Truck suddenly won't even try to start

[millerbjm]

2019 5.7 worked fine in the morning - went to start it this evening and it won't even try. Random dash lights on and off, no interior lights and lots of strange noises from engine. Tried jumper cables with no immediate effect. Anyone else experience this? Truck has 16,000 miles and is only 1.5 years old, parked in heated garage. When I parked it last I thought I smelled a faint smell of burning rubber.

 

[Jako]

How is the voltage on the battery?

 

[millerbjm]

How is the voltage on the battery?

Not sure as none of the dash lights or gages work - at this point it has gone totally dark. Might try leaving the jumper cables on for awhile but not sure why the battery would just suddenly crap out.

 

[yankeefan31569]

multiple comments from members regarding 2year old batts being dead on here, add ya
to the list i bet

 

[millerbjm]

multiple comments from members regarding 2year old batts being dead on here, add ya
to the list i bet

Seems like that is the issue - just went from no issues to 100% fried!

 

[Jako]

multiple comments from members regarding 2year old batts being dead on here, add ya
to the list i bet

I was told by a mechanic (not Ram specific) to replace your battery every 3 years. He said many problems stem from low voltage. Perhaps the Ram batteries can't make the 3 year mark. My Ram is currently in for a batch of issues and was informed today they replaced the battery. My 2 year anniversary was Nov. 24th.

I have a "Battery Tender Digital Voltage Indicator with LCD Display" with a set of alligator clips from a battery tender. Quick way to see what your voltage is reading. ​

Car battery voltage

12 volts is the standard automotive battery in today’s vehicle and each of the battery has 6 cells with a voltage of 2.1. A fully charged car battery has 12.6 volts. There is a

carbatteryworld.com

 

[Scram1500]

I think this the trade off with the AGM battery, shorter life span and no warning sign or symptoms that it's about to fail

 

[millerbjm]

Call the service dept this morning and they told me to call roadside and have it towed in. Tow truck service tried a booster pack and jumpers to zero effect. Had to put the rear tires on skids to pull it out of the garage and then up onto flatbed. Now I wait to see how long for the dealer to diagnose and start the fight for a loaner if they're going to have it for more than a day.

 

[Scram1500]

Call the service dept this morning and they told me to call roadside and have it towed in. Tow truck service tried a booster pack and jumpers to zero effect. Had to put the rear tires on skids to pull it out of the garage and then up onto flatbed. Now I wait to see how long for the dealer to diagnose and start the fight for a loaner if they're going to have it for more than a day.

It blows my mind every time I hear this.... There is a panel underneath the emergency brake, behind that panel is a small lever with an orange strap. Pull that strap and the truck is placed into neutral. If the emergency brake is on though I think you're up the creek

 

[millerbjm]

It blows my mind every time I hear this.... There is a panel underneath the emergency brake, behind that panel is a small lever with an orange strap. Pull that strap and the truck is placed into neutral. If the emergency brake is on though I think you're up the creek

I mentioned this to the wrecker guy but he didn't know what I was talking about and I didn't push it. I also have the electronic parking brake set to apply automatically in park and no electronics to release that. I was happy he got it out of the garage but hope skidding the rear wheels didn't do any damage. Not feeling optimistic I'll have the truck back this afternoon but I hope it is just the battery or a fuse and everything is covered by warranty. Thanks for the info!

 

[Scram1500]

Gotta love modern vehicles with advanced technology, progress lol. Unlikely that any damage occurred so no worries there

 

[Zig10]

Likely the battery. Had a very similar experience with my previous Yukon XL. Don't sweat the dragging of the tires. These are full-sized trucks. The tires will break traction before any drive line components get damaged. Not nearly as much load as hammering it from a standstill.

 

[millerbjm]

Got the truck back today (had a wrangler unlimited sahara as a loaner which was fun) and the tech is blaming the battery issue on my aftermarket 12v charge dock installed with my topper shortly after I bought the truck. The solution they gave me was to either pull the in-line fuse to that charger or add a toggle switch. I am having a hard time believeing this is really the issue as that charger dock has been there for over a year including an entire winter and never caused this issue before. The tech claimed he got the battery to full charge and diagnostics showed it was working fine and then it drained completely overnight from this charger.

service notes "truck was dead on lot hooked up jump pack and truck started right up. tested battery - passed. checked for ignition off draw. after about an hour of sitting could only get the draw down to .18amps not bad just a bit high. searched around and found outlet dock in the left rear corner of truck bed. disconnected and the draw dropped down to .03amps - good."

 

[DIRTRIDER]

Just ran into this today, ‘19 Rebel, 20,000mi, no prior problems, went to start truck to go to work and nothing, charged battery, best I could get was 7.7 volts, replaced with new battery, all good now. First battery I have changed in 30 years.

 

[Jako]

Just got my Ram back from service. Had an issue with it stuck in first gear (reset after sitting) and then a few weeks later it would not start and the gauges were moving without it being on. Charged the battery and went for a ride all good again.
Service performed:
Battery replaced and TSB 21-009-20 for TCM update performed. Time will tell.