19 2500 6.4 issues

[Inside Man]

Afternoon guys.

So, about three weeks ago I purchased my 3rd Ram. My other two were 4th gen 1500's and never had a problem with either of them.

I purchased this 19 2500 6.4 with 25 thousand miles with the intensions of starting my own business and using it to pull various heavy trailers. This truck was found on a dealership sight about an hour away from my house. Beautiful inside and out after checking it out in person.

Anyway, the day before yesterday my wife and I were out with friends about an hour away from home. We stopped out to dinner to start the night off. After dinner, we went out to the truck, jumped in and hit the start button. The truck started like it usually did but shut of right away like somebody had shut the key off.

I attempted to start it back up but seemed to be stuck in accessory. Everything was powered up as normal, but it was like there was no communication to the starter. It wouldn't do anything while hitting the start button.

After attempting this a couple times, the truck started right up and ran fine but had a check engine light. It sucked but I thought to myself "at least I got a code" and will take it in the next day "but for tonight thankfully we are still able to accommodate our company".

We pulled out of the parking lot and caught a red light. We sat there for about half a minute, truck running fine. The light turned green, and we were about six vehicles back from the intersection. As we proceeded to turn left through the busy intersection, again it was like somebody just hit the key. Luckily, I was able to finish the turn in the intersection and make my way to the curb lane.

I looked down at the dash and a bunch of different warning lights were coming up on the screen. Check trailer harness, service fuel filter, service stable track, service abs system, cannot read tire pressure as well as the check engine light. After traffic had given me a window to jump out of the truck, I popped the hood and started wiggling wires thinking there was some kind of electrical issue with a positive or ground wire.

I kept jumping in and out of the truck trying the start button but to no avail. Finally, after five- or six-minutes a cop pulled in behind me and offered to help push the truck to the nearest parking lot which was quite a bit away. We were able to get the truck into the parking lot where I tried it several more times. No joy.

We ended up having to pay just under four hundred dollars to get the truck flat bedded to a dodge dealership closest to my home which was a little over an hour away. We also had to get an Uber home as we were not able to catch a ride with the driver which again was more than I care to share.

So yesterday I called the dealership that I bought the truck at to find out what kind of help I could get to which the reply was if it was the powertrain, it would be covered. This does not put me in a good mood knowing damn well that it's not the powertrain that's the issue.

So, the dealer that currently has the truck called me today and said that they pulled a code, but it was running fine. He didn't tell me what code it was but did tell me that none of the modules in the truck were communicating. However, after clearing the code, they were not able to replicate the issue and the truck was still running tip top and I should come pick it up. I expressed my concern about pulling heavy trailers and losing the power brakes and steering while doing so could be a big issue. If they were not able to find the issue, I could no longer have trust in my vehicle. Obviously, there's nothing he could do for me which was understandable.

I still had a couple more hours until I got off of work and pick the truck up so we both agreed that they would take the truck for another long drive on the freeway and backroads to try to replicate the issue again. He ended up calling me back about twenty minutes before I got off work and told me that I was going to have to leave the truck overnight again. Apparently, they fired it up to take it for another ride and it crapped out on them before they were able to get off the lot with it.

So that's where we are at. I no longer have confidence in the truck if they can't find the source of the problem and the more I search the forums the more I'm getting scared out of my mind because I don't have the money for somebody to just take guesses on what the problem could be. I also don't have the money to keep getting this thing towed every time we find out that the last part thrown at it didn't work.

Should I ask the dealership that I purchased the truck at to purchase the truck back? Is that even an option? It's been less than thirty days.



What should I do guys?

 

[huntergreen]

Let’s see what they come up with first.

 

[Inside Man]

Contacted the dealership I purchased the truck from to not only update them on the truck but also to discuss some options with them and to let them know a couple directions I'm thinking about heading depending on what the dealership that the truck is at now finds or doesn't find.

So today I was around the corner of where the truck was being worked on, so I swung by to see how it was going for them. Unfortunately, they were just pulling the truck in so there was no progress. The good thing about it was that at least the truck was able to be started and pulled in. The service writer told me that there were still a couple lights on the dash that still needed to be looked into. Thats about all the info I got from them. I looked around and they seemed really busy, so I didn't want to stand there taking up more of their time.

On the way back out to my car, the dealership that I bought the truck called me back. This time I believe it was the GM. He asked me about an update on the truck and told me that if this dealership didn't find anything that he would suggest taking it to another Ram dealer and that he would pay for the haul. He also said to get a rental car and send him the bill and that he would be paying for the original tow that took place from the breakdown.

I must admit that I was pleased with the way he handled business and expressed my thanks to him as well as my concern about not finding the issue and this happening with a heavy trailer on the back. I lost power steering and brakes when this happened the first time and it was a pain to get it out of traffic safely, but if There was a trailer on the back, I think somebody would have gotten hurt or worse. He told me that he completely understood my situation and that he would be standing by for further information on what this dealership finds.

He also told me that he sees that the computer was replaced back in 2020 on the Carfax to which I don't recall seeing on the copy that they gave me. I told him that it makes me think that maybe this was happening to original owner which is why the mileage is so low on it and maybe they too were out of options and replaced the computer in hopes that this was the issue. Maybe it didn't work so he decided to off the truck on something he could depend on. He also agreed to my concern on that theory as well. Maybe I'll see if I can pull a maintenance history on it.

So far this is an inconvenience however I am pleased with the direction this is going.

 

[White six four]

Sounds like you bought it from a good place. At least they are covering the tow, a rental, and want to help. Hopefully its something simple and or gets fixed quickly.

 

[Inside Man]

Agreed. My concern is how are they going to act after the 30-day mark is over. If I'm not mistaken, I have 30 days from the purchase date to return the vehicle. We'll see.

He did say he was more concerned about the long-term relationship than the truck.

So far, they seem to be saying and doing all the right things.

 

[Musky Mike]

Sounds like the back window/third brake light is leaking and there is corrosion starting in the RF Hub. Not if the RF hub is behind the rear seat on the wall like the 1500s.

 

[Inside Man]

Just an update for everyone. So, we left off with me having to pick the truck up from the dealership. I ended up getting picked up from work by the wife and headed up to the dealership where the truck was waiting for me. Fired right up with no lights on the dash. Got about a quarter mile down the road and the truck started running like crap and the check engine light came on. Decided to take it the rest of the way home.

Called the dealership that I purchased the truck at and let them know what was going on. The manager told me to take it back and tell the dealership to call him.

I left the truck sit for about half a week until my next day off of work. I took the truck back in. The same service writer helped me out but this time it was....... different. He asked if he could help me and as we talked, I realized that he had no recollection of helping me just from one week ago. He had no clue as to what I was talking about when I described the work that his mechanics had done prior, nor the extensive conversations that he and I had just days before. He went on to explain to me that they were not able to look at the truck that particular day due to them not having a diesel tech available. Keep in mind we are standing next to the truck with the Hemi badge well within view. Needless to say, that this was my tipping point, and my temper may have gotten the best of me. After I explained to him how frustrated I was that he was not familiar with me or the truck from just less than a week ago, as well as the fact that the truck was not a diesel, I told him that I would be taking the truck with me instead of leaving it.

I had purchased a Challenger RT, Challenger SRT-8 and two other Dodge ram 1500's off of this dealership but a can guarantee that somebody else will be getting my business from this point. I took the truck home and parked it until I could collect my thoughts, calm down and make a logical decision on how to move forward.

Funny enough that it ran pretty good on the way home, but the check engine light stayed on. After the truck sat all week, I decided to erase the codes and check engine light. The truck ran great all week, so the wife used it to pick my son up from his last day of school.

As she was pulling out in traffic the truck shut off again. Thankfully nobody hit her. Also, she was able to put the truck in park and restart it and continue home.

This was my fault as I should have known better than to let her take something that we couldn't depend on and because of that, she and the kids could have gotten hurt being that the traffic is pretty bad up in that part of town. Anyway, this morning I had off of work, so I called the dealership that I purchased the truck at and he told me to take it to another dealership, tell them what's going on and to have them call him. I drove to the other dealership and 40 minutes east of me and after explaining to them the story, they didn't want anything to do with the truck. This didn't upset me much because I can't really say that I blame them.

I called the manager back where I purchased the truck and just told him that I was done messing around and that I was beside myself with this entire situation. He asked me if I thought the truck would make it out to them to which I responded, I will try. What do we have to lose, if it doesn't make it, it'll be coming to you on a flatbed anyways. The trip was uneventful, and the truck ran great all the way there. Talked with the manager who's an incredibly nice guy. He said he was going to get some kind of specialist on it and gave me a rental and told me that he would call me when it's done.

After I got home, the wife and I came to the conclusion that when I pick the truck up, I'll let the manager know that if another related event like this happens after we get it home, we will be looking to pursue other options than just simply getting the truck repaired. When I talked with him, during our conversation I let him know that everything on my end has been documented and I was hoping that he was doing the same. This was more or less just to plant the seed that this is the last chance to fix the truck.

So, we will see what happens. All in all, at this point I have no issues with this dealership. The sale of the truck was great and so far, I think the manager has been doing a great job handling this issue. I felt his apologies have been sincere and understand that there was no way of them knowing what they were selling me. I absolutely love the truck other than these issues and would not hesitate to purchase another Ram......... well maybe not a 2019 (covid) Ram.

I'll keep you posted.

 

[Wild one]

Just an update for everyone. So, we left off with me having to pick the truck up from the dealership. I ended up getting picked up from work by the wife and headed up to the dealership where the truck was waiting for me. Fired right up with no lights on the dash. Got about a quarter mile down the road and the truck started running like crap and the check engine light came on. Decided to take it the rest of the way home.

Called the dealership that I purchased the truck at and let them know what was going on. The manager told me to take it back and tell the dealership to call him.

I left the truck sit for about half a week until my next day off of work. I took the truck back in. The same service writer helped me out but this time it was....... different. He asked if he could help me and as we talked, I realized that he had no recollection of helping me just from one week ago. He had no clue as to what I was talking about when I described the work that his mechanics had done prior, nor the extensive conversations that he and I had just days before. He went on to explain to me that they were not able to look at the truck that particular day due to them not having a diesel tech available. Keep in mind we are standing next to the truck with the Hemi badge well within view. Needless to say, that this was my tipping point, and my temper may have gotten the best of me. After I explained to him how frustrated I was that he was not familiar with me or the truck from just less than a week ago, as well as the fact that the truck was not a diesel, I told him that I would be taking the truck with me instead of leaving it.

I had purchased a Challenger RT, Challenger SRT-8 and two other Dodge ram 1500's off of this dealership but a can guarantee that somebody else will be getting my business from this point. I took the truck home and parked it until I could collect my thoughts, calm down and make a logical decision on how to move forward.

Funny enough that it ran pretty good on the way home, but the check engine light stayed on. After the truck sat all week, I decided to erase the codes and check engine light. The truck ran great all week, so the wife used it to pick my son up from his last day of school.

As she was pulling out in traffic the truck shut off again. Thankfully nobody hit her. Also, she was able to put the truck in park and restart it and continue home.

This was my fault as I should have known better than to let her take something that we couldn't depend on and because of that, she and the kids could have gotten hurt being that the traffic is pretty bad up in that part of town. Anyway, this morning I had off of work, so I called the dealership that I purchased the truck at and he told me to take it to another dealership, tell them what's going on and to have them call him. I drove to the other dealership and 40 minutes east of me and after explaining to them the story, they didn't want anything to do with the truck. This didn't upset me much because I can't really say that I blame them.

I called the manager back where I purchased the truck and just told him that I was done messing around and that I was beside myself with this entire situation. He asked me if I thought the truck would make it out to them to which I responded, I will try. What do we have to lose, if it doesn't make it, it'll be coming to you on a flatbed anyways. The trip was uneventful, and the truck ran great all the way there. Talked with the manager who's an incredibly nice guy. He said he was going to get some kind of specialist on it and gave me a rental and told me that he would call me when it's done.

After I got home, the wife and I came to the conclusion that when I pick the truck up, I'll let the manager know that if another related event like this happens after we get it home, we will be looking to pursue other options than just simply getting the truck repaired. When I talked with him, during our conversation I let him know that everything on my end has been documented and I was hoping that he was doing the same. This was more or less just to plant the seed that this is the last chance to fix the truck.

So, we will see what happens. All in all, at this point I have no issues with this dealership. The sale of the truck was great and so far, I think the manager has been doing a great job handling this issue. I felt his apologies have been sincere and understand that there was no way of them knowing what they were selling me. I absolutely love the truck other than these issues and would not hesitate to purchase another Ram......... well maybe not a 2019 (covid) Ram.

I'll keep you posted.

Odds are the truck was built before Covid hit,if it's a 19.Build date will be listed on the drivers side door jamb.Covid didn't really start affecting things until the 20 model years and newer

 

[Inside Man]

Well damn. There goes my theory. I'm just so used to everybody STILL using covid as the excuse.

I don't know about you guys, but nothing around me has bounced back since covid. I'm tired of it. I just finished 11 years in the Infantry to get home and see how bad things are.

Everybody is hiring anyone that can breathe just to fill slots, and nobody gives a **** about anything. When you have the nerve to complain..........somehow covid.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Well damn. There goes my theory. I'm just so used to everybody STILL using covid as the excuse.

I don't know about you guys, but nothing around me has bounced back since covid. I'm tired of it. I just finished 11 years in the Infantry to get home and see how bad things are.

Everybody is hiring anyone that can breathe just to fill slots, and nobody gives a **** about anything. When you have the nerve to complain..........somehow covid.

I lived in real rural AR when that came around. It really didn't make a dent in many people's lives. The only place(s) I remember it being a requirement to wear a mask was in the doctor's office.