Poor gas mileage

[DesertRebel]

I

Ford has that going on now with their Ranger and F-150.

I got pretty decent mpg in three different F-150s... Especially compared to my Rebel

 

[4timeRamOwner]

I've seen reports of others getting poor gas mileage in their 5th Generation Rams. Mine is horrible. Has anyone else gotten a dealer to figure out what's wrong with this truck?
I've had my truck in the shop twice now for this issue. The Ram technicians are not able to find anything wrong with the truck.

It is a 2019 ram 1500 limited 4x4 crew cab with eTorque engine. Fuel economy is supposed to be 17 city, 22 highway.
I have the active suspension, and every option imaginable. 12" touch screen (which I would not recommend after living with it).
I only get 12-13 mpg city and 15-16mpg highway.
I have the 3.92 rear axle with anti-spin diff.
Eco mode almost never turns on in this new truck.
I have no performance options other than what the truck came with.
I have 12,500 miles on it now.

Something is wrong with my truck that is not wrong with all of them. Has anyone else experienced this and have you gotten it properly fixed? I'm at the point where I'm fighting with my dealer and I need to tell him what it is. He has put the OBD tester on it and says it has no codes.

Update: I just got my truck back from the dealership. They had it for a full week. They can't find anything wrong with it. They say that all codes check out so there is nothing they can do.
They saw that the truck was getting 12.8mpg for city driving. Three different tech's from the dealership took the truck on long drives and they say they saw the gas mileage increase by 0.5mpg.
The problem here is they did highway driving to try to increase the average that was previously all city driving. They got it up to 13.3 combined.
They say they contacted FCA and there are no updates, no recalls and no complaints about poor fuel economy.
They suggest I contact FCA on my own. I suggest we all contact them. Here's the number 1 (800) 992-1997.
I've started a fuel log and I'm tracking my fuel economy, hand calculated and by computer from the truck.
With the 5.7 and eTorque package, I get 13.1mpg city and 17.4mpg highway. It should be 17 and 22, or at least within 10% of that. Every one of my previous Rams got the mileage the sticker promised, so it's not my driving style.

I'm looking into 2 avenues.
Avenue 1. Virginia Lemon Law for non-conformance. Section 59.1-207.13, paraphrased, says if the authorized dealer does not correct any defect or condition, including those that do not affect the driveability of the vehicle, which significantly impairs the use, market value, or safety of the motor vehice... the manufacturer shall replace the motor vehicle with a comparable motor vehicle, or accept return of the motor vehicle and refund to the consumer the full contract price, less any charges for use of the vehicle prior to the point where the defect was made known to the dealer.

What this means to me and maybe a lot of you is, I have a vehicle with a non-conforming condition that significantly impairs the market value of the truck. No one will buy a truck that should get 22hwy, but only gets 17. Especially when we all paid $2,645.00 extra for the upgrade for better fuel economy. All of the non eTorque motors seem to be doing better than the numbers I'm getting, from the feedback from you all, and none of them paid that hefty up-charge. Thank you for your support in this matter.

Avenue 2
Class action lawsuit. For reference, my wife drives a 2016 Porsche Cayenne. That car along with many others is the subject of a class action settlement against VW because the actual fuel mileage achievable in that vehicle is 1mpg less than the sticker stated. For this 1mpg difference, we are expecting a $1,600 payout in March from the settlement. I'm off by 5mpg with the Ram. My wife loves that car and it gets 26mpg consistently on the highway, so we're happy, AND we're getting that cash back.

Is anyone out there interested in tracking their gas mileage and logging it so that we can get more hard data to present for a class action case?

I love this truck. I don't love the gas mileage because it's nothing like what was promised. I'm not going to just accept it.

I'm starting with the Lemon law, looking for satisfaction for myself first, and then proceeding to Class Action if necessary. It appears to me though that Class Action is inevitable at this point.

 

[Rob5589]

The problem is that manufacturers base mileage on the least optioned pick up, lightest, tallest gearing, etc. As well as the way they test is not realistic. I posted an article somewhere here that describes the process. Good luck.

 

[DesertRebel]

I track and log all my fueling... I don't know how the onboard program determines mpg, but it's always higher that manual calculations (both are way low).

I'm not necessarily interested in initiating a class action lawsuit - but would be willing to share my data.

I keep track of what fuel (brand/location) and octane level (89 or 91) - there hasn't been any decernable difference in mpg

 

[Willwork4truck]

The problem is that manufacturers base mileage on the least optioned pick up, lightest, tallest gearing, etc. As well as the way they test is not realistic. I posted an article somewhere here that describes the process. Good luck.

While I support you as the owner with your disappointment, IMHO you have a hard case to prove here. Perhaps if you wee to reset the mileage on the truck, refill and have the tech do a single (maybe 30 mile) all highway mpg "challenge", or if you were to video record a 10+ minute stretch (after resetting) for proof (in case the dealership won't release a tech for this again), then you might get some empirical data to work with.

Owners have complained about gas mileage for decades. A quick Google search shows these types of results:

Does Your Car Get Less MPG than Advertised? - Small Claims Court as an Environmental Litigation Option | Chenoweth Law Group

Have you purchased an automobile based on its advertised fuel economy? Have you found that when you actually take ... Environmental Litigation

www.chenowethlaw.com

"Although the suit at first seemed frivolous to many, Peters recently prevailed in a California Superior Court, winning nearly $10,000 in a judgment against Honda. Honda plans to appeal, and will argue that advertised fuel economy standards are set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), not them. Although Peters' judgment is largely inconsequential to Honda and other car manufacturers standing alone, if the judgment is upheld on appeal, auto manufacturers might be faced with similar lawsuits brought by car owners around the country."

And another article about the same Calif case: https://www.popularmechanics.com/ca...e-an-automaker-over-bad-fuel-economy-6693124/
A portion is shown here: "Carmakers make no guarantee of fuel consumption. How could they? Not only are real-world driving conditions far different from the conditions under which new cars are tested, but driving styles vary wildly. So, because mpg is an inexact science, the EPA's estimates for city, highway, and combined miles per gallon appear both as a single number and also as ranges for both city and highway driving."

Lastly a 2019 article about Ferd's mpg woes is shown here: https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-mileage-lawsuit-ranger-f150/
Ford hit with $1.2B lawsuit over misreported mpg ratings
The suit alleges that misrepresented mileage could have cost owners of the new Ford Ranger and the 2018-19 Ford F-150 more than $2,000 a year.
Kyle Hyatt
July 23, 2019 2:13 PM PDT


So what does this do for you? Since there's no current class action on mpg with RAM, you could try the small claims court like the Ca lady did, just read up on everything about her case so that you are prepared. An advantage of small claims is there are no attorneys, but they usually have a $10K limit on damages.
Wish I could be of more help but gas mileage is a tough one.

 

[Rob5589]

The lawsuit part is interesting. Do you sue for future fuel use as well as past? The manufacturers seem to leave themselves an out by stating "estimated mpg." I would think that if I was that dissatisfied with the mpg of my truck, I would get rid of it.

 

[brian42]

While I support you as the owner with your disappointment, IMHO you have a hard case to prove here. Perhaps if you wee to reset the mileage on the truck, refill and have the tech do a single (maybe 30 mile) all highway mpg "challenge"...

The first 2 warranty visits I had I complained about low fuel economy. They drove it on the freeway and said the instantaneous MPG was showing 28 MPG so there was nothing wrong. I have no idea where they did their "test" as one nearby freeway is relatively flat and the other one is hilly. It doesn't take much downhill for me to get to 99 MPG or a mild uphill to drop me to 12 MPG instantaneous.

After that second visit I gave up making that a specific item (they take it out on the freeway and burn my gas to do this test). Instead I look for other things that can help like the cooling fan TSB. I had that done and my mileage went up slightly. Not much but it was a free-to-me software update.

I would like a little better economy but I bought a heavy truck (4WD, ORG, lots of options that add weight) that has AT tires so I'll take what I can get and be happy with it.

 

[agillott13]

The problem is that manufacturers base mileage on the least optioned pick up, lightest, tallest gearing, etc. As well as the way they test is not realistic. I posted an article somewhere here that describes the process. Good luck.

one of the biggest issues with fuel economy on the window sticker is the test method they use to get those numbers. The method is old where highway speeds were lower and the test is performed in a controlled environment. They run the vehicle on the Dyno at different speeds and road loads to come up with the numbers. This doesn’t take into account drag from the wind, quick accelerations, or many other factors we all experience on a daily basis. However, the last 6ish new vehicles I’ve owned, have met or been very close to meeting the window sticker numbers.

To your point, even with the lightest option vehicles completing the testing, we should only be looking at a small variance in numbers, not 4-5mpg... we’re only talking 6-700lbs difference max between versions and there is no way that equates to that type of a difference.
my truck is still under 1000 miles and we’re still on winter fuel, but come spring time when I have summer fuel and a few more miles on I’ll be tracking my mileage closely as well. As of right now I am in the same boat as OP where I am about 5 mpg off of either of the numbers on the window sticker, and I’m not thrilled with it!

 

[Willwork4truck]

I hear you on the mileage differences. 4-5 seems excessive.
Case in point, my hemi non ET Ltd 4x4 3.21 CC and my son’s (identical except for he has the 6’4 bed and I have the 5.7) trucks get 3 mpg different on the same roads.. He consistently gets 13-15 city and rarely sees 18 highway, we get 15+ city and 19-20 on the highway, same road, pretty much same speeds.
I can’t tell him why other than I am a grandpa driver and he’s 30.

I would not think that 2 trucks that are close to exact weights (oh, we have the pano roof and he doesn’t) would vary that much.

Again, I’d say try small claims, what have you got to lose other than the filing fee?

Oh, correction. In VA, the small claims limit is $5K.
See “courts.state.va.us/resources/small_claims_court_procedures.pdf

 

[Cease11]

12mpg gang reporting in!

 

[JF19Longhorn]

I track on fuelly and I'm lower than I expected and much lower than the sticker.. especially since I'm mostly hwy.. you're welcome to use the data

 

[upwindstorm]

my avg is 12.5 mpg. from my observation idle time absolutely kills your average. hoping to see better mileage as it warms up and you can just hop in and go.

2019 Laramie 1500
3.21, 5.7, 8 speed,4x4

 

[Willwork4truck]

my avg is 12.5 mpg. from my observation idle time absolutely kills your average. hoping to see better mileage as it warms up and you can just hop in and go.

2019 Laramie 1500
3.21, 5.7, 8 speed,4x4

That's a really good point, perhaps that's why my son's averages are 2-3 below mine. He likes to remote start from the house and waits for like 5-10 minutes till everything is all defrosted, warm and toasty, then he drives. I will start, wait 1 minute or so then just drive out from my neighborhood (about a mile) slowly (<20) so that it gets warmed up before I get on the 50 mph county highway. Idling does really chop it down.

 

[Rob5589]

Burning fuel just to warm up or cool down certainly doesn't help

 

[BOShaughnessy]

I have 6k miles on my 2020 1500 Limited (5.7 4x4). 75% of those miles are hwy and i'm averaging 13.8mpg.
I always use premium fuel (91, no ethanol). Has anyone noticed a difference between 87, 89, and 91?
Thanks in advance

 

[brian42]

I bounce back and forth between 89 octane (at 76) and 91 octane (at Costco). Costo 91 is the cheapest Top TIer gas in my area but I'm not one to wait in line for 20 minutes to fill up so I only get that if I'm there in the morning before the crowds.

I've done 27K miles like that and have not seen any noticeable performance or fuel economy differences between them.

The only difference I've noticed is that Costco doesn't take as much of my money (not counting their membership fee, which I more than make back at the gas station, car wash, and inside the store).

 

[doomtrader]

I'm having 11 MPG in city and suburbs traffic (no highways etc) and that is more less what I expected.
My V6 pentastar 2013 Chrysler T&C has got around 13 MPG in city and around 15 MPG on highway (with 85 mph).

That are LPG based values.
With 95 Octan (yes Ninety Five) gasoline I have like 1,5-2 MPG more

 

[Willwork4truck]

I have 6k miles on my 2020 1500 Limited (5.7 4x4). 75% of those miles are hwy and i'm averaging 13.8mpg.
I always use premium fuel (91, no ethanol). Has anyone noticed a difference between 87, 89, and 91?
Thanks in advance

I've not documented any diff, but I have (thought) I heard some additional "pinging" with 87.
More concerning to me would be your 13.8 with that highway mix percentage. 3.92 gears perhaps? Speed?
You can't go wrong with "top-tier" fuels and the 89 octane that the hemi prefers. The harder you get on it, pull or tow the more I'd say you need 89.

 

[AmostheDog]

I've been experiencing the same issues with my 2020 Rebel. I spent the extra $$ for the Etorque's better mpg and haven't see it deliver. This weekend, I just happened to watch 'The Fast Lane' podcast on mpg testing across the three brands. Although the Trail Boss and Raptor had lower published mpg, they seemed to be within 2-3% of the published number. The 2019 Rebel was close to 20% off the published number. I experienced a 16% discrepancy yesterday on a 152 mile trip yesterday...that even had a 1500 ft drop in elevation. I had hopes it would hit the mark on the downhill run.

 

[Reverse]

We own two Ram trucks:
- 2014 1500 Crew Cab - Big Horn (3.92/4x4)
- 2020 1500 Crew Cab - Limited (3.92/4x4/eTorque)

I used to drive the 2014 daily, and got between 19 and 20mpg on my commute (country roads).
In the Limited I get between 16.5 and 17.5 on the same commute.

Same driving style, gas, etc.

There is one thing I think contributes to the difference (though not all of it): I live in a hilly area. I use the cruise control a lot. The regenerative braking of the eTorque system is set to be too aggressive. What I mean is that when I am going downhill, the eTorque system keeps me within 2-3mph of my set speed, while the 2014 would allow for much more leeway (at least 5mph) before engine braking kicked in. So when the road starts climbing again, in the 2014 I still have some momentum from the downhill part, but in the 2020 I don't. This happens many times during my commute.