Issue With 2015 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 CC OEM Suspension

[2Hemis]

Hey there RamForum, long-time lurker here who has been busy enjoying his new 1500 Laramie CC 4x4 with the Hemi and just about all the options, 3.22 gears (wish I got the 3.92). My family and I love it. I have about 4500 miles on it and basically no issues, except for this:

Going over small bumps and imperfections, I can hear a small high-pitched "ticking" noise which my daughter describes as a creak. It appears to come from the front driver's side. Going over bigger bumps when I turn the wheel to make a steering adjustment, I can hear deeper "creaking" noises coming from the right hand side of the truck, or underneath the truck.

I don't notice any performance issues, but it's just embarassing that a brand new truck's suspension would operate so nosily at >5k mi without there being an issue from the factory.

If the truck were 5 years old I'd be less concerned, but I bought this in April 2015 with 20 miles on it, and it's seen only extremely light duty - mostly commuting on highways. I have been on some offroad gravel roads maybe a handful of times for travelling purposes only, not for fun, and I haven't bottomed out the suspension or anything like that from what I can tell.

I plan on bringing the truck into my local dealer next week. Can you guys think of anything in particular I should look out for in terms of inspecting the suspension, axles, CVs, etc?

Thanks for your help!

 

[2Hemis]

I also am experiencing the rear end vibration at 60-70 mph, and the steering "creak" I hear only occurs when I rotate the steering wheel counter clockwise (to the left), usually during 90 degree angle turns.

Go figure. I'll take it into the dealer this week. Shame, I am really enjoying this truck. I don't want to have to make a claim on it or trade it because it sounds like it has 50,000 mi when it has < 5k mi.

 

[2Hemis]

Took the truck into the dealer this morning. I road-tested the truck with the service manager and demonstrated the loud, repetitive creaking/straining noise coming from the underside of the truck at the front axles or front wheels during left-hand turns.

I took the truck through a small roundabout in front of a local church and the noise started almost immediately. After a few go-arounds, the creaking/straining noise got worse and repeated continuously for about 30-45 seconds. The manager definitely noticed.

He agreed with me it could be the CV's but he said "they are just working hard" and "it sounds like normal operation." That sounds like BS to me. I have owned 7 or 8 AWD/4WD cars, and have driven many more, and I've never heard CV's sound like that even after 50k miles. It sounds like the CV's are straining to the point of breaking.

I have a service appointment for Wednesday to have them inspect the CV's and check the vibration issue. If this dealer doesn't help, I'll move on to dealer #2 and dealer #3, if needed. The sound is actually getting worse by the day - the more I drive the truck, the worse it gets. It's even making the sound now when driving straight and when turning right, just less frequently.

Wish me luck!

 

[foxrider68]

It's actually a good thing it's getting worse. It will be easier to find and fix. It's the issues that only occur here and there that are hard to find. And if the service manager doesn't want to help you have two options. One is ask to drive a new model on the lot. If it does it then you are SOL. If not then your truck is not normal. Second option is to let him know you will contact Chrysler to get feedback on normal operation. They don't like it when the manufacturer has to get involved due to a customer complaint. You shouldn't have to but some service managers force your hand.

 

[2Hemis]

Foxrider - Thank you for your response. The dealer inspected the CV's and axles and said it couldn't find out what was wrong, but they continued hearing the noise. It continues to get worse. The more I make left hand turns, especially with camber changes, the more it makes the noise. It almost sounds as if the cross-member up front is flexing, too. It sounds like straining metal. I don't know how else to explain it.

I involved the Northern California service coordinator and will be calling FCA to get involved. The service manger from my local dealer called me and said "Oh I drove 4 new Rams and they all made a sound like that (not as bad, but they made a sound." This is the same service manager which was BSing me before, so I politely told him I look forward to him demonstrating the sound to me on a brand new Ram, after I bring the truck in again for further investigation.

He wasn't too happy, but I love this truck, and I don't want a 5,000 mile brand new Ram sounding worse than my buddy's Red 1999 Magnum QC 4x4, which is almost flawless at 150k miles. These trucks are awesome. I really want mine to last!

 

[Jeff CA]

Involve FCA. They will stay on it until the problem is fixed.

 

[2Hemis]

Involve FCA. They will stay on it until the problem is fixed.

Thanks. Nice rig. Looks like I'm going to have to. For whatever reason, I've been slacking and haven't called FCA yet while I pursue the issues with my local dealer. The regional service manager came and observed the issue, but then reported the same thing: "This appears to be a common issue with 2015 Ram 1500s."

That just leads to further questions, like, why are buyers of 2015's not reporting this problem to forums like RamForum.com? Why isn't there a recall brewing on this issue? And even though it is common, it's not normal operation - why not try to fix it? My concern is, they don't know how to fix it.

Since this metal-on-metal scraping/screeching noise which vibrates the steering column is clearly not normal operation, and it is worsening, I insisted they replaced the front axles/CVs. TBH, I am very concerned about an on-road failure. At this point the dealer is still refusing to do anything since they can't pinpoint the issue and "there is no damage yet."

I love my Ram as much as all of you guys love yours, and it's practically brand new with 6000 miles. I'll call FCA on Monday and see where that leads me.

 

[OutLore]

Just because it's a "common issue" doesn't make it acceptable. If anything, they should already know how to fix it.

Definitely time to call FCA.

Good luck!

 

[gofishn]

Infrom FCA that you plan on opening up a bu back lemon law claim. most states ahve a clause stating that anything which severely affects value is enough, creaking truck,w ith practically no miles would severely affect value, in anyones book.

Good LUck to you and let us know how ti turns out.

 

[Hootbro]

.............

That just leads to further questions, like, why are buyers of 2015's not reporting this problem to forums like RamForum.com? ............

...............

If even 5% of RAM buyers are on any RAM specific forum, I would be surprised. Boards like this are only a very, very small slice of the ownership at large. So problems can be over amplified or under reported.

 

[2Hemis]

Infrom FCA that you plan on opening up a bu back lemon law claim. most states ahve a clause stating that anything which severely affects value is enough, creaking truck,w ith practically no miles would severely affect value, in anyones book.

Good LUck to you and let us know how ti turns out.

Gofishn - Thank you for your response.

Funny you mentioned that. I had to Lemon Law a vehicle I bought before this one, a 2013 WRX Premium, due to water leakage that could not be properly diagnosed or repaired. I agree 100% - that is where this is headed if I have to do it. I'd rather they just fix this truck, however, since I love this truck and just want it to work properly. Resale is definitely important, too.

It's kind of silly for me to have to Lemon Law a car when I'm giving FCA every chance, and plus, I am a licensed attorney and have collected on claims like this before - it would be really uneconomical for them to not try to just fix the vehicle.

Hootbro - Point well-taken. Usually, though, the forums are a fairly good barometer as to what a small selection of owners are experiencing. I've searched around this and some of other forums which shall remain nameless, and I haven't seen anyone reporting this particular issue.

The creaking is starting to shake the steering column more and more, and parking this vehicle just emits a series of horrible metal scraping sounds at this point. I really hope FCA gets its act in gear when I call them tomorrow. If not, screw it, I will go the Lemon Law route again if I have to.

Unrelated - how do you like the 6.4 in your 2500?? I almost went that route..

 

[Hootbro]

................

Unrelated - how do you like the 6.4 in your 2500?? I almost went that route..

Liking it a lot so far. I only have 6K miles on it but has been flawless with the exception of a minor washer fluid leak staining my hood blanket.

 

[mhb1638]

While I have owned many Rams as of late (like 5 or more in the past couple years-i'm messed up) I've never heard of this in any of my trucks. With that said, I don't doubt for a minute you have a suspension issue. While I'm not sure what the issue is, I had a similar issue on my 98 S-10 back in the day when it was new. It would squeak and creak like a 1970 hooptie bad! In the end, it turned out to be worn out (from the factory) coil spring insulators. Not saying thats your issue, just a thought. If your CV joints are good, then my next thought would be some sort of bushing/insulator. Could be any of them, coil springs, UCA bushings, etc. Just a thought. Good luck!