Ram2500 Little Warning Wheel Bearing Failure

[ehrhardtg]

This is FYI warning. Have a 2014 Ram 2500 4x4 Diesel Quad Cab 8' bed. ABS light went on August 2023. No other symptoms. Took truck in to my neighborhood dealer. Left wheel bearing found needing replacement at 125K miles, mostly highway driving, no back road use.

Last week driving from NC to Maine, ABS light went on again (131k miles). Again no symptoms. Called my home dealer who said if you have no symptoms like grinding sound or steering wheel wobble, should be OK to continue trip. Within 1/2 hour on freeway, steering wheel wobble started (felt like alignment problem) and occasionally heard a grinding noise. Immediately exited the freeway only to find brake pedal went half way to floor! Carefully limped to nearest Ram dealer in Richmond VA 15 minutes away. Right wheel bearing assembly had failed badly. Wheel wobble was severe enough to damage right brake rotor too which had to be replaced along with wheel bearing assembly. I examined the wheel bearing assembly once removed. The wheel barely turned and felt like grinding gravel.

Apparently the ABS sensor gets fried by the heat from the failing wheel bearing which may be your first warning. If I had not already been cued in to this fact from my earlier experience, I may have kept driving longer and had the misfortune of watching my front right wheel fall off while traveling 70 mph! Be safe out there!

 

[RamInfo]

Was the right bearing OEM or had it been replaced along with the left??

best,
DG

 

[metalchewy]

Common practice would be to replace both sides at the same time. Especially with the miles. Should have been recommended by the mechanic then.

They should have at least repacked the other side and checked them for wear. But, Unless asked it sounds like they didn't.

 

[ehrhardtg]

Common practice would be to replace both sides at the same time. Especially with the miles. Should have been recommended by the mechanic then.

They should have at least repacked the other side and checked them for wear. But, Unless asked it sounds like they didn't.

They (dealer service) actually did inspect the right side when they replaced the left last August (or said they did anyway) and didn't see any issues. For sure, if/when there is a next time, will do both sides if one is worn out.

 

[ehrhardtg]

Was the right bearing OEM or had it been replaced along with the left??

best,
DG

Was OEM. Hadn't been replaced and was evaluated by dealer as not needing replacement at that time.

 

[06 Dodge]

Was OEM. Hadn't been replaced and was evaluated by dealer as not needing replacement at that time.

Poor service dept, they should have strongly recommend to you to replace the other side at the same time for you to not be take chances of it also going out without notice, my old dealer would always recommend things like that be done to prevent what just happened to you when working on my 06 2500 CTD front end...

 

[crazy jerry]

never in a million yrs would i just replace one side. direct your anger at the first dealers incompetance

 

[AlexC2350]

I just got my 20 2500 inspected and was told the front drivers side wheel bearing will need to be replaced pretty soon. 95k miles. I was wondering what is the best option for replacement. I plan on doing both at the same time.

 

[ehrhardtg]

You're definitely better informed than I was. Absolutely do both at the same time! I just used the RAM dealer to replace mine. I'm not familiar with other better options as to mechanic or parts. The cost was $995 ($605 parts, $390 Labor) per wheel hub. Had I replaced the right one when the left one was done, I would have saved the $1100 to replace the pads and rotor that were damaged when the right hub failed.

In my 54 years of driving, I have never had any wheel bearings fail like this including my 2004 Ford F250 diesel 4x4 which has 230,000 miles on it. I have to wonder whether the Ram design is the culprit.

 

[DASimpson]

In November 2023 my driver-side front wheel hub assembly failed in Wyoming, during a drive from South Dakota to California. My 2017 Ram 2500 diesel 4x4 was at 123,000 miles. I had my tires replaced and an alignment done about 5,000 miles earlier, but no one mentioned the hub seeming worn out. A ton of parts were damaged. It was about a $6,000 repair and it took a week for one of the parts to arrive.

 

[ehrhardtg]

That stinks! Really seems like a systemic issue. For comparison sake, I went back through my 2004 Ford F250 4X4 service records. It wasn't until 193K miles that, during a brake job, that the mechanic noticed a minor click noise and checked the bearings. They weren't anywhere near a full fail point but given the miles I had them replaced as I was driving across the country (CA to ME). Our Ram's didn't afford us that warning! Still love the truck BUT it hasn't been the cheapest vehicle I've owned. A turbo at 67k miles ($6k), two front wheel bearings ( 125k & 132k miles) with associated damage ($4K), brake calipers during a 80k brake job (+pads and rotors), and multiple dashboard computers (Lost track $$)!

 

[Rampar]

Soooooo, I'm reading these threads from people with a similar experience I recently had with my 2019 - 2500 Laramie (4X4 - 6.4 HEMI).

However my circumstances are a little different in that my left bearing wore out at 50,652 miles. It seems to me that this part wearing at 50K miles is very premature, unless it just a defective part. My truck has seen very little off road driving since purchased new in October 2019.

The dealership service manager couldn't really provide a valid explanation, but tried to imply that my modified suspension (CARLI), tires, wheels and 3" inch lift may have had an adverse effect on normal wear to that hub. He couldn't really explain exactly how these modifications contributed to the abnormal wear on this hub other than the additional weight . Nonetheless, I had both sides replaced and thanks to my extended warranty, I dodged a hefty cost minus the deductible and alignment.

Just curios if anyone has any additional insight or thoughts on these particular circumstances? Thank you.