Problems with 2013 RAM 1500 POWER TRAIN

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, the rpm's increased to 1100 as there was a vibration in the transmission. the failure continuously occurred over a period of eight months however, the dealer was not able to diagnose the failure each time the vehicle was taken for diagnosis. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 3,000.

This was the third time in the two weeks i owned this ram 1500 truck after purchasing it new that i have experience a failure of the torqueflite 8 spd transmission and/or electronic rotary shifter. a week earlier i reported to ram and to nhtsa a repeated failure of this truck on a boat ramp to engage in park even with the engine off as the truck was "slow rolling" down the ramp. this time i was able to document the failure by video on my cell phone. this incident occurred while traveling at about 30 mph on a side street in 2 wheel drive. i slowed the truck to a routine stop at a stop sign coming to a complete stop. when i then tried to pull onto the intersecting highway, the engine rpms increased as expected when i touched the accelerator pedal, but the truck would not move, acting as if it was in neutral, even though i had not touched the rotary shifter on the dash nor any of the 2wd/4wd option buttons. there was not any perceptible sound or feel indicating that the transmission had "popped" out of gear. i then noticed that the "d" light on the shifter was oddly flashing on/off while the 2wd light was illuminated solid as expected. i tried the accelerator pedal two more times with no change. after whipping out my cell phone to video this failure i was able to reset the drive engagement by moving the shifter to park for 2 or 3 seconds and then back to "d". the truck then responded normally and i was able to drive away. *js

On a steep grade (boat ramp with an empty 700 lb trailer in tow) while backing in 2 wheel drive with the vehicle front facing up hill i placed the torqueflite 8 speed electronic dial transmission on my 4x4 truck into park, set the parking brake, turned off the ignition, let my foot off the brake, and the truck started slow rolling (creeping) down the steep grade. i then started the truck and pulled up the grade 2 feet and performed the same operation again with the same results. i then switched from 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel lock, put the dial to park, set the parking brake, turned off the ignition and after about 45 seconds the truck once again starting slow rolling down the hill and would have rolled into the river had i not jumped in and hit the foot brake. the last time it was rolling i could see both the front and rear wheels rolling and not sliding. it appears that the transmission never actually shifted to the park position even though the dial and dash light indicated that the transmission was in park. *tr

Ever since i have had the truck it has jerked when coming to a stop. sometimes one to three jerks, if i was not braking it would still be engaged and move foreword. not sure if this is the recall about the transmission. took it to the local dealer three times. first they said it needed to be reprogrammed. second they said everything was ok, they said the service manager test drove it and it was fine. third time they wouldn't take it, told me the it was "normal" for a dodge truck! service person told me she had a dodge and it does the same. explained to her i have driven several one-ton dodge trucks and none of them had a similar problem. fear that it will jump foreword at a stop and hit something and that when it finally does go out, i will be charged with replacing everything involved. could not locate work orders but have them. wrote you several months ago with no response, not this form. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the vehicle stopped accelerating. the contact shifted into reverse, then back into drive and the vehicle resumed normally. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the transmission module would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the failure recurred within 1,000 miles. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was unavailable. the failure and current mileage was 5,300.

Tl*the contact owns a 2013 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated that while making a left turn to exit highway traffic, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle resumed normally after being restarted. in addition, the headlights and panic alarm would activate independently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed a diagnostic but was unable to locate a failure code. the vehicle was also test driven, but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 3,000 and the approximate current mileage was 5,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated while driving various speeds, the transmission failed to shift and the anti-skid warning lamp illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. the failure recurred three miles after leaving the dealer. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 12,000 and the current mileage was unknown.

It has snowed hard enough here in virginia this year to leave snow on the roads. three times now since buying my 2013 ram 1500 with pentastar engine in december 2012 i have been unable to put the transmission into park and remove the key. the dealer says they cannot help me. it sounds ridicules to say that "when it snows i can?t drive my full size ram 1500 that should be fully capable in all weather conditions". as i understand it when driving in snow or slush snow is thrown at the transmission, this results in snow packing around the shift linkage. the result is very clear, you can?t put your truck in park and remove the key. if you don?t have the equipment or ability to crawl under your truck and melt the snow then the only other choice is to sit there with the engine running until the snow melts. unfortunately if you drive through mud, well mud does not melt. *tr

This is a new vehicle. four times i encountered the display of the message vehicle not in park while driving on the road. this is a very confusing and dangerous message since it appears to be related to a door not being fully closed. i reported it to the dealer on march 11th. the manager appeared to be aware of a problem with this message and said he will report it to an engineer when he visits the dealership. the reason for reporting this is i am not sure this problem will be corrected for my vehicle. *tr

After driving on snow and slushy roads i couldn't get the vehicle to shift into the reverse or park position. i couldn't even move the selector into those positions. *tr

I purchased a new 2013 ram 1500 in november of 2013. after approximately 2,500 miles i started experiencing a strong (propane / petroleum type of smell) odor coming through the vents and outside the front of the truck. this has caused me (and my family) to experience headaches and nausea after driving / riding in the vehicle. my dealership contacted star for a solution, but star did not respond. finally the dealership instructed me to bring it in to investigate further. the dealership flushed the coolant system numerous times and informed me that they had never seen / smelled anything like that before, and that two of their technicians acquired headaches from the smell. the dealership informed me that the smell was definitely coming from the cooling system, but didn't not what it was or what was causing it. unfortunately it doesn't appear that the coolant flush resolved the issue as it still smells. subsequently, i contacted ram customer support and explained the problem to them. they contacted the dealership to confirm and provided me with a case number. they informed me that someone would contact me within a couple of days.my main concern is related to the toxicity of this smell. what is causing it and are the vapors harmful? if this smell is causing headaches and nausea, what type of short or potentially long-term health effects does this present? meanwhile, i?m still driving the truck because i have nothing else to drive. my secondary concern is related to the disposition of the truck. can ram fix it satisfactorily and when will it be resolved. again, i?m still driving the truck. *tr

While going down hill at 30mph, stepped on brake and transmission downshifted and revved while foot was on brake causing a surge. this has occurred several times. additionally transmission shifts very roughly and sometimes while in reverse is actually in park. *tr