Loss of Power after Auto Start/Stop

[Doug4772]

I've searched and cannot find a post about this exact issue, so apologies if this has already been covered. I have a 2023 RAM 1500 Crew 4WD w/ the 3.6 and eTorque. I have had a few issues but this one is concerning after only 1000 miles.

Twice on different occasions after coming to a complete stop, the auto start/stop engaged as expected. However, after the truck restarted I was unable to accelerate for several seconds. It was as if the truck was in a limp mode. No CEL or warnings displayed.. simply a loss of power. After a few seconds (2-3) the truck accelerated as normal. This is more than just a slight hesitation after auto start/stop. I have an appointment in a week for a turn signal switch that won't disengage automatically so I'll have the dealer investigate but curious what this could be. eTorque hesitation? Transmission issue?

I've had a few loud clunks when rolling to a stop and getting back on the accelerator but from what I'm reading that's fairly common with the 850RE. Any insight would be appreciated... we are not off to a great start with my first RAM truck.

Thanks in advance,
Doug

 

[Doug4772]

I'm wondering if it's an issue with the hill start assist since this has happened both times at a red light on a slight incline.

 

[Yzcr87]

On my 23' Hemi I noticed it happening when the engine shuts off for an auto stop and I apply the gas at the same time, almost like I caught the truck off guard and it had a brain freeze for a moment and it needed a moment to stabilize the RPM & put the trans back into gear to get settled before allowing throttle. One time it even put the truck in park and applied the parking brake.
My 111mi rural commute has 4 stop signs that I never need to wait at. The brief stop or slow roll at the stop signs are the only place I've noticed it happening so I just turn off the auto stop since auto stop has zero benefit for this driving anyway. Problem solved here.
In city driving with stoplights I always leave auto stop on & can get it to happen sometimes If I go from brake to gas quickly trying to beat the etorque but thats dumb so I only did that like 20ish times when the truck was new. When the new truck smell wore off & I started driving it like its any other vehicle...Light turns green > cars in front of you start to go > let off the brake (etorque immediately starts engine > truck idles forward just like any other vehicle > accelerate trouble free.

 

[Yzcr87]

I think that when RAM says that etorque moves the truck forward for the first half of a tire rotation. This is the time it takes for the truck to recover from the auto stop event and get its act together before allowing your throttle input to be translated to actual throttle movement as a nanny to protect the truck. I believe its just a characteristic shortcoming of the overall etorque design
FWIW My wifes Traverse has auto stop as well and while it cant start the engine as quickly as etorque, the nifty transmission maintains hydraulic pressure during the auto stop event so when it does finally start it always takes off trouble free,

 

[Doug4772]

I think that when RAM says that etorque moves the truck forward for the first half of a tire rotation. This is the time it takes for the truck to recover from the auto stop event and get its act together before allowing your throttle input to be translated to actual throttle movement as a nanny to protect the truck. I believe its just a characteristic shortcoming of the overall etorque design
FWIW My wifes Traverse has auto stop as well and while it cant start the engine as quickly as etorque, the nifty transmission maintains hydraulic pressure during the auto stop event so when it does finally start it always takes off trouble free,

I agree, it does feel like an ET design issue. My f150 start/stop wasn’t as smooth but it was pretty seamless on the power availability. I’m going to try disabling hill start assist first since my issue seems to occur on inclines. I’ll move on to disabling start/stop after that but I hate that option since it must be set each drive cycle.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Dewey]

I think that when RAM says that etorque moves the truck forward for the first half of a tire rotation. This is the time it takes for the truck to recover from the auto stop event and get its act together before allowing your throttle input to be translated to actual throttle movement as a nanny to protect the truck. I believe its just a characteristic shortcoming of the overall etorque design
FWIW My wifes Traverse has auto stop as well and while it cant start the engine as quickly as etorque, the nifty transmission maintains hydraulic pressure during the auto stop event so when it does finally start it always takes off trouble free,

Same here. My wife just bought a 2023 Traverse and I like that auto-stop way more than my Ram. Seems pretty seamless to me with no delay or hesitation taking off.

 

[Dewey]

I agree, it does feel like an ET design issue. My f150 start/stop wasn’t as smooth but it was pretty seamless on the power availability. I’m going to try disabling hill start assist first since my issue seems to occur on inclines. I’ll move on to disabling start/stop after that but I hate that option since it must be set each drive cycle.

Thanks for the info.

Sounds like you need a AutoStop Eliminator.

Ram Auto Start-Stop Disable

Autostop Eliminator is designed to safely disable the start-stop feature on your RAM truck. Plug it in & it’s ready to work. Disable your RAM's auto stop now

www.autostopeliminator.com

 

[Doug4772]

UPDATE: Did some testing today to reproduce the issue and see what helped. It's definitely something in the auto start/stop not cutting power over fast enough, which is odd since the etorque motor is supposed to do that quickly.

• Disabled Hill Start Assist (Auto Start/Stop Enabled): No Change - Reproduced the hesitation/loss of power.
• Disabled Auto Start/Stop (Hill Start Assist Enabled): Unable to Reproduce.

Summary: When the auto stop disengages, the truck revs slightly for 2-3 seconds but does not move forward then has a slight jerk. Afterwards, the truck drives normally. If it were a transmission issue, like a slip it would do it with start/stop disabled. I'll let the dealer know what I found and see if there are any TSBs... maybe it's an issue with the etorque motor? Worst case, I buy a start/stop eliminator but really shouldn't need to do that on a brand new truck.

Thanks,
Doug

 

[Houstontiger]

Even with the start/stop off I have noticed that there is a slight power hesitation from a complete stop. It's like a puff and then go.