NHTSA Complaint #11180357 — 2016 RAM 1500

PICKUP'S AIR SUSPENSION FAILS TO WORK IN EXTREME COLD. IN JANUARY OF 2018 IT WAS BROUGHT IN TO DEALER AS COMPRESSOR HAD GONE OUT. IT WAS REPLACED BUT WAS DELAYED DUE TO BACK ORDER OF THE PART SO DIDN'T GET PICKUP BACK UNTIL MARCH. BEGINNING IN JANUARY OF 2019 WHEN TEMPERATURES WERE SUB ZERO THE PICKUP'S AIR SUSPENSION WOULD FAIL TO INFLATE FULLY (OR AT ALL) RESULTING IN HAVING TO DRIVE WITH LITTLE TO NO SUSPENSION. ONCE TEMPERATURES WARMED UP TO OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE 0 DEGREES, THE AIR SUSPENSION WOULD WORK. ON FEB 8TH, PICKUP WAS BROUGHT TO GET AN OIL CHANGE AT DEALERSHIP. AFTER LEAVING DEALERSHIP STOPPED AT A STORE. WHEN I GOT BACK IN THE AIR SUSPENSION APPEARED TO BE ACTING AS IT DID WHEN WEATHER WAS EXTREMELY COLD, TO WHICH I BELIEVED IT WOULD PUMP BACK UP HOWEVER, INSTEAD WARNING CAME ON SCREEN INDICATING "IMMEDIATE AIR SUSPENSION SERVICE / REPAIR NEEDED". I DROVE IT BACK TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY INDICATED THIS WAS LIKELY DUE TO COLD AND WAS COMMON WITH OTHERS OF THIS MODEL. SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT AND WAS TOLD TO DRIVE CAREFULLY HOME. SINCE THEN TOOK TO ANOTHER REPAIR SHOP AND THEY FOUND AN AIR BAG IS TORN. THEY CAN'T DETERMINE WITHOUT FIXING IT IF THAT WAS THE PROBLEM, OR WAS CAUSED BY THE PROBLEM (DID THE AIR BAG TEAR BECAUSE SUSPENSION WENT OUT OR DID THE AIR BAG GO OUT CAUSING THE SUSPENSION TO FAIL). COST WAS AROUND $600 TO REPLACE THE AIR BAG. HAVE DONE CHECKING AND APPEARS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. THE SAFETY ISSUE WOULD BE HAVING PEOPLE DRIVING VEHICLES WITHOUT SUSPENSION IN COLD WEATHER.