Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure on the 2003 Dodge RAM 1500
Only 4 reports for this mode came with an odometer reading, which is too few for percentiles to mean anything. The page is here because someone linked to it; treat the figures as anecdotes, and see the full report for this year instead.
When control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure gets reported
There are 6 reports of control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure on the 2003 Dodge RAM 1500, 4 with a mileage attached. That is too few to place the failure on the odometer with any confidence.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 92,000 miles. It is the 29th most-reported problem on this model year.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 21,500 miles | — | — |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $700–$3,000 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 12 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2006, at a median of 10,000 miles, and latest on the 1998 at 150,000 miles.
By volume the 2004 carries the most reports, with 21; the 2003 has 6. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
I own a 2003 dodge ram 1500 laramie 4x2 with 17000 miles. I purchased it from my local dodge dealer with 2300 miles on it. Around 15000 miles, my vehicle engine light turned on, and a strong burning odor began to come from the cab. I thought the error was serious, and immediately scheduled an appointment with an appropriate five star dodge dealer herb gordon dodge in silver spring, md. Kevin with the orange team, at herb gordon, verified that one issue with this vehicle is the powertrain control module. Unfortunately, the burning smell cannot be identified at this time. As the vehicle is under warranty, the PCM is currently being replaced. While herb gordon has done an excellent job providing me with service, dodge has scarred me and encumbered my time. I have had to rent while my vehicle is in the shop, my truck smells really bad inside (due to the burning PCM,) and I really do not trust the safety of my vehicle. Why would a PCM go bad after 17000 miles? Is the burning smell going to cause a fire in the future? Am I at risk in this vehicle?*ak
Vehicle stalls during parking lot manuvers on numerous occasions.going from reverse to drive it stumbles and or stalls. Vehicle bought in june of 2003. 1rst time it happened was in august of 2003. Took vehicle in and they "flashed" the PCM. Continued to happen about every three months up to the present. Have had it into the dealer on a couple of other occasions since. They were not able to fix. Happened again in february, a few days after it was at cerritos dodge. Called the service rep there, alfonzo cuadra, he said that I would be wasting my time bringing it back in again. He said that it is a known problem and there is no fix available. He said that there would be a new flash in the "near future" and he would call me when it was in. Still no call. There is a dangerous issue. Was almost hit in a parking lot the last time that it happened. I don't feel like this is a safe vehicle and chrysler doesn't seem to care.
Dt*: the contact stated after the engine was started, the gear lever did not come off the park position, and the engine warning light illuminated. After several attempts, the lever shifted to the drive position but the transmission went to third gear and remained in it. The vehicle was taken to the dealership seven times, and the diagnosis machine indicated the defect in control module (p700). The control module was replaced seven times. The manufacturer was contacted, and coincided with the dealership diagnosis. The contact expressed concern because the lack of enough power while the vehicle was loaded presented a serious risk to safety while driving up or down a hill.
Also reported on the 2003 Dodge RAM 1500
Other body or interior problem
Airbag inflator rupture
CV axle or driveshaft failure
Other engine problem
Premature brake pad or rotor wear
Other powertrain problem
How far this goes
This page is kept out of search results because 6 reports is not enough to publish percentiles from. It stays reachable because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see the reports than be told there are none.
Complaints are voluntary, so 6 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure happen on the 2003 Dodge RAM 1500?
Across 4 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 20,000 miles. A quarter were filed before — and a quarter after —. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure on the 2003 Dodge RAM 1500?
6 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.0 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed