Rear end clunk and limp mode issue

[fireman-175]

Howdy, I have a problem with my 2020 crew cab, 6'4" 4wd with the 3:21 rear end. First, after 15000 miles I noticed as I was coming to a stop from freeway, say 25-30 mph, there was a small single shutter feel. When I started off from the stop, think turn lane, at about 5 mph there was another single shutter feel. Almost like the rear axle was moving back and forth a little bit. Usually has to be about a 15-30 minutes warm up of driving for more serious shutter feel.

Then a week later, I am driving on the highway at 60 and there is a larger buck/shutter or two and the check engine light comes on, cruise won't work, and I am in about 4th. I now understand this is limp mode. I had to stop, shut down the engine, open the door, close the door and restart. Good to go for another hour of driving or so. I checked the code and it was F0729, 6th gear issue. It occurred twice on my way to work (70 mph for 2 hours).

Took to local dealer and was told there was a flash needed for my computer. Okay, I will bite. Got back behind the wheel and felt the buck/shutter when I stopped and started off. It is really noticeable when hard accelerating from a stop. Went back into limp mode at 50 mph today, a day later.

Anyone else had such issues? It was such a smooth truck the first 15,000 miles.

 

[RamCares]

Howdy, I have a problem with my 2020 crew cab, 6'4" 4wd with the 3:21 rear end. First, after 15000 miles I noticed as I was coming to a stop from freeway, say 25-30 mph, there was a small single shutter feel. When I started off from the stop, think turn lane, at about 5 mph there was another single shutter feel. Almost like the rear axle was moving back and forth a little bit. Usually has to be about a 15-30 minutes warm up of driving for more serious shutter feel.

Then a week later, I am driving on the highway at 60 and there is a larger buck/shutter or two and the check engine light comes on, cruise won't work, and I am in about 4th. I now understand this is limp mode. I had to stop, shut down the engine, open the door, close the door and restart. Good to go for another hour of driving or so. I checked the code and it was F0729, 6th gear issue. It occurred twice on my way to work (70 mph for 2 hours).

Took to local dealer and was told there was a flash needed for my computer. Okay, I will bite. Got back behind the wheel and felt the buck/shutter when I stopped and started off. It is really noticeable when hard accelerating from a stop. Went back into limp mode at 50 mph today, a day later.

Anyone else had such issues? It was such a smooth truck the first 15,000 miles.

I am deeply sorry for the frustration, @fireman-175. We would like to escalate your situation to a Case Manager which will provide the dealership and yourself with an individual who will review your concern, then assist you and the dealership in exhausting all available resources to have the concern addressed and resolved.

Our team is always a private message away for further support.

Mark
RamCares

 

[fireman-175]

Thanks Mark. However, it escalated on itself. Dealer replaced a throttle valve on the tranny and reprogrammed the computer. Said I was good to go. Yep, got to the Lowes store, backed up and halfway it stopped backing up. The "R" was blinking. Got it going after moving selector. Fast forward (with bump still occurring) FCA calls and I tell them that it is working okay and since it is winter and I need my studded tires and 4wd over two mountain passes for work, I would call them in the spring and get a rental at that time. That evening, it got stuck in 3rd gear. Pulled over and reset. Drove 1/2 mile and it stuck itself in 4th. I turned around and dropped it off at the dealer, grabbed a Enterprise rental with awd. Only had rear wheel drive sedans by FCA. They are not allowed over Washington passes when snowing and awd required. Got a GMC suv, but had to find another Enterprise with FCA awd vehicles in another town. Not really easy, to say the least.

FCA is working with the dealer and they are replacing the transmission. Really? Only 16,500 miles... My kid was right in teasing me about buying this RAM I really wanted (which replaced a Ford F150 with a vibration). I think i may have a lemon, but hope not.

 

[RamCares]

Thanks Mark. However, it escalated on itself. Dealer replaced a throttle valve on the tranny and reprogrammed the computer. Said I was good to go. Yep, got to the Lowes store, backed up and halfway it stopped backing up. The "R" was blinking. Got it going after moving selector. Fast forward (with bump still occurring) FCA calls and I tell them that it is working okay and since it is winter and I need my studded tires and 4wd over two mountain passes for work, I would call them in the spring and get a rental at that time. That evening, it got stuck in 3rd gear. Pulled over and reset. Drove 1/2 mile and it stuck itself in 4th. I turned around and dropped it off at the dealer, grabbed a Enterprise rental with awd. Only had rear wheel drive sedans by FCA. They are not allowed over Washington passes when snowing and awd required. Got a GMC suv, but had to find another Enterprise with FCA awd vehicles in another town. Not really easy, to say the least.

FCA is working with the dealer and they are replacing the transmission. Really? Only 16,500 miles... My kid was right in teasing me about buying this RAM I really wanted (which replaced a Ford F150 with a vibration). I think i may have a lemon, but hope not.

Thank you for taking the time to follow up with me, I apologize for the continued frustration. Please do not hesitate to keep me posted on your situation. If you are willing to send over your VIN or case number at any point, I am more than willing to look into your situation further to determine how we may best assist from this level.

Mark
RamCares

 

[fireman-175]

Thank you for taking the time to follow up with me, I apologize for the continued frustration. Please do not hesitate to keep me posted on your situation. If you are willing to send over your VIN or case number at any point, I am more than willing to look into your situation further to determine how we may best assist from this level.

Mark
RamCares

Sure, but i would rather it not be public. How can i send it over?

 

[Hydroblueguy]

Thanks Mark. However, it escalated on itself. Dealer replaced a throttle valve on the tranny and reprogrammed the computer. Said I was good to go. Yep, got to the Lowes store, backed up and halfway it stopped backing up. The "R" was blinking. Got it going after moving selector. Fast forward (with bump still occurring) FCA calls and I tell them that it is working okay and since it is winter and I need my studded tires and 4wd over two mountain passes for work, I would call them in the spring and get a rental at that time. That evening, it got stuck in 3rd gear. Pulled over and reset. Drove 1/2 mile and it stuck itself in 4th. I turned around and dropped it off at the dealer, grabbed a Enterprise rental with awd. Only had rear wheel drive sedans by FCA. They are not allowed over Washington passes when snowing and awd required. Got a GMC suv, but had to find another Enterprise with FCA awd vehicles in another town. Not really easy, to say the least.

FCA is working with the dealer and they are replacing the transmission. Really? Only 16,500 miles... My kid was right in teasing me about buying this RAM I really wanted (which replaced a Ford F150 with a vibration). I think i may have a lemon, but hope not.

I have a 19 ram, lemon, vibration since day one. A year later I’m having a 2021 ram built, hope it was not the wrong decision. At least it happened under warranty for you. I love my ram but not the problems. But I’ve read horror stores about all new trucks

 

[Hydroblueguy]

I have a 19 ram, lemon, vibration since day one. A year later I’m having a 2021 ram built, hope it was not the wrong decision. At least it happened under warranty for you. I love my ram but not the problems. But I’ve read horror stores about all new trucks

I also had several people telling me not to buy a ram!

 

[RamCares]

Sure, but i would rather it not be public. How can i send it over?

Thank you for sending a private message, just had a chance to respond!

Mark
RamCares

 

[fireman-175]

I have a 19 ram, lemon, vibration since day one. A year later I’m having a 2021 ram built, hope it was not the wrong decision. At least it happened under warranty for you. I love my ram but not the problems. But I’ve read horror stores about all new trucks

I had a 2016 F150 Crew and it had a vibration 55-62 mph. tried different tires and it varied a bit. I think the truck is too light in the rear or a defective design because Town Ford in Wenatchee told me that is how F150's drive and I should take it elsewhere. So, I took it to the Dodge dealer and got a great Ram 1500... until 16k when the tranny died and a bump began. I look forward to the issue being resolved. I don't believe any brand is flawless, but the Ram sure rides much better than the ford.

 

[fireman-175]

Just a status report... Finally, 3 weeks into this vacation for my truck at the dealer, the dealer said FCA allowed her to order a new transmission. Lets hope it gets here soon and I am back on the road with a fully functioning Ram 1500! I will share the results when I get it back.

 

[fireman-175]

Hi, latest update.
I got my truck back with a new transmission installed. Dealer said it was good to go. I drove it happily home. When I got to my garage, it smelled like burning oil. Okay, maybe a little on the exhaust and it will go a way. An hour later, I went to drive the truck and noticed a pool of liquid under the truck. I pulled out and it was not water, but clearish oil. Hmmm, I called the dealer and was told they come prefilled with oil and some may have spilled during install. Odd, I thought as I would have wiped up any spilled oil on a customers truck...

I told her I was on my way back because I think there is something wrong. Mind you, no bump anymore!!!! Yes.

I arrived and sat at the dealer. it did not ignite and burn up my truck. I noticed the rep came from the shop and looked at me then went into her managers office. She then looked back and told me there was another problem. But it was too hot to remove the driveshaft. She offered me a loaner jeep and said they would need to order a seal that may be the problem. ARRRRR. She called later and said the seals to the tranny cooler were leaking. Bad reinstall? Just my luck??? a Lemon???

Well, they said they ordered the part Friday and will have it ready for me on Tuesday, tomorrow. Great. Then today, not so great. FCA failed to ship friday and are shipping it today. Another blunder I feel. Is it just me or is this a FCA overall issue? They have offered me 8 free oil changes, but gosh by now it should be lifetime free oil changes.

 

[Florida Ranger]

A having been a Dodge dealer for 26 years , I suggest when you get your truck back you find a MORE Competant Dealer to deal with. Lots of Dealers have trouble getting good mechanics. Maybe you can find a Dealer who has problem solvers instead of parts changers working in thier shop. It took me a few years to accomplish this, but it is well worth the effort.

 

[RamCares]

Hi, latest update.
I got my truck back with a new transmission installed. Dealer said it was good to go. I drove it happily home. When I got to my garage, it smelled like burning oil. Okay, maybe a little on the exhaust and it will go a way. An hour later, I went to drive the truck and noticed a pool of liquid under the truck. I pulled out and it was not water, but clearish oil. Hmmm, I called the dealer and was told they come prefilled with oil and some may have spilled during install. Odd, I thought as I would have wiped up any spilled oil on a customers truck...

I told her I was on my way back because I think there is something wrong. Mind you, no bump anymore!!!! Yes.

I arrived and sat at the dealer. it did not ignite and burn up my truck. I noticed the rep came from the shop and looked at me then went into her managers office. She then looked back and told me there was another problem. But it was too hot to remove the driveshaft. She offered me a loaner jeep and said they would need to order a seal that may be the problem. ARRRRR. She called later and said the seals to the tranny cooler were leaking. Bad reinstall? Just my luck??? a Lemon???

Well, they said they ordered the part Friday and will have it ready for me on Tuesday, tomorrow. Great. Then today, not so great. FCA failed to ship friday and are shipping it today. Another blunder I feel. Is it just me or is this a FCA overall issue? They have offered me 8 free oil changes, but gosh by now it should be lifetime free oil changes.

We are deeply sorry to hear about this ongoing concern, @fireman-175! Please know that our team is always available for support in these situations. We are always more than willing to get a case escalated on your behalf to a customer care specialist for additional assistance if needed. Feel free to reach out via private messages!

Kathryn
Ram Cares

 

[fireman-175]

Update! Well got my truck back after another week because the part wasn't shipped right away. However, I am pleased to report the truck drives great, especially after 44 days. Drove 260 miles to and from work and it was very smooth shifting, going from P to D or R was smooth, no abrupt shifts. This truck shifted hard between those gears from the beginning and I thought is was just the v8 torque, from the beginning. No leaks, nothing but bliss.

FCA has been pretty good to work with. They offered me 8 oil changes and we are talking about some other compensation. Overall, the RAM 1500 is still so comfortable ride in and drive.

Symptoms were:

Hard abrupt shifts from P to D or R, especially R to D.​

A bump when warmed up and coming to a stop about 30 mph, then again at 7 mph starting.​

Tranny goes into a limp mode whereas it stays in 4th or 3rd gear, cruise control oos, but resets itself when ignition turned off and door opened and shut.​

​

If you have these, then begin with letting your dealer know. My bump began about 15,000 miles.