Problem first presented with off and on response from the blower motor. Initially, before I knew the source of the problem, the a/c would, once the problem started, go on and off as you adjusted the tilt steering. A short time after this problem presented itself the a/c quit completely. I took the truck to the dealer as it was under warranty. I was informed I had a bad ignition switch. The dealer replaced the ignition switch and the problem was solved.
Less than a year later I began to have a repeat of my initial problem. Again the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the ignition switch was replaced as it was found to be faulty. Again the a/c worked properly.
Again in less than a year the problem resurfaced, but this time there was no warranty to save the day. The dealer again indicated that the source of the problem was again the ignition switch, and without the warranty, would be an expensive repair. I tried to reason with the dealer as this was obviously either a bad batch of parts or a design flaw. Of course my reasoning fell on deaf ears. I purchased the required part at $110 dollars and took it to a differant repair shop.
Like previous repairs the replacement of the part allowed the a/c to function normally, if only for a short time. After the start of the 3rd failure I removed the cover on the steering column to get a look at this problem part for myself. What I found was an ignition switch and coupled to it a wiring pig tail. When I placed my hand on the ignition where the pig tail connects it was so hot that you could not touch it without burning yourself. I contacted the dealer to inform them of this fourth inpending failure of the same part and asked for assistance in determining the underlying cause. The dealer was of no assistance.
I purchased the required parts and set to doing the repair myself. Prior to actually starting the repair the ignition switch, while traveling down the road, arc'd as if someone was welding on the steering column and the part failed completely. When I removed the ignition switch I found the top two contacts melted along with its housing and the attached pig tail.
I replaced the part, but the a/c would not function. After some searching online I found that person(s) with my same problem had to also replace the blower motor. I purchased a blower motor from a salvage yard and replaced the old one. I poured almost half of a cup of metal dust out of the old motor. With the replacement of the old motor the system again began to function and is still working as of March of 2010, but I have noticed that the ignition and pig tail are again extremely hot and I fear that another failure is around the corner.
I have attempted contact with Dodge Corp., with no response. It appears that this same problem occurred on earlier models and was repaired under recall. The last year model under the recall is the 2002. A search on line has shown numerous other people with the same problem, and it appears that it is not limited to the Ram but other Dodge products as well. Numerous attempts have been made with dodge corp. in an effort to solve this problem. All contact attempts have not recieved any response. I am now in the process of employing an attorney to pursue this matter further.
To Dodge Corp., I have tried to work with ya'll to get this problem repaired and have been ignored. Ignoring the problem is not a solution. If you dont believe me all you have to do is pick up the phone and call Toyota.
Hope this is helpful to any other Dodge owners out there.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Problem first presented with off and on response from the blower motor. Initially, before I knew the source of the problem, the a/c would, once the problem started, go on and off as you adjusted the tilt steering. A short time after this problem presented itself the a/c quit completely. I took the truck to the dealer as it was under warranty. I was informed I had a bad ignition switch. The dealer replaced the ignition switch and the problem was solved.
Less than a year later I began to have a repeat of my initial problem. Again the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the ignition switch was replaced as it was found to be faulty. Again the a/c worked properly.
Again in less than a year the problem resurfaced, but this time there was no warranty to save the day. The dealer again indicated that the source of the problem was again the ignition switch, and without the warranty, would be an expensive repair. I tried to reason with the dealer as this was obviously either a bad batch of parts or a design flaw. Of course my reasoning fell on deaf ears. I purchased the required part at $110 dollars and took it to a differant repair shop.
Like previous repairs the replacement of the part allowed the a/c to function normally, if only for a short time. After the start of the 3rd failure I removed the cover on the steering column to get a look at this problem part for myself. What I found was an ignition switch and coupled to it a wiring pig tail. When I placed my hand on the ignition where the pig tail connects it was so hot that you could not touch it without burning yourself. I contacted the dealer to inform them of this fourth inpending failure of the same part and asked for assistance in determining the underlying cause. The dealer was of no assistance.
I purchased the required parts and set to doing the repair myself. Prior to actually starting the repair the ignition switch, while traveling down the road, arc'd as if someone was welding on the steering column and the part failed completely. When I removed the ignition switch I found the top two contacts melted along with its housing and the attached pig tail.
I replaced the part, but the a/c would not function. After some searching online I found that person(s) with my same problem had to also replace the blower motor. I purchased a blower motor from a salvage yard and replaced the old one. I poured almost half of a cup of metal dust out of the old motor. With the replacement of the old motor the system again began to function and is still working as of March of 2010, but I have noticed that the ignition and pig tail are again extremely hot and I fear that another failure is around the corner.
I have attempted contact with Dodge Corp., with no response. It appears that this same problem occurred on earlier models and was repaired under recall. The last year model under the recall is the 2002. A search on line has shown numerous other people with the same problem, and it appears that it is not limited to the Ram but other Dodge products as well. Numerous attempts have been made with dodge corp. in an effort to solve this problem. All contact attempts have not recieved any response. I am now in the process of employing an attorney to pursue this matter further.
To Dodge Corp., I have tried to work with ya'll to get this problem repaired and have been ignored. Ignoring the problem is not a solution. If you dont believe me all you have to do is pick up the phone and call Toyota.
Hope this is helpful to any other Dodge owners out there.
- andrew2, Mckinney, TX, US