Transfer Case Seal Failure - 2024 RAM 2500 6.7 L Cummins Diesel

[Steelbob611]

Hello fellow RAM owners. Steelbob611 / Texas here. I am new to this forum and a first time RAM truck owner after a lifetime of being a GM truck and SUV owner. Made the switch and purchased RAM 2500 Crew Cab 6.7 L Cummins Diesel. Delivered October 2024. I have put about 1600 miles of gentle break in miles on the truck on almost exclusively 'city' roads. In December 2024 I was preparing the truck for a trip to visit in-laws in the Midwest and doing routine systems check for fluids, tire pressure, brake performance, etc. Noticed a $.25 sized drop of transmission fluid on my shop floor. Put the truck on my ramps and inspected the drivetrain front to rear. Found trans fluid leak at the rear outflow of the Transfer Case indicative of a seal failure. Took the truck to my RAM dealer. Diagnosis - rear TC outflow seal failure resulting in catastrophic failure of the TC. Thankfully warranty covered. Note: 4WD only used once in 4-High to drive up a loose gravel road to hunting camp for a distance of about 400 yards, then immediately switching back to 2 High. My dealer advised that the seal simply failed and that the extremely limited use and proper return to 4 High could not have caused the failure.
Now to my dilemma / question: I took the truck to my dealer on 12/19/24. Dealer advised a new - not rebuilt - Transfer Case would be ordered/installed under warranty. It is now January 27, 2025 and we are still waiting on a new TC to be delivered to my dealer which BTW is one of the largest RAM dealers in the Houston, Texas area and has a stellar reputation. So the questions: Have any of you heard of or experienced this type of defect and catastrophic failure and long lead time on replacement TC? I get it the few if any dealerships would have new TC's sitting in dealer or regional warehouse inventory. So is there a massive number of TC failures out there that has depleted the Mopar or sub manufacturer inventories? I would sincerely appreciate any input if there is knowledge of this failure on brand new RAM trucks. Thank you, Steelbob611

 

[Wild one]

Hello fellow RAM owners. Steelbob611 / Texas here. I am new to this forum and a first time RAM truck owner after a lifetime of being a GM truck and SUV owner. Made the switch and purchased RAM 2500 Crew Cab 6.7 L Cummins Diesel. Delivered October 2024. I have put about 1600 miles of gentle break in miles on the truck on almost exclusively 'city' roads. In December 2024 I was preparing the truck for a trip to visit in-laws in the Midwest and doing routine systems check for fluids, tire pressure, brake performance, etc. Noticed a $.25 sized drop of transmission fluid on my shop floor. Put the truck on my ramps and inspected the drivetrain front to rear. Found trans fluid leak at the rear outflow of the Transfer Case indicative of a seal failure. Took the truck to my RAM dealer. Diagnosis - rear TC outflow seal failure resulting in catastrophic failure of the TC. Thankfully warranty covered. Note: 4WD only used once in 4-High to drive up a loose gravel road to hunting camp for a distance of about 400 yards, then immediately switching back to 2 High. My dealer advised that the seal simply failed and that the extremely limited use and proper return to 4 High could not have caused the failure.
Now to my dilemma / question: I took the truck to my dealer on 12/19/24. Dealer advised a new - not rebuilt - Transfer Case would be ordered/installed under warranty. It is now January 27, 2025 and we are still waiting on a new TC to be delivered to my dealer which BTW is one of the largest RAM dealers in the Houston, Texas area and has a stellar reputation. So the questions: Have any of you heard of or experienced this type of defect and catastrophic failure and long lead time on replacement TC? I get it the few if any dealerships would have new TC's sitting in dealer or regional warehouse inventory. So is there a massive number of TC failures out there that has depleted the Mopar or sub manufacturer inventories? I would sincerely appreciate any input if there is knowledge of this failure on brand new RAM trucks. Thank you, Steelbob611

Welcome to the after Covid world,little tidbit for you,it's not any differant in the Ford or GM world either. Most guys use TC to describe the torque convertor and T-case to describe the transfer case..
You could contact @RamCares on here,but don't get your hopes up much that they'll be able to speed the process up,you might get farther asking your dealer to do a nationwide search for a transfer case

 

[Steelbob611]

Many thanks for your input. You are spot on regarding Covid world. That affects many industries and consumer supply chains. As a former (now semi-retired) supplier of steel inputs to some of the auto manufacturers supply chain partners, I am of the opinion that the 'just in time' mind set coupled with massive diversity of up-stream component providers is a big part of the problem. That coupled with a 'it's not my problem' mentality. The primary reason I shifted from being a lifelong GM truck guy to the RAM is that I got tired of replacing torque converters and transmissions. Guess I should have done my homework better.

 

[nlambert182]

Well lucky for you, T-case issues aren't a widely known issue on these trucks so it's not likely that it will happen again...

Unfortunately that's probably why they're not sitting on a shelf somewhere. There's no demand.

As Wild one mentioned, the post-Covid world is still playing catch up with the supply chain (and likely will be into 2030 or later). I would parrot to have them do a nationwide search for the case. When the 10-spd transmission on my Expedition went south under warranty, it took 6 months to get the components in to repair it. Just as in this case, neither the Ford case manager nor the dealership owner could speed it up.

One caveat... and maybe this isn't the case with everything... a lot of times the parts installed under warranty are reman... even if you're told they're new. Have them give you the actual part number that is ordered and you can google it to find out. If there is a -R at the end of the part number, it is indeed a reman.

 

[06 Dodge]

Hello fellow RAM owners. Steelbob611 / Texas here. I am new to this forum and a first time RAM truck owner after a lifetime of being a GM truck and SUV owner. Made the switch and purchased RAM 2500 Crew Cab 6.7 L Cummins Diesel. Delivered October 2024. I have put about 1600 miles of gentle break in miles on the truck on almost exclusively 'city' roads. In December 2024 I was preparing the truck for a trip to visit in-laws in the Midwest and doing routine systems check for fluids, tire pressure, brake performance, etc. Noticed a $.25 sized drop of transmission fluid on my shop floor. Put the truck on my ramps and inspected the drivetrain front to rear. Found trans fluid leak at the rear outflow of the Transfer Case indicative of a seal failure. Took the truck to my RAM dealer. Diagnosis - rear TC outflow seal failure resulting in catastrophic failure of the TC. Thankfully warranty covered. Note: 4WD only used once in 4-High to drive up a loose gravel road to hunting camp for a distance of about 400 yards, then immediately switching back to 2 High. My dealer advised that the seal simply failed and that the extremely limited use and proper return to 4 High could not have caused the failure.
Now to my dilemma / question: I took the truck to my dealer on 12/19/24. Dealer advised a new - not rebuilt - Transfer Case would be ordered/installed under warranty. It is now January 27, 2025 and we are still waiting on a new TC to be delivered to my dealer which BTW is one of the largest RAM dealers in the Houston, Texas area and has a stellar reputation. So the questions: Have any of you heard of or experienced this type of defect and catastrophic failure and long lead time on replacement TC? I get it the few if any dealerships would have new TC's sitting in dealer or regional warehouse inventory. So is there a massive number of TC failures out there that has depleted the Mopar or sub manufacturer inventories? I would sincerely appreciate any input if there is knowledge of this failure on brand new RAM trucks. Thank you, Steelbob611

I believe your the 3rd 2024 truck I've read about with transfer case leaking a very small amount of ATF, at this time this is not a wide spread problem...

 

[Steelbob611]

Thanks for your input Wild One. Especially on the replacement part number - R piece. I will check on that. Had the same issue with replacements of 2 torque converters on my 2015 GMC Sierra and 1 on my 2005 Chevy Silverado along with the transmission rebuilds. The torque converters were both remans but I was told that upfront. All were post warranty, so totally out of pocket - that was one of my major motivations to switch to the RAM 2500 w/Cummins diesel. Unfortunately, our 2023 Chevy Traverse can't tow my bass boat and I am ready to get out of the house on the water.

 

[Wild one]

Wonder where in hell @RamCares is at,i'd think by now they should have popped in with their tidbits.
I'd think the truck should still be drivable as long as you stay on top of the t-cases fluid level

 

[skidoorulz]

The question I would be asking the dealership is how a small oil leak from a seal could cause a catastrophic failure of the transfer case. Especially with only 1600 miles on it.

 

[Steelbob611]

Indeed that is a question I have asked, but not yet received a clear answer other than the dealer saying it was a clear failure of the seal and that it's covered by warranty. All well and good, but does not explain the catastrophic failure, especially given that the only time the truck has been in 4WD is approximately 400 yard up a loose gravel road in the western part of TX hill country. I've made that same drive several times in our Chevy Traverse so it's not exactly a rigorous off road climb. Also - not that it should matter, the dealer in the Houston, TX area that is doing the service (so far with a very professional attitude) is not the dealer where I purchased the truck which is out of state. Both dealers have said the same thing which is what lead me to try to find out if others have had this same problem So apparently I am just "lucky" (not). Thanks for your input.

 

[stevenP]

Sorry to hear of this issue on your new truck. To get ramcares, you need to PM them thru this site. Again they will hold your hand, and maybe help on the parts procurement. It will give a case number though. It takes several days for them to get back to you too.

So are they saying that the fluid all ran out of the TC, and now its damaged beyond repair due to lack of lubrication internally?

 

[skidoorulz]

The T case always has rotating parts in it regardless of using 4wd or not. But unless they did not fill the T case on assembly there is no way 1600 miles with a small leak would cause a catastrophic failure. Is it still at the dealership or did they tell you to take it home but do not drive it?

 

[06 Dodge]

The question I would be asking the dealership is how a small oil leak from a seal could cause a catastrophic failure of the transfer case. Especially with only 1600 miles on it.

Its called selling dealer did not do a proper PDI of said truck, if they had they would of checked all fluid, grease, oil, atf levels an if low topped them off

 

[Wild one]

Its called selling dealer did not do a proper PDI of said truck, if they had they would of checked all fluid, grease, oil, atf levels an if low topped them off

PDI's are a thing of the past. You'll be hard pressed to find any dealer still doing them

 

[06 Dodge]

PDI's are a thing of the past. You'll be hard pressed to find any dealer still doing them

Am surprised being my dealer did one on mine before I picked it up in 3/2022

 

[Wild one]

Am surprised being my dealer did one on mine before I picked it up in 3/2022

Small town dealers are more likely to still do pdi's,as they need repeat customers,but the majority of dealers these days don't do them anymore.

 

[Steelbob611]

Sorry to hear of this issue on your new truck. To get ramcares, you need to PM them thru this site. Again they will hold your hand, and maybe help on the parts procurement. It will give a case number though. It takes several days for them to get back to you too.

So are they saying that the fluid all ran out of the TC, and now its damaged beyond repair due to lack of lubrication internally?

Hello StevenP; thanks for the heads up on ramcares. Yep; that is what both the dealer that I purchased from as well as my servicing dealer stated - seal failed and enough fluid was lost that the T-Case had a catastrophic failure due to insufficient fluid. I will reach out to them if i dont get positive news from my local dealer today which is when the new T-case is supposed to be delivered. Of course this is the 3rd revised delivery date :-(

 

[Steelbob611]

The T case always has rotating parts in it regardless of using 4wd or not. But unless they did not fill the T case on assembly there is no way 1600 miles with a small leak would cause a catastrophic failure. Is it still at the dealership or did they tell you to take it home but do not drive it?

Hello skidoonrulz: Truck is still at the dealership since Dec. 19th, '24 waiting on a new T-Case to be delivered. The dealership advised they are OK with holding the truck at their facility as I told them I did not want to take any chances driving it. Although both the selling dealership (out of the state of TX) and my local dealership indicated driving in 2 High would not exacerbate the problem. Possible true since I monitored the Transmission temp reading from my house to the dealership (abt 18 miles) and the temp never ran over normal operating temps. I wasn't going to take any chances beyond that drive in any case.

 

[R WILSON]

Hello fellow RAM owners. Steelbob611 / Texas here. I am new to this forum and a first time RAM truck owner after a lifetime of being a GM truck and SUV owner. Made the switch and purchased RAM 2500 Crew Cab 6.7 L Cummins Diesel. Delivered October 2024. I have put about 1600 miles of gentle break in miles on the truck on almost exclusively 'city' roads. In December 2024 I was preparing the truck for a trip to visit in-laws in the Midwest and doing routine systems check for fluids, tire pressure, brake performance, etc. Noticed a $.25 sized drop of transmission fluid on my shop floor. Put the truck on my ramps and inspected the drivetrain front to rear. Found trans fluid leak at the rear outflow of the Transfer Case indicative of a seal failure. Took the truck to my RAM dealer. Diagnosis - rear TC outflow seal failure resulting in catastrophic failure of the TC. Thankfully warranty covered. Note: 4WD only used once in 4-High to drive up a loose gravel road to hunting camp for a distance of about 400 yards, then immediately switching back to 2 High. My dealer advised that the seal simply failed and that the extremely limited use and proper return to 4 High could not have caused the failure.
Now to my dilemma / question: I took the truck to my dealer on 12/19/24. Dealer advised a new - not rebuilt - Transfer Case would be ordered/installed under warranty. It is now January 27, 2025 and we are still waiting on a new TC to be delivered to my dealer which BTW is one of the largest RAM dealers in the Houston, Texas area and has a stellar reputation. So the questions: Have any of you heard of or experienced this type of defect and catastrophic failure and long lead time on replacement TC? I get it the few if any dealerships would have new TC's sitting in dealer or regional warehouse inventory. So is there a massive number of TC failures out there that has depleted the Mopar or sub manufacturer inventories? I would sincerely appreciate any input if there is knowledge of this failure on brand new RAM trucks. Thank you, Steelbob611

I thought I was reading my own history, having been a GM truck owner for years (gas and diesel) and decided to give RAM a try in July 2024. Bought a new RAM 2500 gas (6.4 Hemi). After 5000 miles I took it to my local shop for an oil change and they spotted a dime size (or smaller) drip on the floor coming from the rear main transfer case. They took a photo of it and printed it out making note on the service bill what they found. I took it to the Dealer where I bought the truck, and they scheduled a service appointment and found it did have a leaky rear seal in the transfer case. The Dealer replaced the seal (this was in October 2024) and all has been fine since. The couple weeks prior to getting the rear seal replaced, once I learned there was a leak, I would park the truck over a piece of cardboard just to keep watch on the leak while also checking the transmission fluid level. I never had to add transmission fluid during the time it was leaking, which tells me yours must have been leaking for a much longer period of time and was never checked before you bought the truck. All said and done now, I have over 13K miles on my RAM and it runs like a top, no more leaks. Sorry to hear your catastrophic trouble - makes me think "manufacturer recall" on these trucks, being a little too coincidental to hear multiple same stories. RWILSON/NW MONTANA

 

[nlambert182]

I thought I was reading my own history, having been a GM truck owner for years (gas and diesel) and decided to give RAM a try in July 2024. Bought a new RAM 2500 gas (6.4 Hemi). After 5000 miles I took it to my local shop for an oil change and they spotted a dime size (or smaller) drip on the floor coming from the rear main transfer case. They took a photo of it and printed it out making note on the service bill what they found. I took it to the Dealer where I bought the truck, and they scheduled a service appointment and found it did have a leaky rear seal in the transfer case. The Dealer replaced the seal (this was in October 2024) and all has been fine since. The couple weeks prior to getting the rear seal replaced, once I learned there was a leak, I would park the truck over a piece of cardboard just to keep watch on the leak while also checking the transmission fluid level. I never had to add transmission fluid during the time it was leaking, which tells me yours must have been leaking for a much longer period of time and was never checked before you bought the truck. All said and done now, I have over 13K miles on my RAM and it runs like a top, no more leaks. Sorry to hear your catastrophic trouble - makes me think "manufacturer recall" on these trucks, being a little too coincidental to hear multiple same stories. RWILSON/NW MONTANA

For a recall to be warranted, there has to be a LARGE number of failures, not just a couple here or there. This is far from recall worthy, though it is painful and I'm sure very annoying.

 

[Steelbob611]

Thanks R Wilson and nlambert182 for your inputs. The good news is I was able to pick up my truck this past Saturday (hooray!) after 43 days waiting for the new Transfer Case to arrive. Back to a previous note from Wild One - the new T-Case is in fact factory new and not a remanufactured version. Thanks Wild One for the tip on that.
So the assumption by RAM and from a lifelong friend of mine who is a Mopar motorhead and raced Mopar street rods that he largely build up himself (at least the drive-train) is that something failed in the internals which likely occurred prior to the rear seal failure. The failure, then may have resulted in abnormal vibration/movement of the shaft which in turn created the seal leak.
nlambert182; sorry that you had you the same or similar problem. I am right there with you on the cardboard test. I'll keep a close eye on this. I just hope that we have experienced a very limited couple of incidents. Wouldn't I'm semi retired so wife and I can get by with one vehicle, but others would not be so blessed. This is sort of a chicken vs egg theory situation. Bottom line it's fixed. I'm not happy with the length of time for the replacement, but I am very happy with my service advisor a Houston Northwest Chrysler, Jeep, RAM - Matt Glaser. First class young man and very professional through the process.
All the best for my all of you my new RAM friends.