vehicle goes on to hit something and cause damage/bodily harm, etc., it could be a very easy win for any lawyer in a civil case to prove your negligence contributed to the accident.


despite what some people say the VSC, Auto LSD, and TRAC can all be turned OFF on a tundra. also despite what some think THERE IS NO DAM NANNIE THAT WILL STILL KICK IN THAT YOU CANT TURN OFF, PEOPLE JUST DONT KNOW HOW TO DO IT AND LISTEN TO PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY DO! LOL sorry its a peeve of mine that people dont understand this system and its the fault of the salesperson to understand and convey the info to the customer. 07 and 08 are different as to how they work but 09 and up Tundras work like this. bump the button once TRAC turns off and Auto LSD turns on. at a stop if you hold the button 3 seconds VSC Turns OFF BUT...... Auto LSD REMAINS on. this is the nannie people describe, NOW if you press and hold the button 3 MORE seconds Then Auto LSD shuts off and there are ZERO nannies left you simply have a one tire fire.

Also, the Tundra is the ONLY truck that has a limited slip on the front axle STANDARD ON EVERY 4X4! to engage it you simply turn 4 wheel drive on. Thanks for letting me vent lol

It makes you wonder if Ram trucks quality has dropped dramatically, now averaging a recall per month, or if the company is suddenly doing the right thing and recalling quality issues that they used to sweep under the rug.
Recalls are good for the consumer.

Very dangerous is to use ABS when offroading downhill. Your truck would never stop, speeds up and will crush on steep one . That's why on Yamaha Super Tenere, you must to pull ABS fuse to make it downhill, because of no any other disable option on this bike.
The shorter braking distance with ABS is questionable.It will mostly allow you to stear better, but braking distance is not shorter all the time. I didn't hear anybody to get sued because of ABS use and longer braking distance then without it in any particular case.
Everybody accept, that braking with ABS is better then without, even it's simply not the case all the time.

This just proves RAM stands behind their product, they do the right thing. The other guys refuse to fix their pieces of crap. I know for a fact FoMoCo should have a dozen recalls on their Super Dooty trucks, but they refuse to stand behind their products and put it on the owner to fix.

Mandatory daily

Yet, does it say any bolts fell out?

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