skeptical dodge(ram)owner--is it just me?

[dstwyatt]

bought my first ever ram with the 2019 1500--what a comfortable truck! however, I have gotten used to the substandard a/c, the squeaky brakes, weird wind noise on driver side---now at 38k miles, the fuel pump goes out....that's a $1000 bill. I have always read consumer reports and other review sites with their suspect reviews of chrysler realibility issues seemingly forever, should I be worried? I don't want to be one of those owners whose dodge is on the side of the road having died. need some re-assurance, remember it's my first time to pull the trigger on a ram

 

[popcenator]

I wouldn't worry. This is my second Ram, first was a 2012, and I've had no issues with either. Things happen. Ram really upped the quality when the 4th gen was introduced. Things happen. I'm enjoying my truck, and driving how I want without any concern. Keep up with maintenance and let the warranty address weird issues and you should be ok.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 

[SD Rebel]

The fuel pump isn't part of the extended powertrain warranty which is 5 years 60K warranty?

I got a 2019 RAM, A/C is ice cold, breaks never squeak, no weird wind noise, no issues. I honestly think it's one of the best vehicles I've owned, and I've owned a lot including plenty of premium makes. That being said, if you have issues, you have every right to question it.

But all vehicles can have issues, it's how well the dealers fix them, and right now FCA isn't very strong with dealership service based on customer feedback. They have sold a lot of new vehicles and their shops are overworked, that is a true issue with owning your RAM.

 

[yellowboy]

If you have 38,000 miles on it why not get it all fixed under warranty , dump it and move on ? Used trucks are selling like hotcakes now, you might not take a real bad hit.

 

[dstwyatt]

warranty expired at 36k

 

[Willwork4truck]

If you have 38,000 miles on it why not get it all fixed under warranty , dump it and move on ? Used trucks are selling like hotcakes now, you might not take a real bad hit.

Might be worthwhile to fix and still sell, you are right about used truck prices now. Can’t drive or sell it w/o the fix anyway.

I hope you can figure out a less expensive fix. That $1K is about 50% of an FCA extended warranty. I hope I don’t have the same issue, I don’t hve an extended factory warranty either...

 

[SD Rebel]

warranty expired at 36k

Not your powertrain, did you confirm your fuel pump is not covered?

 

[BowDown]

How have you determined that the fuel pump is bad?

 

[Maconi]

I think FCA just has quality/consistency issues. Some people (like me) have had zero issues. Others seem to have never-ending issues.

 

[NorthStar]

How have you determined that the fuel pump is bad?

Fuel pump is not covered by Powertrain Warranty. Only water pump and oil pump...go figure.

 

[RAM Patriot]

Ethanol can cause several types of damage to the engine in your vehicle.

Your vehicle's fuel intake components can gummed up or clogged.

In addition, ethanol fuel can cause damage to the fuel pump in your vehicle. Especially if you use E85 or E15 ethanol in these trucks.

They are not designed for flex fuel.

I do not know what type of fuel the OP used but wanted to make the forum aware of this issue.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ethanol is hygroscopic, which means that ethanol attracts and absorbs water moisture. Ethanol mixed gasoline fuels (E10, E20, E25, and E85) can readily absorb over 40 times more water than non-alcohol gas.

Phase separation occurs in E10 gas when it absorbs only 0.5% of water (3.8 teaspoons) per gallon of E10. When 0.5% of water is absorbed into the ethanol-gasoline blend, the bonded water and ethanol will separate and dissipate from the rest of the gasoline. The water and ethanol will drop out of the gas and you will be left with a layer of water on the bottom of the tank, this can cause the fuel pump to fail, which is why the fuel pump ids not covered under the power train warranty.

Hidden cost of burning ethanol fuel.

 

[BowDown]

Fuel pump is not covered by Powertrain Warranty. Only water pump and oil pump...go figure.

Didn't ask that, asked how it was determined that the fuel pump was the issue

 

[NorthStar]

Sorry about that. Intended to quote the post above yours...in which SD Rebel asked if it was covered under the power train warranty.

 

[BowDown]

I think FCA just has quality/consistency issues. Some people (like me) have had zero issues. Others seem to have never-ending issues.

I don't, I think it's how people take care of their vehicles. I don't believe FCA's build components are any worse than any other manufacturer, aside from engines, no oem builds all their components. The suppliers make most of the components and they make them for all makes.

My previous Ram had 277k miles when I sold it. Truck looked almost brand new and only had a water pump replaced at 240k, a diff rebuild at 170k, and a broken valve spring at 260k.

Many people abuse their equipment then complain about the quality. I own an IT business and people call brand X computers junk and need to replace them every year or two yet I can make the same computers last 5-7 years. I mod a race cars (620 whp N/A Z06) and see people regularly get in their cars and start hammering on the engine with cold oil, cold trans, cold diff and wonder why they have failures.

 

[Fatherof3]

I absolutely think it has to do with maintenance , this is my 3rd Ram and I haven’t had any issues with any of them . That’s why I keep coming back to them .

 

[Drewster]

Ethanol can cause several types of damage to the engine in your vehicle.

Your vehicle's fuel intake components can gummed up or clogged.

In addition, ethanol fuel can cause damage to the fuel pump in your vehicle. Especially if you use E85 or E15 ethanol in these trucks.

They are not designed for flex fuel.

I do not know what type of fuel the OP used but wanted to make the forum aware of this issue.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ethanol is hygroscopic, which means that ethanol attracts and absorbs water moisture. Ethanol mixed gasoline fuels (E10, E20, E25, and E85) can readily absorb over 40 times more water than non-alcohol gas.

Phase separation occurs in E10 gas when it absorbs only 0.5% of water (3.8 teaspoons) per gallon of E10. When 0.5% of water is absorbed into the ethanol-gasoline blend, the bonded water and ethanol will separate and dissipate from the rest of the gasoline. The water and ethanol will drop out of the gas and you will be left with a layer of water on the bottom of the tank, this can cause the fuel pump to fail, which is why the fuel pump ids not covered under the power train warranty.

Hidden cost of burning ethanol fuel.

E10 has been the norm since the 90's. If you have a classic vehicle with a carburetor, sure, be concerned. On a 2019, it's engineered using standards that have assumed Ethanol blends for almost 30 years.

 

[Malodave]

I Bought a used '97 1500 from a Dealer. 41K miles, I had it a couple of days,
on the drive home from the 1st day of work after purchase, the fuel pump quit,
at 1AM, twenty miles from home. I got picked up by a stranger on the highway
that was going to my city. I called the Roadside assistance the dealer set up for
the first three months under a warranty. Truck got towed in. The Dealer picked
me and the truck up the next day and went to the Dealers lot. They had to drop
the tank and replace the Fuel pump. Gave me a loaner for the night. All was
covered under the 3 month warranty.

Malodave

 

[JDiMassa8]

My family has owned Chrysler products for many years. I’ve had a 2007 RAM 1500 jacked up on 37s with 150k with out any issues besides normal maintenance. I also had a 1997 Wrangler that had 160k with only a couple minor leaks. Father has had 2 rams all over 180k and my mother has had Cherokee’s although those were leases. But never had any problems with any of the vehicles. I have a 2019 RAM myself with only 7500 miles and no issues here either. I do get some squeaks in the brakes on the morning backing out of the driveway but that it very normal for vehicles because of moisture in the air getting into the rotors. Other than that I love my truck.

 

[yankeefan31569]

I cant understand why the fuel pump is not covered under the 5/60..did ram cares
chime in?

 

[PowerJrod]

Ethanol can cause several types of damage to the engine in your vehicle.

Your vehicle's fuel intake components can gummed up or clogged.

In addition, ethanol fuel can cause damage to the fuel pump in your vehicle. Especially if you use E85 or E15 ethanol in these trucks.

They are not designed for flex fuel.

I do not know what type of fuel the OP used but wanted to make the forum aware of this issue.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ethanol is hygroscopic, which means that ethanol attracts and absorbs water moisture. Ethanol mixed gasoline fuels (E10, E20, E25, and E85) can readily absorb over 40 times more water than non-alcohol gas.

Phase separation occurs in E10 gas when it absorbs only 0.5% of water (3.8 teaspoons) per gallon of E10. When 0.5% of water is absorbed into the ethanol-gasoline blend, the bonded water and ethanol will separate and dissipate from the rest of the gasoline. The water and ethanol will drop out of the gas and you will be left with a layer of water on the bottom of the tank, this can cause the fuel pump to fail, which is why the fuel pump ids not covered under the power train warranty.

Hidden cost of burning ethanol fuel.

Might make sense to use ethanol-free maybe once a month or once every couple months...