A/C Performance

[wallyuwl]

The TSB for the AC has been completed. I finally picked up the truck yesterday. It was in the shop for 2 weeks as they had some additional warranty work to perform and we also had a bit of weather event here in Texas so it sat on the lift for a week without any work being done to it. I don't mind since it stayed in doors. I haven't had a chance to take any temperature reading or gather any data but i'll get around to it soon and post my results.

They needed to remove the dash, correct? How is it, rattles or squeaks?

 

[ac1dd]

I discussed the TSB with my case manager and read him the part about "if customer complains" in the symptoms and that no test was required. He took down all the information and passed it to the "team" that reviews the case. We had several discussions over the course of 2 weeks and in the end he told me that "I have to side with the decision of the dealership" as they saw the truck and he didn't.

Waste of my time as he would not look at the TSB, let me send it to him, or even acknowledge that there was a chance that the dealership did not follow the guidelines published in an official FCA procedure.

I'm not going to give up but will be armed with a printout of the TSB and extended warranty with the applicable sections highlighted to discuss before I even turn over my key to the service desk next time.

You need to contact Ram Cares again, ask to speak with an "FCA district service rep" for your area, make an appointment to meet him at another dealership that is close by to you. Make sure you take all your paperwork which had your issues and concerns listed about the AC performance PRIOR to the warranty expiring. Do NOT give up! Insist on having the factory District Service Rep meet you IN PERSON to discuss your issues. Do NOT accept no for an answer. Call back and open up a brand new ticket! They should honor the TSB since you clearly complained a number of times in the past! Very standard procedure to honor your request due to the circumstances, standard in the industry.

 

[brian42]

You need to contact Ram Cares again, ask to speak with an "FCA district service rep" for your area, make an appointment to meet him at another dealership that is close by to you. Make sure you take all your paperwork which had your issues and concerns listed about the AC performance PRIOR to the warranty expiring. Do NOT give up! Insist on having the factory District Service Rep meet you IN PERSON to discuss your issues. Do NOT accept no for an answer. Call back and open up a brand new ticket! They should honor the TSB since you clearly complained a number of times in the past! Very standard procedure to honor your request due to the circumstances, standard in the industry.

Thanks for the info, I appreciate that.

I will do that when I schedule my next appointment soon.

 

[Kencalioso]

This week I was able to get the A/C TSB applied to my truck and I would like to share feedback on my experience with everyone:

A friend sent me the attached pdf file for the TSB so I immediately call up my local Ram dealership and said that I wanted this specific TSB # applied to my truck. I explained to them that my A/C performance has been terrible since I purchased the truck new. The service guy looked up my VIN# and verified that my truck's build date fell within the affected models of trucks. He said everything is okay and I would need to schedule a drop off so they could begin an engineering work order and order the parts. A week later the parts came in and I was scheduled for the install.

The truck was kept for 2 full days and when I picked it up I IMMEDIATELY noticed a difference in the A/C performance. Mind you, I live in Phoenix, Arizona where we are currently experiencing 80 degrees days this week! (Sorry everyone else ) The vents actually blow COLD air (like most every other modern vehicle) and the fan speed seems to have increased when set to Max A/C. More importantly, I can now comfortable ride around in the truck with the auto temp set to 72---with the system maintaining a reasonably low fan speed and a slight push of COLD air coming from the vents. Prior to the TSB, because I live in Phoenix, nearly 100% of the time I would have my system set to full auto cold or Max A/C. At this setting the fan speed was always pushing air at super high speed trying to cool the cabin temperature...but as we know, our A/C system was so weak that it would never reach a cold temperature, and the crazy fan speed was just part of my 5th gen Ram ownership experience. Not anymore, after the TSB fix!

THE BAD:

(Mind you, in the desert it gets pretty chilly before 10 am....before it shoots up to 80 degrees.) The cold works amazing but now the heat doesn't blow from the forward facing vents in auto mode. The only way to get heat blowing from the forward facing vents is in manual mode. (Conversely, air does blow from forward facing vents if set to LO temperature in auto mode, which is weird). I took it back to the dealership and they were aware of the problem, since the one other customer who had the TSB fix had the same complaint afterwards. I guess the new software is set to prioritize cold performance, so now I will have to wait until the new software is released to control the heat in auto mode. Not to worry, I feel like I will survive the remainder of the winter since I live in Arizona. A cup of coffee plus my heated seats and steering wheel should keep me alive...but I understand how this could be a HUGE deal for those living in winter states! In my opinion, I find it somewhat peculiar that FCA would release unfinished software with a TSB fix.

If anyone else has the TSB applied to their truck please confirm that your system is performing the same as mine?

 

[securityguy]

This week I was able to get the A/C TSB applied to my truck and I would like to share feedback on my experience with everyone:

A friend sent me the attached pdf file for the TSB so I immediately call up my local Ram dealership and said that I wanted this specific TSB # applied to my truck. I explained to them that my A/C performance has been terrible since I purchased the truck new. The service guy looked up my VIN# and verified that my truck's build date fell within the affected models of trucks. He said everything is okay and I would need to schedule a drop off so they could begin an engineering work order and order the parts. A week later the parts came in and I was scheduled for the install.

The truck was kept for 2 full days and when I picked it up I IMMEDIATELY noticed a difference in the A/C performance. Mind you, I live in Phoenix, Arizona where we are currently experiencing 80 degrees days this week! (Sorry everyone else ) The vents actually blow COLD air (like most every other modern vehicle) and the fan speed seems to have increased when set to Max A/C. More importantly, I can now comfortable ride around in the truck with the auto temp set to 72---with the system maintaining a reasonably low fan speed and a slight push of COLD air coming from the vents. Prior to the TSB, because I live in Phoenix, nearly 100% of the time I would have my system set to full auto cold or Max A/C. At this setting the fan speed was always pushing air at super high speed trying to cool the cabin temperature...but as we know, our A/C system was so weak that it would never reach a cold temperature, and the crazy fan speed was just part of my 5th gen Ram ownership experience. Not anymore, after the TSB fix!

THE BAD:

(Mind you, in the desert it gets pretty chilly before 10 am....before it shoots up to 80 degrees.) The cold works amazing but now the heat doesn't blow from the forward facing vents in auto mode. The only way to get heat blowing from the forward facing vents is in manual mode. (Conversely, air does blow from forward facing vents if set to LO temperature in auto mode, which is weird). I took it back to the dealership and they were aware of the problem, since the one other customer who had the TSB fix had the same complaint afterwards. I guess the new software is set to prioritize cold performance, so now I will have to wait until the new software is released to control the heat in auto mode. Not to worry, I feel like I will survive the remainder of the winter since I live in Arizona. A cup of coffee plus my heated seats and steering wheel should keep me alive...but I understand how this could be a HUGE deal for those living in winter states! In my opinion, I find it somewhat peculiar that FCA would release unfinished software with a TSB fix.

If anyone else has the TSB applied to their truck please confirm that your system is performing the same as mine?

Your system is operating correctly. In auto mode, in just about every car made, heat only blows out of the floor vents. That is by design.

 

[Jimmy07]

This week I was able to get the A/C TSB applied to my truck and I would like to share feedback on my experience with everyone:

A friend sent me the attached pdf file for the TSB so I immediately call up my local Ram dealership and said that I wanted this specific TSB # applied to my truck. I explained to them that my A/C performance has been terrible since I purchased the truck new. The service guy looked up my VIN# and verified that my truck's build date fell within the affected models of trucks. He said everything is okay and I would need to schedule a drop off so they could begin an engineering work order and order the parts. A week later the parts came in and I was scheduled for the install.

The truck was kept for 2 full days and when I picked it up I IMMEDIATELY noticed a difference in the A/C performance. Mind you, I live in Phoenix, Arizona where we are currently experiencing 80 degrees days this week! (Sorry everyone else ) The vents actually blow COLD air (like most every other modern vehicle) and the fan speed seems to have increased when set to Max A/C. More importantly, I can now comfortable ride around in the truck with the auto temp set to 72---with the system maintaining a reasonably low fan speed and a slight push of COLD air coming from the vents. Prior to the TSB, because I live in Phoenix, nearly 100% of the time I would have my system set to full auto cold or Max A/C. At this setting the fan speed was always pushing air at super high speed trying to cool the cabin temperature...but as we know, our A/C system was so weak that it would never reach a cold temperature, and the crazy fan speed was just part of my 5th gen Ram ownership experience. Not anymore, after the TSB fix!

THE BAD:

(Mind you, in the desert it gets pretty chilly before 10 am....before it shoots up to 80 degrees.) The cold works amazing but now the heat doesn't blow from the forward facing vents in auto mode. The only way to get heat blowing from the forward facing vents is in manual mode. (Conversely, air does blow from forward facing vents if set to LO temperature in auto mode, which is weird). I took it back to the dealership and they were aware of the problem, since the one other customer who had the TSB fix had the same complaint afterwards. I guess the new software is set to prioritize cold performance, so now I will have to wait until the new software is released to control the heat in auto mode. Not to worry, I feel like I will survive the remainder of the winter since I live in Arizona. A cup of coffee plus my heated seats and steering wheel should keep me alive...but I understand how this could be a HUGE deal for those living in winter states! In my opinion, I find it somewhat peculiar that FCA would release unfinished software with a TSB fix.

If anyone else has the TSB applied to their truck please confirm that your system is performing the same as mine?

Like securityguy said, that’s how the heat is supposed to work in auto mode- every FCA vehicle I’ve owned, the heat only comes out of the floor and window defrost ducts in auto. That is exactly how I would think it should be, also, as I wouldn’t want hot air blowing out of the dash vents towards my face.

 

[securityguy]

Like securityguy said, that’s how the heat is supposed to work in auto mode- every FCA vehicle I’ve owned, the heat only comes out of the floor and window defrost ducts in auto. That is exactly how I would think it should be, also, as I wouldn’t want hot air blowing out of the dash vents towards my face.

Not only every FCA vehicle, but every vehicle period.

 

[Kencalioso]

That just doesn't seem right. I knew RIGHT AWAY something was different once I departed for my morning commute. I've owned the truck for nearly 3 years guys, I would know if something is unusual. It took me a while to pinpoint exactly what was happening, and it wasn't until I was able to compare my system to a coworker's truck (2020 Limited) that we were able switch between all the different modes and figure out what exactly what was happening differently between the two. Prior to the TSB fix, my usual setting for my morning commute was auto 78 and it would blow warm air towards the driver. And now it doesn't....which doesn't seem right.

 

[KenATX]

They needed to remove the dash, correct? How is it, rattles or squeaks?

Yep, the dash or parts of the dash were removed, I don't really know all the specifics but I can safely say that I have no rattle or other noises to complain about. They did an excellent job. The dash had already been taken apart to replace the de-laminated dash, this was prior to the AC TSB work

 

[Kencalioso]

Yep, the dash or parts of the dash were removed, I don't really know all the specifics but I can safely say that I have no rattle or other noises to complain about. They did an excellent job. The dash had already been taken apart to replace the de-laminated dash, this was prior to the AC TSB work

Can you confirm if your dash vents are blowing warm air in auto heat?

 

[gorilla57]

Mind you, I live in Phoenix, Arizona

Where in PHX did you get this done at? I live in south Chandler and usually use Earnhardt in Gilbert. That's where they "attempted" to fix my AC before the TSB was released.

 

[Kencalioso]

Where in PHX did you get this done at? I live in south Chandler and usually use Earnhardt in Gilbert. That's where they "attempted" to fix my AC before the TSB was released.

Larry H. Miller in Surprise. The service guy said they were only able to order parts for one system a week. And so far, only myself and one other have received the TSB.

 

[RamCares]

That just doesn't seem right. I knew RIGHT AWAY something was different once I departed for my morning commute. I've owned the truck for nearly 3 years guys, I would know if something is unusual. It took me a while to pinpoint exactly what was happening, and it wasn't until I was able to compare my system to a coworker's truck (2020 Limited) that we were able switch between all the different modes and figure out what exactly what was happening differently between the two. Prior to the TSB fix, my usual setting for my morning commute was auto 78 and it would blow warm air towards the driver. And now it doesn't....which doesn't seem right.

Hi @Kencalioso, we are sorry for concerns you are facing with the outcome of your TSB service! Should you decide to address this further with your dealer, please know that our team is only a private message away and more than willing to assist.

Kathryn
Ram Cares

 

[KenATX]

Can you confirm if your dash vents are blowing warm air in auto heat?

I usually do not use auto I'll have to test that out. I have no need for the heat now that our freeze has gone, the days are getting warmer and even though the air is blowing cold the true test will come in the summer months. One to thing to note is that it does seem to be cooling better and sooner. During our super cold spell I did not have issues with heat blowing from the vents, again I was not using auto so I am not sure if that makes a difference.

 

[ldoh]

I had the HVAC TSB applied to mine as well. And so far I can say it's a night/day improvement in cooling. No rattles were noticed after the repair. It took one extra day for the dealer to get the hvac housing kit shipped to the shop.

I should add, the tech wasn't proactive and needed slight coaxing to follow through with the TSB even though I mentioned poor air conditioning performance. The service advisor relayed the message about the TSB. I would've though the computer would pop up the TSB for air conditioning performance complaints.

I haven't tried auto heat mode.

 

[Jwgmn]

New to the group.
2019 Cummins 2500
AC does take a long time to cool down. Also have a noise like the outside/recirculation door opens up on its own and makes a lot of noise. Does this TSB address that as well?

 

[brian42]

The TSB directly addressed the slow to cool and differential temps between the passenger's side and driver's side (noticeably warmer).

It may help the noise as they replace the box with the blend door behind the dash.

 

[Kyledelaughter]

I dropped my 2019 Ram off at the dealership 2 days ago and I'm driving a Hertz rental truck......looking forward to the AC problem being fixed!

 

[Rollint]

New to the group.
2019 Cummins 2500
AC does take a long time to cool down. Also have a noise like the outside/recirculation door opens up on its own and makes a lot of noise. Does this TSB address that as well?

I just started having the random increased airflow on passenger side only last week...is that what yours is doing? I've got a 2020 1500

 

[Jwgmn]

I just started having the random increased airflow on passenger side only last week...is that what yours is doing? I've got a 2020 1500

Yes it’s like the recirculate door just opens on its own and allows outside air in.