RAM Classic 2019 major burnt rubber smell (3+ weeks at the dealer, no fix)

[bm02tj]

Ok winter tires on a 4wd truck. Start with dumping them. Biggest scam ever conceived by people that want to sell/service/store/install tires ever!!!
See any statistics showing less collisions?
Get back to the OE tires and rims to try to find your problem source.

That is the dumbest thing you can say just because you have never needed them or experienced how they improve your traction and safety

 

[Shiva]

That is the dumbest thing you can say just because you have never needed them or experienced how they improve your traction and safety

Yah I live in the desert and know nothing about snow.
Yah and I've been driving in snow before even radial ply tires existed.
If you have a 4wd truck and you get stuck in snow you overdrove your capabilities.
Winter tires are actually ice tires.
Oh forget it not worth my experience putting a horse in this race. The koolaid wins whoo hoo

 

[sirguynate503]

Any updates?

 

[marc cormier]

yes, any update? i am also from quebec, canada, have the same truck (ram 1500 classic v6 3.6l) that i bought last december. i also notice a burned rubber smell, not as strong as you said, mine do it occasionnaly but it's definitely come out from the fan and when i notice it, it also smell from under the hood. i also look like it happen more with warmer weather, but this might be just in my head. i didn't get the chance to go to the dealer yet

 

[SimmZ]

In my last thread, I was indicating that my truck is at the dealership for 3 weeks without them to find why the hell this thing is smelling A LOT like burnt rubber. So now the truck is at the dealership for a little over 5 weeks now and two weeks ago, a few days after I posted my last thread, the dealership excluded a transfer case issue (as well) and now suspected that the burn rubber smell was coming from the transmission, so what FCA asked in regard of the transmission, is to flush entire fluid and give it a test... but instead of performing some test-drive themselves, they asked me to pick up my truck and test it myself to see the result. After only driving a few KM, the problem hasn't changed (or improved), so I bring the truck back to the dealership immediately.

A few days later, they told me that the now suspect that the burnt rubber smell can come from the (winter) tires. I strongly doubted of this because the smell is coming from the engine bay, not from the surroundings of the truck around the wheels. Once again, they don't perform any road test themselves and asked me to pick up my truck and give it a drive... only after driving 1 km in the middle of the day (during my lunch break at work), the problem was still present so I immediately bring the truck back to the dealership, indicating that if they had performed a test-drive of my truck only 1 km, they would not make me waste 1 hour of my time to do it myself!

Two days later, they called me back, saying that they still suspect an issue with the tires, even after replacing them once. So they asked me to pick up my truck with a second set of new (used) tires. JESUS CHRIST! In a last demonstration of good faith, I did the test-drive myself again and noted (obviously) that the problem is still present.

That last attempt was around 7 days ago. Then it was followed by several days of radio silence where, then by February 5th, they called me to ask me to come and pick up my vehicle because it's fixed. I was very surprised so I asked them what they had allocated and they answered: "Nothing! We didn't work on it for 3-4 days and when the mechanic went to test-drive, the problem was gone.” HOLY SPIRIT MADE HIS MAGIC on my truck!!

So I went to pick up my vehicle to try it out even if I did not believe in the action of the Holy Spirit and without much surprise after driving a few kilometres, the problem was still there. So I called the dealer immediately by Monday (they are closed during the weekend) and they told me they were to call me back later. The next day (Tuesday, February 11), I called them back and they asked me to bring the truck back in the middle of the day, while the entire mechanic team was present for a test drive with a mechanic. So I showed up in the middle of the afternoon and did a (very short) test drive of 1 km in the presence of the mechanic (a new mechanic who had never worked on my vehicle) and he was immediately STUNNED of how the smell of burnt rubber is STRONG and unbearable inside the cab when the HVAC is running.

I waited a few days without any news from them, then I filled a complaint at FCA Canada but the answer I got from FCA Canada is that there's not lemon law in Canada and that the dealership is responsible to any legal warranty on a vehicle. So I sent the dealer a "formal notice" that they should receive by today asking them to refund the truck or exchange it for a new truck with identical specifications or better. If they don't answer to my request, I can bring the case to a free legal service in Canada called C.A.M.V.A.P. (CANADIAN MOTOR VEHICLE ARBITRATION PLAN) who can bring my case in court in front of a judge for free. https://www.camvap.ca/

Remember that I have opened the initial case with my dealership about this problem back in mid-November 2019!!! Three months now! I first did several in and out at the dealership for troubleshooting (try and error) and then by the mid-January, they kept my truck for full-time troubleshooting.

 

[SimmZ]

yes, any update? i am also from quebec, canada, have the same truck (ram 1500 classic v6 3.6l) that i bought last december. i also notice a burned rubber smell, not as strong as you said, mine do it occasionnaly but it's definitely come out from the fan and when i notice it, it also smell from under the hood. i also look like it happen more with warmer weather, but this might be just in my head. i didn't get the chance to go to the dealer yet

https://www.ramforum.com/threads/co...burnt-rubber-smell-no-fix-in-3-months.156961/

 

[chrisbh17]

....and then by the mid-January, they kept my truck for full-time troubleshooting.

Sorry to hear about your ordeal....I highlighted the part of your quote because I find it very generous of you to call their "pick it up, its fixed!" (1KM later) "nope, its not!"......"full time troubleshooting"

 

[SimmZ]

Sorry to hear about your ordeal....I highlighted the part of your quote because I find it very generous of you to call their "pick it up, its fixed!" (1KM later) "nope, its not!"......"full time troubleshooting"

You are obviously right and I must tell that I see no more real good faith from the dealership in troubleshooting and fixing my truck for a few weeks now. Each time I called them over the past 3 weeks or so, they keep saying "we don't know where the problem is coming from and we don't know how to fix it". Then after a few weeks of (not) troubleshooting it, I think they choose to go the "problem is not present" way since they can't figure out what the problem is in almost 3 months now. However each time I test drove the vehicle with a mechanic, the problem were (very) present.

 

[chrisbh17]

You are obviously right and I must tell that I see no more real good faith from the dealership in troubleshooting and fixing my truck for a few weeks now. Each time I called them over the past 3 weeks or so, they keep saying "we don't know where the problem is coming from and we don't know how to fix it". Then after a few weeks of (not) troubleshooting it, I think they choose to go the "problem is not present" way since they can't figure out what the problem is in almost 3 months now. However each time I test drove the vehicle with a mechanic, the problem were (very) present.

Yeah I don't know how they think they would get away with that. Like would you just hold your breath the whole time and not smell anything?

If they can't figure out what it is, they should find someone who can, or find a truck that doesn't do it and give that to you instead.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Brandon-w]

I was just thinking this the other day wondering what was going on. I was also thinking that improper manufactured catalytic converters can do some really screwy things... Maybe it could Ba bad cats I know they can superheat teal quickly too.

 

[SimmZ]

I was just thinking this the other day wondering what was going on. I was also thinking that improper manufactured catalytic converters can do some really screwy things... Maybe it could Ba bad cats I know they can superheat teal quickly too.

I agree, but I am done telling them what to test and do to my vehicle. Every last times I tried to give them some lead I found online (here or on other forums/groupes), they almost laugh like "another Facebook's certified mechanic is in the place"....

 

[chrisbh17]

I agree, but I am done telling them what to test and do to my vehicle. Every last times I tried to give them some lead I found online (here or on other forums/groupes), they almost laugh like "another Facebook's certified mechanic is in the place"....

As opposed to their superior training and troubleshooting skills lol

 

[Brandon-w]

They probly get most of their information off of YouTube lol. Techs aren't trained like they usto be. If the computer don't tell em to do it they'd never do it on their own.

 

[SimmZ]

As opposed to their superior training and troubleshooting skills lol

LOL! Of course...

They probly get most of their information off of YouTube lol. Techs aren't trained like they usto be. If the computer don't tell em to do it they'd never do it on their own.

Yes every time I ask for "what is the next step... what can we do next?" they always put the blame on FCA technical hotline... "FCA doesn't gives us the solution"...

I understand than some specific problem can be hard to diagnose and so, requires some more time to fix. However I think 3 months is way more than reasonable time for any customer.

 

[Jerrybob]

Is it possible to go to another dealer? You might want to consult a lawyer. This sucks,

 

[SimmZ]

Is it possible to go to another dealer? You might want to consult a lawyer. This sucks,

This is what I done already (consulting a lawyer) and since this dealer sold the vehicle, they are legally bind to make it work as expected in the sales agreement, that would be a bit problematic to pick up the truck and send it somewhere else to fix at this point of the case. I would suspect that they will be MORE THAN happy that I take back my vehicle and send it someone else, however that could harm my case according to the lawyer.

 

[Jerrybob]

This is what I done already (consulting a lawyer) and since this dealer sold the vehicle, they are legally bind to make it work as expected in the sales agreement, that would be a bit problematic to pick up the truck and send it somewhere else to fix at this point of the case. I would suspect that they will be MORE THAN happy that I take back my vehicle and send it someone else, however that could harm my case according to the lawyer.

I would demand a free rental truck until the problem is fixed at least....sounds like your dealer is an idiot.

 

[SimmZ]

I would demand a free rental truck until the problem is fixed at least....sounds like your dealer is an idiot.

I have one, as well. However I can't wait forever that they fix my truck. I own it for 6 months now and it's back and forth to the dealer during the first 2 months, then 5 weeks full time with then.

 

[joesstripclub]

I was really hoping you found a fix for this problem because after reading your original thread of course I smelled some burnt rubber smell this weekend driving around. I tried to ignore it but my wife was sitting in the backseat with the back window opened and she made the comment about the burnt clutch/rubber smell.

 

[SimmZ]

I was really hoping you found a fix for this problem because after reading your original thread of course I smelled some burnt rubber smell this weekend driving around. I tried to ignore it but my wife was sitting in the backseat with the back window opened and she made the comment about the burnt clutch/rubber smell.

If your RAM is a Sport model or upper model truck and equipped with the 44-44 automatic transfer case (4WD-AUTO), I read many threads about overheated clutches that smell burnt rubber. However in my case I have the 44-45 manual transfer case (4WD-LOCK) and it doesn't have clutches.