Undertaker, Here is the problem with the 03 Dodge Ram 1500 and possibly other years.
My truck had the same problem rat-a-tat-tat going 30 to 40 mph down segmented asphalt in town. It got on my nerves. I went to a service center and they said I needed new ball joints. I had that done expecting the noise to be gone.
No deal, it was still there! I looked under my front end and all of the bushings were good. I looked at a front end on a Chevy too. The difference is the stabilizer links on a Chevy are a one piece stud. The Dodge has a swivel ball to allow flexibility. The ball is swaged to keep it from coming out of its socket and it is packed with grease and covered with a rubber boot. Mine were worn out! At least 1/4” to 3/8” slop which allows hammering when encountering bumps in the road. My truck had 200,000 miles on it. You would have thought the service shop would replace them too, not! I replaced the links myself, the new one have grease fittings too. Sometimes the problem has the simplest solution. Links $84.00, Previous front end work $860.00
I just happened to mention the issue to a sales person at the parts store who had had the same problem with his dodge.
Saturday, August 22nd, 2020 AT 8:29 AM