This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Was driving in town not towing or loaded, truck stumbled like out of fuel. I pulled over and raised the hood and saw smoke coming from passengers side under the engine cover at the egr, egr cooler. With a fire extinguisher handy I pointed it under the engine cover putting the fire out on that side but the diesel fuel from the burnt plastic hose spread to the other side catching that side on fire. Fca after sending a rep. Could not determined what caused the fire but they would except no responsibility for the fire. They also said that they were sure that I would understand that fires happens. Well I don't!! with over 40 years as a auto service center owner I do understand that the eco diesel has a very serious fire problem on their 2014/2017 Ram 1500 ecodiesel. This fire problem is totally different from the environmental class action settlement suit.
Several time while attempting to cross an intersection or just driving my truck has gone into limp mode leaving me without throttle control exposing me to possible collision.
Engine fire resulting in tow to dealership. Hauling 4000lb trlr @ 65mph, rumbling first then white smoke from rear of truck when engine died. Pulled off hwy and found small fire in center of manifold. Extinguished and restarted truck. Fuel spraying from fuel line.
Engine shuts off instantly without warning while driving at various speeds. Won't start back up for several hours. When trying to restart, starter turns but seems no gas is going to engine. Truck only has 39K miles. When I walked away from the truck the auto starter tried to start it on it's own.
Drove less than a mile and truck shut down in middle of intersection while moving without warning. Took to shop and found out it had dropped a piston. Had engine pulled and another used (22000mile) engine put it. Truck ran for 40 minutes but was showing misfire in 7. then truck shut down.
- Crandall, GA, USA
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The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated that there was a defective battery placed in the vehicle. The battery exploded and damaged the starter, which caused the vehicle to stall. The vehicle was taken to branhaven Jeep Chrysler Dodge Ram (348 w main St, branford, ct 06405, (203) 488-6351) for repairs, but the vehicle stalled again. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, which caused the rear windshield to become smashed. The dealer kept the vehicle for nine weeks and a loaner vehicle was provided. The rear windshield was repaired, the engine harness was replaced, and an entirely new wiring system was installed. The contact expected some type of compensation from the dealer, but none was offered. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 45,000.
Exhaust manifold bolts continually shear off from the high heat displacement of the 5.7 V8 hemi engine. Symptoms include a rapid ticking sound during engine startup.
My truck caught fire while driving at 65 mph on the interstate on Dec 23 2018. All gauges suggested normal operating parameters. The truck has 120K miles. It's a total loss.
Fca as the parent company to Ram brands has issued a recall R51 for a known issue related to the Ram 1500 ecodiesel using a 3.0L vm motori diesel motor. The recall is intended to cover all ecodiesel motors with a block heater. All vm motori engines are equipped from the factory with a block heater. However, only some trucks were shipped with a factory installed heater block cable, and only those with the cable code were flagged with the recall. However, all ecodiesel motors suffer from the same issue listed in the recall relating to cold weather operation below ambient freezing temperatures. After contacting fca, I was instructed to contact NHTSA to see about getting my VIN number inserted into the recall, as all ecodiesel motors in this range sold in areas frequently below freezing require it. The recall text is available here: Https://www.Chrysler.com/universal/webselfservice/pdf/R51.pdf
While driving on a city street, the truck lost all power and I started coasting to a stop. While slowing down, a loud clicking sound came from the engine bay and I got a "low oil pressure" warning message on the dash. As I was coasting to a stop, smoke started pouring out of the engine compartment and was coming into the cab through the vents. It smelled like coolant. I checked the oil level and it was good. All gauges were in normal temperature ranges. I took it to the dealer, and it is still under powertrain warranty. I have always had the oil changed on time. The dealer informed me that the egr (exhaust gas recirculation) cooler failed. They said it leaked into the intake and the intake needs to be replaced as well for a total cost of about $4500. Ram said that the powertrain warranty does not cover it, which is absurd because the two parts are bolted to the engine and necessary for it to run. Egr cooler failures are very common on Ram 1500 ecodiesels, although Ram does not acknowledge that there is an issue.
Engine in the truck failed while driving down the highway, started loudly knocking and lost power, by the time I was able to get pulled over to the shoulder the cab of the truck filled with smoke, the smoke in the cab was thick enough that it was difficult to see. Eyes were watering and was difficult to breath, the smoke was coming out from under the hood of the truck. I never saw flames but thought truck was on fire due to the amount of smoke so I had my family exit the truck as soon as we were safely on the shoulder out of traffic. The smoke eventually stopped. The dealer that the truck was towed to by roadside assistance indicated that there were currently more than 60 engines on back order in the us with no estimated delivery time on a replacement. There are a large amount of these eco diesel engines failing and some vehicles are catching on fire due to the engine failure causing oil to leak onto the exhaust and igniting. There are numerous reports of the same failure along with engine bay fires on a website dedicated to this particular truck and engine. Https://www.ram1500diesel.com/
10/05/2018 driving down road and check engine light came on, 3 trips to dealer, 10/08/2018 after updating computer for recalls on 1st trip,10/18/18 replaceing exhaust manifold gaskets ($1188) 2nd trip, replaced plugs, after 3rd trip 10/22/2018 was told have bad lifters, $6500 to repair, valve lifters on backorder 4-6 months. Service department said this is a very common problem for this hemi motor. Truck has 136000 miles, out of warrenty. Was also told that when replacement lifters do come in they are the same, not fixed, not upgraded, so the same thing can happen again. What do I do without a vehicle for 4-6 months?
Am getting a P203E error message. Took it to dealer. There is a defective level sensor located inside the tank. Problem is its a sealed tank with no access only way to fix is to replace the entire tank, pump and sensor. Very bad design flaw. $2600 to replace. Message is saying engine will fail to start after 500 miles. The def pump is working correctly but the engine thinks its almost empty.
On three separate occasions the truck engine died without warning. And I was unable to restart. The eco diesel engine in my truck on the third incident, totally seized up and I was told the engine was finished and the dealer would try to get me a new one. They came back and said it would take a minimum of two months, if they could get one at all, because of the problems they were having with ecodiesel engines. I basically, was forced to trade it in to get another vehicle. This truck is unsafe and should not be on the road. On two occasions of the three incidents, it neal\rly killed me, or at least a very serious accident.
On 9/21/18 my husband was driving to the store down the interstate and his truck shut off causing him to coast to the shoulder. When he did he noticed some light smoke. He tried to pop the hood but it wouldn't pop so he got out and tried to see if it was caught and saw more smoke he looked underneath to see stuff dripping like melting from the engine compartment, at that time he went to walk around the truck to look for a fire extinguisher when he heard a loud explosion causing him to run back from the truck and call 911. In less than 5 minutes the entire truck was engulfed in flames and in the 25 it took the fire department to arrive the entire truck except the bed and rear tires were completely burnt down. 5 months prior to this the engine in this ecodiesel blew up while he was driving down the interstate and Chrysler did an complete engine replacement on it under warranty and due to their fault. The new engine only had 10-15K miles on it and to replace this engine you have to take the entire truck apart like a lego cab and all. Ram is not coming out with an ecodiesel in the 1500 in 2019 but Chrysler is not owning responsibility for the truck almost killing my husband. The truck was in motion on fire and on the side of a highway when it burnt down. It was in motion and on an interstate when the first engine blew with only 84K miles on a diesel.
My 2015 Ram 1500 4X4 with ecodiesel began to lose power while driving on US31 so I pulled off on the next side street. At that point, smoke poured out of the vents and from under the hood into the cab. I stopped the vehicle and turned off the ignition and waited for the tow truck. Dealer reports an egr valve cooler failure which then caused the intake manifold to crack
I was driving down the interstate at 70 mph when my engine shut down and I was forced to coast to a stop. I got my truck towed to a shop and further inspection revealed the engine rod bolts had backed out and allowed the rod to come off of the crankshaft. My truck only has 71,000 miles on it and after further research found this to be a fairly common issue in comparison to other engines. I discovered this condition occurs at random miles and in most cases without warning. When the engine fails you lose power to critical components like power brakes and power steering, in some cases could lead to a fire as well. Luckily I was on a road that allowed me to stop safely.
The contact owned a 2015 Ram 1500 eco-diesel. While driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle stalled and smoke appeared from the engine compartment. The vehicle became engulfed in flames. The vehicle was destroyed before the fire department arrived. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a storage lot and then to the contact's residence. The dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was notified and filed case number: 35040343. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
2015 Ram 1500 eco diesel 3.0 L engine. Leaking egr cooler during 2017 and 2018 cross country trip hauling a 23 ft travel trailer. Mostly highway driving. Both times egr leaked internally causing coolant to be sucked into the engine and burned. Leak was slow at a rate of 1 gallon or so per week of 1500 miles of driving per week. Both times egr cooler was replaced under warranty. Seems like failure only occurs while towing for prolonged period. First egr cooler was replaced Nov 2017. No towing until June 2018 when it failed. Second cooler replaced Aug 2018. First cooler only leaked internally. Second leaked internally and externally at the coolant seals. Coolant being ingested into the engine can easily damage the emission control systems. Many complaints on Dodge Ram eco diesel forums about faulty egr coolers.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Reidsville, NC, USA