NHTSA Complaint #10039088 — 1998 DODGE RAM 1500

OIL PRESSURE GAUGE DROPPED TO ZERO AND LIFTERS ON ENGINE WERE TAPPING, SO I HAD TO PARK MY VEHICLE BEFORE I LOST MY ENGINE. VEHICLE IS A 98 DODGE RAM 1500 V6 WITH 70K MILES. WAS CAUSED BY A CLOGGED OIL PUMP INTAKE SCREEN. ALMOST LOST ENGINE BECAUSE SCREEN IS OF DEFECTIVE DESIGN. SCREEN IS COVERED BY A CAP THAT PREVENTS ALL OF THE SOLIDS FROM DROPPING BACK INTO THE PAN. THE OIL PAN ITSELF HAS A HALF INCH RISE INSIDE TO RECEIVE THE OIL DRAIN PLUG. THIS HALF INCH RISE PREVENTS HEAVY SOLIDS FROM BEING DRAINED DURING ROUTINE OIL CHANGES. THE OIL PUMP INTAKE IS LOCATED DIRECTLY ABOVE THESE SOLIDS, TRAPPED IN THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN, AND SUCKS THEM DIRECTLY INTO THE SCREEN. THEREFORE, OVER TIME THE CONDITION WILL REOCCUR. POST RESEARCH I FOUND NUMEROUS PERSONS WITH IDENTICAL DESCRIPTIONS TO MINE WHO HAD LOST THEIR ENGINES ON VARIES YEARS AND MODELS OF DODGE TRUCKS. ALTHOUGH HEARSAY, THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE TOLD BY DEALERSHIPS THAT THEY HAD SLUDGE IN THE BOTTOM OF THEIR PANS, STATING THE REASON FOR FAILURE WAS DO TO NOT ROUTINELY CHANGING OIL. I CAN DOCUMENT MY ROUTINE OIL CHANGES, AND I STILL HAD SOLIDS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN ON MY VEHICLE THAT CANNOT BE REMOVED BY ROUTINE OIL CHANGES. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A BREACH OF THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. I HAVE DOCUMENTED THE PROBLEM ON VIDEO AS WELL. *JB