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2018 EcoDiesel owner......at 8500 miles complete engine failure at freeway speeds - Lengthy rant

MCE

New Member
Jul 24, 2019
8
0
Truck Year
2018
Hi, I stumbled across the site as I was obviously seeking more knowledge about my ED failing on me at 70mph on one of the deadliest highways in our state. Unfortunately I have to drive this highway daily back and forth to work and there is a long section over a pass that has no area to pull over. Anyway, engine started making funny sounds similar to an exhaust leak as I was driving home, then suddenly the whole steering column and truck started to shake/shimmy real bad and progressively got louder. At first I thought it was the front end going out till I finally got it to the end of the highway at a stoplight and realized "Nope, that's the engine going".......as the truck was shaking so hard the fenders and hood were actually hopping a little. The look on peoples' faces around me at the intersection were pretty priceless. I managed to get through the light and then there was a loud "explosion" of sorts and sure enough everything went quiet and the truck was just rolling along till I pulled it into a safe spot. If that engine had blown on the pass where i couldn't get off the road that could have been a really bad situation for me. Truck was at the dealership for 25 days. I got pictures of the metal shards and rod cap bearings and bolts laying in the oil pan....#2 & #4 cylinders went. They ordered an entirely new crate motor, with EVERYTHING already installed on it, down to the belts, hoses and oil. It has about 2500 miles on it now and the new engine has progressively gotten louder again and has some new noises, thus its BACK at the dealer to be checked out. I am hoping its nothing and I get it back, however I made a call to Chrysler Care and opened a case, but they really aren't doing much since my dealer is bending over backwards to help me. I did get a trade in value on the truck just in case and it dropped in value $22K due to it being an ED (I've only had it less than 8 months!). We have a Lemon Law here and at this point it technically qualifies and Chrysler Care has given me the National Center for Dispute Settlement (NCDS) whom does the arbitration process between the consumer and the dealer. I'm surprised that there hasn't been more discussion in the news about the issue with the engine failures, as apparently they are a plenty. As I was at the dealer yesterday their 7th ED truck came in for a new engine due to complete failure...this one was blowing oil out the side of the engine through a gaping hole. I purchased my truck brand new; had a whopping 77 miles on it when I drove it off the lot, and I actually love the truck - it's my 8th RAM in 20 years, I guess it was in the cards for me to get one lemon in the bunch. Thank you for allowing me the rant.
 

MSP548

Active Member
Aug 30, 2016
202
62
Truck Year
2016
I hope you actually did get a new engine. A recent poster on another thread found out FCA authorized a factory reconditioned engine for his warranty replacement. They’ve got to be out of motors by now with this failure rate.
 

cds13ca

Active Member
Jun 19, 2019
216
76
Truck Year
2016
wow, that's brutal, esp for a 2018!! freaken thing was so new. so sorry to hear that.
 

MCE

New Member
Jul 24, 2019
8
0
Truck Year
2018
I hope you actually did get a new engine. A recent poster on another thread found out FCA authorized a factory reconditioned engine for his warranty replacement. They’ve got to be out of motors by now with this failure rate.
Good point - I will talk to them about that when I drop in on them this week. I am planning on my truck being there a while.
 

MCE

New Member
Jul 24, 2019
8
0
Truck Year
2018
wow, that's brutal, esp for a 2018!! freaken thing was so new. so sorry to hear that.
Yes - the dealer doing the repairs was shocked how soon the engine went as well.
The dealer I purchased from has been NO help, so I've been working with a different dealership and they are making it a much easier process for me.
 

cds13ca

Active Member
Jun 19, 2019
216
76
Truck Year
2016
that's good to hear, not so good for the one you bought from...
 

MCE

New Member
Jul 24, 2019
8
0
Truck Year
2018
Well I wanted to wait to post an update.....L-O-N-G.........I took the truck back in a few weeks ago because of the new noise from the new engine they installed recently. They suspected the fuel pump on top of the engine was bad (it came preinstalled on the new motor).....so they replaced it and I got the truck back a couple weeks later. However the day I picked it up I was literally 5 minutes from the dealer getting on the freeway and the truck flashed a warning code across the dash (something to the effect of NO POWER) and then the truck started to stumble, I quickly hit the 4 way flasher button and gave the truck a little push on the peddle hoping it was an air bubble in the fuel line, but nope, it just suddenly stopped running (mind you, I was at almost 60mph merging onto the freeway - nearly got slammed by a semi whom had to quickly veer around me)......I had no power steering and the brakes got hard........so while still barely rolling I muscled it off to the side of the road. Had to pull my mirror in to keep from getting clipped by a vehicle at freeway speeds. Tried the SOS button to get help.......failed miserably as it kept disconnecting me with the person on the other end, finally called AAA to come get me. Called State Patrol cause I was in traffic and didn't want to get hit, called the dealer and they sent the technician out to me on the side of the road. He pulled up behind me in a bigger truck and flipped on his 4 ways to help make traffic slow down a little. He tried to get the truck started but nope, nothing. He had a code reader plugged in and was getting some weird stuff apparently. He apologized and said "wow, I can't believe this". He stayed with me 2.5 hours till AAA could get to me (it was rush hour traffic).......he had them get a loaner ready for me though so when we did get back to the dealer they just handed me keys to the loaner. I called my FCA rep the next morning and he too was shocked.....told me to go to NCDS and get a claim filed. Anyway, I talked to the technician the next morning and he said he went out to the truck and decided to try to start it one more time and sure enough he said it fired right up. He took it for a drive and had no issues. He said had I not had him out there to witness it wouldn't run or start on the side of the freeway he would have thought I was making it up. I told him I didn't want it back till they figured out what was wrong with it. End result; they suspected the wiring on the new replacement fuel pump was pinched. They removed a cover from the pump and then had the Service Manager drive it off and on for 2 weeks to see if it would replicate the problem......and it ran fine. So they had me pick it up a couple weeks ago without the cover back on to let me drive it and see if anything happened and it seemed to run fine the couple times I drove it. I had it in this past weekend and the technician reinstalled the cover, but had to do some modifications as it was rubbing on the sensor and wires. Drove home fine. But I'm petrified to drive it cause I'm just not sure WHAT next will go wrong. So frustrating.
To answer a couple questions in the thread that I hadn't gotten to yet;
1) I had it verified....this was an entirely new engine (block and all), and it came with all the components, including the oil preinstalled
2) I purchased it from Dave Smith Motors in Kellogg, Idaho.
Thanks again for letting me YET rant AGAIN............................
 

John

Well-Known Member
Nov 13, 2015
1,186
386
Strange indeed. The fuel pump is mounted on the front of the engine as is mechanically driven off the camshaft. There's no wiring to the fuel pump.
 

MCE

New Member
Jul 24, 2019
8
0
Truck Year
2018
Strange indeed. The fuel pump is mounted on the front of the engine as is mechanically driven off the camshaft. There's no wiring to the fuel pump.
Maybe I misunderstood the technician? I know he said there is a sensor there as part of the system and the wiring was pinched and hitting the cover.
 

John

Well-Known Member
Nov 13, 2015
1,186
386
In any case I hope for no more problems. Sometimes the technicians simplify explanations as to not be overly technical.
 

cds13ca

Active Member
Jun 19, 2019
216
76
Truck Year
2016
Sounds like a bad lemon. I hope it gets sorted out!!!! For your sanity. Keep us posted, there's lots to learn from everyone.
 

MCE

New Member
Jul 24, 2019
8
0
Truck Year
2018
Update: Well I filed a case about 6 weeks ago with the national center for dispute settlement (NCDS) and I had an arbitration hearing in person about 10 days ago. The arbitrator and I met at my local Ram dealer and FCA had a rep dial in for the meeting. The FCA representative kept reading from a canned statement and said that they completely disagreed with my request to replace my truck Their claim was because they had been honoring the warranty and giving me a loaner to drive they were meeting the requirements even though I was afraid to drive the truck because it was randomly shutting off in the middle of major highways. They also claimed that the truck sat at the dealer lot for eight months before it sold and that was the reason why the engine possibly had a catastrophic event they did deny acceptance of the third time it shut off on the freeway because they never could identify the reason for it. I read off the lemon law requirements while we were there and the truck met all four of them. During the arbitration they don’t make a decision on the spot the arbitrator writes up their findings and then submits it to you in writing via mail and then you have the option to except or deny their decision. I wasn’t expecting much but today in the mail I got the decision and they actually decided in my favor and have told FCA they need to replace my truck with a new one that has the same options my current truck has. I just hope I can find another one that I enjoyed as much is this one other than the engine issues I was having. Also about five days ago one of the ecodiesel trucks caught fire on the freeway in Oregon it turns out they are having a problem with the EGR coolers cracking and leaking coolant and catching fire there’s a big recall coming out for all of the ecodiesel trucks to have that replaced..... Oddly enough the recall isn’t including other vehicles like the jeep grand Cherokee. Anyway I wanted to give you an update as I was very surprised by the decision today that I received. Apparently the process can work.
 

TC Diesel

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2016
2,443
689
Truck Year
2015
IMO, take the cash or go Gas....The 2020 VM3.0 will be more problematic.
 

MCE

New Member
Jul 24, 2019
8
0
Truck Year
2018
IMO, take the cash or go Gas....The 2020 VM3.0 will be more problematic.


[/For clarity, I will not be getting another EcoDiesel due to the problems i have had. It’s unfortunate.
 

TC Diesel

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2016
2,443
689
Truck Year
2015
Yep.... Ram Makes awesome vehicles....FCA (Fiat Chrysler America) is not the Problem, its Fiat continue ignorance towards VM Motori lack of QC. Fiat Has some Awesome resources at FPT, Why in the heck are they not taking over at VM, is beyond Crazy.
 
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