Factory Warranty?

[JamesgPW]

Gotcha, the picture was a bit pixelated and I didn’t zoom in. As someone who (very recently) hydrolocked their engine with a splash very similar to the one posted, I can’t stress enough, approach water SLOWLY. I understand the temptation to make a big splash and have mud and water go everywhere, that’s what I was doing (someone with very pretty eyes sitting in my passenger seat may have been egging me on lol). But I was third in line of a group of a dozen vehicles who all got to see my truck go kaboom.

This is what was left of the piston that went through the block, and was the largest piece they were able to pull out. The hole in the block was the size of a softball. Water is no joke, and I’ve already installed a snorkel because that was the SECOND time I hydro’d the same engine, so since I obviously can’t learn from my mistakes, I can at least protect myself from myself lol and I am keeping that piston head in my cup holder as a reminder to not do dumb ****. I can only push my insurance company so far!

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When you say insurance company, are you referring to you car insurance company? Did they cover the damages as a vehicle accident?

 

[SeppW]

Yeah, water is not your truck's friend. Clearly marked in OM any damage to engine, drivetrain caused by water or ingestion of water is not covered under warranty.

 

[JamesgPW]

Yeah, water is not your truck's friend. Clearly marked in OM any damage to engine, drivetrain caused by water or ingestion of water is not covered under warranty.

That’s not accurate. RAM advertises the stock Power Wagon can ford 30 inches of water and that damage caused by fording more than 30 inches my not be covered under the factory warranty. This means a Power Wagon should be able to ford water almost up to the top of it’s 33 inch stock tires. This would put both axles under water as well as the bottom of the engine and transmission. I would fully expect RAM to back that under warranty if any those items failed as a result of fording 30 inches of water.

 

[IRSmart]

When you say insurance company, are you referring to you car insurance company? Did they cover the damages as a vehicle accident?

Yes, I had a new engine installed as a comprehensive claim.

 

[JamesgPW]

Yes, I had a new engine installed as a comprehensive claim.

Never thought of that lol

 

[SeppW]

That’s not accurate. RAM advertises the stock Power Wagon can ford 30 inches of water and that damage caused by fording more than 30 inches my not be covered under the factory warranty. This means a Power Wagon should be able to ford water almost up to the top of it’s 33 inch stock tires. This would put both axles under water as well as the bottom of the engine and transmission. I would fully expect RAM to back that under warranty if any those items failed as a result of fording 30 inches of water.

The OM ( for a 2016) says the max speed in 30 inches of water is 5 MPH, with an entry angle of no more than 1.3 degrees. Water ingestion is the issue. However, since FCA issues the warranty they can deny anything they want to if they suspect the owner did something, modification or operation, that caused the vehicle or component to fail. I'm not saying all instances happen because there is anecdotal evidence it varies, but I assume FCA disincentivizes dealers to make good on a warranty claim.

 

[Trailmaker]

Never thought of that lol

Maybe you buddy with the Trail Boss can get a claim filed with his insurance company??

 

[BoldAdventure]

The OM ( for a 2016) says the max speed in 30 inches of water is 5 MPH, with an entry angle of no more than 1.3 degrees. Water ingestion is the issue. However, since FCA issues the warranty they can deny anything they want to if they suspect the owner did something, modification or operation, that caused the vehicle or component to fail. I'm not saying all instances happen because there is anecdotal evidence it varies, but I assume FCA disincentivizes dealers to make good on a warranty claim.

Something else to keep in mind there is pop the hood and take notice of where the ECM is sitting. Can't be dive-bombing into water.

 

[JamesgPW]

Maybe you buddy with the Trail Boss can get a claim filed with his insurance company??

I think he forked out cash to get a new engine. I’ll have to ask him how he got it taken care of.

 

[62Blazer]

The OM ( for a 2016) says the max speed in 30 inches of water is 5 MPH, with an entry angle of no more than 1.3 degrees. Water ingestion is the issue. However, since FCA issues the warranty they can deny anything they want to if they suspect the owner did something, modification or operation, that caused the vehicle or component to fail. I'm not saying all instances happen because there is anecdotal evidence it varies, but I assume FCA disincentivizes dealers to make good on a warranty claim.

Exactly......huge difference between driving slowly through 30" of water and blasting into a hole at 25 mph or dropping nose down into a 5' straight down rut into a hole. The previous picture in this thread is a good example where it shows a wall of water higher than the cab! The only real way to get large amounts of water into an engine is sucking it through the air intake which is way higher than 30", so if you do hydrolock an engine in 30" of water it's because you entered the hole at a high speed, or the approach into the hole was steep and you nosed it down.

Don't get me wrong as I'm normally on the side of the customer versus the manufacturer on these things. However I also see this from the manufacturer side as I deal with this on a regular basis at my work. We regularly have customer file warranty claims against our products for things they obviously caused. Some of the more blatant warranty complaints have been because their dog chewed up the part, or they spilled paint on it......

 

[Gus M]

So an update on this thread and a response to 62Blazer’s reply.

I actually took it to the RAM dealer today and they said this is a common problem if any mud gets into the fan assembly area. A tech came out to talk to me because the advisor wasn't to sure but was concerned because he saw mud splatter in the engine bay. Tech said if any dirt or rocks get into the fan’s clutch assembly it will cause a sporadic heavy shaking until it falls back out. Ive never taken apart what he talking about so I dont know if this would be true. He asked me to spray it out and if the problem persisted to bring it back in and they will take it apart. Given the service advisors concerns about the mud splatter, if I bring it back I will probably just start with a manager. I drove my Sierra 2500 through plenty of mud washouts on trails and never had this issue, probably because the skid plate covers more of the front underside.

On the topic of my friends Trailboss, he went up to Big Bear with a few other off roaders and their rigs. While on a trail they had to cross a mud washout about 12-18 inches deep. A RAM Rebel drove through first with no issues, he drove his Trailboss through next and the engine hydro locked about 50 feet later. This was recorded by a friend in his ZR2 which also drove through the mud with no issues. At the dealer, he was told Chevy would not cover this under warranty because they found mud splatter in the engine bay. He took it to GM Corporate and showed them the video recorded from the ZR2 along with GM produced advertisements of the Trailboss driving through muddy water. Their official statement to him at this point is they will not cover the engine under warranty because the damage was caused by driver error and they officially consider the Trailboss to an appearance package not an off-road performance package.

i had the same thing happen to my trailboss. I was only in 3-4” of water in a parking lot. Maybe u can pass my info to your buddy of you don’t mind. Sounds like this is an issue which I’ve found like 4 other instances. Here is my email, [email protected] thanks