RECALL W58 - Crankshaft position sensor tone wheel may delaminate

[BoostN]

Summary
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ram 1500 and 2014-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with 3.0L diesel engines. The crankshaft position sensor tone wheel may delaminate causing the engine to lose its ability to synchronize the fuel injector pulses and cam shaft timing, possibly resulting in an engine stall.

Remedy
FCA US will notify owners, and dealers will update the powertrain control module software to maintain vehicle propulsion by reading the camshaft position signal in the event that the crankshaft position signal is lost, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin October 2, 2020. Owners may contact FCA US customer service at 1-800-853-2002. FCA US's number for this recall is W58.

Notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

[boosti]

A fix should arrive soon, my 2015 Ram is currently sitting for two weeks at the dealer. The engine light is on since the second AEM software update in May.
On a positive note. I received the $3,075 from the Class Action Lawsuit after waiting 3 months of going back and forth with an incompetent case manager who said I would have the check in 6 weeks back in June.
The dealership knows about the 30 day period that includes all 2014-2016 Ecodiesel models who had the AEM software update can file for a buyback.

 

[VBCC87]

Our 2016 1500 was towed to a dealer in Colorado and has been stuck there since the 1st of October. The latest from service is that new parts may be available in January. The software fix apparently is not going to happen. No doubt this will be another law suit. We will be without our truck for 3+ months!

 

[boosti]

I brought my vehicle in for the recall the other day. The dealership called me to have me return to pick up my vehicle since the part is unavailable. I called Ram Customer Care and was advised that January 21, 2021 parts will be available. The dealership scheduled me for a loaner vehicle in February to hopefully fix the issue. You definitely need to research any recall or problem before going in for service. Document any work performed by the dealer.

 

[Jaa1212mba]

When I get on MOPAR to read about the recall status, I see that it states that parts are still unavailable. I am supposedly in the system at my local dealership to be called as soon as parts are available, but am considering the thought of trading in my beloved truck. I have always wanted this particular truck and hate that I am having to consider this. Has anyone actually gotten their truck fixed yet? Thanks!

 

[VBCC87]

Yes after 3 months my truck was repaired with a new tone wheel. Mine broke down in Colorado on a trip at the end of September and was towed to the dealer in Colorado Springs. He had us on a priority list and finally at the end of December received a part. We are in Texas and Chrysler transported the truck to us in January. I have a neighbor with one and he hasn't had the problem yet. When ours failed it shut down, did no engine damage but was dead. The new tone wheel brought it back to life and it runs like it did before the problem.

 

[Gommy]

Yes after 3 months my truck was repaired with a new tone wheel. Mine broke down in Colorado on a trip at the end of September and was towed to the dealer in Colorado Springs. He had us on a priority list and finally at the end of December received a part. We are in Texas and Chrysler transported the truck to us in January. I have a neighbor with one and he hasn't had the problem yet. When ours failed it shut down, did no engine damage but was dead. The new tone wheel brought it back to life and it runs like it did before the problem.

Is this new tone wheel repair a recall issue. I am being told by a Texas dealership that this repair will be over $1700, but they want to do the recall work at the same time. I looked at the recall items on my computer this evening and it appears that one recall item is similar to the repair they want to do for $1700+. Please let me know your thoughts.

 

[VBCC87]

The tone wheel repair was covered under the recall in my case, no charge to me for the repair. I have been informed that there will be an additional software fix. I have no information whether or not the software fix will completely bypass the tone wheel replacement requirement.

 

[KAH]

Excuse me for being mechanically naive. How does a software upgrade correct the loss of the position sensor by ignoring it? Can the truck run properly with no sensor? It seems like this is a cheap temporary fix and the underlying problem still exists. "the engine looses its ability to synchronize injector pulses and cam timing".
Thanks for any insight.

 

[Brady]

The software patches the complete loss of engine failure by reading the crankshaft position from another sensor. What that does is allow the engine to run in a reduced capacity. It is designed to "limp it" home rather than a complete loss of power. It could help navigate a potentially dangerous situation. It does not fix the root problem and is a temporary fix.

 

[Miller001]

I was lucky enough to have mine let loose, then three weeks later the engine implodes....

 

[Barney556180]

Passing this on from Green Diesel Engineering (GDE):

With the W58 recall, if tone wheel fails while driving under load, the engine will blip for a moment, turn on a CEL and continue running in limp mode. This will limit you to about 45mph and very slow acceleration. It will allow a restart as well, albeit in limp mode. You will need to visit a dealer asap to get tone wheel replaced eliminate the limp mode and CEL. If the tone wheel fails at idle, the blip is enough to stall the engine and then you would have to restart. This is like one of those kiddie band aids, does not do much and you still need stitches.

 

[TooClose Racing]

Gentlemen (and ladies) - I thought I would bump this to the top of the forum(s) to see what the latest intelligence is from our community of Eco-Diesel owners. I realize there is another very long forum thread on this subject. But first - my comments:

1) The W58 recall seems like the stupidest - and seemingly illegitimate - "fix" I have ever heard of insofar as...IT DOESN'T FIX THE PROBLEM. Is anyone aware of legal actions in progress to address this flim-flam?

2) It seems to me that all Eco-Diesel owners (or at least owners of the 2014-2018 models with the "weak" tone wheel/crankshaft sensor) should be eligible for the W68 recall - ie, the recall that fixes the problem/replaces the tone wheel parts.

But not all owners of these vehicles are being offered that option, and I'll just confess I still don't really understand why, but oh well. What I want to ask is this: have any Eco-Diesel owners been able to get their dealers to perform the W68 recall/warranty repair, even though they were only eligible for the W58 "get me off the highway so I can make it to dealer for $X000 tone wheel repair?"

My Eco-Diesel only has 2015 38k miles on it(I'm a little old lady from Pasadena...), and this really seems like a +75-80k miles issue, so I'm not like "Oh &#%$, I need to do something right away!". But I would still appreciate the latest and greatest thoughts on this.

Thanks!!!

Bob Close

 

[Fatonr]

Any one else get the lame 8 year warranty extension for the control knob issue? So if you bought an early 2014 you get a year of warranty before you ate 100 percent responsible for a quality issue Chrysler refuses to fix? I get 2 years on my 2015. Should have been 6 years from date of agreement for all owners

 

[Gommy]

Any one else get the lame 8 year warranty extension for the control knob issue? So if you bought an early 2014 you get a year of warranty before you ate 100 percent responsible for a quality issue Chrysler refuses to fix? I get 2 years on my 2015. Should have been 6 years from date of agreement for all owners

Did you call Mopar Customer Care (MCC)? The dealership tried to tell me I would be charged for the entire repair and that it wasn't covered under recall or warranty, but after looking at my recall details and information provided by this forum, I smelled a rat and contacted MCC. MCC was very helpful, but the dealership kept trying to do what they were doing and lessen my bill which most people would have settled for after the initial estimate. I knew from the forum and the recall information that it was a recall incident and a recall repair. Mopar wouldn't really speak out against the dealership and what they were trying to do, but they did cover the expense of the repair and my rental vehicle, but it wasn't without a lot of headache, inconvenience and time on the phone. I would push to get reimbursed if you paid ANY out of pocket $$$ for that repair!

 

[Gommy]

Gentlemen (and ladies) - I thought I would bump this to the top of the forum(s) to see what the latest intelligence is from our community of Eco-Diesel owners. I realize there is another very long forum thread on this subject. But first - my comments:

1) The W58 recall seems like the stupidest - and seemingly illegitimate - "fix" I have ever heard of insofar as...IT DOESN'T FIX THE PROBLEM. Is anyone aware of legal actions in progress to address this flim-flam?

2) It seems to me that all Eco-Diesel owners (or at least owners of the 2014-2018 models with the "weak" tone wheel/crankshaft sensor) should be eligible for the W68 recall - ie, the recall that fixes the problem/replaces the tone wheel parts.

But not all owners of these vehicles are being offered that option, and I'll just confess I still don't really understand why, but oh well. What I want to ask is this: have any Eco-Diesel owners been able to get their dealers to perform the W68 recall/warranty repair, even though they were only eligible for the W58 "get me off the highway so I can make it to dealer for $X000 tone wheel repair?"

My Eco-Diesel only has 2015 38k miles on it(I'm a little old lady from Pasadena...), and this really seems like a +75-80k miles issue, so I'm not like "Oh &#%$, I need to do something right away!". But I would still appreciate the latest and greatest thoughts on this.

Thanks!!!

Bob Close

They did replace my tone wheel and the repairs were covered under all of the preceding recalls W58, the emissions recall, etc. which I had avoided because of fuel economy degradation. At the time of repair, I had about 120k miles on vehicle. I had to agree to all of the recall issues being performed, which I had avoided in the past because of forum complaints. Mopar Customer Care covered the cost of a rental vehicle for the time it took for the dealership to make the repair, as well. It was all a big headache and inconvenience, but I am a little ole lady from Texas and I was glad to be made close to financially whole again anyway.

 

[Fatonr]

I don't have an issue but if do starting in late 2023 then at that point my best guess is dealership will ask for my credit card to pay the full freight to fix a known manufacturer defect. So the Ram will go on its way by that date to mitigate that risk to my bank account just matter if including RAM on my shopping list or not when the time comes

 

[bellarky]

I took my 2014 EcoDiesel to dealer today for the W58 recall and was told they had seen the upgrade take out the vehicle’s ECU in some instances. I respectfully declined the “fix” and drove home. Anyone else heard this?

 

[1shadowsabre]

I took my 2014 EcoDiesel to dealer today for the W58 recall and was told they had seen the upgrade take out the vehicle’s ECU in some instances. I respectfully declined the “fix” and drove home. Anyone else heard this?

Nope, that's a new one on me!

 

[Gommy]

"SERVICE DEF SYSTEM See Dealer" Has anyone had this message before?

Ever since I had my recall work done on the crankshaft tone wheel, emissions settlement recalls...almost six months ago, I no longer get the messages that tell me that my DEF filter is 80% full to drive highway speeds to regenerate...BUT I have been getting the service engine light that shows the engine block. That usually happened when the dealership has been closed so I have pulled into O'Reilly's the last two times it has happened and they scratch their heads and say "DEF particulate filter service...". The light eventually went out on its own each time, so I assume it's a computer reprogram thing and I get that light now instead of the message to drive highway speeds until the filter regenerates.

When I had my vehicle serviced (oil change, etc) at the dealership after the first time the service light came on I shared the experience with the service advisor (SA). He just said it was an old code and not to worry about it. I live 40 miles from the closest dealership. This past week I was driving into town and a message came on my panel that said "SERVICE DEF SYSTEM See Dealer" so I drove right into the dealership and the SA hooked up her cable and said that it was an inactive code for my DEF filter and they couldn't get it in to look at it until this next week. I agreed to bring it back next Monday. I start heading back home and 5 miles from the dealership I get another message. Something to the effect if I didn't see dealer immediately my vehicle would not start in 200 miles. I immediately called the SA back and read the message to her. She explained to me that I would have to have the DEF filter cleaned which requires the dealership to remove soot from the crankshaft and that is a $1000 menu item. They don't offer loaner cars and rental cars are about $60/day with the dealership's discount. Here I am living 40 miles from town, six days away from the time that they can even begin to look at the truck. I asked if this could have anything to do with the recall work I already had done and she said they would have to get it in and get their diagnostics team to look at it. The earliest that could happen is Monday and I would have to give them 24-48 hours to even diagnose it.

I am thinking if there is soot in the crankshaft, how could it have built up to a critical point in less than six months and <10k miles if they removed and replaced the tone wheel back in February for the recall work??

Is anyone else familiar with this?? Not sure if I should post this on this thread or a different thread, but since I am suspicious that the tone wheel service I had earlier may be the issue associated with this new message, I am curious!