1999 Dodge RAM 2500

DT: THE CONSUMER STATES THAT THE WIRING HARNESS IS STRETCHED TO TIGHTLY AND THE WIRES DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH SLACK. THE WIRING CONNECTIONS FAILED. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE LAST YEAR. OWNER HAS BEEN FIXING THE PROBLEM HIMSELF. THE OWNER HAS CONTACTED DODGE, AND THEY SAID THAT THEY WERE NOT FIXING THE PROBLEM. THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALLS ON THE TRUCK. THERE WERE MULTIPLE HOT WIRES AND THEY COULD CAUSE A SHORT. THE OWNER HAS NEVER TAKEN HIS VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR THIS PROBLEM. THE OWNER USUALLY FIXED THE PROBLEM HIMSELF. THE OWNER HAS A COMPANY VEHICLE . ALSO, OWNER THINKS THAT DODGE DID NOT BUILD THE PART RIGHTLY. *AK

APRIL 3,2001 SERVICE PERFORMED ON BRAKES,REPLACED FRONT PADS,RESURFACE ROTORS AND REPACK BEARING IF NECESSARY.SERVICE REAR BRAKE SHOES AND ADJUSTERS AND ALIGNMENT. RETURNED ON MAY 3,2001 BRAKES PULLING HARD TO RIGHT. DEALER SERVICED,MACHINE ROTORS ON TRUCK DEGLAZED PADS.NEW TIRES AND ALIGMENT ON MARCH 16,2003. JAN.31,2004 REPLACED FRONT PADS,CALIPERS AND ROTOR. NOV.17,2004 ROTATE TIRES.DEC.22,2004 REPLACED FRONT PADS AND WHEEL CYLINDERS. OTHER SERVICE DONE ON ROTATION OF TIRES AND ALIGMENT, BUT CAN NOT LOCATE BILL. TRUCK ALWAY DID AND STILL PULLS HARD TO THE RIGHT WHEN BRAKING.

WHILE DRIVING MY FATHER'S 1999 DODGE 250 DIESEL PICKUP AT ANY SPEED BETWEEN 35 AND 65 MPH, THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD NOT DISENGAGE WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED. ENGINE RACED AND ATTEMPTED TO MAINTAIN CRUISE SPEED. ACCIDENT AVERTED BY SWITCHING OFF CRUISE CONTROL. EVENT DUPLICATED MANY TIMES UNDER SAFE AND CONTROLLED CONDITIONS. NO MAINTENANCE PERFORMED YET. DEALER CONTACTED BUT UNAWARE OF THIS FAILURE SCENARIO.

COOLANT LOSS, SMALL AMOUNT AT FIRST. INSPECTED HOSES, THERMOSTAT, CORE PLUGS AND RADIATOR FOR COOLANT SEEPAGE POSSIBILITIES, LABORED TO NO AVAIL . OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION A SMALL CRACK IN THE BLOCK AND THROUGH RESEARCHING I HAVE THIS INFORMATION. MY BLOCK IS CAST IN BRAZIL BY A COMPANY NAMED "TUBY" AND IS IDENTIFIED BY A #53 NUMBERED ON THE BLOCK. IT HAS BECOME APPARENT TO ME THAT THESE ARE DEFECTIVE DUE TO WEAK CASTING THAT RESULTED IN THINNER WATER JACKET WALLS THAN OTHER BLOCKS SO WITH COOLANT CAVITATION, CORROSION, COOLANT PRESSURE IN THE BLOCK, AND TORQUE THEY ARE MORE PRONE TO CRACK. CHRYSLER WILL NOT HONOR MY WARRANTY, IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN 5 YEARS BUT THE MILEAGE WAS AT 94,891. CUMMINS POWERMASTER ADVISED ME TO TAKE IT TO A LOCAL DEALER IN TAMPA AND I DID. THEY DID A COOLANT PRESSURE CHECK AND VERIFIED THE CRACKED BLOCK. CUMMINS POWERMASTER HAS OFFERED TO REPLACE THE BLOCK BUT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR LABOR AND OTHER RELATED COST IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF $4,500. CUMMINS ADMITTED TO ME THAT THERE ARE PROBLEMS ARISING WITH THESE #53 BLOCKS. I ALSO HAVE REVIEW OTHER COMPLAINTS ON A QUESTION AND ANSWER DIESEL WEBSITE AND NOTED SEVERAL COMPLAINTS TO THE NHTSA. IF THE NUMBERS ARE LEGITIMATE THERE ARE ABOUT 100,000 BLOCKS AFFECTED. IT WOULD BE OF INTEREST TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THESE BLOCKS WERE REPLACED BY CHRYSLER WHILE UNDER WARRANTY AND HOW MANY CUMMINS HAVE REPLACED WITHOUT CHARGE TO THE CONSUMER. I THINK IT TO BE A SYMBOLIC GESTURE FROM CUMMINS TO WANT TO ASSIST ME IN THIS MATTER. I WAS TOLD THAT IF CUMMINS HAD THE WARRANTY, MY BLOCK WITH HOLE LIKE THAT, EVEN IF IT HAD 200,000 MILES WOULD BE REPLACED ABSOLUTELY FREE. CUMMINS DOES HAVE A REPUTATION TO MAINTAIN SINCE IT IS THEIR 24 VALUE CUMMINS ENGINE IN THE DODGE RAM. CHRYSLER WANTS TO TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROBLEM OR EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE THE DEFECT IN MANUFACTURING OF THIS #53 BLOCK. SB

DRIVING N.W. ON A 4 LANE ROAD, MY TRUCK SUDDENLY HAD NO ACCELERATION, I PULLED INTO THE MEDIAN. I FOUND OUT MY FUEL TRANSFER PUMP HAD FAILED, CAUSING THE FUEL INJECTOR PUMP TO ALSO FAIL BECAUSE OF LACK OF FUEL. I FOUND OUT THE HARD WAY THAT THERE IS AN AFTER MARKET SENSOR THAT COULD HAVE PREVENTED THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE FUEL INJECTOR PUMP. COST TO CONSUMER: $340.00 FOR A FUEL TRANSFER PUMP AND $1,590.62 FOR THE FUEL INJECTOR PUMP. COST OF THE SENSOR $60.00. SHAME ON CHRYSLER! MY 1999 DODGE RAM 24 VALUE DIESEL HAD 94,891 MILES BUT THE WARRANTY WAS OUT IN YEARS.

1999 DODGE CUMMINS DIESEL HAD THE LIFT PUMP FAIL AND TOOK OUT MY INJECTOR PUMP BECAUSE IT STARVED IT OF DIESEL FUEL DO TO THE FALURE OF THE LIFT PUMP. I HAD A NEW LIFT PUMP INSTALLED AND A REBUILT INJECTOR PUMP INSTALLED.*AK I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WIT THE ELECTRIC LIFT PUMPS I TALKED TO SEVERAL MECHANICS WHO SAID THEY SEE IT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. VERY COSTLY FIX!

I HAVE A 1999 DODGE 2500 WITH A 24 VALVE CUMMINS MOTOR. I STARTED TO NOTICE COOLANT LOSS AND FOUND A CRACK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE BLOCK BEHIND THE HEAT EXCHANGER. I HAVE SINCE FOUND THIS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH 99 - 01 WITH A 53 CASTING . I WENT TO DEALER, ONLY TO FIND I WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY. I WROTE TO DAIMLER/CHRYSLER AND TO QUOTE "WE ARE STARTING TO SEE SEVERAL OF THESE APPEAR AND HAVE APPROACHED CUMMINS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, BUT AT THIS POINT THEY ARE DRAGGING THEIR FEET ON RESTITUTION OR RESOLUTION." I TALKED TO CUMMINS AND THEY SAID PER THEIR ORIGINAL CONTRACT THEY SOLD ENGINES WITH NO IMPLIED WARRANTY TO DODGE, AS THEY SAID THEY WANTED TO HANDLE ALL WARRANTY ISSUES. THEY BOTH AGREE THAT THEIR WAS A DEFECT WITH THAT CASTING AND HAVE CORRECTED IT ON OTHER YEARS. I AM LOOKING AT A $5000 PLUS REPAIR BILL THAT IS NOT A WEAR ISSUE, BUT A DEFECT. *JB