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2001 Dodge Ram 3500 Recalls & Complaints

1

open safety recall on record

Serious

168 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.75 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious01V153000

Air Bags

WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE MATERIAL COULD INTERFERE WITH THE CLOCKSPRING RIBBON AND CAUSE AN OPEN CIRCUIT.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 18, 2001. ALSO SOME 1997-200 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES THAT, ACCORDING TO WARRANTY RECORDS, HAVE HAD A SUSPECT REPLACEMENT CLOCKSPRING INSTALLED, WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THIS CAMPAIGN. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PICKUP TRUCKS. SOUND DEADENER MATERIAL INSIDE THE STEERING WHEEL COULD BECOME DETACHED FROM THE COVER AND HOUSING. NOTE: THE RAM PICKUP TRUCKS WERE BUILT AT THE WARREN ASSEMBLY PLANT ("S" IN THE 11TH VIN POSITION) FROM MAY 16, 2000 THROUGH OCTOBER 23, 2000; ST. LOUIS NORTH ASSEMBLY PLANT ("J" IN THE 11TH VIN POSITION) FROM MAY 19, 2000 THROUGH OCTOBER 23, 2000; LAGO ALBERTO ASSEMBLY PLANT ("M" IN THE 11TH VIN POSITION) FROM MAY 23, 2000 THROUGH OCTOBER 23, 2000; AND SALTILLO ASSEMBLY PLANT ("G" IN THE 11TH VIN POSITION) FROM MAY 23, 2000 THROUGH OCTOBER 23, 2000. IMPORTANT: VEHICLES THAT HAVE ALREADY HAD THE PROPER CLOCKSPRING INSTALLED, ACCORDING TO WARRANTY RECORDS, HAVE BEEN EXCLUDED FROM THIS RECALL. IN ADDITION, 1997-2000 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES THAT HAVE HAD A SUSPECT REPLACEMENT CLOCKSPRING INSTALLED, ACCORDING TO WARRANTY RECORDS, HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THIS RECALL.

Complaint volume

168 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

15Crashes
4Fires
21Injuries
0Deaths

Across 168 complaints. Severity Index 0.75.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Structure23 · 14%Steering11 · 7%Fuel System, Diesel8 · 5%Air Bags6 · 4%Suspension · Front6 · 4%Structure · Body6 · 4%Power Train · Automatic T…6 · 4%Suspension5 · 3%
  1. Structure — 23 reports
  2. Steering — 11 reports
  3. Fuel System, Diesel — 8 reports
  4. Air Bags — 6 reports
  5. Suspension:Front — 6 reports
  6. Structure:Body — 6 reports
  7. Power Train:Automatic Transmission — 6 reports
  8. Suspension — 5 reports
  9. Service Brakes, Hydraulic — 5 reports
  10. Unknown Or Other — 5 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (1) · 1996 (1) · 1997 (1) · 1998 (1) · 1999 (1) · 2000 (1) · 2001 · 2002 (1) · 2003 (9) · 2004 (7) · 2005 (7) · 2006 (11) · 2007 (14) · 2008 (11) · 2009 (5) · 2010 (1) · 2011 · 2012

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.