NHTSA Complaint #10794981 — 2011 DODGE RAM 1500

AT FIRST MY TRUCK STARTED TAKING LONGER AND LONGER TO ACTUALLY START. IT WOULD TURN OVER BUT ONLY RUN AT 200 RPM AND DIE OUT. THIS PROBLEM WAS SPORADIC AND SEEMED TO BE WORSE AFTER THE TRUCK HAD NOT BEEN STARTED FOR 12 HOURS. EVENTUALLY THE PROBLEM WENT FROM OCCASIONAL TO WEEKLY AND DAILY. THERE WAS NO DASH LIGHTS INDICATION AN ISSUE. MY TRUCK STALLED TWICE ON ME WHILE DRIVING TO WORK . EACH TIME THE VEHICLE STALLED I WOULD SIT IN THE STREET, LUCKILY NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME AND THAT I WAS NOT IN A TURN. WHEN THE VEHICLE DIED I WOULD LOSE ALL POWER STEERING. I DROVE DIRECTLY TO A MECHANIC. HE CHECKED IT AND SAW NO MAJOR ISSUES, STATING THAT ALL OF THE READINGS WERE NORMAL WHEN CHECKED. WE DECIDED TO CHANGE MY SPARK PLUGS AND FLUSH THE FUEL SYSTEM IN AN ATTEMPT TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. DROVE GREAT AFTER THE WORK. THE NEXT MORNING IT DID NOT START, BACK TO MECHANIC AGAIN, WAS TOLD TO LEAVE THE KEY TURNED TO ON POSITION TO HELP THE FUEL PUMP PRIME/ ALL READINGS WERE NORMAL. ISSUE PERSISTED. LEFT TRUCK AT MECHANIC THIRD TIME WHILE OUT OF TOWN FOR THE WEEK SO HE COULD TAKE READINGS AFTER THE TRUCK SAT, SINCE THAT WAS WHEN THE ISSUE HAPPENED. AGAIN THE MECHANIC WAS NOT CONFIDENT OF WHAT WAS CAUSING THE ISSUE SINCE THERE WAS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THE PROBLEM GOT WORSE, IT WAS TAKING ME OVER 45 MINUTES TO START TRUCK EACH DAY, IT WOULD CRANK BUT NOT START. THEN IM STARTED NOTICING MY BATTERY WAS DEAD ON MANY MORNINGS. I THOUGHT IT WAS DUE TO HOW LONG I WAS CRANKING TO START, UNTIL ONE DAY WHEN I HAPPENED TO WALK BY MY TRUCK AND HEAR A HUMMING SOUND. I WENT UNDERNEATH AND COULD TELL IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP. I UNPLUGGED THE FUSE FOR THE FUEL PUMP AND THE HUMMING STOPPED. FOR NOW I JUST UNPLUG THE FUSE EVERY TIME I STOP TO KEEP THE PUMP FROM DRAWING DOWN MY BATTERY. CONTACTED LOCAL DODGE DEALER AND WAS QUOTED $1200.OO TO REPLACE TIPM.