AC issues fixed for 2020???

[jimk hunt]

o I don't think there is a design issue for the majority of the 100s of thousands of owners. Not saying trucks can't have a/c problems. All brands have a/c failures. Anyway..... I still say there is nothing wrong with the a/c system as designed.

Those of us with the undeniable issue don't care if it's a design, manufacturing or software issue. We just want it fixed. Glad your AC works for you but why cast doubt on the members of the Ram community that have under performing AC? Love my truck regardless.

 

[jdmartin]

Not sure how y'all meant that to come across... Forums have plenty of informed members. It's just that forums are the "go to" place to complain which skews the actual overall satisfaction / quality of any vehicle. There are many members that join because they are gearheads/enthusiasts, as I am, and then others that troll or are only on to belly ache or find out about some kind of problem and then disappear.
When this a/c thing became an issue that some would never let die here and I have a truck that keeps me comfortable in the heat (I just moved from central Florida that averaged 120 days of 90°+ per year) I decided to ask the service dept writers what they were encountering. I know writers in Daytona Dodge and Fields Sanford. Neither have had a/c complaints to speak of. And the 3 dealers I've used for recalls and oil changes haven't had many complaints up here in Michigan. So I don't think there is a design issue for the majority of the 100s of thousands of owners. Not saying trucks can't have a/c problems. All brands have a/c failures. Anyway..... I still say there is nothing wrong with the a/c system as designed.

The thing that I don't get is why guys (and gals) who have problems with the AC don't just trade in on a different vehicle rather than beat their heads against the wall and complain on the forums. Life is too short to just keep a truck you feel is inadequate, and there are other truck options out there. I just get the feeling these people want what they want, and would rather just raise hell and complain than accept that the AC they have is what they're going to have, and no amount of complaining and saying that FCA has a design flaw is going to change that. I have owned trucks for more than 30 years, all kinds of trucks, and there is no such thing as the flawless vehicle. Everything has its strong points and weak points, and you can scream all day long and it's not going to change what you have.

Before I bought the Ram, I drove Nissan Titans for 15 years. The Titan was a great truck, but it had its own issues. The exhaust manifolds on these truck are almost guaranteed to crack, and they're not cheap to replace. Guys raised hell about it and talked nonsense about class action lawsuits and stuff like that. Or you could accept that Nissan made a ****ty manifold, and prepare for the replacement. I had to have both of mine replaced and bought good used ones for the next time they cracked.

Point being that it is a waste of time and energy to cry about the AC. Either the dealer will fix something on yours, or they won't and you will live with it, do the hose hack or get a different vehicle.

 

[Checkairspeed]

The thing that I don't get is why guys (and gals) who have problems with the AC don't just trade in on a different vehicle rather than beat their heads against the wall and complain on the forums. Life is too short to just keep a truck you feel is inadequate, and there are other truck options out there. I just get the feeling these people want what they want, and would rather just raise hell and complain than accept that the AC they have is what they're going to have, and no amount of complaining and saying that FCA has a design flaw is going to change that. I have owned trucks for more than 30 years, all kinds of trucks, and there is no such thing as the flawless vehicle. Everything has its strong points and weak points, and you can scream all day long and it's not going to change what you have.

Before I bought the Ram, I drove Nissan Titans for 15 years. The Titan was a great truck, but it had its own issues. The exhaust manifolds on these truck are almost guaranteed to crack, and they're not cheap to replace. Guys raised hell about it and talked nonsense about class action lawsuits and stuff like that. Or you could accept that Nissan made a ****ty manifold, and prepare for the replacement. I had to have both of mine replaced and bought good used ones for the next time they cracked.

Point being that it is a waste of time and energy to cry about the AC. Either the dealer will fix something on yours, or they won't and you will live with it, do the hose hack or get a different vehicle.

Exactly. What he said.

 

[ColoradoCub]

I suspect this thread and the other dozen about “non existent“ AC problems will rear their ugly head in oh.....about 5 months! And the same forum Nanny’s will be back posting about how their AC works great and for people to quit complaining or just take a huge financial hit and trade your truck in on something else! ......laughing

 

[jimk hunt]

Exactly what he said ^^^^^

 

[firecadet613]

Is lemon law not an option for you guys with this issue? It was with the F150s and frozen door locks, although I chose not to go that route.

If you buy your truck right, you shouldn't be facing a "huge" hit on trade it. My last two trucks, F150s, 5 year loans. 30,000 miles a year and had positive equity when I traded them in at the two year mark. Easily could have at a year.

Your results may very, but if I was that unhappy with a truck it'd be gone. Life's too short. Only really traded my '16 F150 (with the frozen door latch issue) on the Ram because I liked the Ram...and about 60k miles is when I trade. Really curious to see what Ford has planned for the 2021 F150 in a few months...

 

[ColoradoCub]

Is lemon law not an issue for you guys with this issue? It was with the F150s and frozen door locks, although I chose not to go that route.

If you buy your truck right, you shouldn't be facing a "huge" hit on trade it. My last two trucks, F150s, 5 year loans. 30,000 miles a year and had positive equity when I traded them in.

It is not a lemon law issue unless you can get FCA to admit it’s a problem. They came out with a AC performance spec sheet that has the most ridiculous temp specs and as long as your truck is within those specs there is NO issue. You have to forget everything you’ve ever known about how the AC has worked in every vehicle you have ever owned and just accept that your new truck will not perform like your past vehicles or even like other vehicles you currently own.

As to your assessment on value in trade , NADA and KBB reflect that you bought your new RAM with at least a 20% savings off MSRP , so you are going to get F$&)#$ on trade even if you think you got a really good deal on your Ram.

 

[firecadet613]

It is not a lemon law issue unless you can get FCA to admit it’s a problem. They came out with a AC performance spec sheet that has the most ridiculous temp specs and as long as your truck is within those specs there is NO issue. You have to forget everything you’ve ever known about how the AC has worked in every vehicle you have ever owned and just accept that your new truck will not perform like your past vehicles or even like other vehicles you currently own.

As to your assessment on value in trade , NADA and KBB reflect that you bought your new RAM with about a 20% savings off MSRP , so you are going to get F$&)#$ on trade even if you think you got a really good deal on your Ram.

Apologize then, I haven't seen the spec sheet or been on the forum for months... seems FCA found a way around it. From some quick reading, the hose shut off valve seems like a work around - there were none on the F150 door latches. Just remote start and let it idle and warm up.

On the trade aspect, both F150s were bought new, tail end of the model year with just over $7,000 in rebates, surely factored into their trade values (I paid 77% of MSRP). I ordered my 2019 Ram in April, 2018. Delivered in June. Right now, trade value is $7,000 less than I paid. Not bad considering almost no rebates and just released...and due to that I overpaid at 84% of MSRP.

 

[ColoradoCub]

Yes the bypass valve is the only option as of now and it actually works pretty darn good however pathetic it might be to put a $7 valve on a brand new truck to get somewhat cold air out of the AC.

My truck was stickered at $53k , I paid $38k for it before TT&L and right now after 5 months of owning it they are saying the will give me $31k for it. That’s a whole lot of money to be throwing away on a new truck, I‘ll stick with the valve for now! My buddy has a Limited with every option you can get and he went to trade it in on a Eco D and they wanted to clobber him on trade, no Eco for him!

 

[ramhead]

Yes the bypass valve is the only option as of now and it actually works pretty darn good however pathetic it might be to put a $7 valve on a brand new truck to get somewhat cold air out of the AC.

My truck was stickered at $53k , I paid $38k for it before TT&L and right now after 5 months of owning it they are saying the will give me $31k for it. That’s a whole lot of money to be throwing away on a new truck, I‘ll stick with the valve for now! My buddy has a Limited with every option you can get and he went to trade it in on a Eco D and they wanted to clobber him on trade, no Eco for him!

I agree....and also fully agree that it's not something we should have to ever do but as a CHEAP, EFFECTIVE option it is probably the best option if that's the only issue someone is having. Anyone flippantly suggesting "just trade it in!" is being ridiculous and overly simplistic. Not everyone can or wants to absorb the "hit" you're gonna get financially, not to mention all the new mumbo, jumbo fees (titling, document, etc) that will come with doing the whole transaction over again. And...if you're doing another loan or leasing agreement that requires more money then your credit history is also going to take a hit for such a short time between requests as well as other considerations.

If my truck was having multiple continual issues like some I've read about on here then I would not hesitate to file a Lemon Law case and go thru that long, sucky process. But, knock wood, my truck has been great. My A/C is what I would describe as very comfortable on 80 - 90 degree days (but not as cold as any previous vehicle). When it gets to 90+ degrees or so I would describe it as acceptably comfortable but wished it were a bit colder (on the few 100 degree days in my area I would say it needed to be better as it seemed to not be cooling the truck interior acceptably and I contemplated doing the clamp - but I wasn't driving the truck all that much during those times and didn't do it).

My thermometer tests at the center driver's vent at max A/C with recirc on 90+ days was giving me 54 - 55 degrees - cool but not cold. On 80 -85 degree days I was getting down to 47 degrees. So, not as bad as others (and still within FCA's bullsh*t specs) but it's nice to know if I need or want to, I can do the cheap clamp thing and improve my cooling immensely. Again, not what everyone wants to hear but a cheap workaround that works...imagine not having this option and no other solution (well, other than FCA admitting that there is an issue and retroactively fixing ALL the 2019 Rams out there - but that ain't gonna happen so don't hold your breath).

 

[CrazyWorld]

So far...my AC is fine but at this time of year....not much need. The good news....my truck came with a 50lb block of ice....sure hope it lasts till summer.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

FCA is not going to "fix" something that isn't satisfactorily performing for such a small percentage of owners. If this was the case (terrible a/c) this forum would be blown up with literally 100's if not 1,000's of different owners. I haven't gone through these threads, and I'm not about to, but I doubt there are 50 individuals that have issues on here.
The argument here is the vent temperature which is different than other vehicles. I think it it is proven that the majority of owners are fine with whatever temperature is blowing out as long as the interior of the truck gets to a comfortable level in a reasonable time. If in fact it wasn't cooling, the service lots would be loaded with Ram pickups. They never were in central Florida.

 

[ramhead]

FCA is not going to "fix" something that isn't satisfactorily performing for such a small percentage of owners. If this was the case (terrible a/c) this forum would be blown up with literally 100's if not 1,000's of different owners. I haven't gone through these threads, and I'm not about to, but I doubt there are 50 individuals that have issues on here.
The argument here is the vent temperature which is different than other vehicles. I think it it is proven that the majority of owners are fine with whatever temperature is blowing out as long as the interior of the truck gets to a comfortable level in a reasonable time. If in fact it wasn't cooling, the service lots would be loaded with Ram pickups. They never were in central Florida.

Agreed..."satisfactorily" is very subjective dependent upon the individual person. Those who like it super cold (and whose past vehs had colder a/c) will be more affected and notice it than others. It's similar to like when it's in the 50's by me and I see people walking around in jackets and sweaters while I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt. Or like a family member of mine who keeps their home toaster warm while mine is on the cool side (which they always mention as being "too cold" and wrap themselves in a blanket or overdress when visiting) which seems normal to me......different strokes.

As said above...FCA came out with a standard (which is like 55 degrees at the center vent at 90 degrees ambient temp) which seems to be way too generous to the warmer end but, if that's the standard and the a/c systems meet that parameter, then they are not going to come up with a fix because some feel it's not good enough. That warmer parameter also helps them meet the refrigerant specs and saves them money with the cost of the systems & charging with the refrigerant. They actually LOWERED the refrigerant amount from early '19 builds. Someone posted photos of an early spec label vs a later one and the later build had less oz. of refrigerant called for in the system.

 

[Jack Whitefield]

FCA is not going to "fix" something that isn't satisfactorily performing for such a small percentage of owners. If this was the case (terrible a/c) this forum would be blown up with literally 100's if not 1,000's of different owners. I haven't gone through these threads, and I'm not about to, but I doubt there are 50 individuals that have issues on here.
The argument here is the vent temperature which is different than other vehicles. I think it it is proven that the majority of owners are fine with whatever temperature is blowing out as long as the interior of the truck gets to a comfortable level in a reasonable time. If in fact it wasn't cooling, the service lots would be loaded with Ram pickups. They never were in central Florida.

Check the "How's your Ram running?" poll. Of the 1513 members who have voted in that poll, 135 (8.9) of them have voted that they have climate control issues. That's 1 out of 11 trucks. There is definitely some sort of HVAC defect in the 2019 Rams. It's not seen in all 2019 trucks, but about 9 percent of them. The kicker is, FCA will not acknowledge it. Even with owners posting videos, of 80 degree vent temps, when set to LO.

How’s your 2019 Ram running? Take our poll!

This is a poll of current 2019 New Ram owners only, intended to collect data on the good and bad of this new model year truck. Doubtless there will be issues, but hopefully this poll will help us sort out the “one-off” isolated problems from the common problems that will affect us all. Please...

5thgenrams.com

Fortunately, the AC hack was discovered. Unfortunately, these individuals are stuck with a 7 dollar hack, until a proper solution is created.

Air conditioning Hack

Today I was able to get 36-38 degrees blowing out of both the drivers side and the passenger side ac vents. Previously I was getting 44 out of the passenger side and 50-52 out of the driver side. I installed a water shut off valve in the heater hose going from water pump to the heater core. It's...

5thgenrams.com

 

[ldoh]

I suspect this thread and the other dozen about “non existent“ AC problems will rear their ugly head in oh.....about 5 months! And the same forum Nanny’s will be back posting about how their AC works great and for people to quit complaining or just take a huge financial hit and trade your truck in on something else! ......laughing

Yes, exactly. It's a confused hollow argument to suggest anyone with a new $50-70k vehicle with inadequate a/c lose a few thousand dollars. Fortunately we can remain comfortable with the $15 a/c hack while still keeping pressure on the infidels (FCA etc).

Summer is coming as well as possible bad news for some new 2020 owners.

Humina humina

 

[jdmartin]

I wish people would quit acting like it's some grand FCA conspiracy to keep temperatures high in the specs so they don't have to do anything. We should hold companies to task when they are really trying to screw us but also call a spade a spade when it is on the level.

I pulled out my Genuine Nissan Titan service manual and opened it to the AC performance section. The recirculation to discharge temperatures, at 50-70% humidiy, is as follows:

Interior temp 77, vent temps 47-55
Interior temp 86, vent temps 55-62
Interior temp 95, vent temps 62-70
Interior temp 104, vent temps 73-83

Those specs are HIGHER than the Ram:
Interior temp 70, vent temp 45
Interior temp 80, vent temp 45
Interior temp 90, vent temp 55
Interior temp 100, vent temp 55
Interior temp 110, vent temp 64

The idea that the temperature specs are some kind of company conspiracy is laughable.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

Check the "How's your Ram running?" poll. Of the 1513 members who have voted in that poll, 135 (8.9) of them have voted that they have climate control issues. That's 1 out of 11 trucks. There is definitely some sort of HVAC defect in the 2019 Rams.

You might have 135 in 300,000+ trucks which is 0.045%. So.......

If someone feels there is something seriously wrong with a car or truck, they'll be hitting up a forum on letting people know or find out how prevalent it is. So I don't buy your 1 out of 11 truck theory.....

 

[392DCGC]

FCA is not going to "fix" something that isn't satisfactorily performing for such a small percentage of owners. If this was the case (terrible a/c) this forum would be blown up with literally 100's if not 1,000's of different owners. I haven't gone through these threads, and I'm not about to, but I doubt there are 50 individuals that have issues on here.
The argument here is the vent temperature which is different than other vehicles. I think it it is proven that the majority of owners are fine with whatever temperature is blowing out as long as the interior of the truck gets to a comfortable level in a reasonable time. If in fact it wasn't cooling, the service lots would be loaded with Ram pickups. They never were in central Florida.

Hey man, have you actually measured your temps, or are you just saying we're all full of ****? People aren't stupid and can generally tell when something is different (AC performance being poor vs other vehicles). Hard numbers don't lie though.

I've had THREE 2019 RAM Limiteds, build dates of 5-18, 12-18, and 7-19. All of them had **** AC (driver vent temp was about 54, passenger temp was a few cooler). Two of these trucks I used the clamp method to dramatically reduce flow through the heater core (but not cut off entirely). IMMEDIATELY dropped temps in the 40s. Please explain how I had 3 trucks with the exact same issue across varying build dates, and they were all problematic?

I'll tell you. Because that's the way the current design functions, and it's not good. I don't care if you think most of the trucks are okay, because my unique experience (which is much more than you) says they aren't. I have a 2020 Limited being delivered to me today. Obviously won't be able to test the AC for awhile, but I highly doubt they've resolved the issue. Who knows though... between my 3 trucks I've also seen them change components mid model year to help with road and wind noise reduction, and add PPF to stop paint scoring from road debris on the front of the rear fenders. Maybe someone at RAM decided this needed fixed, but probably not.

 

[firecadet613]

Hey man, have you actually measured your temps, or are you just saying we're all full of ****? People aren't stupid and can generally tell when something is different (AC performance being poor vs other vehicles). Hard numbers don't lie though.

I've had THREE 2019 RAM Limiteds, build dates of 5-18, 12-18, and 7-19. All of them had **** AC (driver vent temp was about 54, passenger temp was a few cooler). Two of these trucks I used the clamp method to dramatically reduce flow through the heater core (but not cut off entirely). IMMEDIATELY dropped temps in the 40s. Please explain how I had 3 trucks with the exact same issue across varying build dates, and they were all problematic?

I'll tell you. Because that's the way the current design functions, and it's not good. I don't care if you think most of the trucks are okay, because my unique experience (which is much more than you) says they aren't. I have a 2020 Limited being delivered to me today. Obviously won't be able to test the AC for awhile, but I highly doubt they've resolved the issue. Who knows though... between my 3 trucks I've also seen them change components mid model year to help with road and wind noise reduction, and add PPF to stop paint scoring from road debris on the front of the rear fenders. Maybe someone at RAM decided this needed fixed, but probably not.

You're on #4 of these trucks?

 

[Jus Cruisin]

Hey man, have you actually measured your temps, or are you just saying we're all full of ****? People aren't stupid and can generally tell when something is different (AC performance being poor vs other vehicles). Hard numbers don't lie though.

I've had THREE 2019 RAM Limiteds, build dates of 5-18, 12-18, and 7-19. All of them had **** AC (driver vent temp was about 54, passenger temp was a few cooler). Two of these trucks I used the clamp method to dramatically reduce flow through the heater core (but not cut off entirely). IMMEDIATELY dropped temps in the 40s. Please explain how I had 3 trucks with the exact same issue across varying build dates, and they were all problematic?

I'll tell you. Because that's the way the current design functions, and it's not good. I don't care if you think most of the trucks are okay, because my unique experience (which is much more than you) says they aren't. I have a 2020 Limited being delivered to me today. Obviously won't be able to test the AC for awhile, but I highly doubt they've resolved the issue. Who knows though... between my 3 trucks I've also seen them change components mid model year to help with road and wind noise reduction, and add PPF to stop paint scoring from road debris on the front of the rear fenders. Maybe someone at RAM decided this needed fixed, but probably not.

You are a glutton for punishment. Are you being forced to buy Rams? If I bought something and found out that it didn't meet my expectations. I ain't buying another one.....

Also take a look at post #76 from jdmartin