NHTSA Complaint #10211143 — 2007 DODGE RAM 2500

03 DODGE RAM, 2500 QUAD CAB, 5.7 HEMI ENGINE, AUTO TRANSMISSION. TRUCK HAD DONE THIS SINCE NEW IN DECEMBER OF 2002, 6 TO 10 TIMES. ENGINE WOULD START TO SHAKE, SHAKING THE ENTIRE TRUCK MOSTLY AT START UP AND/OR AT IDLE. WOULD SHUT KEY OFF AND RESTART WOULD BE FINE. DRIVING BACK FROM INDIANAPOLIS 4/11/07 TRUCK STARTED SHAKING VIOLENTLY. DROVE FOR LESS THAN A MINUTE, PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF ROAD AND TRUCK DIED, WOULD NOT RESTART. TOWED TO A ROCHESTER INDIANA DODGE DEALER. THIS WAS WHAT THE ROCHESTER DEALERSHIP TOLD ME OVER 3 WEEKS. SPARK PACKS WERE CORRODED AND SPLIT REPLACED. COMPRESSION LOW IN CYLINDER 5 AND NO COMPRESSION IN CYLINDER 8. FOUND BROKEN VALVE SPRINGS IN CYLINDERS 5 AND 8. NOTE: MANY TRUCK FORUM WEB SITES NOTED THAT DODGE WAS AWARE OF THIS IN MANY EARLY 03 MODELS. IN HIND SITE IT, EXPLAINS A LOT. LOT OF CARBON IN THE THROTTLE BODY. CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED, REPLACED PCM, REPLACED HEADS, REPLACED INTAKE MANIFOLD. PICKED TRUCK UP ON 5/2/07. THE DEALER SAID TRUCK RUNNING A LITTLE ROUGH BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIVE ADDED TO THE GAS TO CLEAN CARBON. SAID TO BE SURE TO FILL THE TANK, THIS WAS DONE. DRIVING BACK HOME TO MICHIGAN TRUCK RAN VERY ROUGH. NO ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. TAKEN TRUCK TO DEALER WHERE PURCHASED. SERVICE MANAGER SAID SOUNDED AS IF IT HAD A MISS, ASKED IF ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON, I ANSWERED NO. HE TOOK IT FOR A TEST DRIVE AND SAID THAT ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BEFORE HE GOT IT OUT OF THE BUILDING. MY DODGE DEALER TOLD ME CYLINDER #7 IS DEAD. WILL HAVE TO REMOVE THE HEAD TO SEE WHAT IS GOING ON. MY DEALER SAID THAT THE ROCHESTER DEALERSHIP HAD FORGOTTEN TO THE ROCKER ARMS OVER THE PUSH RODS. GOT THE TRUCK BACK AND IT SEEMED TO BE OK. AFTER DRIVING FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND FEELING UNEASY ABOUT IT, I TRADED. THE SAVING GRACE TO ALL OF THIS WAS JUST THE FACT I HAD BOUGHT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND IT WAS COVERED. *TR