This forum and another completely scared me off the EcoD

[mopac01]

I have a 20 year old F150 with 220K miles that I'm looking to replace. Would love to keep my next truck as long or longer. Will be used 95% as commute/around town (live in the country about 20 miles from the city) and 5% towing on weekends. (Tow a boat 2,500lbs, a compact tractor about 2,500lbs and 2 horses also about 2,500lbs. With a dual axle trailer and gas/supplies/hay etc probably a 5,000lb towing requirement.) Have never owned a diesel, except my little compact diesel Kubota. But really loved the idea of the MPG on this truck and still in a 1/2 ton, which is all I need.

But between the posts (like Shawn's) on this forum and the 100+ pages on another forum about catastrophic engine failures I've pretty much soiled myself and am headed for the exits! I really wanted to find out this was just a fantastic engine. I love the look and ride of the truck. But there's been nothing to indicate a fix has been made and no data on the 2017s since they've been MIA for the entire year. So it'd be another year or two before there'd be any idea of the 2017s or 2018s have this issue fixed.

I can't see being a beta tester for Ford's 1/2 ton diesel, so it'd be a year or two before that would be an option for me. But even then I don't like the idea of an aluminum truck. My research indicates bodywork is twice as much and would think over time that's going to hit my insurance premiums regardless of accidents on my part or not. I might look at the Titan XD diesel. It's a Cummins so engine built here. Even the body is built here.

Too many posts on this forum and the other with guys saying "I've lost faith in this engine." Every maker has issues, no perfect vehicles. But this power plant has more than it's share of catastrophic failures. I really wanted to find out it was as rock solid as the Ram/Cummins 5.9 or the Ford 7.3 but that doesn't seem to be. And FCA isn't saying anything about any changes to make the 3.0L that way. I'd love somebody to convince me otherwise. I really think this truck looks sharps and rides great.

 

[BoostN]

The EcoDiesel has it share of problems, but remember people come here to complain.

Many users don't join a forum "just because". Welcome to the site!

 

[mopac01]

Well, I lurked for awhile. And it did look like there were a bunch of users that joined just really to share experiences and solutions to problems. And I expect every car has problems. I just really grew very disappointed with the leave you stranded on the side of the road and waiting 4-6 weeks for a replacement problem.

I mostly posted to let the forum leaders and hopefully FCA (since I can't imagine they don't at least lurk in these forums) know that stories here really drove me away from their product. I guess I'm hoping that if they thought this was happening enough they would attempt to address it in the forums or through advertising and rebut the aura of unreliability that seems to be hanging over this power plant.

 

[Jonnyg]

I agree with BoostN, when you are on a specific forum you will find many issues with the specific product in question. Research VM motors they have been building Diesel engines since 1947 and have a great reputation. These trucks are expensive and I understand the hesitation on your part but this is not a new engine by any means. Banks has been using this block for a long time with military contracts with no issues. Your choice but it's s great truck with phenomenal MPG and durability I don't think is an issue based on my research

 

[mopac01]

I went and test drove a ED last night. Wow. Inside you can't tell it's a diesel. Even accelerating it didn't really sound any different to me than a gas engine. And speaking of acceleration, I didn't experience a lag starting from a stop the way I expected. If I hadn't known it was a diesel and I didn't start the engine until inside the cab (the salesman remote started it while we were still 10-20 feet away) I don't think I would have given the engine a second thought. I think I'd have just assumed it was gas. It really sounded from inside the cabin and drove like a Ford 3.5L ecoboost.

I have access to fleet pricing but I haven't found out how good of a deal that might be. I need room for a family of 6 and I currently have a 6.5' bed on my F150 and don't want a 5.5' short bed. A crew cab 4x4 with 6.5' bed doesn't seem to be a common configuration on dealer lots. So chances for an end of year deal look slim to begin with - particularly if you factor in they only just released the ED for 2017 and many dealers don't seem to have gotten all that they ordered. Additionally, I'm really only interested in the Big Horn trim level. I don't need anything higher. And most Big Horn crew cabs have the short bed. So I may be forced into an order. Although that puts me in limbo given the EPA hasn't cleared production of the 2018 ED.

But I'm really liking the truck even more after driving it. The competition for me is really Nissan's Titan XD. I don't need that much truck but I've got a Nissan auto and a Dodge Grand Caravan. Both have comparable miles. The only major issue either had was the Nissan CVT went bad at 80K. But it was a known issue and Nissan had extended the warranty on the trans to 100 or 120K. It was replaced in like 2-3 days and with zero hassle. But the smaller stuff has been much more of an issue with the Dodge. Power steering pump, automatic sliding door, electric lock on one door, cup holders breaking etc. Just have the experience that Nissan is higher quality and getting customers taken care of down the road seems a higher priority. If I didn't have to weigh the reliability and ease of warranty work down the line the Ram ED would be a slam dunk, hands down winner. But as it is, the lure of Nissan's quality and ease of warranty claims has me really torn. And then there's the 5 year/100K mile warranty not just on the drivetrain like the Ram, but on EVERYTHING - bumper to bumper.

 

[Jonnyg]

I work for an independent lease company and I purchase 15-20 Chrysler products per month. The dealer that I buy from called me as soon as he got allocation spots for the last run of 2017 ecodiesels that were going to be built. that was around sept 10th. The choices were crew cab Big Horn or Laramie and only 5'7" box. From what his ram rep told him is they will not build a 2018 model of eco diesel. The 2018 model will be a short production run because of the redesigned 2019 and they were not offering the eco diesel as an option and that seems to be the case if you go to ram price and build there is not an option for the diesel in 1500. I ordered mine on 9/15 and as of Monday it was D1 status I am hoping to have it mid November.

 

[BoostN]

I work for an independent lease company and I purchase 15-20 Chrysler products per month. The dealer that I buy from called me as soon as he got allocation spots for the last run of 2017 ecodiesels that were going to be built. that was around sept 10th. The choices were crew cab Big Horn or Laramie and only 5'7" box. From what his ram rep told him is they will not build a 2018 model of eco diesel. The 2018 model will be a short production run because of the redesigned 2019 and they were not offering the eco diesel as an option and that seems to be the case if you go to ram price and build there is not an option for the diesel in 1500. I ordered mine on 9/15 and as of Monday it was D1 status I am hoping to have it mid November.

I don't see the EcoDiesel going away though.. especially with Ford and GM coming out with their own versions of the same thing.

 

[mopac01]

I work for an independent lease company and I purchase 15-20 Chrysler products per month. The dealer that I buy from called me as soon as he got allocation spots for the last run of 2017 ecodiesels that were going to be built. that was around sept 10th. The choices were crew cab Big Horn or Laramie and only 5'7" box. From what his ram rep told him is they will not build a 2018 model of eco diesel. The 2018 model will be a short production run because of the redesigned 2019 and they were not offering the eco diesel as an option and that seems to be the case if you go to ram price and build there is not an option for the diesel in 1500. I ordered mine on 9/15 and as of Monday it was D1 status I am hoping to have it mid November.

Just when I think I'm moving towards ED and away from Titan XD, now this. Even if the drivetrain stayed the same for the early release 2019 model, the rest of the body etc would be new. And heaven forbid, aluminum if they're really conspiring against me. I don't really want the first year of a new truck body. *Sigh* - Maybe I'll go test drive the Titan Cummins again this weekend.

 

[Jonnyg]

From what I have heard there are no plans to eliminate the diesel option, they are just not going to offer it for the 2018 MY. There are 2 plants that are being retooled to set up for the new model. My guess is they are setting up for an increase in the ecodiesel out put because VM Motori is expanding their facility to expand current out put as well. With Ford releasing their 1/2 ton diesel I doubt that Ram will want to lose any ground in that segment and honestly the trucks are the only thing that FCA is profitable on currently. The rumors that I herad about the ford 1/2 ton diesel may be as much as an 8000 upgrade !

 

[Jonnyg]

Just when I think I'm moving towards ED and away from Titan XD, now this. Even if the drivetrain stayed the same for the early release 2019 model, the rest of the body etc would be new. And heaven forbid, aluminum if they're really conspiring against me. I don't really want the first year of a new truck body. *Sigh* - Maybe I'll go test drive the Titan Cummins again this weekend.

Not sure how much aluminum they will be using, The MPG game is inevitable and from what I have heard they can meet the next CAFE average with engine tweaks and aerodynamics not so much focusing on weight reduction. Supposedly they are going the way of high strength steel rather than aluminum

 

[mopac01]

Not sure how much aluminum they will be using, The MPG game is inevitable and from what I have heard they can meet the next CAFE average with engine tweaks and aerodynamics not so much focusing on weight reduction. Supposedly they are going the way of high strength steel rather than aluminum

I don't know whether Ford is doing the aluminum thing for MPG or to be able to tout higher towing/payload capacities (less truck weight=more you can haul/tow with same given engine stats - all other things stay equal but truck weight drops 500lbs your tow/payload capacity just jumped 500lbs).

 

[Jonnyg]

Well ford has a configuration in a 1/2 ton truck capable of towing almost 12,000 pounds. I don't know how much you tow or what weight but if I was towing over 8000 on a regular basis I would be driving a 2500 or 3/4 ton truck for sure.

 

[mopac01]

Well ford has a configuration in a 1/2 ton truck capable of towing almost 12,000 pounds. I don't know how much you tow or what weight but if I was towing over 8000 on a regular basis I would be driving a 2500 or 3/4 ton truck for sure.

Oh, I don't need that. I was referring more to the possibility that the lighter weight of the aluminum works to Ford's marketing advantage in the every escalating "our truck is class leading for towing, etc etc" war between the big 3. I only tow 4-5K and it's only weekend type recreational stuff and generally just in the immediate area. So a 1/2 ton is all I need. Do need to grab hay bales and things like that on occasion so a nice 6.5' bed is much more useful than some other type of tow vehicle like an SUV. The ED is really PERFECT for me. It ticks every box I have - except the concern about reliability. (And that came about from searches through forums like this one more than anything. LOL)

 

[Jonnyg]

I get where you are coming from, most of the stuff is marketing ploy. I think there are a lot of different issues with the actual issues and reliability. This or any diesel does not fair well with short city driving trips or not getting to operating temps. The diesels with emission control systems egr/def are more impacted I believe. I have a relative that has a duramax with 48000 miles on it and its almost 6 years old and he is always having issues with it, His brother has the same truck with 157,000 miles on it and has had no issues at all. These engines take a long time to warm up in cold weather and the short trips in my opinion are very hard on them.