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What owning an ECOdiesel has meant for me.

Older Slower Wiser

New Member
Dec 10, 2016
17
4
Truck Year
2015
Hi all. Just letting you all know my frustration with owning an 2015 ECO Diesel.
A little back ground - I bought the Ecodiesel new at the end of 2014 as my retirement truck. Plan was to pay it off before retirement and put a million miles on it or die first. Yes I knew it would have to be rebuilt a couple times before 1,000,000 miles. Thought I did my due diligence on truck reliability (OOPS.)
Truck currently has 190,000 miles on it.

1: emissions recall and 3,075 payment. I’ve had my ECM Update and was paid the 3,075. The truck had about 112,000 on it at the time. I lost 2-4 mpg. Was told nothing they could do about it.

2: Got a notice from FMC while waiting for ECM update and related parts. The notice was for possible engine compartment fires. I was still driving it waiting for needed parts. Three days after getting recall letter and after talking to a dealer the engine caught fire. FMC would not cover fire although it was a direct result of the emissions recall.

Went round and round with FMC and was told fires happen and to talk to insurance. In the end insurance paid for a complete engine and installation. Cost was about $14,000.00. This Issue was most definitely FMC Issue and should have been warrantied by FMC. My Insurance is now more costly.

3: Was coming home from Texas, i live in Illinois. While going thru Arkansas I got a warning message saying take truck to a dealer, truck will not restart in 250 miles. Need exhaust repairs. I knew where a dealer was in central Arkansas and stopped there. My truck only had about 50 miles left before shutting down.

Dealer couldn’t get all parts for five days. I was stuck in nowhere Arkansas for five days waiting for parts. No loaner vehicle. Had to pay for five nites motels and had to mostly walk everywhere. (Nearest car rental was two towns away.)
just an FYI. If you ever burn up the urea injector plug a new one costs $160.00 at dealership. This is just a small two prong sealed plug. Cost to manufacture about $3.00 Cost at a big box parts store $40.00. Total bill was over $1,600. Including labor, Urea injector, urea heated line and misc.

But this is what really gets me. The ECM flash has cost me more than $3,070 in extra fuel over the last 75,000 miles. Then there is the lag when taking off. Also there is a noticeable loss of power when pulling a boat.

if I understand this correctly since I excepted the 3,075 for the ECM flash I lost all rights to further litigation.

Was also told that when ECM was flashed the ability to restart truck by bypassing a relay in the fuse box was taken away

I also asked what would have happened if I did not get ECM flashed. Was told FMC would have to pay about $20,000 dollar fine. I would gladly pay $3,075 to get my fuel mileage back.

And now I’m pissed. The attorneys got their money at our expense. FMC did not pay their fair share of the harm they’ve cost so many of us. The dealers can’t be trusted when they seem to consistently over charge for parts and labor. Insurance companies seem to have no interest keeping car part costs down. What ever the claim costs, they just pay it. they do not seem to have any interest in holding down repair costs.

This all seems to point to possible collusion between Insurance and FMC. And Collusion between FMC and Attorneys.

Can anyone prove there was no collusion?

Can anyone prove the law firm that filed the law suit did it in our best interests or was it in theirs.

Why did we not have the option to return truck and get our money back.
 

TC Diesel

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2016
2,460
694
Truck Year
2015
Let us know if/Who you plan to take action with ? Because FMC has 0 connections to FCA or VM Motori Cento Italy or Fiat. You also did NOT do the research on VM Motori and the 3.0L Produce at Cento Italy BEFORE Purchasing...it's a 3.0L designed for Euro Caddy's that never made production. Every DSL produce in Europe is over engineered and under developed IMO.
 

gkcrane

New Member
Jan 23, 2024
2
2
Truck Year
2018
Let us know if/Who you plan to take action with ? Because FMC has 0 connections to FCA or VM Motori Cento Italy or Fiat. You also did NOT do the research on VM Motori and the 3.0L Produce at Cento Italy BEFORE Purchasing...it's a 3.0L designed for Euro Caddy's that never made production. Every DSL produce in Europe is over engineered and under developed IMO.
TC Diesel, your reply seems harsh and silly to me, but then I’m just a new member on this forum and this is my first post. Maybe the last. He certainly had a legitimate grievance and somehow you managed to put the blame on him for not having done enough research prior to buying it. Who could know how much research is enough research? All of us trusted Stellantis to produce a reliable vehicle when we purchased our EDs. Blaming the victim and excusing the guilty seems to be a trend these days and it’s not helpful. Just sayin’…..
 

TC Diesel

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2016
2,460
694
Truck Year
2015
Last decade has been proven the 3.0 VM is Hero/Zero Status.. the last 3+ Decades have Proven NOT to put your trust in Nobles or Corporations. Trust is something that has to be continuedly earned. It's this Simple I believe in God everything else I track or investigate. And when I make a mistake or make a poor choice it's not on the merits of trust or lack of knowledge. I don't post on the merit of Brownie Points, it to the best of My knowledge Base on the facts I investigated and tracked. Emotional reasonings or feelings concerned with Fiat/VM have no impact on Me. I have lost count on the 100s that have contacted Me thanking me for the help, and the 100s More that wish that I had listened. I have also lost count on how many times I said if you can afford the risk in VM 3.0 that's a choice, make that choice a good and make the best of it when you do.
 

TC Diesel

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2016
2,460
694
Truck Year
2015
By the way FMC, I was hoping the OP chime in, And I would have said FCA had little impact on bringing VM 3.0 to Americas Soil, it was all/100% Fiat. FMC/FCA had to clean up 100% the mess Fiat made.
 

gkcrane

New Member
Jan 23, 2024
2
2
Truck Year
2018
I’m struggling to figure out if anything you just said is helpful. Appears to mostly be about you. Sorry - don’t get it.
 

TC Diesel

Well-Known Member
Jul 14, 2016
2,460
694
Truck Year
2015
I’m struggling to figure out if anything you just said is helpful. Appears to mostly be about you. Sorry - don’t get it.

OK.....
 

1shadowsabre

Well-Known Member
Oct 18, 2015
827
314
Truck Year
2015

@Older Slower Wiser - I can echo your sentiments a bit although my ownership 2015 experience has been excellent. I too did some "research" (at least what I thought was research) before I bought my truck. If I remember correctly the first 3 years so the 3.0 was winning engine and truck of the year awards and the issues were only starting to come to light.​

For sure, Stellantis and the other powers that be could have handled some of the things differently. It is a shame because these trucks are great when they are the "Hero and not the Zero" as TC diesel says.
 
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