This problem as been a total pain in the ass since it first began. My truck is only a little bit over two years old now and randomly on 12/12/2008 when starting my truck in the parking lot at Wal-Mart I notice that all of my warning lights are on on my dash and that they all stay on, this includes every light from the check engine light, to the airbag light, to the oil, light and even the light for the passenger air bag being deactivated. I also noticed that the digital guage that displays what gear my truck is in does not properly show what gear I am in.
To top all of it off I started driving and noticed that my brake lights are constantly lit up, that my reverse lights do not come on when in reverse, and that my temperature guage, speedometer, and tachometer do not work at all.
Nothing on my truck works. It's like driving a car from the 30's or 40's. It starts and moves basically. It has been at the dealership on three occasions. The first time they had my truck for an hour, but I needed it back so they put everything back together only to tell me they needed more time to determine the problem. The second time it was at the dealer they looked at it for around 2 hours and finally came up with that they thought it was the Forward Control Module (FCM) but they were not absolutely sure. I was told over the phone that this part would cost $560 dollars and about another $100 to install it and flash it to my truck and that it will take 5 days to get this part. I told them I would try and purchase the part myself as I thought their price was too high.
I spoke with a friend of mine who works parts/service for Dodge and was informed that there are 6 of these parts available in the entirety of the United States as a whole. He told me that there is something like 28 major parts warehouses for Chrysler and that none of them had this FCM in stock and that if I needed this part it would have to be ordered through another dealership which would cost me even more money.
My problem with this matter is that this part is special order due to it being in limited quantity. Dodge should not sell vehicles if they don't intend to have every part in every vehicle readily available in case of situations such as these. I guess my problem is so rare that there aren't even any service bulletins out that match my problem. Not to mention I have tried finding anyone who has had a similar problem on the internet and I can't find a damned thing.
I shouldn't have to pay anywhere near the price that is being asked for this particular component. It is connected to the fusebox under the hood and sits completely uncovered and exposed to the elements. This is a poor design by Dodge and I am guessing that the freezing cold weather here in Iowa coupled with the freezing rain and snowstorms had something to do with making this component fail.
Dodge has yet to reply to an email I sent them three days ago regarding this issue. This whole situation is a joke. I work for a Sheriff's Office and I absolutely cannot miss work, and I really don't want to drive a vehicle with no speedometer, tach, or temperature guage working. I don't even know that my airbag would deploy in case of an accident, or if my antilock brakes would work either. This is a major safety risk and on a vehicle as new and with as little miles as mine there is no reason this part should be malfunctioning more or less need total replacement.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
This problem as been a total pain in the ass since it first began. My truck is only a little bit over two years old now and randomly on 12/12/2008 when starting my truck in the parking lot at Wal-Mart I notice that all of my warning lights are on on my dash and that they all stay on, this includes every light from the check engine light, to the airbag light, to the oil, light and even the light for the passenger air bag being deactivated. I also noticed that the digital guage that displays what gear my truck is in does not properly show what gear I am in.
To top all of it off I started driving and noticed that my brake lights are constantly lit up, that my reverse lights do not come on when in reverse, and that my temperature guage, speedometer, and tachometer do not work at all.
Nothing on my truck works. It's like driving a car from the 30's or 40's. It starts and moves basically. It has been at the dealership on three occasions. The first time they had my truck for an hour, but I needed it back so they put everything back together only to tell me they needed more time to determine the problem. The second time it was at the dealer they looked at it for around 2 hours and finally came up with that they thought it was the Forward Control Module (FCM) but they were not absolutely sure. I was told over the phone that this part would cost $560 dollars and about another $100 to install it and flash it to my truck and that it will take 5 days to get this part. I told them I would try and purchase the part myself as I thought their price was too high.
I spoke with a friend of mine who works parts/service for Dodge and was informed that there are 6 of these parts available in the entirety of the United States as a whole. He told me that there is something like 28 major parts warehouses for Chrysler and that none of them had this FCM in stock and that if I needed this part it would have to be ordered through another dealership which would cost me even more money.
My problem with this matter is that this part is special order due to it being in limited quantity. Dodge should not sell vehicles if they don't intend to have every part in every vehicle readily available in case of situations such as these. I guess my problem is so rare that there aren't even any service bulletins out that match my problem. Not to mention I have tried finding anyone who has had a similar problem on the internet and I can't find a damned thing.
I shouldn't have to pay anywhere near the price that is being asked for this particular component. It is connected to the fusebox under the hood and sits completely uncovered and exposed to the elements. This is a poor design by Dodge and I am guessing that the freezing cold weather here in Iowa coupled with the freezing rain and snowstorms had something to do with making this component fail.
Dodge has yet to reply to an email I sent them three days ago regarding this issue. This whole situation is a joke. I work for a Sheriff's Office and I absolutely cannot miss work, and I really don't want to drive a vehicle with no speedometer, tach, or temperature guage working. I don't even know that my airbag would deploy in case of an accident, or if my antilock brakes would work either. This is a major safety risk and on a vehicle as new and with as little miles as mine there is no reason this part should be malfunctioning more or less need total replacement.
- Zachary C., Ames, IA, US