The 2003 Dodge Ram has 8 recalls, with the most serious being a Takata airbag inflator defect where the passenger-side inflator can rupture during deployment and send metal fragments into the cabin.
The airbag concern applies to vehicles originally sold or registered in high-humidity areas, and prior repair attempts may not have fully resolved the issue on all affected trucks. On the steering side, two separate issues can cause loss of vehicle control: a tie rod ball stud that can fracture, and defective aftermarket drag link assemblies that can also fracture or allow the steering damper bracket to shift out of position. Both leave the driver unable to steer. Two separate filings address the same cruise control concern on diesel-equipped models with manual transmissions, where extended cruise control use can cause the engine to stick at an elevated idle speed, reducing braking effectiveness and creating a risk of unintended acceleration. Diesel models with automatic transmissions have a separate issue where the shift indicator continues to show "R" after shifting to Park until the parking pawl fully engages, which can give the driver a false sense that the vehicle is secured. Finally, certain heavy-duty models with optional cast-aluminum wheels may have elevated porosity in the wheel casting that reduces durability over time and raises the risk of wheel failure.
