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33 Replies
- FCA knew that truck had the ratio before it was delivered. Without the correct ratio in the PCM the vehicle goes into limp mode right away. All the wheel speed and trans sensors must agree on RPM or else no go.
- I bought a new '01 F150 with the "tow package". Part of the advertised package was a "heavy duty" (thicker) radiator. Well the engineers decided that the thicker radiator was not needed, but the marketing dept. still kept advertising the "heavy duty" radiator. A customer complained. Ford sent out a notice to every affected customer offering $100 cash, a $500 voucher good for a new vehicle or a new radiator. I took the radiator.
They messed up, but they fixed it. Anybody can make a mistake. What matters is what you do to make it right. Ford did the right thing. I bought another new F150 in '13. Home Skillet wrote:
Not true - all available axle ratios are certified so that certification is not affected by a different ratio being installed.
It is not as simple as changing the gears.
The vehicle is certified as it is sold. Any alterations will affect the certification by the EPA etc.
Diffs are NOT installed at the vehicle assembly plant, entire axles are shipped in with different part numbers for each combination.
Don't know about RAM, but where I used to work all major assemblies were verified by bar code AND component serial numbers recorded. A wrong axle assembly simply would not get through.
I would suspect the wrong ratio was installed at the axle assembly plant and RAM has just discovered that.- You have to understand how highly automated assembly lines are these days...especially
automotive
The build work order is all done via computers and the minions of robots down
stream from the main frame that generated and sent the order just follow orders
The robots order the parts, pick the parts out of stock, etc, etc
Staged into bins/pallets/etc for 'that order code'
EVERYTHING is scanned multiple times during their journey to the assembly line
The robots or assembly folks has the vehicle chassis show up at their station
and the various parts (either big or tiny) show up exactly at that time and spot
There is no longer any 'thought' about the diff gear set's ratio...it is just a
'part' that will be installed to that vehicle
This is just a part of ISO9000 metrics and documentation will be
reviewed closely...to me, sad that ISO9000 certification is just a
one time thing to then after gaining ISO9000...it is pretty much
self re-certification...until something like this happens...
Class action, as if their system allowed a wrong gear set on 'one'...what does
that say about the rest in these 'highly automated' systems?
One of my Past career was industrial controls, motor controls, robotics,
process control, factory automation, etc... - Wow... I wonder how prevalent the problem really is. RAM should be swapping out those rear end gears (and front end if 4x4). Or they should offer an either or deal ($750 bucks or new gears). Also, they should be hitting up their vendors if the screw up was due to their process as well.
- Did I misunderstand? Are they doing this to all 1500s? Or is this just a mistake that was made on a select few. It sounded like they came forward with the info on their own. A lot of blanket statements being made here. At the moment, that class action lawsuit involves ONE plaintiff.
- I thought they were bragging how they meet the new SAE towing standards. I guess they are overrated just like the others.
Home Skillet wrote:
It is not as simple as changing the gears.
The vehicle is certified as it is sold. Any alterations will affect the certification by the EPA etc.
Hu?
The paperwork said it was supposed to have one gear in it but it didn't. They screwed up. They are all factory gears. The EPA certs that factory gear for that truck.
Ram needs to step up and correct their mistake. (Ram dollars, that's funny)- It is not as simple as changing the gears.
The vehicle is certified as it is sold. Any alterations will affect the certification by the EPA etc. - They should offer that $750 as cash, then if turned down, change the gears. Don't forget 3.55 is not really their towing gear ratio anyhow.
