NHTSA Complaint #11233134 — 2015 RAM 1500

EMISSIONS RECALL UPDATE INVOLVING V08 HAS FORCED MY TRUCK PERFORMANCE TO NOW CAUSE FOR CONCERN THE WAY I AM ABLE TO DRIVE MY TRUCK SAFELY. THE PEDAL RESPONSE IS TERRIBLE COMPARED TO THE "STOCK SOFTWARE" AND IS A SLOW REACTION UNTIL THE TRUCK IS "WARMED" UP TO ABOUT 150F DEGREES. BECAUSE THIS SOFTWARE UPDATE IS RELEASED IN THE SUMMER IT SHOULD TAKE LESS TIME TO WARM UP BUT LIVING IN MICHIGAN, THE TRUCK WILL TAKE A LOT LONGER TO WARM UP DURING THE WINTER MONTHS WHICH WILL A) NOT ALLOW ME TO DRIVE SAFELY THROUGH AN INTERSECTION ANY MORE AND B) FORCE OTHER DRIVERS TO HIT THEIR BRAKES DUE TO A LACK OF ACCELERATION MY TRUCK NOW HAS AND EITHER HIT ME OR HAVE THEM AVOID MY TRUCK CAUSING ACCIDENTS. THE LACK OF ACCELERATION OR "LAG" AS IT IS CALLED IS FOR ABOUT 2-4 SECONDS WHICH DOES NOT ALLOW THE TRUCK TO GAIN ANY SPEED WORTHY OF TRAVELING ONTO A ROAD WITH TRAFFIC. THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO "GET OUT OF IT'S OWN WAY" LIKE IT WAS BEFORE THE V08 WAS INSTALLED. ANOTHER ISSUE IS THAT ONCE THE TRUCK IS ABLE TO MOVE BECAUSE OF THE "LAG" GOING AWAY FINALLY THE ENGINE IS THEN OVER-REVVED AT AN UN-NORMAL RPM. THE ISSUE WITH THAT WILL BE IN THE WINTER TIME WHEN THERE IS ICE AND SNOW ON ROADS AND THE REAR WHEELS WILL SPIN ON THAT SLIPPERY SURFACE. THE MOST COMMON OCCURRENCE FOR THIS LAG IS AFTER START UP AND STARTING TO DRIVE MY TRUCK ONTO ROADWAYS OR ACROSS INTERSECTIONS. THE SCARIEST MOMENT WAS WHEN I HAD A VERY REASONABLE AMOUNT OF SPACE TO PULL OUT ONTO A ROADWAY, MAKING A LEFT TURN, FROM A STOP AND A SEMI TRUCK CAUGHT UP TO ME FROM THE RIGHT AND I WAS FORCED TO GO TO THE MIDDLE TURN LANE INSTEAD OF A DRIVE-ABLE LANE TO AVOID THE TRUCK BECAUSE MY ACCELERATION PERFORMANCE HAD DIMINISHED TO NOTHING FOR THE 2-4 SECONDS MEANWHILE MORE ONCOMING TRAFFIC IS HEADED TOWARDS ME AS WELL. THE TRUCK SEEMS TO GO INTO TRAFFIC FINE, BUT WILL NOT SPEED UP REGARDLESS OF PEDAL POSITION.