Chirping Spring-Like Noise from Front Brakes When Stopping from Slow Speeds - 2020 Ram

[TimTheTug]

I have a 2020 Ram 1500 Limited with the V8 (no eTorque), off-road package, 20 in. wheels. It has the air suspension. Currently has 6,000 miles. I love the truck but there is one issue driving me crazy. When stopping from slow speeds (forward and reverse) the front brakes "chirp" loudly kind of like a bird; kind of a spring-like noise. I have a great video of it happening, but it is MP4 and I can't seem to load it here (I am new to Ram Forum - seems like file attachments are very limited in size). It is NOT the wear indicator. At 4,000 miles I only heard it from the right front brake. The dealer replaced the right front caliper and flushed, bled the brake line. That worked for about 1,000 miles. At about 5,000 miles I started hearing it from the left front brake. At about 5,500 miles, I heard it from both front brakes. I took it to a different dealer who said those frustrating words, "Could not duplicate the problem". Here are my observations:
1. It seems to get worse the warmer it is and the further I drive; and get worse with time except goes away briefly during rain.
2. It seems to only happen when braking lightly or moderately. If I get on the brakes, maybe doesn't happen. In a drive-thru, the sound bounces off the wall and makes the truck sound really old.
3. I would liken it to a suspension creak, kind of, but I am 100% sure it is related to the brakes. It is definitely coming from within the front caliper assemblies.
4. At a standstill, I can press the brakes and turn the steering wheel and hear it very well. If I let off the brakes and turn the steering wheel, I don't hear it. So, it happens even when the front wheels are not rolling. But, either the wheels have to be rolling or I have to be turning the steering wheel. Completely motionless, if I apply the brakes, it does not make the noise.
5. It seems to go away for a short while during and after rain.
Please help! Also, if anyone can advise me of how to get a video file from an Android phone on here I will gladly post video/audio of it.
Thanks,

 

[Built To Serve]

I have a 2020 Ram 1500 Limited with the V8 (no eTorque), off-road package, 20 in. wheels. It has the air suspension. Currently has 6,000 miles. I love the truck but there is one issue driving me crazy. When stopping from slow speeds (forward and reverse) the front brakes "chirp" loudly kind of like a bird; kind of a spring-like noise. I have a great video of it happening, but it is MP4 and I can't seem to load it here (I am new to Ram Forum - seems like file attachments are very limited in size). It is NOT the wear indicator. At 4,000 miles I only heard it from the right front brake. The dealer replaced the right front caliper and flushed, bled the brake line. That worked for about 1,000 miles. At about 5,000 miles I started hearing it from the left front brake. At about 5,500 miles, I heard it from both front brakes. I took it to a different dealer who said those frustrating words, "Could not duplicate the problem". Here are my observations:
1. It seems to get worse the warmer it is and the further I drive; and get worse with time except goes away briefly during rain.
2. It seems to only happen when braking lightly or moderately. If I get on the brakes, maybe doesn't happen. In a drive-thru, the sound bounces off the wall and makes the truck sound really old.
3. I would liken it to a suspension creak, kind of, but I am 100% sure it is related to the brakes. It is definitely coming from within the front caliper assemblies.
4. At a standstill, I can press the brakes and turn the steering wheel and hear it very well. If I let off the brakes and turn the steering wheel, I don't hear it. So, it happens even when the front wheels are not rolling. But, either the wheels have to be rolling or I have to be turning the steering wheel. Completely motionless, if I apply the brakes, it does not make the noise.
5. It seems to go away for a short while during and after rain.
Please help! Also, if anyone can advise me of how to get a video file from an Android phone on here I will gladly post video/audio of it.
Thanks,

Mine is doing the same thing, would love to know why

 

[TimTheTug]

We finally figured it out. Seems like the brakes are not the best design. The anti-chatter clips actually start chattering. The dealer fixed it, probably only temporarily, by applying some heavy duty grease to the anti chatter clips on all four brakes. The dealer said there is a TSB out on it now. So far has worked well for about 3 months.

 

[Built To Serve]

I'm going in for oil soon I'll ask about this. I also heard what sounded like a vacuum leak when pressing the brake pedal the other day.

 

[DubC]

So I am happy I found this post. I have this exact same sound/issue. I took my truck to the dealer today. I handed them the TSB that was referenced (TSB), and mentioned the details of this post. Sad thing is that this TSB makes reference to very specific dates, both for expiration of the TSB and the production dates of the trucks it applies to. Regardless, the issue is still the same. It's the same sound, the same circumstances, etc. When I dropped it off the receiver said "sounds like something is caught up in the wheel." I said "No, not likely. And it's not suspension."

The end result was an estimate for $924 to replace (I assume both sides) rotors, pads, and clips. The guy said that the tech found that my left rotor was ever so slightly warped and that was probably causing the issue. A complete replacement of those parts would be ideal. And since those are wear/tear parts, I get to pay for it. My truck is 16 months old (from date of my receipt) and has just over 10k miles on it. WTF? It's odd to me that they wouldn't even assume that an older TSB could have application to a newer truck when the symptoms line up. Sounds like they didn't want to foot the bill.

Anyone else think that 'warped' rotor crap holds water?

I'm tempted to just perform the TSB steps myself to see if that fixes it. That chirp sound occurs after the truck is fully stopped and in park, once you let of the brakes. How would a warped rotor cause that noise at rest? I call BS. And either way, I can get a new rotor and pads/clips for $150 for one side. What the hell are dealerships thinking here?

 

[DubC]

I decided to just do the TSB myself. Took about an hour and a half and bam, worked like a charm. Called the dealer and told them that the fix is for more than the TSB build dates. Also thankful that I didn't drop a grand on their awful diagnosis. I did at least get an apology from the rep in that they offered me the wrong fix for a lot of money. They could have performed the TSB fix with their lift and tools in probably 30 minutes. Anyways, solid find. Apparently this doesn't happen to most trucks. Glad the fix was easy and pretty much free.

 

[arawji]

Wow! Mine has been doing same since I bought it basically and has gotten really bad now. Dealer “as usual” said can’t replicate but still managed to offer me to do a brake service of exactly what this tab is for at a cost to me for about $300. I can’t wait to take this TSB in and slap it in their counter. Thanks @DubC for posting this and everyone else too. I can’t wait for my truck NOT to sound like an 80’s F250 that has been ridden hard and put away wet

 

[RamMan2023]

If it makes yall feel any better here is mine 2023 Ram Rebel I bought in May. Almost 7k miles and all I hear is this and these are both my videos of my truck

September 17, 2023

youtube.com

September 17, 2023

youtube.com

 

[RamMan2023]

If it makes yall feel any better here is mine 2023 Ram Rebel I bought in May. Almost 7k miles and all I hear is this and these are both my videos of my truck

September 17, 2023

youtube.com

September 17, 2023

youtube.com

I take it in Tuesday to the dealership, glad I got these videos hopefully a solution is determined

 

[TimTheTug]

That is exactly what my 2020 was doing and is doing again. In March 2022, the dealership performed TSB-05-001-21. That TSB, which has since expired, involved applying a special grease to the anti-rattle clips on both front brakes. I never had much hope that grease would fix the problem, but it did mask it where the noise went away for about a year. After that year, my truck gradually started making the same noises again. I waited until this month since my warranty expires at the end of September and called the dealership and told them I need a permanent fix. Both the dealership and Ram are refusing to fix the problem saying brakes are wear items and not covered under the warranty. I think the permanent fix is to totally replace the front brakes. I plan to get an estimate to do that from an independent garage tomorrow. I am starting to think I might need legal help. My truck only has 17,000 miles because I work from home and haven't gone on a lot of trips since the pandemic.

 

[RamMan2023]

So what your telling me is trade in the truck? Lol jk hopefully they fix it, $80k for a truck for it to sound like that. Insane.

 

[TimTheTug]

LoL. Don't trade it. I love my truck except for the stupid chirping front brakes. I get a lot of attention from my neighbors, just for the wrong reasons. I think you are likely still under the 1 year period for adjustments and rattles, so you should be good regardless. Just don't let them convince you that applying grease is "fixing" the problem. My experience is it will make it go away for a few months then come back. Please share what you learn from the dealer.

 

[GTyankee]

Make copies of all your receipts

When ever you go to the dealership, write down the brake issue & make sure that is written on every piece of paper that they hand you.

If you can find the complaint dept. at Ram Headquarters, put a bug in their ear too.

You could also raise a bit of a smell about it, at your local papers
Just be careful with your wording.

 

[RamMan2023]

I love my truck! Just annoying as expensive as they are it shouldn’t be like this! Will definitely keep all these in mind and definitely share what I find out! It goes in Tuesday and I will make sure they see the videos as well to avoid the famous “we cant find the noise” saying.

 

[RamMan2023]

So far all I got was a “we can’t replicate the sound” i even showed them the videos and the service lady before I left lol. Guess I will know more tomorrow. Had to take it to a “higher mechanic” to look at it. Smh I’ll go show them myself…again.

 

[TimTheTug]

If you haven't already, show them the TSB linked by DubC on this thread on October 12, 2022. Even though it is expired and is for vehicles built in certain months of 2020, I have read plenty of evidence that vehicles built outside of that date range still have the problem. That TSB describes our problem. The fix in the TSB however is more a mask that won't last. If they have more patience than my dealer's service folks, they might be willing to read this entire thread. On a side note, my independent mechanic told me he thinks replacing the brake pads on just the front might solve the problem. He said that would cost about $200. My dealer won't even touch the issue again without me paying around $183 for a diagnostic fee. So I am thinking I might just go with replacing the pads.

 

[RamMan2023]

They straight up told me that it didnt matter they need to hear the noise in order to fix it. So now tomorrow im gonna go and show them myself if not ill take it and do it myself. Probably just replace the pads in general with some good ones and grease it up.

 

[TimTheTug]

Mine does it on demand. Like in your video, simply turning the steering wheel left and right while not moving, with brakes off, causes the chirp. My mechanic refused at first to believe it had anything to do with brakes, but I showed him the TSB and previous repair. That is just the easiest way to show it, they chirp almost all of the time - over bumps, in drive throughs as I apply them, etc. I am no brake expert but since the TSB has grease applied to the anti-chatter clips, maybe there is a bad batch of those, or someone installed them backwards during manufacturing. If you replace the pad, maybe don't go the OEM route in that case. Anyway, good luck. Hope they chirp like crazy when you show them.

 

[ramffml]

Mine does this too. Paid several times for dealer and other mechanic to look at it, neither found "a fix" but suspiciously each time they fiddled with it the squeak/chirp went away for a bit.

Now I just keep a can of wd40 in my truck and shoot it into the area by those clips. Takes 10 seconds (leave the wheels on, there is room in my rims to get to the calipers) and lasts about a month+.

I was hoping somebody would find a better aftermarket pad or caliper or something to make the fix permanent.

@RamCares just so you know, that TSB #05-001-21 does describe the issue for trucks not mentioned in that TSB. Mine is a 2019 build and that TSB should apply to mine too but it doesn't.

 

[TimTheTug]

Thanks! I have a couple of questions. Have you ever tried replacing any parts? Have you noticed the noise from the rear brakes as well as the front brakes?