In the market for 4th gen cummins... found a CCLB manual transmission in my price range but carfax states it was "lemon lawed"

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healthyrx

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Been looking to get back into a diesel truck again since I sold my last one (ford 6.0) 4 years ago. Found a 2018 CCLB Manual transmission tradesman that checks all the boxes I need it to and is in my price range. here comes the big butttt
BUTTT carfax states it was returned to dealer for lemon law on driveline vibrations and SES/DEF light staying on. I have money for the truck but I dont have money to go chasing problems... Is this carfax alert a deal killer for me? How severe can driveline vibes get on the CCLB SRW trucks?
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reek

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that is a big butt.

I personally would never buy a higher priced vehicle that's been lemon law'd unless I plan on parting it for a project and the price of parts is more than the price of the lemon.

the way I see it, dealer couldn't fix the problems for the original owner after multiple attempts, thus lemon law'd So I'd have to assume if you buy it, they still won't be able to fix the problems.
 

jejb

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I agree with Reek. I LL'd a Ford a few years back and I sure feel sorry for anyone that may have subsequently purchased it. Constantly in the shop. I can't believe they're actually able to resell LL'd vehicles. Only way I'd do it is if it had lifetime bumper-to-bumper warranty. And I'd probably not even do it then since you're going to be in the shop a lot, won't be able to trust it for long trips, etc. Walk away.
 

crash68

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Unless you find out the conditions of why it was LL'd, it may very well sat at the dealer waiting for parts. Some states the vehicle can be LL'd if it's at the dealership too long and has nothing to do with not being able to fix it.
Something interesting about CarFax they're not the most reliable or if false information is listed it's next to impossible to change. My buddies truck according to CarFax was in a rear end accident that caused significant damage, problem is the truck wasn't hit. Someone backed into his fifth wheel trailer while he was at a fuel stop. He's tried to get the CarFax report changed to correct information but has been unable to.
 

mtnrider

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...... I have money for the truck but I dont have money to go chasing problems...

You have your answer right there. Do not buy, Period, end of story.

If it still has driveline and DEF issues (very likely) you could be looking at thousands of $ to repair (which I am sure has already been tried to no avail)

.
 

caulk04

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The lemon law thing is funny to me. I get that it protects the consumer, but it's not really protecting the consumer from a bad vehicle so much as poor service. It does also give the service department and mfr an out when they can't get something solved.

Get the service history. See when it was LL'd and how long it's been. If it's been a while, drive it and see how it goes. If you're handy, fix any issues yourself.
 

mtnrider

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If you're handy, fix any issues yourself.

That's only part of the problem for him. He states he has no money for repair and the parts in question here can be Very expensive. A DEF pump alone is pushing $1K. Not to mention some of these parts are in short supply right now and hard to get.

You could easily throw a couple grand into this thing and still not fix it. I'm sure all the easy stuff has been tried and replaced already.

.
 
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healthyrx

healthyrx

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Awesome information everybody! I appreciate the input! I had seen some mention of the driveline vibrations on these trucks being an issue sometimes but I wasn't sure if it was a sort of issue or a big issue and this sounds like it fits into the big issue category so I suppose I keep looking... :(
 

MADDOG

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I had a similar DEF/Limp Mode issue with my 2017. I hated being stranded 14 Miles North of Nowhere. Three different dealers couldn't fix the issue and after the 4th failure I just fully deleted the Cummins and it ran awesome from there.

The vibration issue I had with two HDs was simply needing to road force balance the tires. A standard spin balance didn't correct the problem.

I had a third situation but that was due to a tire defect.

Once those things were corrected I had no more issues.

What I would suggest is get the VIN and get the service history. That will provide some specifics as to why it was LL'd.
 

SeppW

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I would pass on it. However, have you talked to dealer and told them about the CarFax notation? What did dealer respond with and documentation to back it up? Is it still covered under the factory warranty? If the dealer bought it back from first buyer, then that's a pretty good indicator they couldn't resolve the issues, so what have they done since if reselling truck?
 
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healthyrx

healthyrx

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I would pass on it. However, have you talked to dealer and told them about the CarFax notation? What did dealer respond with and documentation to back it up? Is it still covered under the factory warranty? If the dealer bought it back from first buyer, then that's a pretty good indicator they couldn't resolve the issues, so what have they done since if reselling truck?
No haven’t talked to the dealer yet.. figured id see what the consensus about how big of a deal the def/vibration are didn’t want to waste my time on a dead end since I’m not in a huge rush. Truck is a 2018 with 2 owner history so I’m figuring from that and this thread that it probably hasn’t been resolved yet
 

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I can’t come to terms with the lemon law. How can something not be fixable?

Just seems like lazy mechanics
 

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If you can find what has been replaced, then look to see what the next likely cause would be.

For vibrations any spinning or rotating mass. Even axles and drive shafts can cause it, or a bent wheel.
 

jejb

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I can’t come to terms with the lemon law. How can something not be fixable?

Just seems like lazy mechanics
LL is not always about not being able to fix something. It can be about fixing it in a timely manner. Or total time in the dealer shop over the first year. Stuff like that. When I LL'd a truck years ago, it was for a combination of serious issues that had the truck in the shop for 6+ weeks during the first year. They'd fix one thing and it'd blow something else. Some things went more than once. I went to pick it up once after they'd "fixed" it, and it would not start. Tech comes out with a computer, plugs it in and gets it started, but it sounds like it's running on one cylinder, belching smoke, shaking. After 45 minutes of watching that go on, I walked across the street and got my rental car back for another week.

I could have let them keep fixing it until the warranty ran out, but I thought it best to get it gone.
 

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I had a similar DEF/Limp Mode issue with my 2017. I hated being stranded 14 Miles North of Nowhere. Three different dealers couldn't fix the issue and after the 4th failure I just fully deleted the Cummins and it ran awesome from there.

The vibration issue I had with two HDs was simply needing to road force balance the tires. A standard spin balance didn't correct the problem.

I had a third situation but that was due to a tire defect.

Once those things were corrected I had no more issues.

What I would suggest is get the VIN and get the service history. That will provide some specifics as to why it was LL'd.
I would say the fix it attitude is more reasonable with a vehicle that you may have purchased brand new. You know what it felt like when you purchased, and the things you have changed since then. If something feels off, strange, or irregular you at least have an idea of where to start looking usually. I've had similar issues with tires, but of course that was rather obvious because I had just put brand new tires on the truck. To buy something that has a problem with no contact from prior owner you go down that rabbit hole of trying to figure out what the hell is wrong... unless the truck is running well and smooth I don't think I would want to jump ship from my perfectly built vessel to something different.

Long story short best to just stay the **** away from a LL'ed vehicle. You will need time, patience, and currency to resolve whatever ails the guy. Will dealers even warranty something like that with a branded title?
 
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