My 2022 Dodge truck died!

[HollyF]

This is a long post...please bear with me. Last June (2023) we purchased a 2022 Dodge Ram 2500 Longhorn Limited Edition, with 30,000 miles on it. Within about 3 months, it started doing weird things. The center console screen would go black, and wouldn't come back on. Sometimes the sensors still worked, and sometimes they wouldn't. The screen would come back up the next time or two the truck was started. We took it to the dealer; at first they were stumped but then one of their mechanics unplugged something, waited a couple of minutes and plugged it back in. Rebooting solved that problem. A few weeks later during a rainstorm, the wipers quit. They came back on after a few minutes, then quit again. The service department determined it was a bad part inside the turning indicator arm (or whatever it's called), which of course our extended service contract didn't cover, so that was replaced at a cost of almost $500. Problem solved for about 3 weeks, then it started happening again, along with other things. I was on a two lane road, nothing in front of me or on either side of me, doing about 45 mph. Nothing coming towards me. Suddenly a very loud, blaring sound inside the cab and a red warning message on the dash, which was gone as soon as it appeared so I have no idea what it said. I think it was an imminent collision message but as I said, there was nobody and nothing on that stretch of road but me. Next thing to happen was the remote start wouldn't work. Then the truck wouldn't start at all. It was towed to the dealer....the service department kept putting the truck on the diagnostic machine but couldn't get it to throw a code. When it finally did, it said the PDC was the problem. They said it hadn't been properly sealed, moisture had gotten inside and everything was corroded. After 11 days in the shop, we got our truck back. My husband said it ran great. Next morning it won't start again. Couldn't even be jumped. We installed a new battery. Still completely dead. It was towed back to the dealer a couple of days ago. We've heard nothing. Does anybody have any insights as to what the problem could be? Has this sort of thing happened to anyone? This is our only vehicle, and we are paying big bucks for it....paying big bucks for the extended service contract too. I am at my wit's end.

 

[Brandon-w]

Got any lemon laws there?

 

[mikeru]

Pretty sure lemon laws only apply to the original buyer of the vehicle. That's how my state works anyway. Who knows, these laws vary so much from state to state it's possible it could apply to subsequent buyers in the OP's location.

I'm not familiar with what a PDC is. Do you know where it's located? If it's mounted inside the cab, do you have any kind of water leak? Leaks are common, and can be caused by several things. 3rd brake light gasket, rear window, rear cab vents, sunroof drain tubes, unsealed seams in the sheet metal. But can obviously occur anywhere there is a hole in the sheet metal of the cab. I'd thoroughly inspect the interior for any signs of water intrusion. There are other modules inside the cab that wouldn't react well to water.

 

[kirk35]

PDC is the Power Distribution Center, located under the hood near the battery. If it was just replaced by the dealer my guess is installation error.

 

[tron67j]

Do you have the full history on the truck? With all the electrical problems I am wondering if this is a flood vehicle. How are the bolts and underneath looking, a lot of surface rust?
Take a look at the history and if possible try to narrow down the service locations to get a general area where the truck was in service. Then look at news records and see if there was flooding around the time the vehicle was traded before you bought it.
When you say it would not start, was the dash lighting up? Did any electronics work?

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

PDC was the problem. They said it hadn't been properly sealed, moisture had gotten inside and everything was corroded.

Sounds like you Rig was in a flood, check for water intrusion (water lines) under the hood and under the dash say allot of rust on the metal, the fact that the PDC had corrosion in it tells the tale, did they replace the PDC or just clean it up, also any leaking by the rear slider, you have some electronics back there like the RF hub that doesn't like water.

 

[tron67j]

Another one and done.