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Brand New Truck Won't start after short rest-break

SavageZ

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Just bought my 2020 Ram 1500 last Friday. It has 600 miles on it and after stopping at rest area truck won't start.

Thought it was the battery (even though its only a week old) since all the electronics stay on after its shut down for a ridiculous amount of time (can adjust in the settings I know).

However (2) battery jumpers and a full on jumper cable later and still not starting. Battery is actually fine but the starter motor won't turn over. Tow truck guy said it definitely sounds like the starter motor is fried as the car whirrs when turned on but the engine won't crank over.

Towed to dealership after a 3 hour wait in the middle of nowhere to get fixed. Pi55ed beyond words, but I understand these things happen so my patience is holding (at the moment).

Whilst waiting 3 hours for assistance I did a little research (incidentally when I found this site) and saw a few people had the same issue and disconnecting the battery for 30 seconds which would re-set the computer and it would start. However as I have only had this brand new truck for less than a week, I did not have any tools apart from a jumper battery and ratchet straps so note for everyone; make sure you carry the basic tools! Also read on here that the ground for the starter can sometimes come loose, but not sure this would be the case after 600 miles! All the fuses looked fine and in place.

Waiting for dealership, which is 100 miles away to tell me what the issue with. This excuse had better be something quite extraordinary.

On a side note, as I am originally from Europe and therefore did not grow up in the USA, being stuck late at night at a dark rest area on the i95 in the middle of no-where with my 4 year old child was quite un-nerving. (side-side note, I naively bought a brand new truck so avoid breakdowns of this nature). I have never been more anxious and on edge (since the wife has Investigation Discovery constantly on repeat) my head was quite literally on a swivel and I have never had more desire to be armed in case I need to protect my young child.

Question for people on here:

1: What other gremlins can I expect top happen on this truck which will bring me to a grinding halt in the near future and what tools and fixes are typically recommended to help me limp home?
2: Best handgun safe options for the Ram 1500 Bighorn?
 

RamCares

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Just bought my 2020 Ram 1500 last Friday. It has 600 miles on it and after stopping at rest area truck won't start.

Thought it was the battery (even though its only a week old) since all the electronics stay on after its shut down for a ridiculous amount of time (can adjust in the settings I know).

However (2) battery jumpers and a full on jumper cable later and still not starting. Battery is actually fine but the starter motor won't turn over. Tow truck guy said it definitely sounds like the starter motor is fried as the car whirrs when turned on but the engine won't crank over.

Towed to dealership after a 3 hour wait in the middle of nowhere to get fixed. Pi55ed beyond words, but I understand these things happen so my patience is holding (at the moment).

Whilst waiting 3 hours for assistance I did a little research (incidentally when I found this site) and saw a few people had the same issue and disconnecting the battery for 30 seconds which would re-set the computer and it would start. However as I have only had this brand new truck for less than a week, I did not have any tools apart from a jumper battery and ratchet straps so note for everyone; make sure you carry the basic tools! Also read on here that the ground for the starter can sometimes come loose, but not sure this would be the case after 600 miles! All the fuses looked fine and in place.

Waiting for dealership, which is 100 miles away to tell me what the issue with. This excuse had better be something quite extraordinary.

On a side note, as I am originally from Europe and therefore did not grow up in the USA, being stuck late at night at a dark rest area on the i95 in the middle of no-where with my 4 year old child was quite un-nerving. (side-side note, I naively bought a brand new truck so avoid breakdowns of this nature). I have never been more anxious and on edge (since the wife has Investigation Discovery constantly on repeat) my head was quite literally on a swivel and I have never had more desire to be armed in case I need to protect my young child.

Question for people on here:

1: What other gremlins can I expect top happen on this truck which will bring me to a grinding halt in the near future and what tools and fixes are typically recommended to help me limp home?
2: Best handgun safe options for the Ram 1500 Bighorn?

@SavageZ - While I am incredibly sorry to hear that you had to experience this, I do greatly appreciate you taking the time to share the details here. If it would be of interest, I would be more than happy to escalate a case on your behalf so that we may get you and your dealer connected with a specialist who can work to resolve this concern as soon as possible, as well as keep you updated on the process.

To get the process started, please follow up with us via private message to provide your VIN, contact info, and dealer name!

Mark
RamCares
 

SavageZ

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Mark,

Thank you for the reply!

I am not too concerned about the issue just yet, I appreciate and understand that parts on new toys do need adjusting from time to time and issues will occur. I am so far content with repair process as the Dodge dealership has been in touch this morning to say they are working on the issue. I will send you the car information shortly to look into.

Other than this hiccup, the truck has been (in the very short time I have owned it) been incredible to own and drive and I am still very happy with the purchase.

If I can make a suggestion it would be that with the documents in the car, to include a checklist to follow if you experience a problem. I was unaware for instance that it would have been better to call Chrysler towing rather than my insurance company organizing a tow truck. Also when the truck is being loaded onto a tow truck how to disengage the parking break and transmission which apparently changed on the 2020 model so several minutes thumbing through the manual in the dark to find.
I also found out that if you are stuck on the 95 you can dial *347 to get a ranger to assist for free, which I thought was an incredible service. (I am sure these type of things are well known to most people though)!
 

RamCares

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Mark,

Thank you for the reply!

I am not too concerned about the issue just yet, I appreciate and understand that parts on new toys do need adjusting from time to time and issues will occur. I am so far content with repair process as the Dodge dealership has been in touch this morning to say they are working on the issue. I will send you the car information shortly to look into.

Other than this hiccup, the truck has been (in the very short time I have owned it) been incredible to own and drive and I am still very happy with the purchase.

If I can make a suggestion it would be that with the documents in the car, to include a checklist to follow if you experience a problem. I was unaware for instance that it would have been better to call Chrysler towing rather than my insurance company organizing a tow truck. Also when the truck is being loaded onto a tow truck how to disengage the parking break and transmission which apparently changed on the 2020 model so several minutes thumbing through the manual in the dark to find.
I also found out that if you are stuck on the 95 you can dial *347 to get a ranger to assist for free, which I thought was an incredible service. (I am sure these type of things are well known to most people though)!

I appreciate your follow up on this, @SavageZ! That is also a great suggestion as well and I will be sure to do what I can to get it along to the appropriate team. I just had a chance to respond to your private message, please do not hesitate to follow up there with any additional questions!

Mark
RamCares
 

Fatherof3

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Welcome , sorry you had this problem hopefully after you get it back it’ll be trouble free .
 

MetalDog

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What part of the country do you live in that you are that scared? 90% of the country is quite safe, minus certain parts of large urban areas. Pack a can of mace if you want some feeling of security, or get a concealed permit. But concealed is not for everyone. It's a lot of responsibility.
 

Aseras

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There's a ton of loose or painted grounds on these trucks. The ground going to the engine is a major cause of no start if battery is good. Theres 3 grounds under hood. All need to be checked and have paint removed if contact is painted. Theres also several body grounds under dash, center console between seats and on frame by the rear tires.

If your truck has an agm battery ( will say in yellow on top ) it will need substantial charging time. A jumpbox or jump start alone won't start it right away. It needs 10-15 minutes of charging.
 

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Scram1500

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Until they make a 46, carry a 45
 

Smerberj

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That sucks your brand new truck did that to you. I haven't had any issues like that, my only issues have been the damn cabin water leak. Keep an eye on your front driver side carpet, if it's wet/damp, you have the infamous leak.
 

SWI_Don

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I have a 2019 Ram that 1 mo. out of warranty decided to quit starting. This is a 16K mile truck that only has highway miles as I live in a rural area and drive another truck as a daily. It would not start unless I had it on a charger to increase the voltage of the electrical system above 13 volts. I checked grounds as that is the most likely problem but looking at the starter the nut on the stud for the battery connection to the starter was about 2 threads short of contacting cable end. I'm surprised it worked that long as it was relying on the tension of the cable for contact. It will be a few days before I confirm that this is the root cause as it needs to set a bit to see if the problem comes back but using the lights to drain the battery to a level below where it would start indicate that this may be the root cause of the no start condition.
 

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