NHTSA Complaint #11351110 — 2015 RAM 1500

PURCHASED NEW: 08/03/2015 FIRST ENGINE FAILED 4/27/18 (WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY) TRAVELING 65MPH ON I-495 BELTWAY AND IN THE SPAN OF 10 SECONDS, ALL DASH LIGHTS CAME ON, THE ENGINE MADE A TERRIBLE GRINDING NOISE, AND IT COMPLETELY DIED ON THE SHOULDER. EMISSIONS SETTLEMENT: 05/2019 (100K WARRANTY INFO FROM DATE OF EMISSIONS SOFTWARE UPDATE). DRASTIC LOSS IN MPG (5MPG), POWER, AND TURBO LAG AFTER EMISSION SOFTWARE UPDATE. SECOND ENGINE FAILED: 8/03/2020. TRAVELING 65MPH ON I-83. NO LIGHTS, ONLY A ENGINE KNOCKING SOUND. REROUTED TO DEALER 1 MILE AWAY, AND IT COMPLETELY DIED 1/2 MILE LATER. MAJOR RECALLS OVER THE SHORT LIFE OF THIS TRUCK, AND NOW FCA IS POTENTIALLY UNWILLING TO COVER THE COST OF THE 3RD ENGINE, EVEN THOUGH IT ONLY HAS ~30K MILES ON IT. DEALERSHIP TOLD ME IN WRITING THE BLOWN ENGINE WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND THAT THE NEW ENGINE WAS ON ORDER. THEN THEY TOLD ME THE FOLLOWING DAY THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED OR ORDERED. THE PART WARRANTY IS 2 YEARS (FOR A DIESEL ENGINE), WHICH I MISSED BY 2 MONTHS. I'VE ONLY BEEN DRIVING 1 WEEK OUT OF THE MONTH DURING COVID, SO THIS RECENT PROBLEM WOULD HAVE HAPPENED INSIDE THE 2-YEAR PART WARRANTY IF COVID HAD NOT HAPPENED. NOW I'M SPENDING MY OWN TIME AND MONEY TO PAY THE DIAGNOSTIC AND TOWING FEES FOR A 2ND RAM DEALERSHIP TO DO A FULL ENGINE TEARDOWN. I ALSO DON'T HAVE ANOTHER VEHICLE, SO I HAVE HAD TO TAKE PERSONAL DAYS AT WORK WHEN I CAN'T BORROW VEHICLES FROM FAMILY. I PROVIDED FCA A LINK TO A FOLDER CONTAINING EVERY SERVICE RECORD, PURCHASE DATA AND PREVIOUS CONVERSATIONS WITH VARIOUS DEALERS WHEN THE 1ST ENGINE BLEW AS WELL AS THE EMISSIONS SETTLEMENT. FCA CASE MANAGERS HAVE BEEN FRIENDLY AND POLITE, BUT NO ONE SEEMS TO THINK THERE IS ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.