2002 Dodge RAM 1500

ON THURSDAY AUGUST 28, 2008, I WAS LEAVING AN INTERVIEW GOING ON THE HIGHWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY TRUCK BEGAN TO START SMOKING. I GOT OUT MY VEHICLE AND RAISED THE HOOD TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. WHEN I LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD SMOKE WAS COMING FROM THE ENGINE, AND FLUID WAS POURING OUT FROM THE RESERVOIR HOLES. I LOOKED IN MY VEHICLE AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS AT THE HALF WAY MARK AND THEIR WAS NO INDICATION LIGHTS ON INDICATING THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. AT THIS TIME I LET MY VEHICLE COOL OFF AND I ADDED SOME ANTIFREEZE. I ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE AND COULD ONLY GO ABOUT A HALF A MILE DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN WITH NO INDICATIONS OF THE VEHICLE RUNNING HOT. SO AT THIS TIME I CALLED A TOWING SERVICE AND HAD TO WAIT APPROXIMATELY FOUR HOURS FOR A TOW TRUCK TO COME AND TOW MY VEHICLE HOME. THE NEXT DAY I HAD MY TRUCK TOWED TO A MECHANIC AND HE SAID THAT THE MOTOR HAD BURNED UP. I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER SHIP AND WHEN THE MECHANICS THEIR INSPECTED MY TRUCK THEY SAID THAT THE COOLING FAN INSIDE THE "ECM" HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND THAT THE MOTOR WAS BURNED UP. THE SERVICE ADVISOR SAID THAT I WAS GOING TO NEED A NEW MOTOR AND THAT IT WAS GOING TO COST ME APPROXIMATELY $7800.00. WHICH I WANT THE MANUFACTURER TO PAY FOR SINCE THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF THESE PROBLEMS. *TR

WE HAVE A 2002 DODGE RAM 1500. WE ARE THE ONLY OWNER AND HAVE TAKEN GOOD MECHANICAL CARE OF THIS TRUCK. MY HUSBAND DRIVES A GOOD DISTANCE TO WORK AND WE HAVE AROUND 170XXX MILES ON THIS TRUCK. HAVEN'T HAD ALOT OF TROUBLE OUT OF IT UNTIL IT STARTED MISFIRING AND NOT STARTING. NOT TO BAD RIGHT....WRONG ONLY A FEW DAYS LATER THE CYLINDERS STARTED MISSING. NOW WE ARE TOLD THAT WE MUST BUY A NEW ENGINE FOR IT. THE JUNK YARD MODELS COST AROUND 1700 DOLLARS. WE STILL OWE AROUND $3100 SO CONSIDERING WHAT WE OWE AND THE INSURANCE OF 450 EVERY SIX MONTHS IT ISN'T EVEN WORTH FIXING TIME YOU ADD IN LABOR. THIS IS SO RIDICULOUS WE THOUGHT WE WOULD HAVE DROVE THIS TRUCK FOR A LONG TIME. I HAVE AN OLDER FORD AND IT HAS 350XXX MILES ON IT AND I BOUGHT THIS ONE USED I GUESS IT WAS TO MUCH TO HOPE FOR, FOR THIS DODGE RAM TO LAST LONG. *TR

NOV OF 2006 I TOOK MY TRUCK IN FOR MISFIRE AND COOLANT LOSE, THE DEALER CHECKED THE COOLING SYSTEM AND OK'D IT .THEY REPLACED MY SPARK PLUGS FOR THE MISFIRE. ABOUT A MONTH AGO THE TRUCK WAS NOT RUNNING CORRECTLY SINCE MY WARRANTY RAN OUT I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER SHOP THE ROCKER ARM FELL OFF, IT WAS REPLACED. A WEEK LATER 2 ROCKER ARMS FELL OFF. WITH EXTENSIVE RESEARCHED IT WAS DETERMINED I HAD A CRACKED HEAD. WHEN I CALLED THE AUTO MANUFACTURER CHRYSLER, I WAS TOLD IT WAS UNDER THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY AND I NEEDED TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALER. I DID NOT FEEL COMFTORABLE TAKING THIS TRUCK THAT WAS HALF APART TO ANOTHER MECHANIC TO TELL ME WHAT I ALREADY NEW, THAT THE HEAD WAS CRACKED COOLANT WAS LEAKING INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER CAUSING MY ROCKER ARMS TO BE BLOWN OFF. I TRIED TALKING TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT I PURCHASED IT FROM AND THEY SAID THAT CHRYSLER ALREADY MADE A DECISION ON THIS. ALL I WANTED WAS TO GET REPLACEMENT HEADS AND SOME COSTS OF REPAIRING THE TRUCK. IF THIS WOULD HAVE WENT TO THE DEALER THERE WAS GOING TO BE A COST FOR THEM. *TR

OIL PAN WAS REPLACED DUE TO RUST. COVERED BY WARRANTY, WITH $100 DEDUCTIBLE. APPARENTLY CHRYSLER CAN'T BUILD A PAN THAT WILL LAST A FULL FIVE YEARS. ALSO, ON THIRD SET OF BRAKES AT 81K MILES. APPARENTLY, AS SOON AS I TRADED MY TOYOTA, I STARTED DRIVING LIKE AN OLD LADY. EITHER THAT, OR THE BRAKES ON THE TRUCK ARE SUBSTANDARD. EMERGENCY BRAKE HANDLE BROKE IN LESS THAN 1 YEAR. ETC..........

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE CHECK GAUGES LIGHT AND AUDIBLE ALARM CAME ON. I LOOKED DOWN TO SEE I HAD NO OIL PRESSURE ON MY TRUCK. IT WAS A 2002 DODGE RAM 1500 QUAD CAB 4X4 WITH 69043 MILES. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND CHECKED THE OIL. EVERYTHING SEEMED OK. I THOUGHT START THE TRUCK TO SEE IF THERE WAS A FLUKE IN THE WARNING. THE OIL PRESSURE CAME UP AND I SET THERE EVERYTHING WAS OK. I PROCEEDED DOWN THE HIGHWAY. SHORTLY THEREAFTER PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE OIL PRESSURE I NOTICED IT DROPPING AGAIN. I PULLED OVER AND CALLED THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP AND THEN A TOW TRUCK TO PICK UP AND DELIVER MY TRUCK TO THE DEALER. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THE MOTOR NEEDS REPLACING AND WILL NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. OIL SLUDGE HAS BUILT UP IN THE MOTOR. THE OIL HAS BEEN CHANGED THREE TIMES BY A DODGE DEALERSHIP ONCE BY A LOCAL GARRAGE AND THE OTHER 5 TIMES BY ME. I HAVE CHANGED THE OIL AS RECCOMMENED BY THE VEHICLE MANUAL. THE FAILURE HAS CAUSED A ENGINE LOSS AND REPLACEMENT IS REQUIRED. I HAVE TRIED TO WORK EXTENSIVLEY WITH THE DEALERSHIP AND CHRYSLER CORPORATION WITH REFUSAL FROM BOTH. THE TRUCK IS CURRENTLY AT FAILURE WAITING FOR WARRANTY REPAIRS. *AK

2002 DODGE RAM 1500 5.9 - VEHICLE OFTEN STALLS OR ALMOST STALLS DUE TO COMING TO A STOP AT A STOP SIGN/LIGHT, DRIVING BELOW 5 MPH, OR STARTING THE TRUCK. THE RPMS WILL DROP BELOW 500 AND THE TRUCK WILL START TO SPUDDER & THEN STALL. IT STALLED COMING UP TO A STOP SIGN MORE THAN ONCE CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO LOCK AND ALMOST CAUSING ACCIDENTS. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, COULDN'T FIND A PROBLEM SO I HAD FUEL SYSTEM CLEANED & THROTTLE BODY CLEANED. DID NOT FIX ISSUE. *JB

LOST ENGINE OIL PRESSURE . USED BERRYMANSB12 IN ENGINE OIL . OIL PRESSURE CAME BACK . DRAINED OIL AND INSTALLED NEW OIL AND FILTER . STARTED ENGINE NO OIL PRESSURE . REMOVED OIL PAN , SUCTION SCREEN PLUGGED WITH SLUDGE AND HARD OIL DEPOSITS . CLEANED EVERYTHING . INSTALLED OIL PAN . NEW OIL AND FILTER . STARTED ENGINE , SO FAR OK . HAVE 110,000 MILES ON ENGINE. *NM

DRIVING ON RT. 10 IN NJ, OIL PRESSURE GAUGE DROPPED AND ENGINE MADE A LOUD NOISE AND STOPPED. BARELY MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, AFTER ALMOST GETTING REAR ENDED. HAD IT TOWED TO DEALER WHERE DODGE'S INDEPENDENT INSPECTOR SAID IT WAS THE THERMOSTAT. HAD ENGINE REPLACED BY MY MECHANIC AND WAS DETERMINED TO BE SLUDGE BUILD UP WITH THE PUMP COMPLETELY CLOGGED AND THE OIL SCREEN ALSO CLOGGED WITH METAL FRAGMENTS. *JB