NHTSA Complaint #10395982 — 2011 DODGE RAM 1500

THERE WERE NO SPECIAL EVENTS BEFORE PROBLEM SHOWED UP, OTHER THAN THE ENGINE MUST ATTAIN NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. THE PROBLEM IS WHEN TRAVELING , UPHILL-DOWNHILL- OR ON LEVEL, IF YOU ARE ABOVE 45MPH AND YOU STOP APPLYING GAS PEDAL TO COAST. THE VEHICLE WILL COAST UNTIL YOU REACH APPROXIMATELY 40MPH AT WHICH TIME THE TRANSMISSION WILL DOWNSHIFT INTO 3RD GEAR. THIS CAUSES AN ABRUPT SLOWING WITHOUT ALERTING VEHICLE BEHIND YOU. THIS COULD IN EFFECT CAUSE A REAR COLLISION BECAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS ARE NOT ACTIVATED, AND THE GEARING IS LOW IN REAR AXLE WHICH CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO SLOW AT A FASTER RATE THAN NORMAL. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE THERE ALL THE TIME, ONE TIME IT DID NOT APPEAR WHEN I APPLIED BRAKES. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A ONE TIME OCCURRENCE AS IT HASN'T HAPPENED AGAIN. I HAVE CONTACTED LOCAL DEALER, FROM WHOM I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, 3 TIMES. FIRST TIME THEY HOOKED COMPUTER TO VEHICLE AND SAID EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. SECOND TIME HOOKED COMPUTER TO VEHICLE DROVE IT AND TOOK MORE READINGS. THIRD TIME THEY WERE TO TAKE MORE READINGS AND TRANSMIT TO CHRYSLER, ALSO AT THAT TIME THEY WERE TO WORK ON TRANSMISSION. PROBLEM NOT FIXED, WHEN I RETURNED HOME THAT EVENING I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM DEALER STATING THAT CHRYSLER WAS TO GIVE THEM A COMPUTER FLASH OR PROGRAM THAT MAY FIX THE PROBLEM, AND IT COULD TAKE 3 TO 6 MONTHS TO OBTAIN. DURING THE SECOND VISIT I WAS TOLD THAT CHRYSLER HAD AT LEAST 3 OTHER VEHICLES WITH SAME PROBLEM BUT THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT THE CAUSE IS AND THEREFORE THEY DID NOT KNOW HOW TO REPAIR. I WAS NOT NOTIFIED IN WRITING BY DEALER OR CHRYSLER CORP. NO PARTS WERE REPLACED THAT I AM AWARE OF. I ALSO DROVE ANOTHER TRUCK SAME EQUIPMENT IT DID NOT EXHIBIT THE PROBLEM. I AM NOT CERTAIN IF THIS IS A PLOY TO SKIRT THE LEMON LAW OR NOT. AT ANY RATE THE PROBLEM NEEDS ATTENTION SOONER THAN LATER, ALSO THIS IS CAUSING HIGHER FUEL CONSUMPTION BECAUSE OF HAVING TO FEED GAS WHEN THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE COASTING! *TR