NHTSA Complaint #11254384 — 2014 RAM 1500

ON FEBRUARY 23, 2019, I BOUGHT A 2014 RAM 1500 LARAMIE EDITION TRUCK WITH A 3.0 VM MOTORI TWIN TURBO ECODIESEL ENGINE. THE TRUCK HAD 78,000 MILES ON IT. I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE TRUCK. THE FACTORY WARRANTY (5 YEARS/100,000 MILES) RAN OUT ON APRIL 12, 2019, DUE TO THE TRUCK BEING 5 YEARS OLD. I FOLLOWED THE MANUFACTURES RECOMMENDATIONS AND USED VALVOLINE EURO 15W40 DIESEL MOTOR OIL WHEN I CHANGED THE OIL, WHICH WAS AS SOON AS THE OIL SENSOR INDICATED THAT THE OIL WAS READY FOR CHANGING. ON MAY 2, 2019, I WAS DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL SET AT 70 MPH. THE TRUCK MADE A BRIEF ROARING SOUND AND THE ENGINE DIED. I COASTED OVER TO THE LEFT SHOULDER AND STOPPED. A LARGE AMOUNT OF OIL WAS UNDERNEATH THE TRUCK. THE TRUCK NOW HAD 83,000 MILES ON IT. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AND THE COST WOULD BE $13,219.40 PLUS ANY ADDITIONAL COST BEYOND THE LONG BLOCK ENGINE. I BEGAN RESEARCHING AND FOUND NUMEROUS ARTICLES THAT EXPLAINED THAT THE 3.0 VM MOTORI TWIN TURBO ECODIESEL ENGINE HAS A DESIGN FLAW THAT CAUSED THE ENGINE TO DESTROY ITSELF. BASICALLY THE CAM GEAR IS NOT SECURED TO THE CAM SHAFT. THE TIMING CHAIN'S TORQUE IS THE ONLY THING THAT HOLDS THE GEAR TO THE SHAFT. ONCE THE GEAR SLIPS AND THE TIMING CHAIN JUMPS, THE VALVES COLLIDE WITH THE PISTONS, STARTING A CHAIN REACTION THAT DESTROYS THE ENGINE. MY TRUCK RAN PERFECTLY UNTIL THE ENGINE FAILURE. THERE WAS NO WARNING. THE ARTICLES RECOUNT NUMEROUS ENGINE FAILURES OF THIS ENGINE WITH SOME ENGINES THAT HAD LESS THAN 20,000 MILES ON THEM. THE FAILURES HAPPENED WITH ENGINES THAT WERE IDLING AND ENGINES RUNNING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. ONE ARTICLE CLAIMS TO HAVE AN INTERNAL CHRYSLER DOCUMENT THAT STATES THAT OF THE 198,000 OF THESE VEHICLES SOLD IN THE U.S. AND CANADA THE ENGINE FAILURE RATE HAS BEEN AS HIGH AS 19 PER WEEK.