'19 hood flexing during highway speeds...normal for aluminum??

[PaulNY]

So, I've now put 100 miles on my new Limited, and during highway speeds the hood flexes. It's like a suction effect with the center of the hood compressing in and out when I go around 60mph or more. I realize the hood is aluminum, so maybe this is normal? Would it help if I adjusted the hood bump stops? It's a little unnerving to see the hood flexing like that. I had to actually pull over the first time I noticed it to ensure the hood was properly closed. If this is normal, then I will live with it but admittedly I have never owned a vehicle where the hood flexes like this. Maybe my truck is a transformer and is teasing me as it's in the beginning stages of changing into Maximus Prime

 

[S0CAL]

Get your copilot to take a video while you drive and post it up. Interesting.

 

[tidefan1967]

I've never seen that on either of my 4th gen trucks. It flexes pretty bad on my dads 2008 Chevy and is kind of unnerving to watch. The previous gen F150's doors would flex like an old crosscut saw when you closed them not sure if they still do. Flimsier metal is the future!

 

[PaulNY]

I've never seen that on either of my 4th gen trucks. It flexes pretty bad on my dads 2008 Chevy and is kind of unnerving to watch. The previous gen F150's doors would flex like an old crosscut saw when you closed them not sure if they still do. Flimsier metal is the future!

Yes, it does appear many auto manufacturers are moving toward aluminum for weight savings. Upon doing some research online, it appears many vehicles have hoods that flex. If this is normal, and the hood won't suffer over time from the constant flexing, then I am ok with it and am sure I will get used to it. But, initially my mind keeps saying "why is my $66k trucks hood flexing"?? Thankfully, Ram only made the hood and tailgate aluminum (I think those are the only two body parts) as Fords bed is also aluminum, and well we have all seen the brick being dropped in the bed and punctures it with a nice size hole. I plan to call my dealer tomorrow, although I suspect they will tell me to bring it in to assess and will have no solution other than "its operating as designed". Maybe @ramcares will chime in?

 

[JB1]

My 4th gen has the aluminum sport hood and it doesn’t flex

 

[iLLeStEyECoN]

I have not noticed my 19 Laramie’s hood flex. I will keep an eye on it today.


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[yillbs]

+2 for the video, I wanna see!!

 

[tidefan1967]

I bet the vehicles color plays into how much you see it flex too. Since my truck is white it always looks clean and it hides dings and paint chips like no tomorrow (no dings but two tiny paint chips that were easily covered up with a dab of Duplicolor. I bet its a hell of a lot more noticeable on darker, deeper colors.

 

[PaulNY]

I will definitely post a video next chance I get. The flexing is directly in the center of the hood only, and when I detailed my truck yesterday, I was able to put just a little pressure on the hood and it flexed....when I say little, I mean I used one finger and push down easily. Again, I have been researching this all morning and am shocked to find many, many different vehicles out there that have this flexing as well. Most sites are saying that it's normal and just characteristic of the thin aluminum used on the hood. Obviously, it only takes a small amount of wind to get under the hood at highway speeds to cause the flexing. I agree with @tidefan1967 in that maybe my granite crystal metallic color really makes the flexing more noticeable because it has a very high gloss shine and reflections alone are VERY easy to see when I am driving. Ironically, when I drove the owners '19 limited for a week while I waited on mine to arrive, I didn't notice the flexing as the color was black. There again, it wasn't detailed and shiny so maybe that's why I didn't see the flexing. Nonetheless, I will continue to monitor the hood and will reach out to both FC and my dealer tomorrow to ensure this is not only normal, but functioning as intended.

 

[MarshRam]

Makes me wonder if the paint will start cracking/crazing over time.

 

[PaulNY]

Makes me wonder if the paint will start cracking/crazing over time.

Good question and one I plan on asking FC. I understand the concept of adding aluminum to vehicles, but at what cost?

 

[DVC]

Gen 4 hoods flex too; it's not very noticeable though. But at 70 mph, into a head wind, you can see it... Especially with rain on the hood.

 

[PaulNY]

Gen 4 hoods flex too; it's not very noticeable though. But at 70 mph, into a head wind, you can see it... Especially with rain on the hood.

Thanks for the insight, and am glad to hear that maybe this isn't an issue but the norm across the board. Mine only does it at highway speeds as well, and if there is a head wind, it's worse than without.

 

[johnts]

View attachment 127578 It wouldn't surprise me that the gap between the hood and the unibrow is allowing air to get under the hood and cause the flex. There is a piece of rubber between the 2 pieces, but that doesn't mean air can't get in there. Plus the way the hood is designed, it looks like it is permanently popped open, probably doesn't help either. It sits above the unibrow and not flush with it.
Maybe this will force their hand to do a restyle of the front end and fix the problem. Get rid of the unibrow, make the grill more upright, and let the hood meet the grill like it used to on the older models. Then maybe it will look like a Ram again, instead of a mashup of a GMC and a Tundra. There was a photoshop done on another site of a custom Ram showing how the small changes I suggested fix the front design of the truck. It looks way better and it wouldn'y take a massive redesign of the front end to fix.

 

[johnts]

Here is the Photoshop of the Mopar Ram I mentioned.

 

[chrisbh17]

When it flexes, does it flex outward (i.e. lifts the hood and bulges up) or inward (i.e. air is pushing down on the hood)?

Judging from the pics of the gray hood, I would almost wonder if that inverted "scoop" down the center is causing air to push DOWN on the hood and causing it to flex inward.

 

[PaulNY]

When it flexes, does it flex outward (i.e. lifts the hood and bulges up) or inward (i.e. air is pushing down on the hood)?

Judging from the pics of the gray hood, I would almost wonder if that inverted "scoop" down the center is causing air to push DOWN on the hood and causing it to flex inward.

It flexes inward. Interesting theory and you could absolutely be right! I went out and checked earlier and there is zero play in the hood when I try to see if it has play, or isn't secure tightly. But, it's as tight as a drum when I try and lift up under the front edge of the hood.

A quick note: one of the many vehicles I have read about online that have the flexing hood issue is the redesigned Honda Accord. Ironically, the hood configuration is similar to the '19 Ram with the rubber strip separating the hood and front clip. It's also made of aluminum, like MANY new vehicles.

 

[chrisbh17]

It flexes inward. Interesting theory and you could absolutely be right! I went out and checked earlier and there is zero play in the hood when I try to see if it has play, or isn't secure tightly. But, it's as tight as a drum when I try and lift up under the front edge of the hood.

That could be what is happening, then.

And I bet they cant really brace that area very well because of the shape.

EDIT: just saw you added a pic of the Accord. The outer edge of the hood looks taller than the center of the hood. While it uses a rubber strip across the front like the RAM, I bet the whole width of the hood turns into an inverted scoop, pushing down on the center and flexing it inward. The other thing that could be happening is a vacuum like effect form under the vehicle but I would think that is less likely.

FWIW my black 2011 G37 has an aluminum hood and I have never noticed any flexing. It too has a rubber strip around the front and sides but the setup is a little different (the fenders come up and over into the hood area, making the hood almost a flat piece cradled between them)

 

[Georgiasport]

Unibrow. That is the best way to describe that useless piece of trim they added. I think it looks silly and is my biggest hang up with the redesign. They should have incorporated that space into the hood itself instead of being seperate. Wonder if a 19' bug deflector is going to just cover that or start at the actual hood itself.

 

[johnts]

Unibrow. That is the best way to describe that useless piece of trim they added. I think it looks silly and is my biggest hang up with the redesign. They should have incorporated that space into the hood itself instead of being seperate. Wonder if a 19' bug deflector is going to just cover that or start at the actual hood itself.

The whole front is ruined by that thing. On the chrome trim models it dominates the look of the front. The body color version really highlights the hood/brow gap.
I have no doubt the design is causing the problem the OP noticed. When more of these get on the road, it will probably be a much discussed issue. They had a great and unique front design and blew it up. The DS grill could have been updated to fit with the look of the new truck.
Here is another Photoshop from the same site as the red Ram above. The truck looks so much better without the unibrow.