New 2500 Tradesman with clunk/rattle

[Motoman501]

Yesterday I drove out in the desert to shoot my bow which required me to drive about a half a mile down a rocky dirt road at low speeds and I had the windows open. Often when I hit sharp edged bumps or rocks, the truck made a rattling noise and stranger yet, I could distinctly feel the bumps with my feet through the floorboards, almost like something was knocking against the bottom of the floorboard. The only way I can think of to describe the sound is that it sounded like the rattling noise a refrigerator compressor makes when you move it. Everything under the truck feels solid and tight and the on road ride is great and quiet.

Any possibility this is the noise dampening hardware? It’s pretty annoying coupled with the start up noise issues I have.

 

[Tim G 2019]

Yesterday I drove out in the desert to shoot my bow which required me to drive about a half a mile down a rocky dirt road at low speeds and I had the windows open. Often when I hit sharp edged bumps or rocks, the truck made a rattling noise and stranger yet, I could distinctly feel the bumps with my feet through the floorboards, almost like something was knocking against the bottom of the floorboard. The only way I can think of to describe the sound is that it sounded like the rattling noise a refrigerator compressor makes when you move it. Everything under the truck feels solid and tight and the on road ride is great and quiet.

Any possibility this is the noise dampening hardware? It’s pretty annoying coupled with the start up noise issues I have.

That's a good way to describe the noise. That's kind of what mine sounds like. Mine is definitely clear when the rear wheels hit bumps. Not when front wheels hit. They put electronic sensors on it and they really believe it's cab mounts.

The new "known good" mounts are in and I'm taking the truck back in this Thursday. I'll know shortly after that of it solves my problem. All the noise dampening stuff on the Gen 5 2500s is causing growing pains for them I suspect. I'll post again after they change these out (again).

 

[JD Mark]

Now I'm going to have to listen closer to mine next time I drive without a trailer. lol

That crappy 5 link suspension is so rough on my RCLB I thought everything was just normal.

 

[Tim G 2019]

Mine does it even with a trailer (boat). I'm hoping they get it fixed tomorrow. I'll let you know.

 

[Tim G 2019]

Well, I took my truck back into the dealership this morning. They had a box from the star engineers with the new "known good" cab mounts and they installed them while I waited. After installation, they test drove it with the electronic sensors (ears) attached and didn't hear the clunky rattle anymore.

The service writer came out and gave me the news and told me to put a few miles on and let him know how it goes.

I drove my truck all over the rough roads where I always have heard the noise. So far, I haven't heard the clunky rattle! I hope that was the 'silver bullet' that fixed this issue once and for all. It'll take me awhile to trust that it's finally fixed and I still cringe when approaching rough road, but it seems like they finally got it!

Once the dealership service department and FCA finally got serious, they stayed with it until we got to where we are. I appreciate that. We came a long way from a rocky start, but the ordeal may finally be over. Im going to post this in a few other threads on here in hopes that it can help any other folks who are experiencing similar issues with their trucks.

They told me I was kind of a Guinea pig for some of the ideas, so I'm sure they filed the lessons learned away to use on other similar problems. There are some bad cab mounts out there. They went through six bad ones before finding the ones I finally ended up with and those had to be tested on another truck to verify that they were good. That tells me it may be hard to know by just inspecting the existing mounts. Anyone having similar issues is welcome to message me and I'll help all I can. It's been a real PITA!

 

[Derek Powers]

Glad you had some success! Like I said before, probably cheaper for me to just trade trucks by the time I buy 6 bad sets. Lol

 

[JD Mark]

I hope for you sake they have it solved.

 

[Tim G 2019]

I hope for you sake they have it solved.

I hope for THEIR sake they do! Lol. I told the salesman when i bought it that he sold their soul to the devil because I would be a nightmare if it isn't right. I guess I have been. But laying out that kind of money should buy us some quality and service, so I don't feel bad about it. So far it's ok but time will tell

 

[Motoman501]

I'll be making my appointment soon......

 

[w6pea]

Interesting thread I guess I will make a pot of paint remover in the morning and do some reading.

 

[Tim G 2019]

I'll be making my appointment soon......

The way you described your noise is great - exactly what it sounded like but I couldn't find good words to describe it to them.

Dealerships often seem to start out with the old "we can't replicate that" and other stonewalling crap. I was (mostly) polite and just kept taking it back insisting they get it right. After a few arguments, things smoothed out and they stepped up.

FCA case people helped me to motivate the dealership service department, but there sometimes seemed to be a lack of urgency. That's probably because my problem was huge to me, but only one of many problems on their case load.

That said, it seemed that no effort was spared to sell me the truck - but getting it fixed right felt like a lower priority once I actually drove it off the lot with a bank loan!

I hope the information I've been posting helps you and that your dealership listens with an open mind. It'll save them a lot of heartache. My best advice is document, document, document. Keep a written daily log and keep it current so you can call BS when you smell it. Get copies of every work order and the actions the service department takes. You may never need a "lemon law" case, but if you do you'll be ready.

The best thing my dealership did (finally) was use the "electronic ears" that they hook up to trace the potential source of a noise. That was when they realized I wasn't nuts and there really WAS a problem.

Best of luck. If there's anything you want to ask or know about, just fire away. I've found a lot of good advice and help on this forum.

 

[RoadRamblerNJ]

My friend, you have FAR more patience than me. Glad you didn't crumble. I hope I never hear that noise, lol.

 

[Tim G 2019]

My friend, you have FAR more patience than me. Glad you didn't crumble. I hope I never hear that noise, lol.

Thanks - I never want to hear it again. It really did test my patience. I just hope it helps someone else.

 

[Leonard Russo]

So glad they finally made it right for you! With the price we pay for these trucks we shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get them fixed right !

 

[Tim G 2019]

So glad they finally made it right for you! With the price we pay for these trucks we shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get them fixed right !

It was a study in frustration. Im certainly enjoying it more more now. That really ruined my new truck experience for a couple months.

 

[colby81888]

Thank god I found this thread.I just bought my 2500 last thursday and have this problem. I first felt/heard it going over railroad tracks, kinda sounded like a loose skidplate or something. I can feel it in my feet also. Truck goes in Monday, hopfully they get it figured out, because I really like this truck.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

 

[Tim G 2019]

Good luck! Most dealerships will try to say it's "normal" or can't replicate. Don't stand still for that crap. The problem is real and they know it at FCA.

 

[Papa Red]

Way back in the 90's I had a noise while driving in my Dakota. Turns out that they needed to shim the bed and the noise was gone. Maybe a possibility? Good luck. I'm following until you get it fixed.

Red

 

[Tim G 2019]

Mine was definitely bad cab mounts. New feature on the 2019 Gen 5. Strangely enough, the idea was to eliminate noise. I should have known better to buy one the first year they made all the changes. No other problems with the truck though and it looks great and pulls like a beast

 

[RamCares]

Thank god I found this thread.I just bought my 2500 last thursday and have this problem. I first felt/heard it going over railroad tracks, kinda sounded like a loose skidplate or something. I can feel it in my feet also. Truck goes in Monday, hopfully they get it figured out, because I really like this truck.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

Hi colby81888,

I'm very sorry to hear of the trouble you are experiencing. Please be sure to keep us updated on your dealer's findings. If our team can be of any additional assistance while your truck is in service, we'd be happy to help. We are just a PM away.

Mark
RamCares