NHTSA Complaint #10121202 — 1999 DODGE RAM 2500

COOLANT LOSS, SMALL AMOUNT AT FIRST. INSPECTED HOSES, THERMOSTAT, CORE PLUGS AND RADIATOR FOR COOLANT SEEPAGE POSSIBILITIES, LABORED TO NO AVAIL . OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION A SMALL CRACK IN THE BLOCK AND THROUGH RESEARCHING I HAVE THIS INFORMATION. MY BLOCK IS CAST IN BRAZIL BY A COMPANY NAMED "TUBY" AND IS IDENTIFIED BY A #53 NUMBERED ON THE BLOCK. IT HAS BECOME APPARENT TO ME THAT THESE ARE DEFECTIVE DUE TO WEAK CASTING THAT RESULTED IN THINNER WATER JACKET WALLS THAN OTHER BLOCKS SO WITH COOLANT CAVITATION, CORROSION, COOLANT PRESSURE IN THE BLOCK, AND TORQUE THEY ARE MORE PRONE TO CRACK. CHRYSLER WILL NOT HONOR MY WARRANTY, IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN 5 YEARS BUT THE MILEAGE WAS AT 94,891. CUMMINS POWERMASTER ADVISED ME TO TAKE IT TO A LOCAL DEALER IN TAMPA AND I DID. THEY DID A COOLANT PRESSURE CHECK AND VERIFIED THE CRACKED BLOCK. CUMMINS POWERMASTER HAS OFFERED TO REPLACE THE BLOCK BUT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR LABOR AND OTHER RELATED COST IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $4,500. CUMMINS ADMITTED TO ME THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS ARISING WITH THESE #53 BLOCKS. I ALSO HAVE REVIEW OTHER COMPLAINTS ON A QUESTION AND ANSWER DIESEL WEBSITE AND NOTED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS TO THE NHTSA. IF THE NUMBERS ARE LEGITIMATE THERE ARE ABOUT 100,000 BLOCKS AFFECTED. IT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THESE BLOCKS WERE REPLACED BY CHRYSLER WHILE UNDER WARRANTY AND HOW MANY CUMMINS HAVE REPLACED WITHOUT CHARGE TO THE CONSUMER. I THINK IT TO BE A SYMBOLIC GESTURE FROM CUMMINS TO WANT TO ASSIST ME IN THIS MATTER. I WAS TOLD THAT IF CUMMINS HAD THE WARRANTY, MY BLOCK WITH HOLE LIKE THAT, EVEN IF IT HAD 200,000 MILES WOULD BE REPLACED ABSOLUTELY FREE. CUMMINS DOES HAVE A REPUTATION TO MAINTAIN SINCE IT IS THEIR 24 VALUE CUMMINS ENGINE IN THE DODGE RAM. CHRYSLER WANTS TO TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROBLEM OR EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEFECT IN MANUFACTURING OF THIS #53 BLOCK. SB