The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact experienced issues with the 6-speed manual transmission in his vehicle. The clutch would fail while driving at various speeds. In addition, the gears would slip as if the clutch were depressed and the contact smelled a burning odor while driving in reverse. He took the vehicle to multiple dealers more than ten times. One of the dealers installed a new clutch, but it failed 10,000 miles later. At approximately 34,000 miles, the dealer repaired the clutch again; however, the issue recurred. The manufacturer offered no assistance. The current mileage was approximately 37,000 and failure mileage was approximately 500. Updated 1/5/09 the consumer also stated when backing up his trailer there was a burning smell coming from the clutch area. A transmission shop examined the clutch and pressure plated and discovered the clutch was worn and the pressure plate had heat marks from clutch slippage. The mechanic also stated the pressure plate appeared much older than the clutch itself because of the large strands of fiber stuck in the cover that appeared to be from the previous clutch that came apart. The engine light had illuminated. It was determined that the fuel injection pump needed to be replaced. Updated 1/09/09.

- Carson City , NV, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that the clutch locked up and the vehicle was inoperable. While driving 55 mph, it seems as if the clutch releases and the rpms increase before the vehicle begins to drive normally. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer approximately twelve times, but they can never duplicate the failure. The clutch has been replaced twice. The failure occurs intermittently. The current mileage was 35,000 and failure mileage was 500. Updated 01/24/08 the dealer stated wiring plug fuse blown, alarm will go off with key in ignition or not, pdc cover broken, difficult to start in cold weather, noticed a burning smell, and fuel injection. Updated 01/24/08

- Carson City, NV, USA

I recently experienced this while I driving with trailer in tow and had loss of power. Being followed by traffic I was unable to accelerate up the hill. I have also experienced problems when turning into traffic the loss of power and unable to accelerate has caused other drivers to perform drastic braking and maneuvering to avoid collisions. What happens is the engine does not respond to the fuel pedal input. I have checked the codes on the Dodge Ram 2500 equipped with the 5.9L cummins turbo diesel and have found a P0216 code indicating the Bosch VP44 injection pump is not communicating with the ECM. There appears to be a defect in the VP44 computer talking with the ECM. This was not the first time the "dead pedal" issue occurred. This first started around 36000 miles after a long highway trip coming to a stop after which the engine stayed at idle and would not accelerate. Currently it has become more consistent. I have noticed that this occurs when the weather changes drastically or the engine has been worked and is hot. I am starting to believe that the computer mounted on the VP44 is losing connectivity due to the computers susceptibility to extreme temperatures. I have researched failures concerning the VP44 and have noted that on the cummins isb engine there have been many failures of this integral engine component. This engine is found in many other applications such as school buses, rv's, and light duty truck applications. After researching the multiple failures the majority of the fixes for this issue has been to replace the VP44 injection pump. I would encourage the NHTSA to investigate said issues and take appropriate action to remedy the faulty equipment on this engine. This is a significant safety concern which needs to be resolved due the engines applications in school buses, rv's and light duty trucks. -regards chad mckinney

- Rockwall, TX, USA