Dead in the Driveway; Had to be Haul Away

[Neurobit]

UPDATE: The FCA Technician was able to complete his diagnostic testing this afternoon and the diagnosis is that the truck needs a new Radio Frequency Hub Module (RFHM). The truck isn't recognizing the remotes. He will be back Monday to install. I must have been using the key fobs too much and wore out the RFHM.

Thanks for the update. Thankfully it’s nothing serious. The module is located behind the rear seat. Shouldn’t take too long to swap it out.

Cheers,

 

[Neurobit]

Thanks for the update. Thankfully it’s nothing serious. The module is located behind the rear seat. Shouldn’t take too long to swap it out.

Cheers,

My thoughts exactly. Everyone needs to know what that is. Please post details on that thread.

Thanks,

 

[Electrical]

UPDATE: I had to call AAA this morning to get the truck towed from the Dealers parking to inside their building, so the tech could work on it. FCA refused to pay for the tow. Approximately a 500' tow. Nice

Seriously? WOW.

 

[LupulusWarlock]

My thoughts exactly. Everyone needs to know what that is. Please post details on that thread.

Thanks,

@Neurobit you replied to yourself here! haha - I assume there are a few folks on that account?

In any case - this is very valuable information. When I was dealing with very similar issues on my end this would have been good to know to let the FCA techs know about. They never mentioned it

 

[LupulusWarlock]

UPDATE: I had to call AAA this morning to get the truck towed from the Dealers parking to inside their building, so the tech could work on it. FCA refused to pay for the tow. Approximately a 500' tow. Nice

Hey AIJ - This obviously won't help at this point, but I wanted to post anyway for others. While AAA is great (I have premier which would have allowed me to tow my dead truck for free) it is best in these situations to call Ram Roadside Assistance ( 1-800-521-2779 ) Part of your warranty covers you fully to have your vehicle towed to nearest FCA dealership / tech shop. I suggest contacting them if you incurred any costs by going through AAA.

 

[AlJ]

Thanks for the feedback LW. I have AAA Plus, because I am thinking, why should I upgrade to Premier? I have brand new truck with free Roadside Assistance, right? There was n/c from AAA to move the truck 500', but I will be discussing this with my FCA Case Manager. That's just wrong and I would be embarrassed if I worked at that Dealership.

I am not holding out too much hope for the Radio Frequency Hub Module resolving this issue either. I really didn't get a good feeling from the Service Manager that he thought this was the problem either. The reason I say that is that when I tried to start the truck, I never got a message indicating that the key fob was not detected. Hello? Stay tuned. We'll see Monday.

 

[duke2001]

Thanks for the feedback LW. I have AAA Plus, because I am thinking, why should I upgrade to Premier? I have brand new truck with free Roadside Assistance, right? There was n/c from AAA to move the truck 500', but I will be discussing this with my FCA Case Manager. That's just wrong and I would be embarrassed if I worked at that Dealership.

I am not holding out too much hope for the Radio Frequency Hub Module resolving this issue either. I really didn't get a good feeling from the Service Manager that he thought this was the problem either. The reason I say that is that when I tried to start the truck, I never got a message indicating that the key fob was not detected. Hello? Stay tuned. We'll see Monday.

Interesting, if it was the Radio Frequency Module, then does that mean you could have just held your key fob up to the Start/Stop Button, as they tell you to do, if the Key Fob has a dead battery, and the vehicle would have started?(Page 29 of Owners Manual)

 

[AlJ]

Yeah, tried that, several times, with both remotes, and like I said I never got a message that the Key Fob was not detected. The Key Fobs were function-less. Wouldn't even lock or unlock the doors, however their little red lights were functioning. The truck will not even cycle to the on/run position by pressing the button.

 

[AlJ]

JRS - Thanks for passing that information along. You have renewed my hopes. I am hoping that is the case and I can get the truck back on Monday, because my wife is getting tired of driving me around.

 

[LupulusWarlock]

Thanks for the feedback LW. I have AAA Plus, because I am thinking, why should I upgrade to Premier? I have brand new truck with free Roadside Assistance, right? There was n/c from AAA to move the truck 500', but I will be discussing this with my FCA Case Manager. That's just wrong and I would be embarrassed if I worked at that Dealership.

I am not holding out too much hope for the Radio Frequency Hub Module resolving this issue either. I really didn't get a good feeling from the Service Manager that he thought this was the problem either. The reason I say that is that when I tried to start the truck, I never got a message indicating that the key fob was not detected. Hello? Stay tuned. We'll see Monday.

Yup, roadside assistance via FCA should have you covered. AAA premier is definitely not necessary, I get it free via my employer as I travel a lot for work and AAA / rental discounts just come with the benefits package.

Roadside Assistance Details here

 

[LupulusWarlock]

The RFHM can cause all sorts of issues, and we have had a number of them going bad lately. The best was in our $98000 trackhawk. Vehicle would not turn OFF, kept saying the vehicle was not in park, even though it was and all the sensors knew it was. The issue was traced back the RFHM, which once replaced, fixed all of the issues.

Interesting. Considering I had a similar issue to AIJ ( see thread here ) I wonder if the RFHM was the culprit. Any way for me to test this myself?

 

[Rich]

Interesting. Considering I had a similar issue to AIJ ( see thread here ) I wonder if the RFHM was the culprit. Any way for me to test this myself?

Instead of waiting on parts, I think it would be very easy for a dealer to 'borrow' a part from another vehicle like this to confirm or deny that it is the cause of the problem.

Borrow a part instead of waiting for a part to be shipped, delaying.. then installing it only to find that it wasn't the problem in the first place, then there is an additional delay as they start to investigate already.

I certainly hope that the FCA tech on site confirmed this before saying to order a part. Especially a non moving part like the RFHM that would see no wear and tear if temporarily moved to another vehicle.

 

[AlJ]

Instead of waiting on parts, I think it would be very easy for a dealer to 'borrow' a part from another vehicle like this to confirm or deny that it is the cause of the problem.

Borrow a part instead of waiting for a part to be shipped, delaying.. then installing it only to find that it wasn't the problem in the first place, then there is an additional delay as they start to investigate already.

I certainly hope that the FCA tech on site confirmed this before saying to order a part. Especially a non moving part like the RFHM that would see no wear and tear if temporarily moved to another vehicle.

Ya know Rich, I had that same thought. How many RFHM's do they have sitting in the lot that would fit my truck? A whole LOT!!! Probably why they won't let us in the garage while they are working on our vehicles. Aside from the insurance factor, we might have some good ideas. I think the FCA Tech is out of St. Louis, which is where the part is coming from, so he'll probably bring it down with him.

My wife and I are leaving tomorrow to head south for a week. She says we need to get away from this truck situation for a while, because it is consuming me. I plan on being drunk on a beach somewhere when they call and tell me Monday that the RFHM is NOT the problem. Another margarita please....

 

[AlJ]

UPDATE: Service Manager just called. Truck is ready to be picked up and both recalls have been completed (Steering ground connector and adjustable pedal travel). Radio Frequency Hub Module (RFHM) was replaced to correct the problem. Thanks to everyone in this thread for your support and suggestions. Much appreciated.

 

[LupulusWarlock]

Good Luck, fellow traveler!

 

[Rich]

UPDATE: Service Manager just called. Truck is ready to be picked up and both recalls have been completed (Steering ground connector and adjustable pedal travel). Radio Frequency Hub Module (RFHM) was replaced to correct the problem. Thanks to everyone in this thread for your support and suggestions. Much appreciated.

Good to hear the RF hub module solved your problem!

Did they have a way to release locked up parking brakes? Or they don't care about it now that the RFHM resolved it?

 

[AlJ]

UPDATES to the UPDATE:

1. Wife wasn't feeling well Saturday morning, so no trip south......yet, and no she isn't pregnant. That ship has sailed.

2. The Dealer said that the old RFHM displayed signs of moisture and corrosion inside, so he sprayed the back window to check for leaks, and yes he found a small leak. Unfortunately their Dealership did not have a body shop, so he couldn't repair it. He did recommend another Dealer that could do the work though.

3. For those of you that have never gotten your Uconnect Guardian app on your phone to work with your truck, mine now works after having the RFHM replaced. Something to think about.

4. For those of you who think the RamCare Social Specialists on here can't help you, you are wrong. My FCA Customer Service Case Manager called me this morning, as promised by the RamCare Social Specialists. It's nice to know that Ram does Care.

5. My truck is back in my driveway today less than 4 working days after leaving on the tow truck. After reading some of the posts on here, I am calling that a win.

 

[AlJ]

Good to hear the RF hub module solved your problem!

Did they have a way to release locked up parking brakes? Or they don't care about it now that the RFHM resolved it?

No work around for the electric e-brake release when your truck doesn't have power, but like I said, fix the reason the truck won't start and the brakes will release themselves. They wanted to take me out and show me how to uncheck the auto brake setting in the Uconnect. I told them I could handle it. Will probably never EVER use that feature again, EVER. We'll see if the 2020's have a work around.

 

[Neurobit]

No work around for the electric e-brake release when your truck doesn't have power, but like I said, fix the reason the truck won't start and the brakes will release themselves. They wanted to take me out and show me how to uncheck the auto brake setting in the Uconnect. I told them I could handle it. Will probably never EVER use that feature again, EVER. We'll see if the 2020's have a work around.

Glad to hear! Looks like the dealer came through after all.

Please post your experience on the thread linked below if you don't mind:

https://5thgenrams.com/community/threads/dealer-service-share-your-experience.6414/


Cheers,
Neurobit

 

[AlJ]

Glad to hear! Looks like the dealer came through after all.

Please post your experience on the thread linked below if you don't mind:

https://5thgenrams.com/community/threads/dealer-service-share-your-experience.6414/


Cheers,
Neurobit

Done did it. ;-)