Steering problems and Misangled rear axle

[East0352]

I've been fighting with the dealership since I bought my 2016 Ram 2500 Tradesman last year from a Ram dealer. It had 17,800 miles when I bought it and got the extended warranty for another 36000 miles. It was certified and had supposedly had the 129 point inspection completed.

Immediately, I noticed slack in the steering and a slight right pull but thought, "Warranty will cover it." I crawled under and noticed slight almost imperceptible movement in the tie-rod on the hub side of the drag-link from the pitman arm to the right wheel. I told the dealer on the first visit about it and was told they found nothing wrong, It is all normal. I have since found that the rag joint (vibration damper) in the steering column was soft to one side, the steering was out of alignment, and the gear box had excessive play. After 5 trips to 3 different dealerships All that has finally been acknowledged by another dealer and was replaced. I am still seeing inconsistent geometry in my steering and have found that the pitman arm is a full 360° turn of the steering wheel off of center for the wheels to be straight. I have also noticed that my rear axle is torquing forward on the passenger side when driving. It is extremely noticeable when pulling my 5th wheel. I made some measurements, and the passenger side of the rear axle is 1/4 inch further forward at the upper control arm and 1/2 inch further forward at the lower control arm on the passenger side than the driver side. Tire is 7/16" closer to the front tire on pass side than driver side. I am getting ready to take it into dealer again.

Any advice on getting this fixed properly this time rather than fighting for another year? I just rolled 36900 miles. I'm afraid they will not honor the warranty as they keep delaying repairs. I feel this goes all the way back to 17,800 miles and should be honored as such.

 

[McBroom]

I've been fighting with the dealership since I bought my 2016 Ram 2500 Tradesman last year from a Ram dealer. It had 17,800 miles when I bought it and got the extended warranty for another 36000 miles. It was certified and had supposedly had the 129 point inspection completed.

Immediately, I noticed slack in the steering and a slight right pull but thought, "Warranty will cover it." I crawled under and noticed slight almost imperceptible movement in the tie-rod on the hub side of the drag-link from the pitman arm to the right wheel. I told the dealer on the first visit about it and was told they found nothing wrong, It is all normal. I have since found that the rag joint (vibration damper) in the steering column was soft to one side, the steering was out of alignment, and the gear box had excessive play. After 5 trips to 3 different dealerships All that has finally been acknowledged by another dealer and was replaced. I am still seeing inconsistent geometry in my steering and have found that the pitman arm is a full 360° turn of the steering wheel off of center for the wheels to be straight. I have also noticed that my rear axle is torquing forward on the passenger side when driving. It is extremely noticeable when pulling my 5th wheel. I made some measurements, and the passenger side of the rear axle is 1/4 inch further forward at the upper control arm and 1/2 inch further forward at the lower control arm on the passenger side than the driver side. Tire is 7/16" closer to the front tire on pass side than driver side. I am getting ready to take it into dealer again.

Any advice on getting this fixed properly this time rather than fighting for another year? I just rolled 36900 miles. I'm afraid they will not honor the warranty as they keep delaying repairs. I feel this goes all the way back to 17,800 miles and should be honored as such.

@JB1
@RamCares
These 2 people should be able to help you.
I know @RamCares will be able to open a case for you.
I would recommend that you send them a PM with your VIN and a copy of your post and they will help you. @RamCares closely monitor Ram Forum.


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[East0352]

Thank you for the advice. I have contacted them. Waiting on a response.

 

[McBroom]

Thank you for the advice. I have contacted them. Waiting on a response.

That’s awesome. Maybe @JB1 can help you too.


Blue Mule 18 Ram 4x4 C/C
Off Road.

 

[mtofell]

Have you ever checked to see if your truck was in a wreck? And I don't just mean Carfax.... crazy things can happen that don't show up there. I have an auto body friend that does inspections and it's amazing what he can see in a couple minutes looking around a vehicle.

 

[JB1]

Wish I could help you, the dealer definitely needs to fix this

 

[crazy jerry]

i had a body shop owner tell me hes seen wrecked vehicles that didnt end up on carfax. he didnt go into specific details of how that sort of stuff happens however. it sounds like yours may have possibly been in a wreck, its worth looking into atleast, based on what youve said. but lets not forget, these trucks arent hand built ferraris and there will be some variance in measurements.

mine leaned a bit to the driver side , even though the cross caster was within spec. with the cross caster removed ,its still a bit low in the driver front corner. also when backing up and the tires turned, the driver side tire rubs on the bottom corner fender. the passenger tire never rubs. for some reason the driver side tire is closer to the bottom corner fender. truck drives perfectly fine so i havent worried much about it. but again these arent hand built ferraris so there very well can be some variance in the overall construction

 

[East0352]

Have you ever checked to see if your truck was in a wreck? And I don't just mean Carfax.... crazy things can happen that don't show up there. I have an auto body friend that does inspections and it's amazing what he can see in a couple minutes looking around a vehicle.

I have not had a third party check. With the low mileage and being right at a year when I bought it, I felt fairly certain that it was never in a wreck. Carfax didnt show anything, but I will get it over to a shop in the next couple days.

 

[East0352]

i had a body shop owner tell me hes seen wrecked vehicles that didnt end up on carfax. he didnt go into specific details of how that sort of stuff happens however. it sounds like yours may have possibly been in a wreck, its worth looking into atleast, based on what youve said. but lets not forget, these trucks arent hand built ferraris and there will be some variance in measurements.

mine leaned a bit to the driver side , even though the cross caster was within spec. with the cross caster removed ,its still a bit low in the driver front corner. also when backing up and the tires turned, the driver side tire rubs on the bottom corner fender. the passenger tire never rubs. for some reason the driver side tire is closer to the bottom corner fender. truck drives perfectly fine so i havent worried much about it. but again these arent hand built ferraris so there very well can be some variance in the overall construction

When I back into my driveway (uphill) and have the steering turned all the way my tires rub, too. It does it on flat ground too, but not nearly as bad.

 

[McBroom]

When I back into my driveway (uphill) and have the steering turned all the way my tires rub, too. It does it on flat ground too, but not nearly as bad.

What size are the tires? And when backing up going uphill there’s more weight of the truck being put on the front of the truck and that will cause it to rub and with larger tires there’s the problem. Which really ain’t a problem to start with.


I love my truck!
Blue Mule 18 Ram 4x4 C/C
Off Road.

 

[East0352]

What size are the tires? And when backing up going uphill there’s more weight of the truck being put on the front of the truck and that will cause it to rub and with larger tires there’s the problem. Which really ain’t a problem to start with.

If you zoom on my profile, that's the truck and tires. I am running LT 305/55R20's. Wheels have -18 offset is why they rub. I meant to order +18 and didnt see the negative mark in the headline description.

 

[McBroom]

If you zoom on my profile, that's the truck and tires. I am running LT 305/55R20's. Wheels have -18 offset is why they rub. I meant to order +18 and didnt see the negative mark in the

I’m installing a Rough Country 2.5 leveling kit.

SEMPER FI Brother!!!
0317 here. 88-2000
I sure as **** miss it too.

I love my truck!
Blue Mule 18 Ram 4x4 C/C
Off Road.

 

[East0352]

Since I use mine to pull a big ass 5th Wheel, she levels out perfect when towing so she'll keep her front the same. I'm looking at going to some narrower tires since I'm having all these steering issues anyway. I have the Wranglers with the kevlar and have been told by a few people that these tires track with the texture of the pavement no matter what size. Looking at going to 285/60-20s with some Nitto Dura Grapplers

Semper Fi
0352
1997-2006

 

[mtofell]

i had a body shop owner tell me hes seen wrecked vehicles that didnt end up on carfax. he didnt go into specific details of how that sort of stuff happens however.

I think it's usually one car accidents or things that, for whatever reason, don't go through a state's DMV. Carfax mainly just scours DMV records, I believe. The fine print in their gazillion dollar guarantee essentially just says if it's public information they will find it.

About 10 years ago my business partner drove his (our) truck into a tree. He didn't want to stick around and wait for the police so he drove home (burned up the tranny on the way due the fluid being lost which was an added bonus). Anyway, Farmer's insurance paid out 15K to fix it and it never showed up on Carfax. I'm not sure if that's changed but at least as of then some insurance companies didn't even report things.

 

[Deki]

I think it's usually one car accidents or things that, for whatever reason, don't go through a state's DMV. Carfax mainly just scours DMV records, I believe. The fine print in their gazillion dollar guarantee essentially just says if it's public information they will find it.

About 10 years ago my business partner drove his (our) truck into a tree. He didn't want to stick around and wait for the police so he drove home (burned up the tranny on the way due the fluid being lost which was an added bonus). Anyway, Farmer's insurance paid out 15K to fix it and it never showed up on Carfax. I'm not sure if that's changed but at least as of then some insurance companies didn't even report things.

Most states have a $1,000 minimum requirement for reportable collisions. If an officer comes out and the damage on the surface doesn't look bad enough, and neither party involved pushes the issue, no report will be done. That is one of two ways that Carfax gets their info. The other is through insurance. So if you get into a wreck and no report is filed, and then you fix it out of pocket, no record will come up that it has been in an accident.

 

[olyelr]

Most states have a $1,000 minimum requirement for reportable collisions. If an officer comes out and the damage on the surface doesn't look bad enough, and neither party involved pushes the issue, no report will be done. That is one of two ways that Carfax gets their info. The other is through insurance. So if you get into a wreck and no report is filed, and then you fix it out of pocket, no record will come up that it has been in an accident.

What about legit repair shops.... do they have to report to someone that a repair has been made on a vehicle?

 

[mtofell]

The other is through insurance.

This is what was strange about the scenario I described earlier - Farmer's paid out 15K+ but it never made Carfax. They specifically told us they didn't report to Carfax. This was roughly 10 years ago so things well may have changed.

 

[Deki]

What about legit repair shops.... do they have to report to someone that a repair has been made on a vehicle?

There is no law compelling them to do so.

 

[Deki]

This is what was strange about the scenario I described earlier - Farmer's paid out 15K+ but it never made Carfax. They specifically told us they didn't report to Carfax. This was roughly 10 years ago so things well may have changed.

They dont have to report it themselves. There is a website that law enforcement uses, as well as any company willing to buy into it, that allows law enforcement to see claims made. as well as people associated with vehicles and residences. Carfax had a subsidiary that is a part of that program so they just run vins through the system and it will show up.

 

[mtofell]

They dont have to report it themselves. There is a website that law enforcement uses, as well as any company willing to buy into it, that allows law enforcement to see claims made. as well as people associated with vehicles and residences. Carfax had a subsidiary that is a part of that program so they just run vins through the system and it will show up.

So, if no LEO shows up it can slip through the cracks? That's what happened in this case. One car accident, no police, Farmer's paid out a bunch and it's nowhere to be found. This is what is scary being a consumer of used vehicles.