The 1996 Dodge Ram 3500 has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 79,366 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 182 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the service brakes, hydraulic. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MODEL 3500 LIGHT DUTY TRUCKS ONLY. OPERATION OF THE HEADLAMPS OVER AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME CAN RESULT IN HEADLAMP SWITCH FAILURE, CAUSING THE HEADLAMPS OR PARK LAMPS TO GO OUT.
IF THE LIGHTS FAIL, A VISIBILITY PROBLEM COULD OCCUR, INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEADLAMP SWITCH INCLUDING A RELAY IN THE PARK LAMP WIRING CIRCUIT.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Dash is all cracked up allowing sharp plastic projectiles in and about the cab that can cut you in a wreck sun getting on electrical wires destroying them and now shorts and sometimes dont work right”
“Dash is all cracked up allowing sharp plastic projectiles in and about the cab that can cut you in a wreck sun getting on electrical wires destroying them and now shorts and sometimes dont work right”
“Dash is all cracked up allowing sharp plastic projectiles in and about the cab that can cut you in a wreck sun getting on electrical wires destroying them and now shorts and sometimes dont work right”
“Heat caused the dash to dry out and crack into large jagged pieces, that could have fatal consequences if in any type of accident.”
“1996 dodge ram 3500. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle tire tread shreds off casing and causes severe damage to vehicle undercarriage. *smd *tr”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1996 dodge ram 3500. The contact stated that while parked, a thermal event started in the vehicle. Upon inspection, it was found that the fire originated in the instrument panel above the headlight switch. The contact also stated that the vehicle was previously repaired…”
“Death wobble. Violent shaking of the truck. Simply google "death wobble" and dodge truck. Hope you do something before someone does get killed.”
“Steering wobbles/shakes violently when driving. Often initiated by a minor irregularity in road pavement. Requires coming to a full stop to eliminate the wobble. Recurs often. Difficult to exceed 30mph in order to avoid shaking. No noticeably bad or broken suspension parts. *tr”
ODI HAS IDENTIFIED 30 INCIDENTS WHERE IT IS ALLEGED THE SEAT BACK COLLAPSED IN A REAR IMPACT CRASH.THESE INCIDENTS ARE ALLEGED TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO 23 INJURIES AND TWO DEATHS.THE DATA PRESENTED TO ODI SHOW THAT THE SEAT BACK STRENGTH OF THE FRONT SEATS COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 207.…
ODI HAS IDENTIFIED 30 INCIDENTS WHERE IT IS ALLEGED THE SEAT BACK COLLAPSED IN A REAR IMPACT CRASH.THESE INCIDENTS ARE ALLEGED TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO 23 INJURIES AND TWO DEATHS.THE DATA PRESENTED TO ODI SHOW THAT THE SEAT BACK STRENGTH OF THE FRONT SEATS COMPLY WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 207.…
ALLEGED THAT THE THROTTLE CABLE CAN FRAY OR SEVER DURING NORMAL USE RESULTING IN THE THROTTLE NOT RETURNING TO IDLE OR AN INABILITY TO ACCELERATE.
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1996 Dodge Ram 3500 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.