NHTSA Complaint #10441939 — 2011 DODGE RAM 3500

THIS VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT NEW OCTOBER 2010 AND IN DECEMBER 2010 WE HAD TOOK IT TO BE SERVICED BECAUSE WHEN YOU TURNED ON THE HEATED SEAT, YOU COULD SMELL AN ELECTRICAL BURNING SMELL. DODGE ORDERED A NEW SEAT PAD AND REPLACED IT ON 1/11/11 AND WHEN WE TOOK IT IN WE ALSO MADE THEM AWARE THAT THE POWER SEAT ENTRY HAD STOPPED WORKING AND WHEN YOU USED THE SWITCH TO MOVE THE SEAT BACK, IT WENT ALL THE WAY FORWARD NEARLY PINNING MY HUSBAND IN THE SEAT BETWEEN THE STEERING WHEEL AND SEAT. DODGE RECALIBRATED THE DRIVERS SEAT, BUT SEAT STILL NEVER FUNCTIONED CORRECTLY. ON 2/15/11 I TOOK THE TRUCK BACK TO DODGE DUE TO THE HEATED SEAT NOT WORKING PROPERLY AND STILL SMELLING AN ELECTRICAL BURNING SMELL WHEN IN USE. DODGE TOLD ME THAT THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG AND THAT IT WAS POSSIBLY JUST THE "NEW" WEARING OFF. THE POWER SEAT NEVER WORKED PROPERLY AND WE WOULD JUST LEAVE IT IN ONE POSITION AND TRY NOT TO MOVE IT. IF YOU DID MOVE IT SOMETIMES YOU COULD HEAR A CLICKING NOISE. SPRING CAME AND WE DIDN'T USE THE HEATED SEAT. ON 12/25/11 WE ATTEMPTED TO USE THE HEATED SEATS AND THEY DID NOT HEAT BUT WE SMELT ELECTRICAL SMELL AGAIN. WE PROMPTLY DISENGAGED THE HEAT. ON 12/27/11 MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE TRUCK TO THE DODGE HOUSE AND AN ELECTRICAL FIRE STARTED FROM BELOW HIS SEAT AND THE SEAT BEGAN MOVING ON ITS OWN FORWARD ATTEMPTING TO PIN HIM BETWEEN THE SEAT AND STEERING WHEEL. THANK GOODNESS HE WAS ABLE TO PUSH HIS FEET FOWARD TO PUSH BACK ON THE SEAT, GET THE VEHICLE STOPPED AND GET OUT! HE SUSTAINED A BURN TO HIS LEFT THIGH. NEEDLESS TO SAY THE "NEW" HAS ALL BURNT OFF NOW. THE TRUCK IS A TOTAL LOSS. *KB