2025 RAM 1500 BIGHORN 3.0 I HURRICANE twin-turbo, SO, 420HP - check engine light

[Willwork4truck]

I registered to the forum to tell my story.

Bought a 2025 1500 Big Horn in August (March 2024 build). From the moment I drove it off the lot, it gave me parking sensor warnings. Later, I started getting other electrical bugs like "crash avoidance" offline, adaptive cruise offline, the blue screen of death, and intermittent "trailer disconnected" warnings. Once, a secondary battery went bad and caused the truck to shut down and almost leave me stranded. Also had a bad strut (leaking) sprinkled in there. With each service visit, the code reader would report 10+ stored codes. It spent 61 of it's first 100 days of ownership in the shop, and the dealer had to get engineering involved, which was a slow process.

I've been through buyback processes before, so I know how it works. Even though my state has a pretty clear rule about it (30 days in the first year, or 3+ attempts of the same issue), I knew Stellantis would fight me. It's frankly good business, as 90% of those asking for a buyback will go away when told "no" the first time. So, once I hit the 30+ days mark, I got an attorney who only gets paid through the settlement. Long story short, we just settled with a buyback in which Stellantis pays purchase price and all fees - including finance charges, processing fees, taxes, registration, and my attorney. They even paid for all aftermarket accessories I chose to leave on the truck. The process was relatively painless, though you have to be patient; I'm in month five and, though we have settled on a dollar figure, I'm still awaiting the exact time and date for the surrender and payout.

All that told . . . I liked the truck aesthetics, features, ride, etc. I just don't have faith in that particular truck. Also, I realize every manufacturer has issues with a percentage of its vehicles; though it had been 13 years, I have gone down this road with Ford, and I also went down this road with VW some 20 years back.

So . . . I just purchased the replacement, a loaded 2025 1500 Laramie. While I'm only a couple hundred miles into ownership, so far so good. From a distance, it looks like the same truck, but the Laramie is so much more. I love the features. It's a 1/28/25 build, so I'm hoping a majority of the bugs have been worked out. Or, maybe I'm just a masochist.

Well you had a level head through all of this. I’d have been tearing my hair out and howling at the moon. And you even stayed with the brand!
Patience and no sour grapes awards for 2025 to you sir. (Salute emoji)

 

[USMUSL]

Well you had a level head through all of this. I’d have been tearing my hair out and howling at the moon. And you even stayed with the brand!
Patience and no sour grapes awards for 2025 to you sir. (Salute emoji)

Well, I might have made a mistake . . . found a small coolant puddle underneath the new truck yesterday. Haven't even made it through one tank of gas yet.

Got it on the lift, and it looks like it is coming from the water pump . . . official diagnosis still to come, but my dealer tells me the water pumps are on back order, of course. Maybe I'll get lucky and its just a hose connection at the pump (unlikely).

 

[TreesRule]

I registered to the forum to tell my story.

Bought a 2025 1500 Big Horn in August (March 2024 build). From the moment I drove it off the lot, it gave me parking sensor warnings. Later, I started getting other electrical bugs like "crash avoidance" offline, adaptive cruise offline, the blue screen of death, and intermittent "trailer disconnected" warnings. Once, a secondary battery went bad and caused the truck to shut down and almost leave me stranded. Also had a bad strut (leaking) sprinkled in there. With each service visit, the code reader would report 10+ stored codes. It spent 61 of it's first 100 days of ownership in the shop, and the dealer had to get engineering involved, which was a slow process.

I've been through buyback processes before, so I know how it works. Even though my state has a pretty clear rule about it (30 days in the first year, or 3+ attempts of the same issue), I knew Stellantis would fight me. It's frankly good business, as 90% of those asking for a buyback will go away when told "no" the first time. So, once I hit the 30+ days mark, I got an attorney who only gets paid through the settlement. Long story short, we just settled with a buyback in which Stellantis pays purchase price and all fees - including finance charges, processing fees, taxes, registration, and my attorney. They even paid for all aftermarket accessories I chose to leave on the truck. The process was relatively painless, though you have to be patient; I'm in month five and, though we have settled on a dollar figure, I'm still awaiting the exact time and date for the surrender and payout.

All that told . . . I liked the truck aesthetics, features, ride, etc. I just don't have faith in that particular truck. Also, I realize every manufacturer has issues with a percentage of its vehicles; though it had been 13 years, I have gone down this road with Ford, and I also went down this road with VW some 20 years back.

So . . . I just purchased the replacement, a loaded 2025 1500 Laramie. While I'm only a couple hundred miles into ownership, so far so good. From a distance, it looks like the same truck, but the Laramie is so much more. I love the features. It's a 1/28/25 build, so I'm hoping a majority of the bugs have been worked out. Or, maybe I'm just a masochist.

@notrascal @Whoa_Ram @Willwork4truck @Skater

My FIRST Choice = I wanted to buy the 2025 SST but witheld because of the 'unkowns' of a new motor.

Coming from owing three Tundras, i did not like the new style of the current Tundras, nevertheless i went out and bought a new 2025 - RETURNED it in 48 hours
Toyota went belly up with their new design/motor with cheap thin metal, lots of plastic including a plastic bed and of course MAJOR engine failure.

Flew down to NC and bought a 2022 RAM 1500 non-etorque Hemi with only 3k miles on it.
Had to settle on white - bleh!

LOVE my new RAM 1500 HEMI

 

[TreesRule]

Well, I might have made a mistake . . . found a small coolant puddle underneath the new truck yesterday. Haven't even made it through one tank of gas yet.

Got it on the lift, and it looks like it is coming from the water pump . . . official diagnosis still to come, but my dealer tells me the water pumps are on back order, of course. Maybe I'll get lucky and its just a hose connection at the pump (unlikely).

Have them check the thermostat as well.
RAM is using a plastic thermostat in the Hurricane which warps and can cause overheating and failure.

 

[Willwork4truck]

@notrascal @Whoa_Ram @Willwork4truck @Skater

My FIRST Choice = I wanted to buy the 2025 SST but witheld because of the 'unkowns' of a new motor.

Coming from owing three Tundras, i did not like the new style of the current Tundras, nevertheless i went out and bought a new 2025 - RETURNED it in 48 hours
Toyota went belly up with their new design/motor with cheap thin metal, lots of plastic including a plastic bed and of course MAJOR engine failure.

Flew down to NC and bought a 2022 RAM 1500 non-etorque Hemi with only 3k miles on it.
Had to settle on white - bleh!

LOVE my new RAM 1500 HEMI

My 2019 was an ivory tri coat and the 2023 was a bright white. The bright white seemed ok, at least for the 14 months I had it.
Miss them both, but sheeit happens.

 

[USMUSL]

Have them check the thermostat as well.
RAM is using a plastic thermostat in the Hurricane which warps and can cause overheating and failure.

Where is the thermostat located on the SST? The fluid is very clearly coming from the water pump area; it is dripping down on the AC compressor, before making its way to the frame and then ground. You can see the purple/pink residue on the compressor in these photos, along with one “active” drip still on the AC line.

EDIT: Seeing the thermostat is located at the water pump housing. So, maybe that's the culprit.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Check the Grand Wagoneer forums. I think that part was redesigned a while back. Or maybe not. Always something to save .05 per unit made.

 

[TreesRule]

Where is the thermostat located on the SST? The fluid is very clearly coming from the water pump area; it is dripping down on the AC compressor, before making its way to the frame and then ground. You can see the purple/pink residue on the compressor in these photos, along with one “active” drip still on the AC line.

EDIT: Seeing the thermostat is located at the water pump housing. So, maybe that's the culprit.

Great video and the thermostat is around the 8 minute mark

 

[USMUSL]

Thanks, guys. I hope it is the thermostat leaking, as that doesn’t sound like a big deal (video says a 2 hour job), and I don’t think they are on back order anymore. The Jeeps appear to have had stuck thermostats though, not leaking ones.

 

[TreesRule]

Thanks, guys. I hope it is the thermostat leaking, as that doesn’t sound like a big deal (video says a 2 hour job), and I don’t think they are on back order anymore. The Jeeps appear to have had stuck thermostats though, not leaking ones.

ALWAYS keep watch on the Temp Gauge on the SST because overheating can happen very fast with a thermostat that is defectice.

 

[OLLIECB]

Helpful oil change information. I have a 2025 Ram 1500 Laramie but I'm sure this goes for all 2025s with the digital oil indicator...If you get an oil change the dealer has to reset your oil level by running the vehicle to 180 degree F, park on level ground, and then shutting off the vehicle and then press start button without the brake pedal pushed (axillary mode) for 5 minutes. The reason why I'm posting is because I recently had an oil change done and the next day my indicator showed one "pie shape" on the indicator or not at the max level, to me that meant the dealer didn't fill all 7.5 quarts so I added a quart. No change on the readout so I was going to run it and recheck and I was meeting a friend for lunch so I had time. I stopped, on level ground (I didn't know about the reset capability at this time) and was in axillary mode just listening to the radio and I get an "Exceeded Maximum Oil Level" warning...WTF!!! I have a different dealer by me and they were able to change my oil AGAIN and now the level checks okay. I hope this detours anyone from making a catastrophic mistake after an oil change.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Just crazy. Give me a dipstick, a simple "oil change reset" button puleeze. What is RAM thinking with this setup?

 

[TreesRule]

My 2019 was an ivory tri coat and the 2023 was a bright white. The bright white seemed ok, at least for the 14 months I had it.
Miss them both, but sheeit happens.

I have the same BRIGHT White

Truck GLOWS on a rainy/cloudy day.

 

[TreesRule]

Helpful oil change information. I have a 2025 Ram 1500 Laramie but I'm sure this goes for all 2025s with the digital oil indicator...If you get an oil change the dealer has to reset your oil level by running the vehicle to 180 degree F, park on level ground, and then shutting off the vehicle and then press start button without the brake pedal pushed (axillary mode) for 5 minutes. The reason why I'm posting is because I recently had an oil change done and the next day my indicator showed one "pie shape" on the indicator or not at the max level, to me that meant the dealer didn't fill all 7.5 quarts so I added a quart. No change on the readout so I was going to run it and recheck and I was meeting a friend for lunch so I had time. I stopped, on level ground (I didn't know about the reset capability at this time) and was in axillary mode just listening to the radio and I get an "Exceeded Maximum Oil Level" warning...WTF!!! I have a different dealer by me and they were able to change my oil AGAIN and now the level checks okay. I hope this detours anyone from making a catastrophic mistake after an oil change.

One day a genius will come up with a fool proof method of checking the oil level.

I have this crazy idea of a small tube attached to the engine block that allows a thin flexible cable to slide down into the engine oil bay and check oil level.

Everyone mocks me and says that will never work.......................

They say, me and my idea is just a 'Big Dip'

If i can pull this off and prove to the world it works i will call my invention 'The Oil DipSticK'

 

[Willwork4truck]

Imagine what that could do for the transmission?
And I will patent a 1/2” or equivalent mm bolt that screws into the drainpan of the transmission… I will call it a “trans oil drain bolt”.
My automotive design engineer career has begun..

 

[OLLIECB]

I did ask about the transmission level due to no dipstick as well. It doesnt even have a digital display for that fluid level. The service tech guy just kind of looked away suggesting to bring it in, which in some cases would be too late or a waste of time and money if the level is correct. I guess burn it up rather than routine at home maintenance checks is the norm now....ridiculous....Stellanis and Ram....do better!

 

[v8440]

Unfortunately, the entire auto industry needs to do better. What you described is now par for the course.

 

[TreesRule]

Unfortunately, the entire auto industry needs to do better. What you described is now par for the course.

The Agenda that the puppet masters are pushing is this:
A.) Remove all control from the owners of new vehicles now being produced
b.) Dumb everyone down by telling them: "the computer monitors everything and is completely fail safe"
c.) When owners suspect malfunction, they can no longer confirm any suspicions and MUST rely completely on the "experts".
d.) Since 'common' owners are not 'experts' they MUST rely on the vehicle's computer and the 'experts' diagnostics which are kept 'in-house'.
e.) Any complaints can easily be negated, compromised and/or 'fixed' ONLY by the 'experts' diagnosis(which can be opinionated and biased)
f.) REPEAT the process until the 'common' consumer submits and/or surrenders to the 'experts' thus accepting that: "these are normal operations of said equipment"
g.) WARRANTY only covers the 'experts' diagnosis(which can be opinionated/biased and wrong)
h.) Disparage the 'old tech' reliability of PROVEN and RELIABLE engineering = no dipsticks allowed, no more reliable tech V8 engines, etc etc

In addition to buying a new vehicle and buying extended warranties(which are GOOD) the consumer needs to purchase OBD Readers and take courses on codes and their definitions, including possible causes.
The opposing forces can then say that consumers are not experts and should not rely on aftermarket OBD Readers to interpret/analysis which is reserved for the experts.