Ram suspension problem

goducks10 wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
^ Never seen that as part of any vehicles warranty coverage.
One could reasonably argue that alignment was off from the get go on a new vehicle and have a good chance of getting it covered, but doubt it's an official thing.

And not really applicable to the OPs situation, unless the steering pull started right after the dealer did the goober fix on the drag link adjuster.
In which case I'd been back to the dealer first.

On that note, this whole weld the nutz thing is a debacle and has smelled funny since it came out. Just, historically, have NEVER seen a tie rod or drag link adjuster loosen itself up on its own. My WAG is there were some left loose during production. Jose and Enrique fell asleep on the assembly line a few times from too many Tequilas at lunch break. And since no one has video evidence of them sleeping on the job, the cause is unknow and therefore, out of an abundance of caution, has become a recall.
If it is a concern I can think of at least 3 different, easy, ways off the top of my head to rectify it without breaking out the Lincoln and the 7018 rod. All of which are less invasive, more easily reversible and not as knee-jerk as "Welder up!"
But this would put just a leetle beet of responsibility on the vehicle owner to have an IQ over room temperature which open up the company to liability from the masses that are working in sweater weather IQ regions!

I was told when I had mine welded that it was welded because the adjuster tube portion of the adjustment parts could possibly crack.
I still wonder why Ram went away from the 2012 style drag link. It was super easy to do any adjustments.

Grit dog wrote:
Fish and MeAgain, been a while since you guys got so far off topic with the ram mafia vs blue oval peeing match, but wth is the volumes of quoted "data" supposed to signify?

The thread was about a guy who's mechanic(s) fuubarred a repair on his truck.
Which appeared to happen after the "recall" work, that set you guys off, happened.
Good grief...

richclover wrote:

richclover wrote:

Right, no resolution and, in fact, worse. The alignment adjustment the dealer added left me with the steering wheel off center. Easily fixed by cutting a weld on the draglink jam nut, making the adjustment and welding again. Which the 3rd tire shop did as part of the fix.

The dealer spent significant time looking for the problem, including putting the truck on their alignment rack. I’m thinking alignment is not covered by warranty on a 10,000 mile truck so I might get a bill for that. Their non-productive “investigation” I will argue against paying for.

Update on Monday.

Meanwhile I put some I-80 miles on the truck this morning. Happy to say that it’s driving 99.9% better. Thanks to Plains Tires, Bear River Drive, Evanston, WY.

Yep, it's fixed.

The dealer, this morning, presented me with a bill for 1 hour labor plus the alignment. Asked if I agreed, I said nope. I agreed with and paid for the hour labor. After I explained that their alignment just made things worse they dropped that charge.

So I paid for the inspection of all springs, shocks, ball joints and the draglink. Nothing wrong was found.

End of story ;)

richclover wrote:

Right, no resolution and, in fact, worse. The alignment adjustment the dealer added left me with the steering wheel off center. Easily fixed by cutting a weld on the draglink jam nut, making the adjustment and welding again. Which the 3rd tire shop did as part of the fix.

The dealer spent significant time looking for the problem, including putting the truck on their alignment rack. I’m thinking alignment is not covered by warranty on a 10,000 mile truck so I might get a bill for that. Their non-productive “investigation” I will argue against paying for.

Update on Monday.

Meanwhile I put some I-80 miles on the truck this morning. Happy to say that it’s driving 99.9% better. Thanks to Plains Tires, Bear River Drive, Evanston, WY.

Grit dog wrote:

goducks10 wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
^ Never seen that as part of any vehicles warranty coverage.
One could reasonably argue that alignment was off from the get go on a new vehicle and have a good chance of getting it covered, but doubt it's an official thing.

And not really applicable to the OPs situation, unless the steering pull started right after the dealer did the goober fix on the drag link adjuster.
In which case I'd been back to the dealer first.

On that note, this whole weld the nutz thing is a debacle and has smelled funny since it came out. Just, historically, have NEVER seen a tie rod or drag link adjuster loosen itself up on its own. My WAG is there were some left loose during production. Jose and Enrique fell asleep on the assembly line a few times from too many Tequilas at lunch break. And since no one has video evidence of them sleeping on the job, the cause is unknow and therefore, out of an abundance of caution, has become a recall.
If it is a concern I can think of at least 3 different, easy, ways off the top of my head to rectify it without breaking out the Lincoln and the 7018 rod. All of which are less invasive, more easily reversible and not as knee-jerk as "Welder up!"
But this would put just a leetle beet of responsibility on the vehicle owner to have an IQ over room temperature which open up the company to liability from the masses that are working in sweater weather IQ regions!

I was told when I had mine welded that it was welded because the adjuster tube portion of the adjustment parts could possibly crack.
I still wonder why Ram went away from the 2012 style drag link. It was super easy to do any adjustments.

No, if you even looked at the "repair", the parts involved or read the actual tsb or any other documentation about it, you'd realize this couldn't be further from the truth, for multiple reasons.

goducks10 wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
^ Never seen that as part of any vehicles warranty coverage.
One could reasonably argue that alignment was off from the get go on a new vehicle and have a good chance of getting it covered, but doubt it's an official thing.

And not really applicable to the OPs situation, unless the steering pull started right after the dealer did the goober fix on the drag link adjuster.
In which case I'd been back to the dealer first.

On that note, this whole weld the nutz thing is a debacle and has smelled funny since it came out. Just, historically, have NEVER seen a tie rod or drag link adjuster loosen itself up on its own. My WAG is there were some left loose during production. Jose and Enrique fell asleep on the assembly line a few times from too many Tequilas at lunch break. And since no one has video evidence of them sleeping on the job, the cause is unknow and therefore, out of an abundance of caution, has become a recall.
If it is a concern I can think of at least 3 different, easy, ways off the top of my head to rectify it without breaking out the Lincoln and the 7018 rod. All of which are less invasive, more easily reversible and not as knee-jerk as "Welder up!"
But this would put just a leetle beet of responsibility on the vehicle owner to have an IQ over room temperature which open up the company to liability from the masses that are working in sweater weather IQ regions!

I was told when I had mine welded that it was welded because the adjuster tube portion of the adjustment parts could possibly crack.
I still wonder why Ram went away from the 2012 style drag link. It was super easy to do any adjustments.

FishOnOne wrote:

Me Again wrote:

FishOnOne wrote:


Do you still wonder why Dodge ram was forced to recall trucks and repair or buy them back because of suspension problem which was the largest safety recall in automotive history?

1. Ford Motor Company (1981)
> Vehicles affected: 21.0 million
> Issue: Unexpected movement after shifted into park
> Components affected: Gear position indicator, transmission

The largest auto recall occurred in early 1981, when the Ford Motor Company announced the recall of 21 million Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles from the 1970 through 1980 model years. The recalled vehicles contained defective parking gear that could fail to engage after the vehicle was shifted to park, often leaving the car in reverse. Instead of issuing repairs, Ford provided car owners with a dashboard sticker warning them to set the parking brake and shut off the ignition before exiting the car, lest “unexpected and possibly sudden vehicle movement” occurs. At the time of recall, the U.S. Department of Transportation had linked the malfunctioning parking gear to 6,000 accidents resulting in 98 fatalities and 1,710 injuries.

2. Ford Motor Company (1996)
> Vehicles affected: 7.9 million
> Issue: Ignition switch short circuiting
> Components affected: Ignition

Ford Motor Company recalled in April 1996 nearly 8 million cars and trucks with short-circuiting ignition switches, the bulk of the company’s production stock for the 1988 through 1992 model years. The recall came after Ford had received over 1,100 complaints of fires caused by short-circuiting ignition switches, which caused a known 30 injuries throughout the United States and Canada. According to documents obtained as part of a class action lawsuit, Ford was aware of the potential for ignition switch fires for at least a year prior to the recall.

3. General Motors (1971)
> Vehicles affected: 6.7 million
> Issue: Separated motor mount causing engine to lift
> Components affected: Engine

In December 1971, General Motors announced that it would recall 6.7 million Chevrolet automobiles to fix faulty engine mounts. According to owner accounts, the rubber and metal mounts meant to separate the engine from the vehicle frame had been breaking, causing the engine to lift several inches. In some cases, the elevated engine would cause the car to accelerate and the brake lines to stop functioning.

4. Honda (2015)
> Vehicles affected: 6.3 million
> Issue: Airbags sending shrapnel into vehicle
> Components affected: Airbags

Honda recalled a total of 6.3 million cars with faulty airbags in 2015. When deployed, the defective airbags had the potential to blast shrapnel into the vehicle, striking the driver and passengers. The airbags were made by former Japapanese airbag manufacturer Takata, which had supplied the malfunctioning airbags for some 40 million vehicles around the world. As of 2016, the recalled airbags had been linked to at least 11 deaths and more than 100 injuries.

5. General Motors (2014)
> Vehicles affected: 5.9 million
> Issue: Ignition switch could shut off engine and airbags
> Components affected: Ignition

In 2014, GM announced a series of recalls related to faulty ignition switches that could lead the car’s engine to shut off and prevent the airbags from deploying. The recalls involved many of GM’s most popular, best-selling models, and to date they have been linked to at least 124 deaths.

6. General Motors (1981)
> Vehicles affected: 5.8 million
> Issue: Fracturing of bolts connecting control arm to frame
> Components affected: Rear suspension

In February 1981, General Motors announced the recall of 5.8 million mid-size automobiles due to fix faulty bolts that could rust, fall out of a car’s rear suspension, and cause the vehicle to lose control. Affected models include the Chevrolet Malibu and Monte Carlo; Pontiac LeMans and Grand Prix; Buick Century and Regal; and the Oldsmobile Cutlass. At the time of the announcement, GM said it had received reports of 22 injuries related to the defective bolts.

7. Chrysler (2018)
> Vehicles affected: 4.8 million
> Issue: Short circuit preventing cruise control from disengaging
> Components affected: Cruise control

Fiat Chrysler announced in May 2018 the recall of 4.8 million Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, and Dodge vehicles from the 2014 through 2018 model years. The recall was announced after the company discovered the potential for a short circuit to prevent a car’s cruise control system from shutting off. According to the company, no accidents had been attributed to the bug at the time of the announcement.

8. Chrysler (2016)
> Vehicles affected: 4.6 million
> Issue: Airbags sending shrapnel into vehicle
> Components affected: Airbags

One year after Fiat Chrysler announced the recall of 4.1 million vehicles with faulty airbags, the automaker announced the recall of an additional 4.6 million vehicles in May 2016 because of the same issue. The announcement was one of a series of recalls by major automakers related to the 40 million vehicles with malfunctioning airbags provided by former Japapanese airbag manufacturer Takata. The defective airbags had the potential to blast hot shrapnel into the car when deployed, and as of 2016 had been linked to at least 11 deaths and more than 100 injuries.

9. Ford Motor Company (2009)
> Vehicles affected: 4.5 million
> Issue: Overheated speed control deactivation switch could cause fire
> Components affected: Cruise control

Ford Motor Company announced in October 2009 the recall of 4.5 million vehicles due to a faulty cruise control deactivation switch that can leak hydraulic fluid, overheat, smoke, and burn. The malfunctioning switch can ultimately cause a fire, even when the car is off and unattended. The announcement was one in a series of recalls related to defective switches supplied by Texas Instruments.

10. Ford Motor Company (2005)
> Vehicles affected: 4.5 million
> Issue: Corroded speed control deactivation switch could cause engine fire
> Components affected: Cruise control

In September 2005, Ford Motor Company announced the recall of 4.5 million light trucks and SUVs. The recall was announced after the company discovered that in some of its vehicles brake fluid could leak into and corrode the cruise control deactivation system, which could ultimately result in an engine fire. Affected vehicles include the Ford F-150s, Ford Expeditions, Lincoln Navigators, and Ford Broncos for the 1994 through 2002 model years.