2011 DODGE RAM 3500 Complaints

WE HAVE NOTICED FOR THE LAST MONTH OR SO OUR TRUCK SHUTTING OF RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING, HOWEVER 2/7/2016 COMING HOME IN THE DARK AT 80 MILES PER HOUR THE TRUCK SHUT OFF DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY. I HAVE A BROTHER SAME MODEL TRUCK EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUES. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCER, THE TRUCK AND ALL LIGHTS SHUT OFF AT 80 MILES PER HOUR I WANT THIS FIXED AND INVESTIGATED

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 RAM 3500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V635000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

VEHICLE REPEATEDLY GETS STUCK IN PARK, BUT INDICATES REVERSE. WILL NOT START OR MOVE. TRANSFER CASE IS NOT ALLOWED TO MOVE TO NEUTRAL, BECAUSE SHIFT INDICATOR LEVER INDICATES IT IS IN REVERESE. SO CALLED "EMERGENCY OVERRIDE PROCEDURE" DOES NOT WORK. BATTERIES MUST BE DISCONNECTED FOR 30 MINUTES BEFORE SHIFT LEVER CAN BE RELEASED. AFTER HAVING THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP (AT MY OWN EXPENSE) UPON THE FIRST OCCURENCE, I WAS INFORMED THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. UNFORTUNATELY IT HAS HAPPENED TWICE SINCE THEN AND I AM MOST ASSURED IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN.

I HAVE A COMPLAINT NUMBER ALREADY BUT I DID NOT SEND PHOTOS. MY NUMBER IS 10782106. INCLUDED ARE THE PHOTOS OF THE HOLE IN THE FLOOR BOARD WHERE THE FRONT DRIVE SHAFT PENETRATED THE CAB BETWEEN THE DRIVERS LEGS. I CAN ALSO OBTAIN A REPORT FROM THE LOCAL FIRE DEPT. AS THEY WERE CALLED TO PUT OUT THE RESULTING FIRE.

ON JULY 21, 2015 WHILE DRIVING ON I-40 NEAR NEWPORT TN. THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE THAT CAME FROM MY 2011 DODGE RAM 3500 TRUCK. AFTER THE LOUD NOISE THE TRANSMISSION WAS UNRESPONSIVE AND THERE WERE NO BRAKES AT ALL. MY FRIEND, WHO WAS DRIVING AND HAS CDL, GENTLY PRESSED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND SAFELY PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF I-40. ONCE THE TRUCK CAME TO A STOP A FIRE ERUPTED FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. A TENNESSEE STATE TROOPER SOON ARRIVED AND CALLED FOR THE NEWPORT FIRE DEPT WHO ARRIVED WITHIN A FEW MINUTES TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. AFTER THE FIRE WAS PUT OUT ONE OF THE FIREMEN NOTICED SMOKE IN THE CAB. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION HE FOUND A HOLE ABOUT THE SIZE OF A GOLF BALL IN THE DRIVERS SIDE FLOORBOARD. THAT WAS THE LOUD BANG. THEY ALSO NOTICED A LOT OF METAL HANGING FROM UNDER THE TRUCK AND CONCLUDED THE DRIVE SHAFT HAD FALLEN OUT OF THE VEHICLE. I CALLED AAA AND HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO THE CLOSEST DODGE DEALERSHIP WHICH IS IN NEWPORT. IT WAS 5 WEEKS BEFORE THEY EVEN LOOKED AT THE TRUCK AND THEN THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID IT WAS A MECHANICAL FAILURE LIKE NOTHING HE HAD EVER SEEN. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE DRIVE SHAFT FAILURE CAUSED A CHAIN REACTION OF EVENTS, IN A MATTER OF SECONDS THE FRONT DRIVE AXLES, THE TRANSFER CASE FOR THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE, THE MAIN DRIVE SHAFT, THE TRANSMISSION, AND POSSIBLY THE REAR END WERE DESTROYED. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH CHRYSLER ON AUG 27TH AND THEY HAD AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR LOOK INTO THE MATTER. HIS FINDINGS STATED THAT WHEN THE TRANSMISSION FLEW APART IT CRUSHED THE BRAKE LINES AND ALSO THE FLUID HITTING THE HOT EXHAUST WAS HOW THE FIRE WAS STARTED. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT ONE OF THE FRONT DRIVE AXLES PENETRATED THE FLOORBOARD ALLOWING SMOKE INTO THE CABIN. I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM CHRYSLER ON SEPTEMBER 18TH THAT STATES THEY " RESPECTFULLY DECLINE ANY ASSISTANCE" IN THE MATTER. THE TRUCK REMAINS AT THE DEALERSHIP AWAITING REPAIR.

WE WERE MADE AWARE OF THE THREE (3) RECALLS AND POSSIBLE BUYBACK ON OUR 2011 DODGE RAM 3500 TRUCK BY "WORD OF MOUTH"! WE WERE NEVER CONTACTED ABOUT THE RECALLS OR THE CONSENT ORDER-----WE ACCIDENTALLY FOUND OUT! WE HAVE HAD SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT TWICE, ONCE WHILE REFUELING AND ONCE WHILE THE TRUCK WAS IN MOTION. WE HAVE NOTICED A BAD AND DANGEROUS VIBRATION FROM THE STEERING! EVEN THOUGH WE CONTACTED FCA REGARDING THESE PROBLEMS, AND MY REQUEST FOR A COPY OF THE BUYBACK LETTER, I HAVE RECEIVED NOTHING EXCEPT COPIES OF THE THREE (3) RECALLS, WITH N49 BEING NOTED AS THE MOST DANGEROUS! FCA PUT ME IN TOUCH WITH THE FCA RESOLUTION CENTER, WHICH IS A 3RD PARTY VENDOR FOR FCA, AND THEY ARE GIVING ME THE "RUN A ROUND"! TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE THERE HAVE GIVEN ME TWO DIFFERENT SETS OF "THINGS" THEY WILL NEED IN ORDER TO MAKE AN OFFER ON OUR AFFECTED TRUCK. I'M GOING TO HAVE TO RETAIN AN ATTORNEY TO GET ANY KIND OF BUYBACK ON OUR VEHICLE. IT IS MY BELIEF THAT FCA HAS NO INTENTION OF BUYING BACK THESE VEHICLES! I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH FCA SINCE JULY 28TH, TO NO AVAIL!

DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT 55 MPH, TRUCK SHUTS OFF, DOES AND LOSE CONTROL. STARTS BACK UP BUT DOES IT AGAIN.

I CALLED THREE/3 DEALERS TO INQUIRE ABOUT HAVING MY VEHICLE RECALLS ATTENDED TO. I HAVE BEEN WAITING MONTHS AND MONTHS FOR THIS. JACK KEY DODGE (ALAMOGORDO, NM) PUT ME ON HOLD FOR 45 MINUTES AFTER I TOLD THE RECEPTION OF THE N49 RECALL. SIERRA BLANCA MOTORS (RUIDOSO, NM) SAID THE PARTS WERE ON BACK ORDER AND THE SERVICE MANAGER WOULD CALL ME IMMEDIATELY (MONDAY MORNING) AFTER CALLING DODGE....HE HAS NOT CALLED. ROSWELL DODGE (ROSWELL, NM) SAID ALL PARTS ON BACK ORDER AND I WOULD NOT BE SEEN UNTIL NOVEMBER. THIS PROGRAM IS A JOKE. I WILL NOT HAVE MY TRUCK REPAIRED DUE TO THE UNCARING, ABRASIVE, AND NONCHALANT ATTITUDE ABOUT A VERY SERIOUS MATTER. I DEMAND TO HAVE A BUYBACK, AS IS MY OPTION, AND I VIEW THIS AS ABSURD THAT WE MUST WAIT SO LONG FOR OUR MONEY IN THIS AGE OF INSTANT COMMUNICATION. ABSURD. I DO NOT BELIEVE DODGE CAN OR WILL FIX MY RECALLS COMPETENTLY. WHY DO YOU ALLOW FCA TO WAIT SO LONG ON THIS BUYBACK? WHY ARE THESE PARTS STILL NOT AVAILABLE? I EXPERIENCED THE "DODGE DEATH WOBBLE" AND THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS AND FRIGHTENING MATTER. FCA SIMPLY DOES NOT CARE. WHAT DO YOU THINK FCA OR THE INDEPENDENT APPRAISER IS GOING TO DO WITH THE EVALUATION OF THE VALUE OF MY TRUCK? PROBABLY THIS WILL BE A VERY BAD APPRAISAL AS WELL AND/OR THE MONEY FROM FCA WILL TAKE FOR EVER TO BE RECEIVED. I WANT MY MONEY NOW SO I CAN PURCHASE ANOTHER VEHICLE....NOT WAIT UNTIL OCTOBER 1, 2015 FOR THE DEALER TO SET AN APPRAISAL TIME. I CAN NOT BELIEVE HOW BAD THIS PROGRAM IS GOING FORWARD. ONCE AGAIN....THE PARTS ARE STILL ON BACK ORDER. I WANT MY MONEY NOW.

A WEEK AFTER PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE, MY WIFE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE STEERING NOT FEELING RIGHT. AS I CONTINUE TO USE THE VEHICLE I NOTICE SOME VIBRATION ON THE STEERING WHEEL, BUT DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT BEING A PROBLEM BECAUSE THIS IS OUR FIRST PICKUP TRUCK AND THE STEREOTYPE IS ALL PICKUP TRUCKS RIDE RUFF. NOW SOME TIME HAVE PAST AND A FEW THOUSAND MILES LATER THE STEERING VIBRATION IS GETTING WORSE AND NOW I'M STARTING TO SUSPECT SOMETHING IS WRONG. AS I WENT UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE TO CHECK THE FRONT SUSPENSION I NOTICE THE NEW TIRES WHICH CAME WITH THE VEHICLE WHEN PURCHASE WAS COMPLETELY WORN ON THE INSIDE THREADS AFTER 8K MILES. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE NET TO FIND OUT THAT A LOT OF USERS OF THIS VEHICLE ARE EXPERIENCING WHAT'S KNOWN AS THE (DEPTH WOBBLE). I FIRST CALLED DODGE MFG. AND COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THEY INFORM ME THAT THIS IS AN ONGOING ISSUE. THEY TOLD ME TO BRING TO A DEALER AND GAVE ME A CASE #. I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED. ALL THEY DID WAS A WHEEL ALIGNMENT WHICH THEY CHARGE ME AND SAID THEY WOULDN'T REPLACE THE TIRES. WELL THIS VEHICLE IS STILL DOING THE SAME THING! ONLY 40K MILES ON THIS VEHICLE AND WE REALLY ARE NOT HAPPY CAMPERS!

WHILE HAULING A LARGE LOAD OF HAY, I WAS TRAVELING AT LESS THAN 10MPH AS I WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES TO SLOW THE VEHICLE TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN ON TO ANOTHER ROAD. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES THE STEERING COMPLETELY WENT AWAY AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT TURN AT ALL. THE BRAKE PEDDLE WAS VERY STIFF AND THE BRAKES WERE NOT VERY RESPONSIVE. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE TRUCK STOPPED AS I WAS HEADING TOWARD ANOTHER VEHICLE ON THE ROAD. AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP AND BACKING THE VEHICLE UP THE STEERING RETURNED AND I WAS ABLE TO MAKE THE TURN. I TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 2 MILES DOWN THE ROAD TO MY DESTINATION AT A VERY SLOW SPEED AND WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES TO TURN I LOST ALL STEERING AGAIN AND THE BRAKE PEDDLE WAS VERY STIFF AND NOT VERY RESPONSIVE. I PARKED THE VEHICLE AND HAVE NOT MOVED IT.