Troubles With My 4”’Lift 2016 Ram 1500

[Clint.dunnet]

Hey when I bought my truck I got the dealership to install a few add in’s. like fender flares, tonneau cover, Mickey Thompson rims and tires, and a 4” lift kit. I purchase the vehicle April 2016! About 4-5 months ago I got off the highway onto a ramp and slowed down for a red light and heard a huge bang and the passenger side of the truck was smashed into the ground. Creased and bent the passenger side fender, tires was shredded, I had pieces laying on the sidewalk, the bumper was messed, etc. I fought with Dodge and head office since the dodge dealership did all the work - and they said no. So I had to pay 5 grand to fix it. On top of that a month before I had a wobble I took it in and the rear traction bars I think had no bolts on the bottom but they did on the top. They fixed it. And when I said why did you cover that but not this - and the fat bum behind his computer said oh we did that out of generosity because you paid cash for your truck and a Jeep Wrangler. What an idiot.

Anyway my question is - is there a solution to lift kits? I mean when you install them it throws everything off right like the center of gravitation? And parts are being stressed.... I was told by a mechanic there is a part you can order to fix it so it will login everything back up for the lift kit and ride good again. Is this true?

There is a sticker you can see under the truck it says sky jacket !!

 

[BOWERSFJ]

You mean Skyjacker ? Lol ... You need to talk with them and see what their lift warranty is ...


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[Ratket]

Did the dealer sell you the kit? If so make them eat it. They sold it and installed it. They should be liable for it. At the very least sky jacker should cover their own replacement parts and the dealer should cover the repair labor. It may be time to find a new shop to work on ur truck.

* my phone auto corrected sky jacker to sky jacket too lol

 

[Hootbro]

Did the dealer sell you the kit? If so make them eat it. They sold it and installed it. They should be liable for it. At the very least sky jacker should cover their own replacement parts and the dealer should cover the repair labor. It may be time to find a new shop to work on ur truck.

* my phone auto corrected sky jacker to sky jacket too lol

Yeah, 2 years after the fact, good luck in getting the dealer to cover anything on that. Most independent 4X4 shops would not even cover it either. The OP's situation is now between him and the maker of the lift.

Also, corporate FCA has no skin in the game for this situation regardless even though the dealer installed the lift. Only time the dealer and FCA would be on the hook is if they installed an approved MOPAR lift.

 

[muddy12]

With missing hardware, I have to wander if the truck was taken back to the installer after the first 500+-miles to have everything re-torqued??
As far as I know, that is SOP for any lift install. Heck, I even check my lug nuts a few hundred miles after I do a tire rotation, just for good measure.


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[Clint.dunnet]

In reply to the last comment - I had taken back the truck a few times within the first few months because they installed the tonneau cover wrong and I was hitting the cab and scratched it all up and they retorques the wheels and checked everything. I do regular scheduled maintenance on my vehicle I do not neglect it - it was a brand new vehicle And still looks and feels it. I never miss appointments. But there are some things I do not let them do like one day I had an oil change and tire rotation. They gave me an invoice for 850$ with things like battery cleaning, cleaning the air filter, etc. Stuff that I felt like they were just trying to scam and make money


My question still stands though. Does a lift kit throw everything out of balance? And is there a part or parts that would tighten up the front end or rebalance it again? I was reading other forums and I seen a thread about a trac bar! Maybe that’s wrong but I need answers. Everyone tells me lift kits ruin your truck and stress out parts quickly but some mechanics told me there is something you can install to help with it all.

Also there was no way dodge would help. They indeed purchased all the aftermarket parts and installed them. And yes it was about 2 years and 2 months when it happened so maybe the warranty for the lift kit was done - but I referred to a part of anyone knew of that could help with the front end to hold it together better or maybe re align all the parts



Thank you

 

[Clint.dunnet]

Sorry I just read that with lift kite steering can become loose so trac bars, Panhard bars or stabilizers - I will have to find out if I have those installed now or not.

 

[muddy12]

Trac and panhard pars are the same thing, and are only on solid axle suspensions.
On your 1500, the only track bar is on the rear axle. The front IFS does not have a track bar.

Having had multiple lifted vehicles over the years, I can say that as long as the install is done properly, and with quality parts, there should be no ill effects to the drive ability of the vehicle.




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[Clint.dunnet]

Okay Dodge installed it so I’m sure they installed everything from the kit - but not knowing what kit that was installed I’m not sure what actually was put on the truck. but as far as how good a job they did I’m not sure. I had issues with the truck so much I brought it back 5-6 times within the first 3 months. But since then 1 1/2 years it’s been great.

I just feel like the steering has gotten loose or isn’t as tight as it was since I first bought but that could be because it was a brand new vehicle and now it’s 2 years old and been used?


Would adding a trac bad to the front of the truck help at all?

 

[muddy12]

The steering feeling “loose” could be from worn parts (steering rack, tie rod ends, ball joints, etc).
Also, it doesn’t take much of a pot hole to throw the alignment, specifically the toe setting, out of spec. Out of spec toe can cause a loose/wandering feeling to the steering, even if all the parts are tight and good.

To answer your question about adding a track bar: You have a 1500. The 1500 has IFS (independent front suspension). A track bar can NOT be added to an IFS.


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[BOWERSFJ]

Did you call Skyjacker and talk to them ? Tell them what happened ... They should be able to give you some insight on what part failed to make it drop like that ... Rhey are your best sourxe of information ... They made the lift !!!


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[Clint.dunnet]

Thanks for the reply. I read some threads last night and found I can’t add a trac bar like you said. I’ll check the other parts. Thanks

 

[Hardracer]

So what actually broke to start this whole dilemma?