Battery failure under Warranty/won't pay

[John Jensen]

Fact. Lots of failures on new 1500’s, search around.

"Lots" doesn't give any facts

 

[KKBB]

I agree with several people above. I never had any issues with batteries on my 3rd and 4th gens...it seems to be 5th gen stuff. Maybe it's the batteries, maybe it is all the electronic stuff on them now that makes the batteries die earlier deaths. All I know is I have a 2019 2500 with the 6.4 hemi and I can tell the battery is getting weak...it starts alot slower than it did when new and especially on colder mornings. My truck is less than 2 years old. I bought it on presidents day 2 years ago.

 

[yakalong]

About 5 years ago my wife had a nissan altima that was about 2 years old. Went out one morning and the battery was dead. Called up the dealer and asked them if I could just take the battery out and bring it to them for replacement. They said either jump it or they would send a tow truck to get it. I told them to send the tow truck and they ended up replacing it. I thought it would have been cheaper for them to just have me take the battery to them but I guess they needed the vehicle as well.

 

[mcarey]

My battery failed in my 2019 Laramie at less than 2 years and under 20,000 miles. Dealership said the earliest I could bring it in was the following week. Drive it for a week with a dead battery??? Said I would be there the next day and they agreed to try to "squeeze me in".

My battery/load tester said the battery was bad. 2 out of the 3 testers at the dealership said it was bad. The one that counted, the Chrysler tester, said it was good. After 4 hours at the dealership waiting, the Chrysler tester finally said it was bad and was replaced under warranty.

I wish the OP luck in getting any money from the company if he doesn't have the old battery for them to test.

The original MOPAR battery in my 2001 Dakota lasted 10 years. In my wife's 2004 Caravan and 2013 T&C they lasted 8 years. Not even 2 years from the latest MOPAR battery, hope this isn't a sign of current MOPAR quality.

Man, I get the whole out of principal aspect of it, but I've got a whole lot of better things to do than waste 4+ hours over a $200 battery. Especially one that seemingly sucked already.

 

[JAASON]

Man, I get the whole out of principal aspect of it, but I've got a whole lot of better things to do than waste 4+ hours over a $200 battery. Especially one that seemingly sucked already.

I didn't plan on spending 4 hours there. I thought they would test it and say the battery was bad like my tester said. After an hour and 2 out of the 3 testers said it was bad they explained they had to wait to see if the battery discharged enough on its own for the Chrysler tester to say it was bad. They could have easily checked it with the Chrysler tester, say the battery is good, and tell me to go pound sand. But they let my truck take up a spot in their busy shop knowing if they waited long enough it would fail.

 

[mikeru]

Man, I get the whole out of principal aspect of it, but I've got a whole lot of better things to do than waste 4+ hours over a $200 battery. Especially one that seemingly sucked already.

That was my thinking too. My time is worth more than that to me.

 

[BossHogg]

I agree with several people above. I never had any issues with batteries on my 3rd and 4th gens...it seems to be 5th gen stuff.

It is possible the 5th gens are using more power from the battery when the truck is idle. If that is the case, changing the battery to AGM or some other deep cycle chemistry will solve the problem. If that were the case, then why didn't RAM specify AGM from the factory.

 

[John Jensen]

It is possible the 5th gens are using more power from the battery when the truck is idle. If that is the case, changing the battery to AGM or some other deep cycle chemistry will solve the problem. If that were the case, then why didn't RAM specify AGM from the factory.

I thought they did come with AGMs. My 20156 Eco came with an AGM

 

[mikeru]

I thought they did come with AGMs. My 20156 Eco came with an AGM

You buying trucks in the future and bringing them back in your time machine?

Pretty sure that only the EcoDiesel versions come with AGM batteries. I can't confirm since I don't own one with that engine. But I can confirm that the three 5th gens we've owned have all had lead acid batteries.

It is possible the 5th gens are using more power from the battery when the truck is idle. If that is the case, changing the battery to AGM or some other deep cycle chemistry will solve the problem. If that were the case, then why didn't RAM specify AGM from the factory.

From postings in another 5th gen forum, the issue is with the batteries themselves. They spec'd a battery that's not well suited for the job. It's not that they all are failing, but many have failed well short of 3 years. The wife's Limited is almost 2 years old and the OEM battery seems to be just fine. I've only had my current truck for less than 10 months, so not really long enough to know. I do know that even if either of ours died before the warranty expires, I'd rather chose my own battery to replace it with than have it replaced with the same battery under warranty.

 

[John Jensen]

You buying trucks in the future and bringing them back in your time machine?

Pretty sure that only the EcoDiesel versions come with AGM batteries. I can't confirm since I don't own one with that engine. But I can confirm that the three 5th gens we've owned have all had lead acid batteries.

Ha, Ha, yep, a 20156, the 5 is silent

My 2020 3500 HO has a pair of AGMs

Thanks, didn't know the new ones have lead acid - that's a bummer.

 

[barr0208]

You buying trucks in the future and bringing them back in your time machine?

Pretty sure that only the EcoDiesel versions come with AGM batteries. I can't confirm since I don't own one with that engine. But I can confirm that the three 5th gens we've owned have all had lead acid batteries.

From postings in another 5th gen forum, the issue is with the batteries themselves. They spec'd a battery that's not well suited for the job. It's not that they all are failing, but many have failed well short of 3 years. The wife's Limited is almost 2 years old and the OEM battery seems to be just fine. I've only had my current truck for less than 10 months, so not really long enough to know. I do know that even if either of ours died before the warranty expires, I'd rather chose my own battery to replace it with than have it replaced with the same battery under warranty.

do a battery load test before your 3 year anniversary mine decided not to crank the engine at -40c in a garage load test showed bad cells got an agm free replacement for 5 years from canadian tire

 

[Summit1]

The batteries in my 2017 Laramie failed at ~3.4 years old... while I considered an attempt to get pro-rated coverage if applicable, I quickly reconsidered that, noting that time is money (even when retired). At the time of battery failure (September, 2020), I was starting the truck to hitch up the camper and travel a couple of hours to our nephew's wedding. Even if jump starting and taking it to the dealership would have worked, such would require an extra 4-5 hours of my time. Rather, I chose to buy two AGM's of somewhat higher capacity at the NAPA store (15 minutes away). I spent (at most) an hour to remove the old and install the new batteries, which have been perfect ever since.

That battery failure (and a couple of other relatively minor problems which were properly and promptly addressed by the dealership) will have no bearing on which brand of truck I will eventually choose as a replacement; it will likely be another Ram.

 

[14ramdjh]

i would bet that if you let ram replace the battery it may have been covered. you had AAA change the battery..
in minnesota my batteries last 5 plus years

 

[jimmyfjk]

my 2021 rebel 1500 battery died 2 months after purchasing the truck brand new. Had 1400 miles on it. They refused to cover it under warranty saying batteries are not covered. I said ok cover this, and had some rather explicit words for them and walked out with a "i will never spend one dam penny more with dodge in any way shape or fashion." and i meant it. I went and bought an aftermarket battery and took care of. I refuse to even let them do oil changes now. Dodge and Ram can kiss my ass.

 

[DodgeDude1999]

unfortunately when your battery dies it does no good to jump it as it will not stay running. The warranty does say they reimburse if not able to get repaired at a dealership.

WHAT???? The battery is only there to start the vehicle and after it is started will stay running via the alternator providing power.


I never had bad luck with Mopar batteries. Of the 2 times I did, they were both replaced under warranty.

The factory battery in my 2nd gen lasted 11 yrs.
The factory battery in my Charger lasted 8 yrs.

The factory batteries in my ‘14 2500, 1 went bad in ‘18, but from what I was told on the Cummins forum, the side (I don’t remember which it was) always goes bad on that side.

 

[John Jensen]

my 2021 rebel 1500 battery died 2 months after purchasing the truck brand new. Had 1400 miles on it. They refused to cover it under warranty saying batteries are not covered. I said ok cover this, and had some rather explicit words for them and walked out with a "i will never spend one dam penny more with dodge in any way shape or fashion." and i meant it. I went and bought an aftermarket battery and took care of. I refuse to even let them do oil changes now. Dodge and Ram can kiss my ass.

You had an incompetent dealer. Ram does honor the battery warrantee, but only after it fails their Mopar testing. I recently had a battery issue and that is what my service manager told me.

 

[IdahoRed]

Sorry but it really doesn't matter who made the battery, if they can't test in to verify it's bad, they will not warranty it. The battery must be returned to a dealer/retailer.

 

[RamElectricalRet]

A component of battery life is temperature, hotter climates have much lower expected average battery life.
On a dual battery application, the batteries are in parallel via large gauge cables and are effectively/electrically one battery. Differential in battery life may be due to one battery being closer to the exhaust system.
FYI - AGM batteries have high CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) capabilities and can be OEM specified (rather than flooded lead acid) to meet minimum cold cranking RPM. Diesels are compression ignition (gas are spark ignition) and diesels need higher cold cranking RPM's to start.

 

[mikeru]

my 2021 rebel 1500 battery died 2 months after purchasing the truck brand new. Had 1400 miles on it. They refused to cover it under warranty saying batteries are not covered. I said ok cover this, and had some rather explicit words for them and walked out with a "i will never spend one dam penny more with dodge in any way shape or fashion." and i meant it. I went and bought an aftermarket battery and took care of. I refuse to even let them do oil changes now. Dodge and Ram can kiss my ass.

If that's what your service manager told you he was flat out lying. But you didn't say who diagnosed and/or replaced the battery. If you took the truck to a CDJR dealership, and they diagnosed and replaced the battery, it definitely should have been covered under warranty. I feel like you left a lot of details out of that story though. Stellantis dealerships are independently owned. There is definitely a difference from one dealership to another. Don't judge the entire brand based on your experiences with one dealership that may have wronged you.

 

[ghostnumberone]

I had a battery go out on my 2018 while still under warranty. I jumped it, it started fine, held my breath while driving to the dealership, they installed a new one, no charge.