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O.R.T.

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I’ve been a FCA tech for over 10 years and since they started using that connector under the driver floor board I’ve never seen one come loose from an impact or get water inside the connector. I’ve never seen it mentioned on this site either except in this post.

Same from my former Master-Tech to current Parts-Master position. Never seen it mentioned.

Could it be possibly an assembly line issue, like the tailgate connector red-switch not being fully locked and the harness popping apart and the tailgate stops locking because of no power, sure.

Could it be you shouldn't be diving into...
a lane that hadn’t been plowed recently and had 3-4 inches of heavy melting snow. There was a Bolt Bus (crazy drivers) had just entered said lane and was blowing a path and I entered it @ 50 mph. It was like driving into 4” of water at that speed.
..on a freeway because the plow hasn't gotten to it yet and well, it's SNOW, and things can be hidden underneath, also, sure.

I'm down to see how this topic plays out. I paid around $2300 post-warranty to have a dealership under the same manufacturer replace driver's seat airbag wiring and bags after it was evident the tech completely eff'd things up. Did I like having to do it? Nope. Did things stop acting up? Yup. Sometimes you gotta pay to play. It sucks but it happens.

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O.R.T.

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**NEVER tell the fully story unless you have to when dealing with a potential warranty coverage issue. Yes, you gotta sign off on the part that says if not warranty you gotta pay the tech for the time, but it never says you shouldn't get the most out of what you POTENTIALLY MAY OR MAY NOT have to pay afterwards. I've found it's all about how things are pitched, received, and spun. Play your cards as best possible and avoid drama IMHO.
 

mtofell

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Interesting debate... To me it's damage and not a warranty issue. Like others have said it's an insurance thing.... but, of course, you have a deductible so it's on you.

When a rock flies up and cracks the windshield we can't lobby for a TSB about windshields breaking.
 

Black W900

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This is not a warranty issue, not on any level.
This is a self proffessed "I'm a crazy driver and was driving too fast for conditions in a lane I had no business being in" problem.

Suck it up....It's on you.
 

Fitz-0518

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Great thread. Easy to see both sides of this. So many variables. Shut up act stupid and hope the dealer just fix's it. To the OP credit he was honest about the facts. Solution so simple. Dry out the connector and plug it back together. In a perfect be nice world, the dealer would have done that. Real world, **** happens, OP broke his truck and it only cost him $142. Could have been a lot more. But,,,what strikes me, is the cause and effect design decisions that automotive engineers make today. FCA folks are no better or worse than Ford or GM folks. Why design that critical connection that way and in that location. The answer is always the same. Make it easy to assemble and cheap to make. BTW Look at how many techs and knowledgeable people engaged this. One of the best benefits of this forum.
 

O.R.T.

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Interesting debate... To me it's damage and not a warranty issue. Like others have said it's an insurance thing.... but, of course, you have a deductible so it's on you.

When a rock flies up and cracks the windshield we can't lobby for a TSB about windshields breaking.


DING DING DING DING DING DING!
 

fraleywp

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I don't need to prove anything to you. Take it with a grain of salt for all I care.

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indept

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I agree with the op that the connector is poorly placed / bad design. For a vehicle that is touted as something you can take offroad a lot here have said all but " these were meant to drive 15mph in parking lots"...
Granted he was driving too fast for conditions but there are many things on the highway that could strike that connector on the best of days so bottom line it should have been placed somewhere safer during design or covered by a shield plate.

Mtofell
Your point about the rock hitting the windshield is bull. You can't relocate the windshield so there's nothing that can be done to prevent rock damage but that connector can be relocated to improve reliability without affecting its performance.
 
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mtofell

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Mtofell
Your point about the rock hitting the windshield is bull. You can't relocate the windshield so there's nothing that can be done to prevent rock damage but that connector can be relocated to improve reliability without affecting its performance.

Warranties are against manufacturing defects or failures... not a challenge to see if you can break something. By this logic, we could all take our trucks off road, or go drive over curbs at 50 MPH, and anything we managed to break we could go expect it to be fixed by the dealer. How about in an accident we complain that the fenders aren't made strong enough because they got dented? I realize these are extreme (ridiculous) examples but once the dealer is expected to start repairing damage consumers cause where does it end?

Of course, playing Monday morning QB you can look at a truck and when you break something, find a better place it could have been located. I've been on this board daily for 5 years and this is the first time I've ever heard of this happening. Hardly an epidemic.
 

fraleywp

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Warranties are against manufacturing defects or failures... not a challenge to see if you can break something. By this logic, we could all take our trucks off road, or go drive over curbs at 50 MPH, and anything we managed to break we could go expect it to be fixed by the dealer. How about in an accident we complain that the fenders aren't made strong enough because they got dented? I realize these are extreme (ridiculous) examples but once the dealer is expected to start repairing damage consumers cause where does it end?

Of course, playing Monday morning QB you can look at a truck and when you break something, find a better place it could have been located. I've been on this board daily for 5 years and this is the first time I've ever heard of this happening. Hardly an epidemic.
Except this connector isn't even damaged so the comparison to hitting a rock is moot. It is a poorly place location as far as I am concerned. If this were the case of water getting into the connector would you relieve the engineers from blame also? I wouldn't call this feeble connector design truck tough.

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Black W900

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Except this connector isn't even damaged so the comparison to hitting a rock is moot. It is a poorly place location as far as I am concerned. If this were the case of water getting into the connector would you relieve the engineers from blame also? I wouldn't call this feeble connector design truck tough.

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No one has ever heard of this "issue" other than you, You claim that you've read complaints about it before but, offer no proof.
This is a classic case of "I didn't get the answer I wanted".
The simple fact of the matter is that this happened because of a freak accident and it isn't a warranty problem.
 

15 Handicap

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If it's on the OP, why do they put skid plates that cover certain items under the truck? leave it open and tell everyone not to drive off road or in snow or anywhere it might be damaged.
 

gofishn

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This is a sticky one IMHO, and I lean toward shouldn't be covered. I liken it to hitting a deep pot hole and bending some things. Would be more of an insurance issue. Again my 2 cent opinion.


Wow, I tend to agree with you, on so much, but not this time.

The truck was on a Roadway. It did not fall into the Crater of Doom Pothole. It simply drove on a road and a natural, normal weather event was too much for it?
 

Black W900

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Wow, I tend to agree with you, on so much, but not this time.

The truck was on a Roadway. It did not fall into the Crater of Doom Pothole. It simply drove on a road and a natural, normal weather event was too much for it?


What everyone seems to be overlooking here is the fact that this is an isolated incident.
It's not like every time a Ram truck hits some ice or snow it has this problem.

Regardless of the unsubstantiated claims by a couple of guys that they have seen posts about this problem , No one else has really ever heard of this happening.

It's an unfortunate situation, but it doesn't seem to rise to the level of a warranty issue.
 

pacofortacos

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I agree, it isn't a warranty item. THAT being said, the dealer could have goodwilled the repair.
Hitting a chunk of ice is very similar to hitting a piece of 2X4 laying on the road - it isn't Ram's fault that it happened. It really isn't your "fault" either, it just is what happened.
 

pacofortacos

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If it's on the OP, why do they put skid plates that cover certain items under the truck? leave it open and tell everyone not to drive off road or in snow or anywhere it might be damaged.


Skid plates are for protection when going off road - ie. rocks, stumps, etc.
And even then they really aren't for flying debris but rather for when you do not have enough clearance - though they could protect for flying debris.
 

huntergreen

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Wow, I tend to agree with you, on so much, but not this time.

The truck was on a Roadway. It did not fall into the Crater of Doom Pothole. It simply drove on a road and a
.

From the way I read the original post, it sounds more like road Hazzard than a part failure. As stated above it's not a common issue, otherwise this would be happening all the time. This is the first I heard of this. It is also possible I am wrong on this one. Lol
 

indept

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Warranties are against manufacturing defects or failures... not a challenge to see if you can break something. By this logic, we could all take our trucks off road, or go drive over curbs at 50 MPH, and anything we managed to break we could go expect it to be fixed by the dealer. How about in an accident we complain that the fenders aren't made strong enough because they got dented? I realize these are extreme (ridiculous) examples but once the dealer is expected to start repairing damage consumers cause where does it end?

Of course, playing Monday morning QB you can look at a truck and when you break something, find a better place it could have been located. I've been on this board daily for 5 years and this is the first time I've ever heard of this happening. Hardly an epidemic.
Op's ***** is that a connector that is capable of rendering the truck barely able to drive shouldn't be under the truck and really should have been covered. The fact that it was affected by water means it shouldn't be where it is. Why not put the PCM down there too, it would get good air flow.......:rolleyes:
 

GsRAM

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Good topic.

Those that say no coverage are technically correct. The OP hit a large area of snow and ice and it came loose.

Personally I feel they should have addressed it for the OP. It's a 56k pickup truck designed to be driven off road, not a Toyota Prius.

There is no signs of impact or collision here that would make this a clear insurance claim. The OP did not drive the truck off road and through a mud hole and swamp it. Clearly that kind of activity is outside the intention of warranty coverage.

A truck being driven on the highway in snowy conditions is an anticipated use for a 4x4 pickup. The connectors should be robust enough to withstand snow and slush getting flung on the undercarriage or they should not be placed in that area. If this is not a widespread issue, then the connector was not snapped together properly during assembly or it's defective. So, warrant the repair. It shouldn't be knocked loose from driving on snowy roads on a highway (on road) surface without major impact with an object (not snow or water), period. Again the OP was not driving down a flooded road in several feet of water, that's a different story.

I understand the no warranty arguement but don't agree its appropriate in this instance. If nothing else the dealer should have good will repaired it.

It's a $143 repair (and not a $1400) on a 56k pickup. Service after the sale is important and what keeps people brand loyal and loyal to repair shops. Toyota and Honda understand this, but the big 3 to this day do not. This dealer had a chance to make a loyal customer and get great word of mouth for $143 and instead choose to take a hard line on it. Bad move in my opinion. But that's just me. Sometimes its better to bend things a little to satisfy the customer and keep them coming back, but sadly some businesses don't see it that way.
 
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DodgeDude99

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My old boss had a 2017 Ford king rancher. They had a real bad problem with theirs. It was a short in the middle of the bundle of wires going to the radio. It would short and render the truck dead lol. Happens to my old boss 4 times and it took for 6 months to figure it out. He said the dealer had thousands of trucks with the same issue.

Yes it’s a huge issue, a construction superintendent I work with had his truck sitting for months because of a nationwide shortage as it is very common thing.
 
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