[tgilbert642]

Well folks, I had hoped that my post regarding the major fuel problem would be the only negative thing I'd have to post.

I was wrong. So wrong.

So here's a recap of what this truck has done to me since I drove it off the lot on September 16

September 17: In the shop because cruise control wouldn't work. Ordered and replaced switch.

October 10: truck suffers catastrophic fuel system failure as described in my post "major fuel problem". Truck is gone five weeks.

November 13: day after i get it back, CEL comes on and truck goes into limp gear. Code set is under boost and improbable engine torque. Gone another two days, then fixed.

November 20: began noticing a horrible exhaust smell inside the cabin, only when the defroster was on. Realized I was getting light headed and figured out I was pulling exhaust straight into the cabin. Took it to the dealer and they ordered a new down tube and gasket.

December 14: CEL sets, take it to the dealer the next day. Shows "glow plug open circuit, cylinder 3". Mechanic orders new glow plug, clears the code, and I go on my way.

December 16: CEL sets again, this time also with the screen flashing "please wait, diesel preheat in progress". This flashes for a few seconds and stops. Take it back to dealer to verify it is the same code. It is. He clears it and I leave.

December 17: the "diesel preheat" message flashes for about 20 minutes when I'm headed to work in the morning. It is 53 degrees outside. No CEL, but I'm thinking its a little odd that it would need to preheat when it's 53.

December 18: CEL sets, preheat message again. This time it's 59 degrees outside. Take it back to the dealer. He verifies it is the same code, clears it, says he has no idea why the preheat message would flash, and I'm on my way. Still waiting for a glow plug.

While I understand that there are bad apples in every bunch, it seems like there are several people here that are having unusual issues with theirs as well. This is beyond ridiculous. A $45000 truck with this many problems is unacceptable. And the lemon law in Texas only helps if it's been in for the same problem a certain number of times in a given period and still unresolved.

 

[Hershey]

May I ask where are you in TX? PM me if that would be better. I agree, you've had WAY too many issues for a brand new truck. I can't help but feel you have gotten a hold of some inexperienced service technicians. In my opinion, a good tech would already be digging deep into Ram Tech Support/Engineering or having an expert come look at your truck to find a possible cause. I just sounds like there hasn't been enough investigation. Good luck & keep us posted!

 

[tgilbert642]

Located in huntsville. Dealership is team dodge of huntsville. Their primary diesel tech is very knowledgeable, but like most ram diesel techs had only seen the 3.0 in class. Mine was his first - I joke sometimes about popping his cherry but that's a story for another day.

He has spent a lot of time working back and forth with star to try and troubleshoot the issues so I have no complaints there.


As an update to the story, of all things the strangest happened to me Saturday. I was running the window washer and ran the fluid low. So, naturally, I get the "washer fluid low " message. I had a gallon waiting at home and filled it to the brim Saturday evening.


Sunday morning, I got in and was greeted by my "diesel preheat" message (61 degrees outside), except instead of flashing between the preheat message and my speedometer, now it was flashing between preheat and low washer fluid. Wait. What? Fluid reservoir is completely full. WHAT IS HAPPENING


So, I mull it over Sunday and start thinking it's gotta be something wrong with the PCM, the codes, preheating when there's absolutely no need, and now this washer fluid message being stuck. That and the electrical system in general are the only common threads.


So I take it over to them yesterday morning. He agrees that it's gotta be s more general failure and starts checking things while the motor is running. Lo and behold, we can hear some kind of crackling noise in the main fuse panel ahead of the battery. It actually sounds like arcing (probably is). Only happens when the AC compressor cycles on. Unable to find anything loose, so they've ordered a new fuse box. He indicated that it's typically a more common thing than a glow plug at 4400 miles.


Fingers crossed. If this keeps up I'm gonna have to look into trying to get ram to do a buyback. Which is a real shame because I absolutely love this truck and its incredible range but I have literally never had this kind of problem with a vehicle, much less a brand new one. In fact, of the last three vehicles I have owned (2001 F350 7.3L, 2006 Chevy, amd 2010 chevy), the last time I had a vehicle in the shop for anything besides tires and oil was in 2005 when the camshaft position sensor on my 7.3 left me on the side of the road. So yeah, it's frustrating.

 

[L.O.A.]

That sucks.

Haven't had to deal with lemon laws ever (fortunately) but do you know if some states have better lemon laws than TX?

 

[Hershey]

Dang! Now I feel lucky with what I've had so far.

This is sort of related, but I will also post this as a new thread; does the 2014 U-Connect XM show an artist photo on the screen for each song? This 2015 they gave me doesn't have the nav or Alpine speakers that my truck has, but the screen is MUCH better! It shows a much clearer camera view & it has a photo of the album playing. What am I missing here?

 

[Diesel Washington]

You had the CEL issue multiple times though. Wouldn't that qualify it for the lemon law?

 

[tgilbert642]

It's been a little bit since I posted any updates. Now that I've got roughly enough for a novel, I figured it's time...

First, I can say without a doubt that ALL BUT ONE issue that's come up with my truck has been fixed. Since there have been so many problems, I'm going to list them all from the beginning...

Odometer: 19500
Born: May 2014
Purchased: September 2014

Cruise Control Switch Failure - 1 day out of service
Injector pump failure, metal flakes into injectors. Replace total fuel system. 5 weeks, 2 days out of service.
Exhaust leak, downtube replaced 2 weeks out of service
Power distribution unit (Fuse & Relay box under hood) making an electrical arcing noise, replaced the whole thing. 2 days out of service
Washer fluid sensor failure - Mechanic said I can't use Rain-X washer fluid (What the ****) Replaced at the same time as PDU
3rd Brake Light leaking - Replaced ALL carpet, Rear Seat, Headliner (and windshield when they broke it trying to remove the headliner) 10 days out of service
#3 cylinder glow plug failure - Replaced during exhaust leak repair trip the first time, 3 days out of service the second
#3 cylinder glow plug harness bad - STAR told the mechanic they could not send him a new harness and he would have to repair it. (Again, What The ****) repaired during second trip
"Diesel Preheat in Progress" flashing for hundreds of miles at a time - related to #3 cylinder issue
Battery sensor failure - truck went into "power save" mode and shut down A/C on a rather hot day. 2 days out of service

Let's just say I've gotten to be a champ at swapping out of my truck into a rental car. Since September, this truck has been completely out of service for a cumulative total (By my best estimation) of 11 weeks or so. I have yet to go an entire calendar month without having to take it in for something... The one silver lining is that Chrysler did give me a very expensive extended warranty for free, which covers 8 oil changes over 2 years... And the dealership tells me that the oil changes are rather expensive... If only I could actually enjoy the vehicle I paid so much $$$ for.

The lemon law in texas only comes into play if it's the same issue twice or three times (depending on how long you've owned the vehicle) unresolved. The problem is, that they have resolved every problem EXCEPT the #3 glow plug circuit. It has been in twice, soon to be three times, for that. What happens is that it starts giving me a "Diesel Preheat in Progress" message on the screen, even if it's nice and hot outside. That message will sometimes flash for just a few minutes, or indefinitely during the trip. Usually once I see that message, I know the CEL is not far behind. I have actually had the dealership clear the DTC and the problem disappears for sometimes up to a week or two. That made me assume it was a computer problem, but the mechanic disagreed and said it was a wiring problem. Regardless, I plan to get out of this vehicle ASAP, I just really don't want to have to take a loss because I'm so far upside down. Who really buys a brand new vehicle expecting to get rid of it in a year or less? I know some people do, but I'm not one of them...

Anyway, I hope anyone reading this that HAS NOT bought one of these trucks yet takes a good long look and does plenty of homework before buying one. I love the truck, and everything about it, EXCEPT these constant issues. I know they're probably not ALL bad, but I am seeing a lot of people posting negative stuff about them now so maybe there really is a systemic problem.

Good luck.

 

[zoomie]

I had a 2003 Expedition Eddie Bower that had almost the exact same story line as this. Different options but the same tune. It's sucks you got one, but I firmly believe anyone can get a car like this from any manufacturer at any time......