I have an 02 1500 Quadcab and i have a problem. When on the highway, every little bump or crack in the road causes terrible bumpsteer. I've never had this problem with any of my other trucks. The torsion bars are still at the factory setting and all of the steering linkage is fine. Nothing is bent. I was wondering if it is just my truck or if all the late model dodges have this problem? So if you have any answers, questions, comments, or points of interest, let me know.

 

You'll get used to it. I was surprised by it too when I bought my '03, but now I hardly notice it.

 

I personally think my '03 rides way too soft. I dont like it at all...

 

You know, maybe I shouldn't just tell the guy to get used to it. Bumpsteer -- the upsetting of the vehicle's direction of travel after driving over potholes, bumps, etc. -- can be either mild and completely normal in an unloaded pickup or severe and potentially dangerous if there's a problem with the suspension. Make sure you haven't broken a torsion bar or have a bad shock or something. If it's as bad as described, take it to a decent shop or dealer to have it checked. Better to be safe than sorry.

BTW, wasn't there was a post here recently about a guy who smashed up his truck because of bumpsteer?

 

Softer shocks in the rear is the simplest way to correct it. I really like the Rancho rsx 9000 nine way adjustable shocks. You can adjust them to whatever firmness works best for you. Mine have changed the way my truck rides completely. There is also a dash mounted controler you can get that will enable you to adjust them on the fly.
Another thing to consider is if your rear leaf shackles are binding. If they don't move a little bit when the rear tires take bumps the resultant bump steer can be pretty bad.


I doubt that the front suspension has much if anything to do with your bump steer.

Good luck

 

I posted the question right before i drove from Amarillo, TX to South Bend, IN, a 1200 mile drive. I checked all the torsion bars and shocks they were in proper working order. So I made the drive. I was taking a corner going about 75 and hit a little bump in the road. I damn near lost control. The truck shot off onto the shoulder. I've heard nothing but good things about those rancho shocks so it looks like I'm going to empty my wallet for em. So if anyone wants to help a poor college kid buy some shocks, let me know. Or if you are interested in buying a set of 31x10.50R15 bfg AT or a 63 Jeep grand wagoneer, let me know and i can use the money and buy my own shocks.

 

Their not very expensive.

 

I have a 2007 Dodge 1500 Mega Cab, it had all the handling characteristics of a stage coach at speed, hard lurch to the left when hitting a bump while negotiating any curve to the left.
I read all the different post and learned what direction not to take, which was very helpful. I have for all practical purposes a new truck now! I purchased a new set of P265/70R17 Bridgestone/Duelers.
The whole problem was the factory tire selection, the LT Michelin was way to stout of a tire construction for my truck.
I started looking around at all the trucks and vans in my area and noticed that all the tires sizes began with the letter "P",
I also remembered a few years ago purchasing a lower grade of tires for my Lexus, the result was harsh and noisy ride from once was smooth and quiet.
My Dodge has 10,600 miles and has some signs of wear on the rack and pinion from the harsh treatment that they have endured, so that is in the process of being fixed.
I should have changed the tires sooner but its a fairly big investment if it does not fix the problem but in my case it was the answer.
Money well spent!!!

 

alot of the times it can be from a bad alignment too.. and if your torison bar is broken you will find your truck resting on your bump stops--- definetely noticeable just by looking at the truck

 

Got the same problem...you can feel the shudder as it happens as well. Recently found out from a engineer friend that the rear setup is taylored toward the "loaded" side vice the "unloaded" side, hope that makes sense. As someone just stated above, the leafs are not absorbing the bumps and are simply transferring that energy into the framework of the vehicle.

Even stated that he heard some dealerships in the South Texas region were replacing rear shocks with the aforementioned Rancho's at no cost due to threats of returns.

BTW my truck (formerly my fathers, bought it off him when he acquired a 2011 F150) is bone stock and has had this problem since it rolled off the lot. It's not from worn or out-of-alignment suspension components either. It's to bad my pops couldn't get the ranchos thrown in for free, but then again it only saw 5k-6kmiles a year (hunting/ranch truck) so he never pushed the issue.