NHTSA Complaint #10533465 — 2008 DODGE RAM 2500

PURCHASED OUR TRUCK IN JUNE OF 2010 FROM A LOCAL DODGE DEALER. THE TRUCK ONLY HAD 23K AND SEEMED TO RUN OKAY BESIDES GETTING CRAP GAS MILEAGE. IN LATE OCTOBER 2011 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON BUT WHEN WE STARTED IT UP THE NEXT MORNING THE LIGHT WAS NO LONGER ILLUMINATED.THE LIGHT STAYED OFF FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS BUT THEN THE VEHICLE STARTED RUNNING POORLY. IT WOULD RANDOMLY LOSE POWER WHEN BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE AND MAKE A SOUND ALMOST LIKE A BACKFIRE. THE FIRST COUPLE OF TIMES IT BEGAN TO PICK UP SPEED AFTER THE INITIAL HESITATION BUT SHORTLY AFTER THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND IT WOULDN'T GO ABOVE 10MPH. WE PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN IT OFF. WHEN THE TRUCK WAS RESTARTED THE LIGHT WENT OFF AND IT RAN NORMALLY AGAIN. THE TRUCK WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP THE FOLLOWING DAY AND WE WERE TOLD THAT EVEN THOUGH OUR TRUCK HAD LESS THAN 40K MILES ON IT, THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED TWO WEEKS PREVIOUSLY AND THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE COST TO DIAGNOSE OR REPAIR IT!!! WE DID NOT HAVE THE $ TO DO ANYTHING RIGHT THEN SO OUT OF DESPERATION I BEGAN RESEARCHING WHAT COULD POSSIBLY BE CAUSING THE ISSUES WITH HOPES OF FINDING AN INEXPENSIVE FIX THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO ON OUR OWN. THIS IS WHEN I LEARNED THAT CHRYSLER HAD ISSUED TWO RECALLS, G30 - REPLACE THE OXYGEN SENSOR MODULE & J35 - REPROGRAM/UPDATE THE ECM. NEITHER OF THESE WERE MENTIONED TO US AT THE DEALERSHIP WHEN WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE NOR WHEN WE BROUGHT IT IN WITH THESE ISSUES AND WERE TURNED AWAY. I DID FIND OUT THAT THE RE-PROGRAMMING AND UPDATE HAD BEEN COMPLETED ON THE TRUCK 5/24/2010. HOWEVER, I HAVE ALSO SINCE READ ABOUT MANY OWNERS CONTINUING TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES AFTER THE REQUIRED "FIX" HAD BEEN COMPLETED JUST AS WE HAVE. WE'RE LEFT WITH A TRUCK THAT'S A HAZARD TO DRIVE AND PRAY THAT IT DOESN'T CUT OUT IN FRONT OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC WHILE TRYING TO GET OUT ONTO A ROAD OR EVEN WORSE. *TR