EcoDiesel Engine Failure 44k miles (2015, so out of warranty)

[jj1987]

So my 2015 EcoDiesel with 44,000 miles blew up yesterday. Shook violently and spit all the oil out of the block.

• For those who had a blow up outside of warranty, what was your diagnostic fee to diagnose the root cause of the failure? Trying to get a ballpark/average, dealer said min 1hr, could be 5 depending on what it is.
• Has anyone had an engine replaced under the AEM 10 year 120k warranty? If not, no real reason to pay the $500-1k to get it diagnosed.
• For those with a blown engine, are you being told January to order it due to engineering hold and then 6-8mo for delivery (so 1 year turn around)?
• Are there any ongoing class action or 1:1 lawsuits over this?
• If you are out of pocket, you have a $20k truck with $10-14k to get a new engine. What are you guys doing, selling the truck as salvage? Waiting? Does someone rebuild these?
• Is the dealership keeping your truck for a year? I don't have room to store a vehicle that cannot move, so that plays into my next decisions as well.

Right now I will be out of pocket around $500-1k for the diagnostic between the towing each way and the labor. RAM customer service won't even talk to me until the diagnostic work is completed, and has refused any good will rental. They won't let me talk to a case worker until I'm out of pocket the diagnostic $$$-- which normally 100% makes sense, but this seems like enough of a non normal situation to ask for some flexibility.

I called a few dealerships, found one VERY helpful service manager (the only one willing to really even listen to the situation without just saying call RAM). She told me she would speak to their lead diesel mechanic who was out on vacation in a few days and call me back. After speaking with him, their advice was don't pay for a diagnostic since there's metal in the oil filter. Basically nothing they can do would convince RAM this is related to the specific items laid out in the 10/120k extended warranty from the EPA issue.

The truck has been garage kept, not a single scratch on it, not a single stain on the interior, has the bed cover, line x, tux mat floor mats, alpharex projector headlights, etc so I hate to let it go for $8-10k, but I can't see spending $13-15k to fix the engine and do without a truck for 1 year.

 

[TC Diesel]

jj1987 thanks for the Picture, You will need to press hard on Stellantis ,at times Ram Corp has provided some good will $$$$ , but you will need to press hard and don't tire out.

 

[gofishingup]

Contact a law firm that specializes in LEMON LAW. Even if the factory warranty has expired there are still federal laws that can be utilized on certain items, especially when they have such a problem as the eco diesel has. If pressed, FCA will likely replace the motor but you need a good LEMON LAW attorney to pressure them. I just mentioned LEMON LAW to the dealership the last time my eco diesel blew and was out of warranty and within 24 hours the dealership contacted me and told me FCA was replacing the motor free of charge under "goodwill". You will probably get no where until you have a LEMON LAW attorney. You don't pay the attorney, they take the case and if there's a recovery, FCA pays the attorney fees.

If you get the motor replaced, SELL THE TRUCK IMMEDIATELY. These motors are total crap. I have had two motors replaced. The last one lasted 24,000 miles before it blew. If the truck is out of warranty and FCA replaces it at no charge, you get no warranty on the replaced motor. If you drive it out of the dealership and the motor blows, it's on you. If you pay like $14,000 to replace the motor, then FCA gives you a 3 year and I believe 100,000 mile warranty. The ones they are replacing at no charge are REMANUFACTURED engines, they are NOT factory new engines. I don't know if you pay $14,000 if you get a remanufactured or a new factory engine. Maybe someone that has had to pay for one can answer that question.

 

[jj1987]

Contact a law firm that specializes in LEMON LAW. Even if the factory warranty has expired there are still federal laws that can be utilized on certain items, especially when they have such a problem as the eco diesel has. If pressed, FCA will likely replace the motor but you need a good LEMON LAW attorney to pressure them. I just mentioned LEMON LAW to the dealership the last time my eco diesel blew and was out of warranty and within 24 hours the dealership contacted me and told me FCA was replacing the motor free of charge under "goodwill". You will probably get no where until you have a LEMON LAW attorney. You don't pay the attorney, they take the case and if there's a recovery, FCA pays the attorney fees.

If you get the motor replaced, SELL THE TRUCK IMMEDIATELY. These motors are total crap. I have had two motors replaced. The last one lasted 24,000 miles before it blew. If the truck is out of warranty and FCA replaces it at no charge, you get no warranty on the replaced motor. If you drive it out of the dealership and the motor blows, it's on you. If you pay like $14,000 to replace the motor, then FCA gives you a 3 year and I believe 100,000 mile warranty. The ones they are replacing at no charge are REMANUFACTURED engines, they are NOT factory new engines. I don't know if you pay $14,000 if you get a remanufactured or a new factory engine. Maybe someone that has had to pay for one can answer that question.

The service manager at the helpful dealership advised me that if I'm going to pay anything out of pocket demand that I pay at least $100 on the engine. That way since it was not covered under good will 100% I would get the 3 year 100k mile warranty.

My next door neighbor runs a few Chevrolet dealerships and offered to get me in a 2500 HD at or below MSRP. Given the 1 year backorder, that's probably the direction I will go. 2500's hold their value amazingly well, and my ego won't let me even consider another RAM product. With how little I drive, the EcoDiesel doesn't save me that much $$$.

At 7k miles a year we're talking $900/year more in fuel cost, and given that most of my miles are towing, the difference won't be that much since the V8 2500HD gas should get around 10-11 towing the boat vs the ED or Chevy 3.0 getting around 14mpg. Towing, it's a wash given that diesel is almost 30% more, and that number is often exaggerated if you have to stop at a truck stop for fuel so you have room to park the boat and use the restrooms.

The #1 thing I didn't consider when buying diesel is that on road trips towing, you don't know what gas stations have room for a truck+boat and how much more $$$ truck stop diesel is. These numbers all assume we're talking Sam's Club diesel prices, so the savings are much smaller and might even be eliminated when you factor towing and truck stop prices.


I called RAM Cares and they're unwilling to let me talk to a case manager without spending $500-1000 to diagnose why the engine failed. The diesel mechanic basically said there's nothing he could do after diag to prove it would fall under the 10yr 120k mile warranty, so he doesn't want to take my money knowing that. RAM cares wouldn't budge on no open case until I paid for the diagnostic, nor would they give any information at all about what they would do-- even though I told them the mechanic said it's not worth doing.

I tried to ask RAM Cares if there's anything they could do in order to get me an engine faster, but I cannot imagine they can given the 600 engine backorders I'm reading about. Why would they help me and not the other 600 people? They told me until the diagnostic work is done they cannot talk to me about that, either. Common sense tells me the answer is no however, I'd be livid if 600 engines were on backorder and they let me skip the line.

If they covered my engine, I'd buy the 2500HD, wait 1 year for the new engine, and then sell the RAM for whatever I can get at that time. I would have to beat $8-10k I can get now from a we buy junk cars type company. If I have to cover the engine out of pocket, $14k and giving up $8k puts me at $22k into the truck, which I think would be difficult to get if the market drops at all in a year.

My HOA's president is a partner at a law firm locally and is recommending a lemon law attorney for me. Oddly enough, he owns a 2015 ED Jeep. He left it at it's a long shot, but at least have the free conversation before giving up. I'm hoping to at least have our meet and greet call today.

I'll be out of the country for a week starting tomorrow, so I won't have any major updates for anyone follow this thread.

 

[TC Diesel]

Jj..I here Ya...it's the. Power plant (VM 3.0) that's the issue, Many of us moved to Rams Gas power plants and cannot be more satisfied. GM, PRODUCTS are nice but GM does not offer Air ride...And Rams limited interiors are 2nd to none

 

[jj1987]

Jj..I here Ya...it's the. Power plant (VM 3.0) that's the issue, Many of us moved to Rams Gas power plants and cannot be more satisfied. GM, PRODUCTS are nice but GM does not offer Air ride...And Rams limited interiors are 2nd to none

After RAM won't even open a case after 19x in the dealership due to warranty work, 1x in the paint shop due to the tailgate recall failing, and now a blown engine at 44k miles, I'm sour. It would take a lot to get me in a FCA product at this point. Time heals all wounds, so I'm sure at some point I might consider a RAM product, but it hasn't been enough time to get to that point mentally right now.

For me, I only use the truck to tow the boat 1 mile to our community ramp and back a couple times a week. Maybe 1 Keys trip a year, and once our son is born in January maybe a few camping trips in the mountain and renting a camper. Realistically speaking, my wants are quite different than someone who actually uses the truck as more than just a tool.

 

[gofishingup]

My truck has been sitting for 3 months waiting for the engine. It is suppose to arrive the end of August. The dealership was good about it and gave me good loaner which I have been driving. The dealership has been great, FCA not so great. I'm going to check on the issue if I pay $100 on the goodwill, does that give me the warranty on the engine. It might be different laws in different states but definitely a good point that needs to be looked into. TC DIESEL is correct, this motor is not good. Get it foxed and get rid of it.

 

[jj1987]

Some good news...I shared this story on Twitter and apparently while RAM does not care about customers who do not publicly bash them, sharing the story in public does matter. RAM has now opened a case and assigned a case manager to me who's reviewing my options. Not going to celebrate yet as I've got zero guarantees, but at least I've discovered that RAM doesn't really care about customers, but they do care about tweets that potential customers might see.

 

[TC Diesel]

No... Twitter does not have any effect... No one I know cares what tweety comments in connection with services provided... it would NOT surprise me if your comment shadow Banned.

 

[Dream Big]

That sucks, man. Sorry that happened to you. If you do a full court press on corporate, fill out all the forms the way they want, and find a customer friendly dealership, you’ll probably get another engine without a lot of heartache. Make sure to get an attorney consult, though.

So my 2015 EcoDiesel with 44,000 miles blew up yesterday. Shook violently and spit all the oil out of the block.

• For those who had a blow up outside of warranty, what was your diagnostic fee to diagnose the root cause of the failure? Trying to get a ballpark/average, dealer said min 1hr, could be 5 depending on what it is.
• Has anyone had an engine replaced under the AEM 10 year 120k warranty? If not, no real reason to pay the $500-1k to get it diagnosed.
• For those with a blown engine, are you being told January to order it due to engineering hold and then 6-8mo for delivery (so 1 year turn around)?
• Are there any ongoing class action or 1:1 lawsuits over this?
• If you are out of pocket, you have a $20k truck with $10-14k to get a new engine. What are you guys doing, selling the truck as salvage? Waiting? Does someone rebuild these?
• Is the dealership keeping your truck for a year? I don't have room to store a vehicle that cannot move, so that plays into my next decisions as well.

Right now I will be out of pocket around $500-1k for the diagnostic between the towing each way and the labor. RAM customer service won't even talk to me until the diagnostic work is completed, and has refused any good will rental. They won't let me talk to a case worker until I'm out of pocket the diagnostic $$$-- which normally 100% makes sense, but this seems like enough of a non normal situation to ask for some flexibility.

I called a few dealerships, found one VERY helpful service manager (the only one willing to really even listen to the situation without just saying call RAM). She told me she would speak to their lead diesel mechanic who was out on vacation in a few days and call me back. After speaking with him, their advice was don't pay for a diagnostic since there's metal in the oil filter. Basically nothing they can do would convince RAM this is related to the specific items laid out in the 10/120k extended warranty from the EPA issue.

The truck has been garage kept, not a single scratch on it, not a single stain on the interior, has the bed cover, line x, tux mat floor mats, alpharex projector headlights, etc so I hate to let it go for $8-10k, but I can't see spending $13-15k to fix the engine and do without a truck for 1 year.
View attachment 3796

 

[TC Diesel]

The aera of concern with the Lawyer card, throw it to early and Stellantis will close the open case and move it to legal conflict. Exhaust all other Avenues first before throwing the lawyering up card.

 

[jj1987]

The aera of concern with the Lawyer card, throw it to early and Stellantis will close the open case and move it to legal conflict. Exhaust all other Avenues first before throwing the lawyering up card.

Yes, I'm gathering service records before saying the lawyer word to them. For now, the case manager is exploring good will options if I pay for diagnosis, and willing to discuss them proactively. As long as we meet somewhere in a reasonable middle ground, I don't want to involve a lawyer. This isn't a $50k brand new truck, it's a $25k tops truck. For them, it's a story floating around about a 44k mile truck. Realistically it's in the best interest of both parties to find a mutual agreement, and it feels like there's a chance that might happen now.

 

[jj1987]

update-- I'm on a flight and just got a voicemail from the case manager. She told me there's nothing she can do because the vehicle is 2 years out of the 5 year warranty. Since they don't do sales, she can't even offer any good will pricing in a new RAM, which really doesn't upset me that much since I don't really want to do business with RAM again, I just wanted to give them some way of earning my business back because I feel I would want that if I were in their shoes.

I guess now the next steps are fighting to get all recall and warranty work paperwork in my possession before any next steps or threatening a lawyer. That will at least get me through the consultation stage so I know what my options are.

I'll also see if I can find a $10k offer for the truck either on FB marketplace or at the RAM dealership as-is. I do have an $8k offer from a we buy junk cars site as the last resort for now.

update #2- they're now contacting the dealership in Orlando that I had good luck with (it's a 4.5hr drive but 100% worth it to get rid of my local dealer and back to one I really liked), to see what the sales department would do out of good will to get me back into the brand. I'm not hopeful at all that will work out, but at least giving them a chance.

 

[gofishingup]

Let them know if they are not willing to do anything you will sue them. If they won't do anything at that stage, contact a good LEMON LAW attorney and get an opinion on whether you have grounds for legal action. Get a LEMON LAW attorney in your state. Laws can be different from state to state so you need a LEMON LAW attorney that practices in your state. Remember, just because the warranty has expired doesn't mean you don't have a cause of action against FCA.

I know people on the inside at FCA and they basically are saying FCA knows the 3.0 has serious problems and they can't wait until all of them are gone (aged out). If you raise enough hell with them, you'll have a better chance of getting a goodwill replacement. The squeaky wheel seems to get the grease.

Interesting I just got a recall on my RAM on a non motor issue that says they don't have a fix for the problem but they say it is very dangerous as the truck can lose power and is at risk to crash. They say when they have a fix for the problem, the dealership will make the fix free of charge. My question to FCA, what about the 6 times that my truck went into limp mode because the truck was having engine malfunctions because it is a 3.0 diesel? On two of these occasions I came close to getting in a serious accident because I was on the freeway and basically lost all power and coasted to a stop in middle of a four lane freeway. How come FCA is not concerned about my safety when the 3.0 fails but if the issue is not related to the motor and the truck shuts down, now it is a serious safety issue? This would appear to have the markings of a class action lawsuit.