Water leaks!

[J.forteza]

Update 2: Dealership called. Truck has been in their possession since 29 December 2019. The body shop identified an issue with the chassis, NOT the tubing or seals. Somehow, some of the 2019 chassis have “up-sloping” sunroof drains that, obviously, are not conducive to letting gravity do its magic on water that gets past the sunroof seal. In effect, the chassis flaw is creating a pool instead of letting the water drain out.

The body shop owner went to the dealership and laid it all out to the service dept supervisor; apparently tempers flared (this is the second time this body shop has worked on my truck, and it’s my understanding the dealership sent it back to them saying the job was incomplete). I was told to keep the dealership rental car indefinitely while they figure out what to do. My service rep told me they are escalating the case with Chrysler, as he’s got a couple other leaky 2019 trucks waiting for repairs. He was unable to give me any kind of possible solution to this, so I guess we’ll just wait and see. Recall, maybe?

On a personal note, what an absolute nightmare. I had the truck no more than a little over a month and to date it’s probably spent more time at the shop than at my home. I loved Ram trucks before (hence my upgrade), but this experience has shaken my faith. I hope everyone else’s 2019 HD rigs are holding up better.

 

[Maconi]

Somehow, some of the 2019 chassis have “up-sloping” sunroof drains that, obviously, are not conducive to letting gravity do its magic on water that gets past the sunroof seal. In effect, the chassis flaw is creating a pool instead of letting the water drain out.

Some, or all? Also you said HD, do you have a 1500 or 2500?

 

[J.forteza]

Some, or all? Also you said HD, do you have a 1500 or 2500?

Not sure whether it’s all of them, but the service rep said he’s gotten more and more 2019 guys coming in with similar issues. As far as HD, I’ve seen water leak forums for all the different powertrains and trims, but seems to be either brake light or sunroof drain tubing. First I’ve seen or heard of the chassis being the issue.

I have a 2019 2500

 

[J.forteza]

Not sure whether it’s all of them, but the service rep said he’s gotten more and more 2019 guys coming in with similar issues.

It’s worth noting that the chassis being faulty is the body shop’s determination and not the dealership’s. That being said, this body shop has dealt with many water leaks/collision repair/etc from this dealership in the past. It’s their trusted referral location.

 

[Toytruck]

It’s worth noting that the chassis being faulty is the body shop’s determination and not the dealership’s. That being said, this body shop has dealt with many water leaks/collision repair/etc from this dealership in the past. It’s their trusted referral location.

Im somewhat confused. Please define "chassis" and how it would relate to the sunroof seals or drains?

 

[J.forteza]

Im somewhat confused. Please define "chassis" and how it would relate to the sunroof seals or drains?

I haven’t seen the truck, only heard from my service rep. I have to take the body shop guy at his word it’s the chassis (frame/body) and not some component; again, whatever that means. I hope to have more info later this week and will fill y’all in once I get more.

 

[J.forteza]

Day 26. Lemon law attorneys have been chomping at the bit to take up my case with this truck. I have mixed feelings; I loved this truck and it had everything I wanted. But...

I know deep down that the issue will have lasting effects that may not immediately appear or damage that may take time to manifest itself. Having witnessed a waterfall from an interior dome light and speaker, I can only imagine what kind of corrosion or damage is lurking beyond immediate view. The fact the truck has been at the dealership/body shop for over three weeks with no resolution or timeline for completion is of course also quite concerning.

What’s y’all’s thoughts on asking FCA for them to buy the truck back or getting a replacement? Lemon law lawsuit?

Ultimately... what now?

 

[SD Rebel]

Day 26. Lemon law attorneys have been chomping at the bit to take up my case with this truck. I have mixed feelings; I loved this truck and it had everything I wanted. But...

I know deep down that the issue will have lasting effects that may not immediately appear or damage that may take time to manifest itself. Having witnessed a waterfall from an interior dome light and speaker, I can only imagine what kind of corrosion or damage is lurking beyond immediate view. The fact the truck has been at the dealership/body shop for over three weeks with no resolution or timeline for completion is of course also quite concerning.

What’s y’all’s thoughts on asking FCA for them to buy the truck back or getting a replacement? Lemon law lawsuit?

Ultimately... what now?

I would request a replacement (not sure how that works or overlaps with the Lemon Law). My truck has been flawless so far, but I know if I had half your issues I would be pretty incense about it.

 

[Toytruck]

Day 26. Lemon law attorneys have been chomping at the bit to take up my case with this truck. I have mixed feelings; I loved this truck and it had everything I wanted. But...

I know deep down that the issue will have lasting effects that may not immediately appear or damage that may take time to manifest itself. Having witnessed a waterfall from an interior dome light and speaker, I can only imagine what kind of corrosion or damage is lurking beyond immediate view. The fact the truck has been at the dealership/body shop for over three weeks with no resolution or timeline for completion is of course also quite concerning.

What’s y’all’s thoughts on asking FCA for them to buy the truck back or getting a replacement? Lemon law lawsuit?

Ultimately... what now?

What are your states lemon laws?

Have you contacted FCA in writing via certified mail with return receipt describing your problems and what your dealer has done to try and correct it? I think that is the first step, there are plenty of sample letters to use.

If you love the truck try and get a replacement.

I have leak issues as well...

 

[J.forteza]

What are your states lemon laws?

Have you contacted FCA in writing via certified mail with return receipt describing your problems and what your dealer has done to try and correct it?

I’m in California. The lemon law here is the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act and it’s fairly consumer oriented. As far as contacting them in writing, I’ll have to see what exactly they’ll require. I’ve been working directly with FCA care specialists and the dealership has been reaching out to their district staff for guidance. I’m assuming those avenues are sufficient, but I’ll have to confirm..

Specifically, the law requires one of three things (the more the stronger the case:

Within 18 months of ownership or 18,000 miles (whichever is first):

1The manufacturer or its agents have made two or more attempts to repair a warranty problem that results in a condition that is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury if the vehicle is driven.
OR
2. The manufacturer or its agents have made four or more attempts to repair the same warranty problem.
If required by the warranty materials or by the owner’s manual, the consumer must directly notify the manufacturer about the problem(s), preferably in writing. The notice must be sent to the address shown in the warranty or owner’s manual (for 1 and 2 above).
OR
3. The vehicle has been out of service for more than 30 days (not necessarily consecutively) while being repaired for any number of warranty problems and the problems must be covered by the warranty, substantially reduce the vehicle’s use, value, or safety to the consumer and are not caused by abuse of the vehicle.

If you have a new truck and it’s leaking water, get it documented pronto.

I would request a replacement (not sure how that works or overlaps with the Lemon Law). My truck has been flawless so far, but I know if I had half your issues I would be pretty incense about it.

The lemon law provides avenues for outcomes, such as replacement or refund. In the case of refund, an attorney may actually be able to get additional money in the form of punitive damages with total awarded up to three times what the consumer paid (NOT the value of the car unless you purchased outright).

Ill end up getting the same damn truck, but no sunroof

 

[J.forteza]

Day 29: Got a call from the dealership saying the body shop folks are going to be removing the entire sunroof/moonroof assembly and replacing it (all the tracks, motors, glass, you name it). No timeline for this repair and admitted he has no idea if it’ll fix the issue.

I hired a lemon law attorney to take up the case. I got in touch with the shop that installed my ranch hand brush guard to see if they can remove it and install on another truck (of course, for $400) and they mentioned they’ve seen a bunch of new Rams with leaks (didn’t specify model or trim). Maybe when the rain kicks up across the rest of the country more folks will have issue; I don’t know.

What.A.Nightmare.

 

[whetrick1]

Day 26. Lemon law attorneys have been chomping at the bit to take up my case with this truck. I have mixed feelings; I loved this truck and it had everything I wanted. But...

I know deep down that the issue will have lasting effects that may not immediately appear or damage that may take time to manifest itself. Having witnessed a waterfall from an interior dome light and speaker, I can only imagine what kind of corrosion or damage is lurking beyond immediate view. The fact the truck has been at the dealership/body shop for over three weeks with no resolution or timeline for completion is of course also quite concerning.

What’s y’all’s thoughts on asking FCA for them to buy the truck back or getting a replacement? Lemon law lawsuit?

Ultimately... what now?

Yes I would ask for a replacement also. They would probably rather do that than have a lawsuit against them.


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[J.forteza]

Alright, here we go.

Stopped by the body shop because I was sick of dealing with the dealership as the middle man. The body shop folks were eager to open the truck up and show me what they found.

BLUF: replacing the sunroof won’t fix the issue. The sunroof/chassis design is 100% the issue here, folks. They just aren’t compatible.

The attached image is not of a 2019 Ram assembly, but the idea is the same. There’s the drain tubes at the front and back to allow water that gets through the seals to drain harmlessly outside the vehicle. The tubes at the rear of the assembly, for whatever reason, are in fact going UP from the assembly, therefore preventing gravity from doing its job. The water pools up and drains into the cab. The 2019 RAM HD with sunroofs are all built this way, according to the body shop. He’s seen a large number of new Ram water leaks and thought he was fixing them until mine came back with the same issue two weeks after he worked on it.

I’m at least relieved to know what in the actual heck is going on with the truck. All it took was a field trip directly to the body shop and a little show and tell.

So where does Ram go from here to rectify this design flaw? Who knows. Replacing the sunroof won’t fix this. I’d reckon they have to design a whole new headliner and reroute the tubes to make sure they are always working their way towards the ground. Recall? Not sure the answer there.

Stay tuned..



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[Jack Whitefield]

I wonder if there's a way to permanently seal the rear drain tubes, and permanently seal the channel. That way, all the water has to drain from the front drain tubes. Would that be possible, or is the arch of the roof too much?

 

[Patsy1099]

The 2019 RAM HD with sunroofs are all built this way, according to the body shop.

If that’s true that would definitely lead to a massive recall. I’m not sure I would believe that. I’m also not sure why the HD design would differ much, if at all, from the design on the half tons. That said, even if the tubes went up why can’t they just correct the issue? But don’t you have a 1500? This isn’t a widespread problem on ours. Yes leaks are an issue and pano drains and some other roof related leaks but I don’t think all drain tubes upside down. Anyway, I sure hope they figure out what your issue is and get it fixed as quickly as possible or that you can get out of your vehicle. Keep us posted.

 

[J.forteza]

I wonder if there's a way to permanently seal the rear drain tubes, and permanently seal the channel. That way, all the water has to drain from the front drain tubes. Would that be possible, or is the arch of the roof too much?

Not a bad idea. They would certainly have to increase the gauge of the front tubes to allow for twice as much water to run through.



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[J.forteza]

If that’s true that would definitely lead to a massive recall. I’m not sure I would believe that. I’m also not sure why the HD design would differ much, if at all, from the design on the half tons. That said, even if the tubes went up why can’t they just correct the issue? But don’t you have a 1500? This isn’t a widespread problem on ours. Yes leaks are an issue and pano drains and some other roof related leaks but I don’t think all drain tubes upside down. Anyway, I sure hope they figure out what your issue is and get it fixed as quickly as possible or that you can get out of your vehicle. Keep us posted.

I tend to agree with you. I’m simply passing along what the body shop guy told me

I have a 2500 (I posted in the wrong category, I realize that now). I talked to FCA’s customer retention team and they told me they haven’t had any other issues with these tubes, so who knows.

At this point I’m happy with keeping the truck if FCA fixes the issue and replaces the interior components that were compromised. We’ll see what they’re willing to do.

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[J.forteza]

Hey all,

Sorry for the lack of updates regarding my truck. The reason being is I have not received any estimated time of repair or update regarding what’s going on. The dealership still has it; day 48 in the shop.

Last I heard is they were planning to replace the entire sunroof assembly but were skeptical it would even fix the leak.



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[Patsy1099]

Hey all,

Sorry for the lack of updates regarding my truck. The reason being is I have not received any estimated time of repair or update regarding what’s going on. The dealership still has it; day 48 in the shop.

Last I heard is they were planning to replace the entire sunroof assembly but were skeptical it would even fix the leak.



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that’s ridiculous. Has fca sent any engineers?

 

[J.forteza]

that’s ridiculous. Has fca sent any engineers?

They mentioned it early on but FCA hasn’t told me one way or the other if they came out or, obviously, if they found something wrong.

They said they’re replacing the entire sunroof assembly and crossing their fingers that it fixes the issue; their exact words! Hopeful I get the truck back this week one way or the other. The loaner vehicles I’ve been getting are crap and I can’t tow anything or being pets around. Real pain in the ****.

It’s amazing this can happen in the year 2020.




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