NHTSA Complaint #10242993 — 2002 DODGE RAM 1500

ON THURSDAY AUGUST 28, 2008, I WAS LEAVING AN INTERVIEW GOING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY TRUCK BEGAN TO START SMOKING. I GOT OUT MY VEHICLE AND RAISED THE HOOD TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. WHEN I LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE, AND FLUID WAS POURING OUT FROM THE RESERVOIR HOLES. I LOOKED IN MY VEHICLE AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS AT THE HALF WAY MARK AND THEIR WAS NO INDICATION LIGHTS ON INDICATING THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. AT THIS TIME I LET MY VEHICLE COOL OFF AND I ADDED SOME ANTIFREEZE. I ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE AND COULD ONLY GO ABOUT A HALF A MILE DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN WITH NO INDICATIONS OF THE VEHICLE RUNNING HOT. SO AT THIS TIME I CALLED A TOWING SERVICE AND HAD TO WAIT APPROXIMATELY FOUR HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK TO COME AND TOW MY VEHICLE HOME. THE NEXT DAY I HAD MY TRUCK TOWED TO A MECHANIC AND HE SAID THAT THE MOTOR HAD BURNED UP. I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER SHIP AND WHEN THE MECHANICS THEIR INSPECTED MY TRUCK THEY SAID THAT THE COOLING FAN INSIDE THE "ECM" HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND THAT THE MOTOR WAS BURNED UP. THE SERVICE ADVISOR SAID THAT I WAS GOING TO NEED A NEW MOTOR AND THAT IT WAS GOING TO COST ME APPROXIMATELY $7800.00. WHICH I WANT THE MANUFACTURER TO PAY FOR SINCE THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF THESE PROBLEMS. *TR