2018 RAM vent

[kenmac]

Seriously. An 8 year old heavy duty truck instantly becomes a “driveway ornament” because someone gets a recall notice in the mail?
“The only option is to rent a cheap car”.

And he mentioned it on a tractor Forum So what,
I brought up an issue I've been having with my welder ! On a tractor Forum

 

[rontaki]

And he mentioned it on a tractor Forum So what,
I brought up an issue I've been having with my welder ! On a tractor Forum

I came for the tractors, stayed for the rest!

 

[rontaki]

It is just a 2018 2500 issue now from what they are saying. It seems they have the other years and models fixed.

I would be happy if they would fix it, but until then, just get me an equivalent vehicle to use. I am really only asking for exactly what I paid for, nothing more.

Any third-party solutions?

 

[Too many Kubotas]

Any third-party solutions?

If I remember correctly, people buy an older (or maybe it was never?) unit and take the motor from it.

The motor is what fails and it fits the faulty unit. Again, that's what I recall reading about it. May or may not be correct.

 

[Snobdds]

My ford f250 had the entire breaks go out, while I was at my Cabin. I parked the truck on a Friday, got in it Monday and had no breaks. Like WTF. Now no tow truck would be able to get up there so I had to limp it down a mountain with no breaks. Thank god for 4 low, and a manual parking brake. That was nerve racking.

There was a gasket in the master cylinder that went out sending brake fluid to the booster and then pulled in by the vacuum pump. The entire brake system had to be replaced.

At least Ford had the parts and it was on the road again in a week.

My Toyota Landcruiser has been the only real bulletproof vehicle I have ever owned. It's really the only vehicle I never worry or think about.

 

[Oaktree]

Wire cutters

It's not 1985 anymore, there is no "dinger". Dunno how Stellantis does it, but on GMs it's built into the audio system, comes thru the speakers. I would imagine everyone else does the same, and has for a long time now.

 

[kenmac]

I came for the tractors, stayed for the rest!

If they just want to discuss tractors, maybe they need to find another place to hang out, because much more than tractors discussed here, and has been for a long time !

 

[dodge man]

It's not 1985 anymore, there is no "dinger". Dunno how Stellantis does it, but on GMs it's built into the audio system, comes thru the speakers. I would imagine everyone else does the same, and has for a long time now.

My daughter’s first car, a roughly 2010 Impala had very weak turn signal sounds when we bought it used. Sure enough all those sounds come through the front speakers. Fixed it with new speakers.

 

[Code54]

Any third-party solutions?

Unfortunately there is not. We also have the extended warranty on it so I was hate to go non-oem on anything until that is up but, would if it would fix it.

DarkBlack, it is NOT because I got a recall notice, that I could careless about, IF they could fix it i have no complaint.
The ABS does not work, the stability control does not work, cruise control does not work - there is the problem. We often tow heavy with the truck, sometime in the winter, sometime on ice, etc. Sure would be nice to have those system working correctly (well not using cruise to tow). And yes, RAM's solution is they will allow me to rent a compact car. So DarkBlack, how do I tow, lets just say 12,000 pounds with a Kia subcompact they want me to use keeping liablity in mind???

 

[DarkBlack]

If they just want to discuss tractors, maybe they need to find another place to hang out, because much more than tractors discussed here, and has been for a long time !

You obviously totally missed my point

 

[DarkBlack]

Unfortunately there is not. We also have the extended warranty on it so I was hate to go non-oem on anything until that is up but, would if it would fix it.

DarkBlack, it is NOT because I got a recall notice, that I could careless about, IF they could fix it i have no complaint.
The ABS does not work, the stability control does not work, cruise control does not work - there is the problem. We often tow heavy with the truck, sometime in the winter, sometime on ice, etc. Sure would be nice to have those system working correctly (well not using cruise to tow). And yes, RAM's solution is they will allow me to rent a compact car. So DarkBlack, how do I tow, lets just say 12,000 pounds with a Kia subcompact they want me to use keeping liablity in mind???

So your situation is you need to tow 12,000 lb on ice in Virginia with this truck. How often does that combination happen?
It’s an 8 year old vehicle and your ABS failed. Issues like that, happens to a lot of vehicles that age.

“However, for the past year, it has been considered unsafe to drive due to a faulty hydraulic brake control module. This issue is currently under recall, and despite having only 14,000 miles on it, it has become a useless driveway ornament.”

Your first post certainly seemed to suggest your low mileage 14k truck was ok other than you being alarmed by a recall notice. You know, the “has been considered unsafe “ part.
That lead me to believe you were overreacting, by implying it’s a totally disabled “ yard ornament “ , as you put it. Only later did you amendment your story to say, your ABS doesn’t work.
I don’t know…you can join a lawsuit about it. You can buy a used replacement solenoid. I see other owners doing that online.
You can trade it in. You can sell it and buy a different vehicle with different issues…. . Or you could do what I would probably do…. Drive it, until they honor the recall. Believe it or not, people used to be able to drive cars and trucks without ABS and traction control. In fact a lot of people hate ABS on their vehicles. Or rent a little hatchback car that you mentioned

 

[kenmac]

You obviously totally missed my point

sure I did

 

[Code54]

So your situation is you need to tow 12,000 lb on ice in Virginia with this truck. How often does that combination happen?
It’s an 8 year old vehicle and your ABS failed. Issues like that, happens to a lot of vehicles that age.

“However, for the past year, it has been considered unsafe to drive due to a faulty hydraulic brake control module. This issue is currently under recall, and despite having only 14,000 miles on it, it has become a useless driveway ornament.”

Your first post certainly seemed to suggest your low mileage 14k truck was ok other than you being alarmed by a recall notice. You know, the “has been considered unsafe “ part.
That lead me to believe you were overreacting, by implying it’s a totally disabled “ yard ornament “ , as you put it. Only later did you amendment your story to say, your ABS doesn’t work.
I don’t know…you can join a lawsuit about it. You can buy a used replacement solenoid. I see other owners doing that online.
You can trade it in. You can sell it and buy a different vehicle with different issues…. . Or you could do what I would probably do…. Drive it, until they honor the recall. Believe it or not, people used to be able to drive cars and trucks without ABS and traction control. In fact a lot of people hate ABS on their vehicles. Or rent a little hatchback car that you mentioned

Yep, now and then I unfortunately do tow in the winter, and ABS with stability control is a very useful tool in those cases. Actually anytime emergency braking is involved it is rather handy with or without a trailer on. Maybe that is why it is a DOT requirement on new vehicles ????

I also did not decide it was unsafe, RAM made that decision but what do they know, they only built it…. They even said I should park it at the dealer until the repair is completed.

As for a lawsuit, there was a class action where RAM admitted no fault but recalled the vehicles and agree to provide rental cars while the vehicle was at the dealer for repairs. I had no part in this lawsuit and I am not looking for a payout, just a simple repair as required by the recall and for that matter, the extended warranty that we paid extra for.

Again, trading in is a poor decision due to the diminished value due to the lack of a fully functioning braking system. Why should I lose value on a mint condition truck due to RAMs inability to repair their issue?

Oh, just for future reference, West Virginia is actually a state and not part of Virginia.

 

[4570Man]

Yep, now and then I unfortunately do tow in the winter, and ABS with stability control is a very useful tool in those cases. Actually anytime emergency braking is involved it is rather handy with or without a trailer on. Maybe that is why it is a DOT requirement on new vehicles ????

I also did not decide it was unsafe, RAM made that decision but what do they know, they only built it…. They even said I should park it at the dealer until the repair is completed.

As for a lawsuit, there was a class action where RAM admitted no fault but recalled the vehicles and agree to provide rental cars while the vehicle was at the dealer for repairs. I had no part in this lawsuit and I am not looking for a payout, just a simple repair as required by the recall and for that matter, the extended warranty that we paid extra for.

Again, trading in is a poor decision due to the diminished value due to the lack of a fully functioning braking system. Why should I lose value on a mint condition truck due to RAMs inability to repair their issue?

Oh, just for future reference, West Virginia is actually a state and not part of Virginia.

Ram fixed my truck in 4 hours. What’s the reason that they can’t fix yours?

 

[JRH02]

I have no words for this problem you are experiencing. Since you can't control the situation, maybe a shift in perspective might make you a happier person in the mean time.

 

[Code54]

Ram fixed my truck in 4 hours. What’s the reason that they can’t fix yours?

That’s a great question and one I cannot get an answer to. Even the dealer has no idea why the fix for all the other HD trucks cannot be used. Literally all the others have a fix; it is just the 2018 2500 that RAM claims has no fix.

The dealer said he believes it is the same controller on a 3500, but also said since RAM claims that is not a proper fix, they could not repair it with that part. They, of course, mentioned it would void the current bumper-to-bumper warranty as well as the liability issues.

I have no words for this problem you are experiencing. Since you can't control the situation, maybe a shift in perspective might make you a happier person in the mean time.

It just agravates me more than anything. I have a problem when companies believe it is fine to blow off their responsibilities. RAM sort of makes me laugh; when you call, they give all this BS about how they care and they want to make everything right. Then end the call with, “We can't repair it, goodbye.”

Thankfully, we have other vehicles for daily use, and they are prefect, but they also do not have the name RAM on them anywhere.... LOL

 

[Hay Dude]

No, its not. All three of the HD truck manufacturers are having supplier problems...but Ram seems to be the worse.

I own two HD Rams so I'm on the Ram forums all the times and lately the number of complaints with the newest Rams have grown exponentially. For one, after many many years of having Cummins engines built with solid lifters for some silly reason they are now made with hydraulic lifters and these new engines seem to be having teething problems. And the problems with electronics are myriad. The latest - apparently there is some kind of sensor on the rear axle that goes bad. When it goes out the transmission will refuse to go into Park position. And if the transmission can't go into Park, the engine cannot be shut off. Owners are having to pull the battery cables off the batteries to shut the trucks down. And they are being told that those sensors are on backorder - with a 4 month leadtime!

Reading about all the problems makes me so happy I own older Rams. They've been essentially trouble free.

I’m not trying to be a shill for Ram, but I’ve had zero unusual problems in 6 years of ownership of my 2020 Ram.
Here’s my “list”:
1. The CP-4 pump was replaced under full factory recall
2. front spindle failure that I think was my fault because I immersed the truck in deep water.
3. I had the DEF fluid level sensor replaced
4. heated steering wheel replaced

all under warranty in 6 years of commercial-duty ownership.

Although I will look at all three 550/5500 offerings next truck purchase, Ram is high on my list.

On edit: I did have to wait 10 months for my CP-4 replacement, but it was because of a massive national back order. I just drove the truck and stopped worrying. Everything turned out fine.

 

[WinterDeere]

I’m not trying to be a shill for Ram, but I’ve had zero unusual problems in 6 years of ownership of my 2020 Ram.

I've got you beat, with 21 years of RAM ownership here, actually closer to 40 years of combined Dodge ownership, and very few problems ever.

But Code54's issue really isn't that a part failed or was defective... that happens on all brands. His issue is their response, leaving him with no repair option that won't void warranty, etc.

Me? I'd say "screw the warranty", and just get the damn thing fixed with the same part used on the 3500. What use is the warranty, on a vehicle you can't drive? Having said that, I'm still cheap enough that I'd still be arguing to get each subsequent repair covered under warranty.

 

[Hay Dude]

I have an 07 Ram and was considering a new purchase until I joined a Ram forum and begin to read about all the issues with new trucks sitting at the dealer with no repair parts to be had, while the customer has to rent something and still make payments on a truck that isn't usable!! Not to mention all the lifter / push rod failures and the intake grid heater bolt falling off and destroying the engine. And we're talking about 100K trucks !!!

I think I'll just keep my 07 5.9 for a while longer

One of my best friends is a very experienced Ford diesel mechanic. Works at local Ford dealer. He says he is as much a “therapist” as he is a diesel technician.

One thing he told me that really stuck with me was this:

“stay off the truck forums, they will just upset you. They are made up mostly by people with complaints. The happy owners usually aren’t on them”.

I’m not saying there isn’t problems, but owners with problems like to use the internet forums to complain.
The OP’s complaint is understandable, but I’ve also read hundreds of BS complaints, too.

 

[Eagle1]

One of my best friends is a very experienced Ford diesel mechanic. Works at local Ford dealer. He says he is as much a “therapist” as he is a diesel technician.

One thing he told me that really stuck with me was this:

“stay off the truck forums, they will just upset you. They are made up mostly by people with complaints. The happy owners usually aren’t on them”.

I’m not saying there isn’t problems, but owners with problems like to use the internet forums to complain.

Same is true for Tractor owners or anything else.