2006 DODGE SPRINTER 3500 Complaints

2006 DODGE SPRINTER 3500 TURBO RESONATOR FAILURES. MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED THE ABOVE UNIT IN THE FORM OF A WINNEBAGO VIEW. ON OUR FIRST TRIP WE HAD TO CROSS A SMALL MOUNTAIN PASS IN THE SHENANDHOAS. A FEW MINUTES IN TO THE CLIMB, I NOTICED THE POWER DROPPING OFF. WE WERE ALREADY ALL THE WAY IN THE RIGHT LANE, HOWEVER; THE VEHICLE LOST SO MUCH POWER THE LARGE TRUCKS ALSO IN THE RIGHT LANE HAD TO SWERVE TO AVOID HITTING THE VEHICLE. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A DEALER AND THEY EXPLAINED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD SUFFERED A FAILURE OF THE TURBO RESONATOR AND THAT IT WOULD BE REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY. THE INCIDENT WAS MOST UNFORTUNATE. WHILE THE FAMILY TRIP WAS PRETTY MUCH RUINED, WINNEBAGO DID EVENTUALLY HELP PAY FOR THE RENTAL VEHICLE COSTS THAT WE HAD TO ABSORB TO GET THE FAMILY AND CONTENTS OF THE RV HOME UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE SUFFERED AN IDENTICAL FAILURE. AFTER LOOKING IN TO THE PROBLEM ON-LINE, WE DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS A HUGE COMMUNITY OF SPRINT OWNERS THAT HAVE SUFFERED THE SAME FAILURE, MANY OF THEM WITH MULTIPLE FAILURES. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION WHICH DODGE AND MERCEDES REFUSE TO RESOLVE. THE MANUFACTURERS NEED TO DESIGN A PERMANENT FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM AND ISSUE A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. *TR

REPEATED FAILURE OF TURBO RESONATOR ON DODGE SPRINTER 3500 / WINNABAGO VIEW RESULTING IN SUDDEN LOSS OF 90% OF POWER. PART CRACKS OPEN CAUSING LOSS OF TURBO PRESSURE. ENGINE SENSOR THINKS TURBO HAS FAILED SHUTTING DOWN ENGINE INTO LIMP MODE RESULTING IN 90% LOSS OF POWER. SAME PART HAS FAILED TWICE IN 2,500 MILES. BOTH TIMES HAPPENED ON THE INTERSTATES HIGHWAYS IN TRAFFIC AND NEARLY RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT ON I 75 SOUTH OF ATLANTA LAST YEAR AND ON I 20 WEST OF ATLANTA LAST WEEKEND. IN BOTH CASES HIGH SPEED VEHICLES PASSING ON BOTH SIDES CREATED AN EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS. USER GROUPS REPORT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. DEALER HAS FIXED UNDER WARRANTY BUT REFUSES TO ALLOW KNOWN 3RD PART SOLUTION (DESCRIBED BELOW) THAT PERMANENTLY SOLVES THE PROBLEM TO BE USED AND THREATENS CANCELLATION OF ENTIRE VEHICLE WARRANTY IF PART IS INSTALLED. INSTEAD DEALER INSTALLS SAME PART THAT HAS A HISTORY OF REPEATED FAILURE AND SAYS "GOOD LUCK". THE PROBLEM IS WELL-KNOWN TO SPRINTER OWNERS. IT IS WELL DOCUMENTED ON USER BLOGS SUCH AS: HTTP://SPRINTER-SOURCE.COM/FORUM/FORUMDISPLAY.PHP?F=108, HTTP://AUTOS.GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/SPRINTER/MESSAGE/94 HTTP://AUTOS.GROUPS.YAHOO.COM/GROUP/SPRINTER/MESSAGE/95 IT IS ALSO INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT ACCORDING TO THE JAMES F. RIORDAN COMPANY, INC, A LOCAL DODGE DEALER INITIATED AN EFFORT TO CREATE A "PERMANENT SOLUTION" TO THE PROBLEM, THE RESONATOR ELIMINATOR: HTTP://WWW.RIORDANCO.COM/OUR_PRODUCTS_CATALOG.HTM#SPRINTERTURBORESONATOR. *TR

MY 2006 SPRINTER DIESEL HAS HAD A RESONATOR FAILURE WHICH CAUSED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER - IF THIS HAD HAPPENED AT THE WRONG TIME IT COULD HAVE BEEN DEADLY. THE FAILURE HAPPENED WITHIN A FEW THOUSAND MILES AND WAS REPAIRED BY THE MANUFACTURER UNDER WARRANTY. HOWEVER, THERE HAS NOT BEEN ANY RECALL THAT I AM AWARE OF AND AFTER A WEB SEARCH IT APPEARS THERE SHOULD BE - THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE NOT AN IMPROVEMENT AND AS A RESULT THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED MORE THAN ONCE FOR MANY OWNERS. IT IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE GIVEN THE SUDDEN NATURE OF THE LOSS OF POWER AND THE POTENTIAL FOR IT TO HAPPEN WHEN PULLING INTO TRAFFIC OR PASSING ANOTHER VEHICLE ETC. *TR