Tred
Member
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2019
- Messages
- 12
- Reaction score
- 6
A week ago, I had to jump start my truck. I had had the tailgate open for a couple of hours, using it as a work bench for a couple government (Honey-Do) projects. I thought it slightly odd, but I just put it down to the cargo lights and, some of the time, the radio being on for too long. After getting the truck started, I noticed that the electronic E-brake had applied itself. I disengaged the E-brake and got in to run to the hardware store and quickly realized that the truck would not shift out of 1st gear. That was rather surprising, but hey, it is an electronic shifter on an electronic everything truck. I also noticed that the front and rear parking sensors were unavailable, and "Service Electronic Traction Control System" and "Service Air Suspension System" warning messages were on the driver information screen. I really needed to get to ACE to finish my projects, so I limped along back streets at about 15 mph.
I had my jump box with me, so several times I tried stopping and shutting off the truck to see if it would start shifting again.
Nope.
It would start without jumping it, but wouldn't shift. I was in ACE for probably seven or eight minutes, got in and started the truck and still had to limp home without getting it out of 1st gear. I shut it off when I got home. When I finished up my projects, I got in the truck an hour or so later, and tried it and everything seemed normal.
Fast-forward to to this past Sunday. I was in up in North Central Texas, and there was a couple of inches of fresh, wet snow on the ground that morning. I got in my truck, and knew it was probably not going to start because when I opened the door the steps did not extend. Sure enough, nothing but a loud clicking noise. I put the trusty little jump box on it and it started right up.
I had the "Service Electronic Traction Control System" and "Service Air Suspension System" warning messages, but when I drove it, it shifted normally. I also put it in 4WD-Auto. I drove out into a pasture and spent the rest of the morning cutting cedar trees down for fence posts. I left it idling for an hour or so and then shut it off. Got in the truck to come back for lunch at noon, and it started right up. When I went in the house, I remembered that I needed to recharge my jump box, so I brought it in with me.
After lunch, I drove back up to the pasture to continue cutting posts. The snow fell pretty heavily throughout the day, and we had 6 or 8" on the ground, so I decided to call it a day about 4pm.
As you probably already guessed, the truck wouldn't start. AND I had left my jump box at the house to charge.
Because of course.
I kept trying to start the truck, not really looking forward to the long, cold, wet, tired walk in my near future. To my surprise and relief, it started!
Hallelujah!
However, the truck had shifted itself out of 4WD, and the electronic E-brake had applied itself again. Luckily, it wasn't quite so cold that the breaks had frozen to the rotors, but the truck would not let me shift into 4WD, and I was just spinning the rear wheels trying to get started. I got out and shoveled out a path through the snow in front of each tire and took some cedar branches and laid them in front of the back tires. I rocked it back and forth a few times and finally got enough speed built up to get going. Luckily every gate that I had to go through on the way back to the house was on enough of a down-slope that I didn't get stuck again.
The next morning, I (surprisingly) didn't have to jump the truck, and the drive train was completely normal. I drove into Stephenville to Bruner CDJRF service department to see if they could diagnose the problem for me. The guys at the service desk were very friendly, courteous and they helped me right away. They pulled the codes (50!) from my vehicle and said that they were all low voltage related, and likely I had a bad battery, and that it would be covered under warranty as long as they had a battery in stock. They said that it might take as much as two hours to diagnose, as they would have to remove the battery from the truck to put it on their battery tester. They would also test the trucks electrical system while they were testing the battery.
I said that was fine, and that I would wait there.
After a little more than an hour, they told me that surprisingly the battery had passed the test, and they could find no issues with the vehicle. They said that something was causing a battery drain, but they didn't know what it might be. The truck is completely stock, except for ditching the terribly ****ty Goodyear tires. They said that the best option was to drive it some more and see if it put codes that would maybe give me some more information.
I had to go to Houston the next morning, and when I got in to leave the truck wouldn't start. Nothing. Not a click or anything. I put the jump box on it, and still got nothing. I tried a few more times, and then I noticed a tiny little flashing icon on the screen of my jump box that I hadn't seen before. I disconnected the jump box and got in the truck to read the jump box manual to see what the icon meant. While I was sitting there reading the manual, the door ajar chime suddenly started to sound. I crossed my fingers, stepped on the brake and pushed the start button and the truck started. No error messages, no E-brake, and the truck would shift into 4WD. Completely normal.
After driving four hours to Houston, I shut the truck off and tried to restart it later that evening. Nope.
Tuesday I tried to get the truck in to two different RAM service departments in the Houston area, but one said that they couldn't get me in until the following day, and the other not until Thursday afternoon. They both said that they would need to have the truck a minimum of 24 hours.
Not wanting to wait and have the hassle of being without my truck for who knows how long, I decided that I would the battery out of the truck myself and take it to the local O'Reilly's and have them test it. When I looked at the battery securing bolt I could tell that the service department at Bruner's had lied to me. It was obvious from the dust on the bolt and the securing strip that the battery had never been removed from the vehicle for testing as they had said.
Sure enough, when O'Reilly's tested the battery, it failed. I decided I would rather cough up the $150 of my own money and put a new battery in myself than deal with the ******** dealer service departments and try to convince them to put a new battery in the damn truck.
After I put in the battery, the truck started and shifted fine. I had no back up or surround cameras, no SXM, no passenger side climate control, etc. I figured that this would probably reset itself over time, and sure enough, this morning it all seems back to normal.
I am very disappointed that I was misled about the dealership testing the battery. I am more disappointed that I have a truck that I now have ZERO confidence in.
If something as simple as a low battery can completely disable your vehicle, that is an absurd design flaw that could leave a person in a real jam. Especially if they live, work or play in very remote areas, as many truck owners do.
Yes, I got out of the situation without even a long walk, but it could have ended up very differently than just being a pain in the ***.
I had my jump box with me, so several times I tried stopping and shutting off the truck to see if it would start shifting again.
Nope.
It would start without jumping it, but wouldn't shift. I was in ACE for probably seven or eight minutes, got in and started the truck and still had to limp home without getting it out of 1st gear. I shut it off when I got home. When I finished up my projects, I got in the truck an hour or so later, and tried it and everything seemed normal.
Fast-forward to to this past Sunday. I was in up in North Central Texas, and there was a couple of inches of fresh, wet snow on the ground that morning. I got in my truck, and knew it was probably not going to start because when I opened the door the steps did not extend. Sure enough, nothing but a loud clicking noise. I put the trusty little jump box on it and it started right up.
I had the "Service Electronic Traction Control System" and "Service Air Suspension System" warning messages, but when I drove it, it shifted normally. I also put it in 4WD-Auto. I drove out into a pasture and spent the rest of the morning cutting cedar trees down for fence posts. I left it idling for an hour or so and then shut it off. Got in the truck to come back for lunch at noon, and it started right up. When I went in the house, I remembered that I needed to recharge my jump box, so I brought it in with me.
After lunch, I drove back up to the pasture to continue cutting posts. The snow fell pretty heavily throughout the day, and we had 6 or 8" on the ground, so I decided to call it a day about 4pm.
As you probably already guessed, the truck wouldn't start. AND I had left my jump box at the house to charge.
Because of course.
I kept trying to start the truck, not really looking forward to the long, cold, wet, tired walk in my near future. To my surprise and relief, it started!
Hallelujah!
However, the truck had shifted itself out of 4WD, and the electronic E-brake had applied itself again. Luckily, it wasn't quite so cold that the breaks had frozen to the rotors, but the truck would not let me shift into 4WD, and I was just spinning the rear wheels trying to get started. I got out and shoveled out a path through the snow in front of each tire and took some cedar branches and laid them in front of the back tires. I rocked it back and forth a few times and finally got enough speed built up to get going. Luckily every gate that I had to go through on the way back to the house was on enough of a down-slope that I didn't get stuck again.
The next morning, I (surprisingly) didn't have to jump the truck, and the drive train was completely normal. I drove into Stephenville to Bruner CDJRF service department to see if they could diagnose the problem for me. The guys at the service desk were very friendly, courteous and they helped me right away. They pulled the codes (50!) from my vehicle and said that they were all low voltage related, and likely I had a bad battery, and that it would be covered under warranty as long as they had a battery in stock. They said that it might take as much as two hours to diagnose, as they would have to remove the battery from the truck to put it on their battery tester. They would also test the trucks electrical system while they were testing the battery.
I said that was fine, and that I would wait there.
After a little more than an hour, they told me that surprisingly the battery had passed the test, and they could find no issues with the vehicle. They said that something was causing a battery drain, but they didn't know what it might be. The truck is completely stock, except for ditching the terribly ****ty Goodyear tires. They said that the best option was to drive it some more and see if it put codes that would maybe give me some more information.
I had to go to Houston the next morning, and when I got in to leave the truck wouldn't start. Nothing. Not a click or anything. I put the jump box on it, and still got nothing. I tried a few more times, and then I noticed a tiny little flashing icon on the screen of my jump box that I hadn't seen before. I disconnected the jump box and got in the truck to read the jump box manual to see what the icon meant. While I was sitting there reading the manual, the door ajar chime suddenly started to sound. I crossed my fingers, stepped on the brake and pushed the start button and the truck started. No error messages, no E-brake, and the truck would shift into 4WD. Completely normal.
After driving four hours to Houston, I shut the truck off and tried to restart it later that evening. Nope.
Tuesday I tried to get the truck in to two different RAM service departments in the Houston area, but one said that they couldn't get me in until the following day, and the other not until Thursday afternoon. They both said that they would need to have the truck a minimum of 24 hours.
Not wanting to wait and have the hassle of being without my truck for who knows how long, I decided that I would the battery out of the truck myself and take it to the local O'Reilly's and have them test it. When I looked at the battery securing bolt I could tell that the service department at Bruner's had lied to me. It was obvious from the dust on the bolt and the securing strip that the battery had never been removed from the vehicle for testing as they had said.
Sure enough, when O'Reilly's tested the battery, it failed. I decided I would rather cough up the $150 of my own money and put a new battery in myself than deal with the ******** dealer service departments and try to convince them to put a new battery in the damn truck.
After I put in the battery, the truck started and shifted fine. I had no back up or surround cameras, no SXM, no passenger side climate control, etc. I figured that this would probably reset itself over time, and sure enough, this morning it all seems back to normal.
I am very disappointed that I was misled about the dealership testing the battery. I am more disappointed that I have a truck that I now have ZERO confidence in.
If something as simple as a low battery can completely disable your vehicle, that is an absurd design flaw that could leave a person in a real jam. Especially if they live, work or play in very remote areas, as many truck owners do.
Yes, I got out of the situation without even a long walk, but it could have ended up very differently than just being a pain in the ***.
- If had been just a little colder it would have been enough for the E-brake to freeze up I would have been stuck right there.
- If I wasn't physically able to shovel a path through the snow, I would have been stuck right there.
- If I were trying to respond to some kind of an emergency, and I did get the truck to start, only to have it not shift out of 1st gear or not shift into 4WD, it could have disastrous consequences when time is of the essence.
by not causing the hp loss from the alternator drag and just recharging enough to allow you to start it. So you have to trickle charge it on your own or lose batteries every year or two. 
