Transfer case being replaced at 22,000 Miles ?????

[CharlieP]

Had trouble with my 4 wheel drive not working would not go into Auto,High or Low plus got service 4wheel drive light also. Took it into the Dealer and they are replacing the Entire Transfer Case which is great but now I wonder why at such low mileage and having only used 4wheel 2 times once in a snow storm and once on a wet grass hill. hope this not going to be the Norm.

 

[PowerJrod]

Had trouble with my 4 wheel drive not working would not go into Auto,High or Low plus got service 4wheel drive light also. Took it into the Dealer and they are replacing the Entire Transfer Case which is great but now I wonder why at such low mileage and having only used 4wheel 2 times once in a snow storm and once on a wet grass hill. hope this not going to be the Norm.

Wonder if it was one of those freak accidents where they didn't put enough of or any fluid on the transfer case....usually that's a Nissan and Ford thing but has happened. How well did the 4wd work when you did use it..?

 

[CharlieP]

Wonder if it was one of those freak accidents where they didn't put enough of or any fluid on the transfer case....usually that's a Nissan and Ford thing but has happened. How well did the 4wd work when you did use it..?

Worked like I expected too but still concerned with only 22,000 on it

 

[PowerJrod]

Worked like I expected too but still concerned with only 22,000 on it

I would be concerned too. But definitely have them tell you what the fluids looked like...that could indicate a lot.

 

[Hydroblueguy]

Had trouble with my 4 wheel drive not working would not go into Auto,High or Low plus got service 4wheel drive light also. Took it into the Dealer and they are replacing the Entire Transfer Case which is great but now I wonder why at such low mileage and having only used 4wheel 2 times once in a snow storm and once on a wet grass hill. hope this not going to be the Norm.

These trucks are junk, good luck!

 

[Boston]

More likely a small batch had a bad part, they know about it and what to do.
It’s not a complicated fix, nothing to worry about imho

 

[Therealdarkknight]

Just had my front axle actuator replaced at 9600 miles. They tested the circuits on the harness and everything was sending properly. Tested the actuator and it didnt respond. Ive used 4WD about 2-3 other times not including 4WD auto. (2020 ED BE Limited 4x4 w/axel lock built February)

 

[ArtieD]

I was told to run 4x4 at least once a month for a couple of miles to keep it lubricated , when I am on the highway i will sometimes kick it in to 4 high as long as i am not going to turn , even though there is no lock axle on my truck ,

 

[ArtieD]

These trucks are junk, good luck!

LOL

 

[41magmag41]

trucks are not junk. I have a 2019 big horn with 40000 miles on it without a lick of problems. Sure wish the moderators would be a little more observant of trollw.

 

[CharlieP]

Had trouble with my 4 wheel drive not working would not go into Auto,High or Low plus got service 4wheel drive light also. Took it into the Dealer and they are replacing the Entire Transfer Case which is great but now I wonder why at such low mileage and having only used 4wheel 2 times once in a snow storm and once on a wet grass hill. hope this not going to be the Norm.

Update----- Transfer case was replaced but there still is a problem now with the transfer case not getting a signal. The dealer has been great and has the problem to be somewhere in the wiring to the transfer case and will be looking at opening the harness and trying to repair the problem. My concern is with opening the harness and I would be more comfortable with replacing the entire harness would like some input on this.

 

[ArtieD]

Update----- Transfer case was replaced but there still is a problem now with the transfer case not getting a signal. The dealer has been great and has the problem to be somewhere in the wiring to the transfer case and will be looking at opening the harness and trying to repair the problem. My concern is with opening the harness and I would be more comfortable with replacing the entire harness would like some input on this.

Yea I understand your concerns , I wonder if the signal problem was the cause in the first place and they changed out a perfectly good transfer case , We are all human but come on ! there is a troubleshooting procedure in place , Sheesh I really hate when 1 thing continues to lead to another ,
I am not a technician , but maybe the PCM needs to be reflashed or changed, hard to believe the harness just shorted out , and if it did it should be obvious Just going to open it up all willy nilly should be able to check plug to plug , maybe thats what they mean and have isolated it already ? Hopefully u are in good hands and it turns out ok ! and you have a courtesy car in the mean time

 

[CharlieP]

Update----- Transfer case was replaced but there still is a problem now with the transfer case not getting a signal. The dealer has been great and has the problem to be somewhere in the wiring to the transfer case and will be looking at opening the harness and trying to repair the problem. My concern is with opening the harness and I would be more comfortable with replacing the entire harness would like some input on this.

Final Update: Ok all is fixed New Transfer Case installed signal problem ended up being the actuator motor giving bad signal. Dealer went above and beyond to get her fixed very pleased. I did ask about the oil condition and level in the old case and level and condition were good they could not tell me what caused the issue the case going first or the actuator motor.

 

[Neurobit]

Final Update: Ok all is fixed New Transfer Case installed signal problem ended up being the actuator motor giving bad signal. Dealer went above and beyond to get her fixed very pleased. I did ask about the oil condition and level in the old case and level and condition were good they could not tell me what caused the issue the case going first or the actuator motor.

Great to hear. Thanks for the update.

 

[tpoony]

Just had my front axle actuator replaced at 9600 miles. They tested the circuits on the harness and everything was sending properly. Tested the actuator and it didnt respond. Ive used 4WD about 2-3 other times not including 4WD auto. (2020 ED BE Limited 4x4 w/axel lock built February)

I suspect I may be having the same problem @CharlieP . I just purchased my 2019 Laramie 4x4 as a CPOV (at 48000 miles) and still within the first 3 month 3000 mile Maxcare warranty. I started having trouble getting into 4Lo, 4Hi, and 4Auto. Lights would just flash and never get into the modes. Took it into the dealer today, they just told me they did a whole bunch of test and will need to replace the front axle actuator and maybe more. My service advisor is pretty awesome, he actually sent me the detail notes from the technician:

inspected vehicle for service 4wd warning and not being able to shift into 4HI or 4LO. verified customer concern, found vehicle will not shift into 4WD, performed wi-tech vehicle scan and found 2 DTC present pertaining to customer concern, U1440(implausible transfer case ratio high received) U0403-00(implausible data received from T-Case) found service bulleting 08-083-20 pertaining to customer concern and DTC's set. inspected DTCM software level and found software is out of date. performed software update to DTCM. DTCM old#68277414AN new#68277414AP. after software update, performed second road test while shifting into 4WD, found vehicle 4WD light is blinking and will not shift and message comes up with service 4WD. performed wi-tech vehicle scan a second time, found 1 new DTC present, C147B-92(front axle disconnect sensor performance or incorrect operation), perform diagnosis for new DTC. performed resistance test on circuit G303 for open resistance, measured 0.8ohms, performed continuity test between circuit G303 and ground, found no continuity present. tested for continuity between circuit G303 and other circuits at ECU connector, found no continuity present, removed front axle disconnect actuator and inpsected front axle shaft and collar on axle no damage to axles are present, and collar moves freely and engages and disengages front axle manually. recommend replacing front axle disconnect actuator and re-check

Hopefully, this will all get covered under the Maxcare, otherwise, i am going to be pretty pissed off since i just bought this a month ago. Any advise on what I should say to maximize my chance of getting this covered under MaxCare or what i should ask them to check to make sure they replace all that needs to be replaced like perhaps the transfer case?

 

[SD Rebel]

trucks are not junk. I have a 2019 big horn with 40000 miles on it without a lick of problems. Sure wish the moderators would be a little more observant of trollw.

I agree with you, zero issues so far, but I don't think he is a troll, there are legit issues for some and he definitely has had his share of issues, so I get his anger.

Forums represents a tiny microcosm of actual owners, people tend to seek out forums if they have issues, so it makes sense people with legit issues will post here and be angry.

My RAM so far is the best vehicle I've owned, better than my previous trucks, F150s, BMWs, VW, Etc. However, I would be singing a different tune if I had his problems. Sometime you get a lemon and move on to a different brand, we get those on this forum coming this way, sometimes they go the other way.

 

[CaptainCJ35]

I think it's important to note that the transfer case is manufactured by Borg Warner, not exactly an unknown sub-contractor, and the same or similar designs are used by other manufacturers. It's not really a RAM thing like a rain leak or poorly performing AC.

Sometimes things go wrong. How many 4x4 DT RAM's have been built since production started in 2018? 500 - 700,000+? If they have a no-fault rate of 99.99% that still means there are 700 bad t-cases out there. Sucks if you have one... to be sure. Hopefully they get resolved appropriately.

Forums do amplify issues, but they can be valuable to help resolve them and inform on what to look out for.

 

[PowerJrod]

It's nice to know that it wasn't actually the transfer case that was the problem... testament to BorgWarner... Wiring harness is usually installed by RAM though. Either way...RAM still has been the best truck I've ever owned so I cant slander them too much lol. And since they made it right with the OP....sounds like it could've been waaay worse.

 

[PowerJrod]

If it was Ford...they would've tried charging him for the transfer case....after knowing that the transfer case wasn't the issue to begin with

 

[tpoony]

I suspect I may be having the same problem @CharlieP . I just purchased my 2019 Laramie 4x4 as a CPOV (at 48000 miles) and still within the first 3 month 3000 mile Maxcare warranty. I started having trouble getting into 4Lo, 4Hi, and 4Auto. Lights would just flash and never get into the modes. Took it into the dealer today, they just told me they did a whole bunch of test and will need to replace the front axle actuator and maybe more. My service advisor is pretty awesome, he actually sent me the detail notes from the technician:

inspected vehicle for service 4wd warning and not being able to shift into 4HI or 4LO. verified customer concern, found vehicle will not shift into 4WD, performed wi-tech vehicle scan and found 2 DTC present pertaining to customer concern, U1440(implausible transfer case ratio high received) U0403-00(implausible data received from T-Case) found service bulleting 08-083-20 pertaining to customer concern and DTC's set. inspected DTCM software level and found software is out of date. performed software update to DTCM. DTCM old#68277414AN new#68277414AP. after software update, performed second road test while shifting into 4WD, found vehicle 4WD light is blinking and will not shift and message comes up with service 4WD. performed wi-tech vehicle scan a second time, found 1 new DTC present, C147B-92(front axle disconnect sensor performance or incorrect operation), perform diagnosis for new DTC. performed resistance test on circuit G303 for open resistance, measured 0.8ohms, performed continuity test between circuit G303 and ground, found no continuity present. tested for continuity between circuit G303 and other circuits at ECU connector, found no continuity present, removed front axle disconnect actuator and inpsected front axle shaft and collar on axle no damage to axles are present, and collar moves freely and engages and disengages front axle manually. recommend replacing front axle disconnect actuator and re-check

Hopefully, this will all get covered under the Maxcare, otherwise, i am going to be pretty pissed off since i just bought this a month ago. Any advise on what I should say to maximize my chance of getting this covered under MaxCare or what i should ask them to check to make sure they replace all that needs to be replaced like perhaps the transfer case?

Quick update. Just got confirmation from my service advisor that it will all be covered under the MaxCare warranty. :whew