OK - Another Chrysler TIPM victim here... The symptoms are: You can crank the car, but the engine won't start or run. Or, you do manage to get the car started, but the engine dies almost immediately. Or if you're one of the unlucky ones, you get your car started, but it stalls in the middle of a busy intersection, you get T-boned and go to be with Jesus!

After a quick Google and YouTube search, the "temporary" fix for this is surprisingly simple and inexpensive. You just run a short 14 gauge jumper wire between the fuel pump relay fuse and the rear cigarette lighter fuse. If done correctly, you're back on the road again, and your vehicle will continue to operate as long as that jumper is in place. I literally watched a soccer mom do this on YouTube in under a minute on her minivan.

A better fix is to replace the offending relay. That means removing the TIPM (Total Integrated Power Management) circuit board, getting out your best reading glasses, magnifier, soldering gun with fine tip, solder-sucker and soldering in a new and "improved" relay from Amazon, for about $20. If you don't have any experience or equipment to do precision soldering on a tiny circuit board, forget about this option.

A third fix is to replace the entire TIPM assembly, which is around $950 on a good day. Labor extra...

I chose the easy bypass solution because it was . . . easy. It was also dirt cheap, requiring only a few inches of 14 gauge hookup wire. Exact instructions for this are found on YouTube and the web. There's even ready-to-install bypass kits available on Amazon to do this. Then it's as easy as replacing two fuses...

Now, am I pissed about this failure? Well, yes and no... Some bean counters at Chrysler probably saved $1.50 on each fuel pump relay by purchasing a cheaper one. It's hard to blame them, as they're just doing what bean counters do, which is to count beans. However I do blame the product testing department, because during long-term durability testing, I'm sure these failed on a regular basis. In fact Chrysler DID recall identical TIPM's for other Chrysler products, including Jeeps, so they KNEW about this problem and rather than fix it, they stuck their customers with a product, which could fail on the road, cost them over one thousand dollars and possibly get them and their family killed! That's more than just an oversight, that's criminal negligence...

Under Chrysler's Jeep recall (which unfortunately doesn't include thousands of Ram trucks,) the solution is for the dealer to bypass the fuel pump relay on the circuit board and install an external relay, which I'm sure is much larger, more solid and durable than the tiny piece of plastic crap on that circuit board.

So in this report, there's good news, mediocre news and bad news. For those experiencing the same problem, just know that you're not imagining things or suffering alone, and a relatively cheap and easy fix is available. You shouldn't have to fix it at all, but welcome to our world...

For the past 8 months my battery is drained every morning and the car won't start. I first took it to a MANHATTAN DODGE RAM dealer who kept it for 2 months until they said they found that the radio needed to be replaced. They replaced it with an older year with a Nav that was not up to date and charged me $1500.

The next day the truck did not start again. Needless to say they would not refund my money so now we are in dispute with the credit card company. I must say Ram Customer Care has been helpful in putting pressure on them. With that said, I haven't seen a dime yet.

CUT TO :

5 months later I finally got the truck back from a private mechanic who I've always had a good relationship with. They had it for months then finally replaced the alternator and the TIPM. This cost me $3200 in repairs including parts and labor. A few days later the truck would not start again. I'm ready to set this truck on fire. I loved this truck for 70,000 miles and now it has sickened my happiness and drained my bank account.

If anyone has a suggestion on how to sure this truck other then having an exorcism performed please reach out to me. I am desperate. Thanks so much.

Last year my 2012 Dodge Ram would not start. I had power to the dash and lights would come on. Hooked it to the battery charger and it started. This happened a few more times and I took it to the dealer and they simply replaced my battery. No further problems for a while, but a couple of weeks ago, same problem. Took it back to the dealer, and they could not find anything wrong. They told me I must have left something on and drained the battery. ARE YOU FRICKING KIDDING ME! I told them to keep the truck a few more days and try to start it and they would see for themselves. Hallelujah, they called me and said the truck would not start.

So now they tell me they are replacing the TIPM module and it usually costs 1200 bucks to repair, but they are going to do it for $250 because my truck is out of warranty. So instead of replacing it the first time I took it in while it was under warranty, I will only have to pay 250 bucks. Gee thanks!

If this is the way Dodge treats their customers, this will be my last Dodge!!!. I believe they have been aware of this problem for quite sometime. Why no recall?