NHTSA Complaint #10251264 — 2007 DODGE RAM 3500

I WAS DRIVING MY TRUCK ACROSS COUNTRY AND THE POWER DOWNGRADED. I TOOK IT TO A DODGE SERVICE DEPT AND THEY TOLD ME MY EXHAUST CATALYTIC SYSTEM WAS 90% PLUGGED AND IT WOULD COST OVER $6000 TO REPLACE IT, BUT BECAUSE OF THE NATIONWIDE PROBLEM WITH THE CATALYTIC SYSTEM, THERE WOULD BE AT LEAST A 2 WEEK WAIT TO GET THE PARTS. I MANAGED TO DRIVE IT BACK TO MY HOME DODGE SERVICE DEPT. THEY GAVE ME THE SAME PROGNOSIS BUT ONLY ORDERED A PARTICULATE FILTER, COSTING OVER $3000. AGAIN, BECAUSE OF THE HIGH DEMAND, I HAD TO WAIT FOR THE BACKORDERED PART. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT BECAUSE OF THE FAULTY CATALYTIC SYSTEM, THERE WOULD BE CARBON BUILDUP ON THE EGR VALVE, EXHAUST BRAKE, AND TURBO THAT WOULD SUFFER DAMAGE AND WOULD NEED TO BE CLEANED REGULARLY, TAKING A MECHANIC OVER 6 HOURS OF LABOR TO DO SO EACH TIME AT A RATE OF $80/HR. THIS REPAIR TOOK PLACE ON 9-2-08. THEN 9 DAYS LATER, I WAS DRIVING DOWN AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WHEN THE TRUCK SHUT ITSELF DOWN. LUCKILY, IT WAS LATE AND THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AS I MANAGED TO BARELY ROLL ONTO THE SHOULDER. I HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST DODGE SERVICE DEPT AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE CATALYTIC WAS CLOGGED AGAIN, CHARGING ME ANOTHER $3000 TO REPLACE A PART, AND TAKING ANOTHER 6 HOURS TO CLEAN MY TURBO AND DRILL A PORT INTO IT FOR FUTURE CLEANING. I WAS TOLD THAT DRILLING A HOLE INTO THE TURBO WAS DODGES QUICK REMEDY TO THE CATALYTIC SYSTEM CAUSING CARBON BUILDUP ON THE TURBO. ON 12-7-08, MY EXHAUST BRAKE STOPPED WORKING AND AS OF 12-9-08 THE DODGE SERVICE DEPT IS REPLACING THE $2000 TURBO/ EXHAUST BRAKE, DAMAGED BECAUSE OF CARBON BUILDUP DUE TO THE FAULTY CATALYTIC SYSTEM. *TR