Etorque issues/reliability question

[Grape_Ape]

Care to elaborate? I mean that sincerely. My ship has sailed but I am sure there a lot of other worried folks on here that when the time comes, which it will if they keep the truck long enough, they're in for a $3200 repair bill.

If the electronic module on top is not cooked then you can remove that from all the mechanical bits. Replace said mechanical bits and reuse the electronic module. No dealer flash required. If you take the MGU apart and replace the bearings then you also do not need a dealer to reflash anything.

 

[Quint]

I bet that many shady dealers would tell you that the air filter can only be replaced at their shop too! It's unfortunate that calling dealers out on B.S. statements is part of modern vehicle ownership.

...nearing 89k miles on my 2021 etorque 5.8L Hemi. It's about to take a 5k mile trip around the west coast this summer.

 

[boogielander]

Care to elaborate? I mean that sincerely. My ship has sailed but I am sure there a lot of other worried folks on here that when the time comes, which it will if they keep the truck long enough, they're in for a $3200 repair bill.

we swapped the ET unit on one of the customer's truck.
i didn't do the work (i was off that week on vacation) but i know we did it.

 

[boogielander]

Tell that to my daughter who had to have her 48v battery module replaced at less than 2k miles on her 2019 Rebel. She got off easy with only waiting 2 months for the replacement part. And that was before the pandemic, and the supply change issues which came with it.

it's a 2019, first year model.
it's basically a new truck and a 2019.

again, if the 48v battery module and other things are as bad as people make them to be, i'd be stranded in Alaska already as I was basically having the whole system working hard for 6+hours a day non stop, with additional 60A+ of constant draw.

 

[TheWaterman83]

we swapped the ET unit on one of the customer's truck.
i didn't do the work (i was off that week on vacation) but i know we did it.

I know for a fact if its new electronic components, it has to be programmed.

I know this because my dealer had a new tech who didn't do that on my last repair. They called to tell me the unit was defective and the truck wouldn't start. Then they called back 30 min later saying never mind, it's working, rookie tech forgot to program the generator to the truck.

Could just be a simple reflash is what they meant by "programming."

 

[RAMTEXAS]

supposedly engine braking and accelerations are better with the e torque system.. not sure how true that is though

 

[John Kloehr]

supposedly engine braking and accelerations are better with the e torque system.. not sure how true that is though

It can add something like 80 ft lbs of torque for the first half turn of the wheels. I do feel this. Have read it generates power when brakes are applied, thus extending brake life. There may be some truth to this. But actual engine braking improvement? Not anything I have noticed.

 

[TheWaterman83]

It can add something like 80 ft lbs of torque for the first half turn of the wheels. I do feel this. Have read it generates power when brakes are applied, thus extending brake life. There may be some truth to this. But actual engine braking improvement? Not anything I have noticed.

Well, I will say that I've never seen a truck with that good of brakes. I replaced my stock pads and rotors at 50k and to my shock, the pads had over 1/3 life left...at least.

 

[bunk22]

My 2023 Ram 1500 with the 5.7 and e-Torque had no issues in the three years I owned it. However, it was becoming louder and less smooth over time. When I purchased the truck brand new, I couldn't feel or hear it. By the third year, it felt like the motor would shake and I could hear it crank on/off. So my guess was eventually, it was going to give up the ghost. I would say, at least make it a true hybrid, add in that extra 130lbs-ft of torque to the output of the motor. Also, my 5.7 had awful gas mileage, even with 3.21 gears, so not sure how much gas the e-torque saved. I would would rather not have it than have it if given a choice. Of course my new Ram Warlock has the Hurricane, so no worries.

 

[mikeru82]

it's a 2019, first year model.
it's basically a new truck and a 2019.

again, if the 48v battery module and other things are as bad as people make them to be, i'd be stranded in Alaska already as I was basically having the whole system working hard for 6+hours a day non stop, with additional 60A+ of constant draw.

And what’s your point? Is the fact that it was a first year model supposed to make it okay that it failed that early? That fact didn’t make it any less painful for my daughter at the time. My point is that the 48v module isn’t immune to early failure.

No one has ever made a claim that all 48v battery modules will fail, or even that most will fail. In fact, the actual number is likely less than 2%. But like I’ve said many times before, if yours is one of the 1 or 2 percent that fail, the failure rate for you is 100%. All for a system that doesn’t benefit the owner of the truck in any appreciable way. The primary purpose for etorque is to benefit the CAFE numbers for Ram and Stellantis.

 

[boogielander]

And what’s your point? Is the fact that it was a first year model supposed to make it okay that it failed that early? That fact didn’t make it any less painful for my daughter at the time. My point is that the 48v module isn’t immune to early failure.

No one has ever made a claim that all 48v battery modules will fail, or even that most will fail. In fact, the actual number is likely less than 2%. But like I’ve said many times before, if yours is one of the 1 or 2 percent that fail, the failure rate for you is 100%. All for a system that doesn’t benefit the owner of the truck in any appreciable way. The primary purpose for etorque is to benefit the CAFE numbers for Ram and Stellantis.

well first year model is always riddled with weird things and the parts support hurdle is expected. exactly why I tell everyone in my immediate circle not to get first year model anything. that's my point. no need to get excited.

im definitely not saying it's problem-free. what im saying since the beginning is "it is not as bad as what people make it to be" and "if it is as bad, then with how hard I work it that system would've died and left me stranded weeks away from civilization"

and yes, agreed that it is for CAFE numbers

 

[boogielander]

I know for a fact if its new electronic components, it has to be programmed.

I know this because my dealer had a new tech who didn't do that on my last repair. They called to tell me the unit was defective and the truck wouldn't start. Then they called back 30 min later saying never mind, it's working, rookie tech forgot to program the generator to the truck.

Could just be a simple reflash is what they meant by "programming."

hmm interesting because they replaced the generator lol
i remember because i was surprised how quick we got the part. like within 2 days.

 

[Quint]

well first year model is always riddled with weird things and the parts support hurdle is expected. exactly why I tell everyone in my immediate circle not to get first year model anything. that's my point. no need to get excited.

Yes. Some people like to be first-adopters of new technology or new options. Some know the pitfalls going into it. Unfortunately, there are also a lot of people that make major purchases without understanding some of these things.

In my early 20s, I had a friend who spent every dime to buy a 5yr old BMW. She was cash-strapped and then immediately had a repair bill that was in the thousands for something that is trivial on a regular car. She was shocked. I always remember her saying that she had "heard" that these were good cars to own. That was the extent of her research before plunking down major $$$. After a few more hefty repair bills, she got rid of the car. The repairs put her into credit card debt, the sale brought her back to broke and without a car. She took the bus and rode her bike for two years until she could save enough to buy a Honda. I think that a lot of auto buyers are clueless, buying based on advertisements or just because something looks good driving down the road. The level of research and thought going into a purchase should increase as the purchase price increases.

I'm certainly not blaming mikeru82's daughter. It sucks that she had to go through it. With early models it ends up being one of those hope-for-the-best/plan-for-the-worst scenarios.

p.s. I've owned four new vehicles that had major problems within hours or days of driving it home, including one that got sent back via the Lemon Law. I'm no stranger to new vehicle problems. I'm just happy/lucky that my current 2021 RAM has been rock solid so far.

 

[TheWaterman83]

hmm interesting because they replaced the generator lol
i remember because i was surprised how quick we got the part. like within 2 days.

It did take them over a month to get the part. Obviously not the dealers fault with that one.

That's the other problem I have. 7 years later, after making so many with the e-torque, it still takes them THAT long to produce MGU's?

It maybe wouldn't have been as bad if the dealer said "It's your MGU but we will have the part tomorrow." Nope. 4-6 weeks back in 2021 when it was replaced the first time, 4-6 weeks again in 2026.

 

[TheWaterman83]

p.s. I've owned four new vehicles that had major problems within hours or days of driving it home, including one that got sent back via the Lemon Law. I'm no stranger to new vehicle problems. I'm just happy/lucky that my current 2021 RAM has been rock solid so far.

A lot of it is luck, as you mentioned. I know of three people, on a first name basis, that didn't make it to their first oil change with their GM 6.2L. I know another guy who has 90k on his with no issues.

My buddy has a non-etorque V6 Ram 1500 that has 150k miles with no issues.

 

[rick619]

I bought my '23 new almost exactly 2 years ago. I didn't want to take a chance on the '25 at the time. I work in IT and also don't like to be an early adopter with tech.

I have 16K miles on mine now. Not very happy with how many times I've had to take it in for issues. 3 check engine lights, the last one they said was due to it needing and E-torque update. The first check engine was when it wouldn't start. AAA tested the battery and said no issues, no bulging, etc. Dealer did replace the battery that time. So who knows, could've been E-torque related. Other check engine was for cylinder misfire. Two needed replacement.

The most frustrating part is hearing about the failures and parts being back ordered for months. My wife's Ford Expedition had a cam phaser fail and then later a transmission failure. Both times her vehicle was fixed in about a week. So apparently Stellantis has decided that is the least expensive route for them, regardless of customer satisfaction. Definitely going to keep it for the next year because it's still under warranty. After that, will just have to see if there are any expensive repair bills.