2000 Dodge RAM 1500

Unknown Will be driving down the road and the truck will shut off. When this happens it also affects the power steering and the power brakes. Has happened at a spotlight and I had to push it thru a busy intersection. Has happened going down the road just at random. No warning. But it does show (No Bus) when this happens but it does not trigger a code or engine light Try to start it and it will not start. Sometime it's only a few minutes up too 1/2 Hour the last time it cut off.

THE SPARE TIRE IS LOCATED UNDER THE CAR AND HELD UP WITH A STEEL CABLE VIA A WINCH HOIST. OVER TIME THE STEEL CABLE SHEERED OFF SO AT ONE POINT RECENTLY I LOST THE SPARE TIRE WHILE DRIVING AND I HAVE NOT NOTICED IT. THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM AS IT MAY HAVE DAMAGED A VEHICLE FOLLOWING ME. I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO BE DRIVING BEHIND ANOTHER PICKUP TRUCK AND SUDDENLY ITS SPARE TIRE FALLS OUT FROM UNDERNEATH IT. ATTACHED IS A PHOTO OF THE SPARE TIRE WINCH HOIST SHOWING THE SHEERED STEEL CABLE. THIS APPEARS NOT TO BE AN ISOLATED CASE AS CERTAINLY THERE ARE VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE AVAILABLE WHERE OTHERS ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. I DON'T KNOW WHEN EXACTLY I LOST THE SPARE TIRE, I DO KNOW THAT I CHECKED ITS AIR PRESSURE ABOUT 6 MONTHS BEFORE WRITING THIS REPORT, HENCE I AM PICKING BELOW TODAY'S DATE.

DRIVING MY VEHICLE DOWN A CITY STREET I STARTED TO APPROACH A STOP SIGN. AS THE VEHICLE CAME ALMOST TO A STOP I HEARD A SCRAPING NOISE AND THEN THE VEHICLE ABRUPTLY STOPPED. WHEN I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE ENGINE WOULD REV AND THE TRUCK WOULD ACT LIKE IT WAS IN PARK WHILE IN "D". I GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK TO INSPECT AND FOUND MY DRIVESHAFT WAS NO LONGER ATTACHED AT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE, TO THE TRANSFER CASE. NO ABNORMAL NOISES WERE HEARD PRIOR TO THIS, OR ANY RUNNING ISSUES THAT WOULD HAVE INDICATED A PROBLEM. THE TRUCK WILL NOT MOVE IN FORWARD POSITION, BUT WILL ROLL BACKWARDS IN NEUTRAL. ONCE I WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE DRIVESHAFT FROM THE TRANSFER CASE AND INSPECT, I FOUND THAT THE PINION NUT HAD BACKED OFF AND WAS STILL ENCASED INSIDE THE REAR FLANGE ATTACHED TO THE DRIVESHAFT & U-JOINT. FLUID HAD BEEN BLOWN OUT AND COVERED ALL OF THE REAR AXLE AND DIFFERENTIAL. I WAS ABLE TO ROLL MY VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL BACKWARDS OUT OF THE ROADWAY. WE HAULED VEHICLE HOME USING ONE OF OUR OTHER VEHICLES AND A TRAILER WITH A COME-A-LONG WENCH. VEHICLE IS STILL NOT REPAIRED AT THIS TIME. I HAVE CONTACTED DODGE DIRECTLY AT THE DEALER AS WELL AS THROUGH THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE CHAT. BOTH INSTRUCTED ME THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE AT THIS TIME. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT I FIX THE VEHICLE AND THAT IF A RECALL WAS RELEASED AT A LATER DATE THEN REIMBURSEMENT COULD POTENTIALLY BE ISSUED. THE REASON I CONTACTED DODGE WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH MODEL YEARS THAT ARE SLIGHTLY NEWER THAN MY VEHICLE. A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR ALMOST 300K VEHICLES FOR THIS EXACT SAME COMPLAINT. I FEEL DODGE SHOULD HAVE DONE FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO HOW LONG THEY HAD BEEN USING THIS PARTICULAR DESIGN FOR THEIR REAR DIFFERENTIAL PINION NUT AND EXTENDED THE RECALL FURTHER.

WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY ROAD, THE VEHICLE JUST SHUT OFF. ALMOST LIKE I TURNED THE IGNITION OFF. ALL GAUGES WORKED AS NORMAL, STEREO, A/C, ETC(AUX POWER COMPONENTS) . NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON OR ANYTHING. PULLED TO SIDE OFF ROAD AND TURNED HAZARDS ON. I TRIED TO RESTART VEHICLE IT WOULD TURN OVER BUT WOULD NOT START, I THEN NOTICED IN THE ODOMETER THAT IT STATED "NO BUS" . THINKING IT MAY HAVE BEEN AN ELECTRONIC SYSTEM ISSUE WITH FUEL SYSTEM I CHECKED FUSE BOX UNDER THE HOOD. I PULLED THE FUEL SYSTEM RELAY OUT THEN REINSTALLED. TRUCK STARTED UP ( ALL THIS TOOK ABOUT 5-10 MIN). SO I PURCHASED A NEW RELAY BUT WAITED TO HAVE SEE IF ISSUE WAS RESOLVED. SITTING IN A PARKING LOT A FEW DAYS LATER I STARTED VEHICLE AND STARTED TO LOAD GROCERIES , THE VEHICLE SHIFT OFF AGAIN, I TRIED TO RESTART AND SAME THING, LOOKED AT ODOMETER AND AGAIN IT STATED 'NO BUS" SO I INSTALLED NEW RELAY. PUT IN OFF POSITION AND TRIED AGAIN. STILL NO LUCK. WAITED A FEW MIN AND TRIED TO START VEHICLE AGAIN AND IT STARTED UP. LOOKED UP ON FORUMS TO FIND POSSIBLE SOLUTION AND THE NEXT STEP WAS TO TRY THE COIL. I HAVE INSTALLED NEW COIL ON 06/05/2018 AND AM CURRENTLY WAITING FOR ISSUE TO COME AGAIN. TO DAY IS 06/06/2018. THINKING BACK THE VEHICLE HAS HAD SOME JERKING MOTIONS THAT ALMOST RESEMBLE THE SAME SYMPTOMS BUT NEVER FULLY DIED , JUST JERKED REALLY BAD BUT CONTINUED TO DRIVE. THIS IS UNSAFE FOR IF I WAS ON A HIGHWAY IT KILLS POWER TO THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *TR