Truck randomly won't start or shuts off while driving

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Billtinlantern

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Hey guys I really hope someone here can help me out I'm in a pickle.

I have a 2019 rebel with pretty much every option and it was the first new vehicle and the most expensive vehicle I have ever purchased and boy has it been a nightmare...


So the issue is sometimes the truck doesn't start it doesn't even try to start, when this problem is going on everything is powered up and fine but the key fob doesn't communicate with the truck I can't lock unlock or do anything like that.

The truck was towed to the dealership and the first time it went there they replaced the battery and said I was all set.

Couple days later it happened again so it got towed to the dealership again, this time they told me it was working fine and they couldn't recreate the problem so they replaced a tention belt that sounded like it was whining and that they were confident it was all set and to come get it.

A week later I'm driving down the highway with my 3-year-old son in the back and the truck flashes pretty much all of the warning lights and then tells me it can't read any tire pressure and then it just shuts off on the highway and we almost getting an accident and are waiting on the side of the road in December for a wrecker. I was pissed.

This time it went to the dealership and they told me that they finally were able to see it in a not working condition and they figured out that the module that communicates with the key fob and the ignition was faulty and they replaced it and I am all set!

It's been two weeks it's now the day after Christmas I'm trying to do Christmas stuff with the family and guess what my truck won't start .

A few more details the truck has never had any accidents or anything and it's got 22,000 mi on it.


I'm praying to The forum gods that somebody can help me because ram care has failed me, the dealership has failed me, the warranty has failed me. I need a win here.

Thanks everybody I'm sorry if I posted the wrong spot or something
 

Rav3ncroft

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Have you used the same dealership each time? Is this the same dealership where the truck was purchased? If you answer yes to both questions then I would suggest you try a different dealership.
 
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Billtinlantern

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The answer is yes to both of those.

But only because other dealerships I called said that they couldn't even look at anything for three weeks and suggested I call the dealership that I bought it from if I want quicker service...


Thank you for responding, I'm having a bad day with this ruining Christmas plans
 

JeffN

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No one can diagnose a problem like this over the internet. I did have a similar problem with a car and I learned a couple of things that may apply. Take out your phone and video the issue when you are experiencing it. This is a powerful card to play with the dealer who can’t recreate the problem. When your dash lights look like Christmas, it is quite often the vehicle systems being overwhelmed with a problem the engineers did not program a diagnosis code for. In my case, the ultimate problem was a short in the wiring harness caused by a cable connector coming loose and the harness chafing against a metal body panel. The dealer will first start replacing components because it’s warranty and they get paid even if you end up bringing the truck back. They may guess correctly and fix the problem but it a process of elimination. Talk with the shop foreman, in addition to the service advisor, and you will get a more transparent explanation of what has been done. There is always someone in these shops who is an electrical specialist, that is who you need working on it.

good luck
 

KeithP

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Had a new 1974 Chevy C-10 Cheyenne. Top of the Chevy line in those days. It would randomly shut down and sometimes refuse to start. It took months but we finally found a pinched wiring harness. It was pinched in the assembly process. The insulation was breached leaving bare wire that would touch the frame if the truck vibrated on rough roads or was jolted by a pothole. Secured the wired so it wouldn’t move and an inch of electric taped fixed it.

Today’s trucks are much more complex, and yours may well be an electronics or software problem. But my point is, don’t overlook the simple and obvious.
 

NDanecker

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I have a 2019. Had same exact issue for months and couldn't determine the root cause. Almost got wacked by an semi that wouldn't let me get over as I'm coasting to a stop. They don't know you lost all power, and apparently flashers mean nothing anymore. I feel your pain.

My truck would randomly shut off on the highway with all service lights flashing. Also couldn't start and one time couldn't stop the motor. Had to pull the fuel pump fuse to shut the motor off. It wasn't fun as the cooling fans wouldn't come on and motor starting to overheat. Since I've done a bunch of mods with my truck we looked at things that I changed which turned up nothing. Even took to dealer which was useless as they said there were no meaningful codes (and they were right). Every time it happened I'd get different codes for 'lose of communication with X'. Fill in X with ABS, transfer case, air suspension, etc.

Found a few threads about early builds of the 2019 DT truck having bad TIPM (total integrated power module) which may be causing the issue. Replaced and issues went away. Mine is a 12/2018 build.

The TIPM contains fuses, relays and is the central BUS communication point for all modules so it does make sense. Your issue may be different of course but this solved my issue.

Good luck.
 

tbrown21

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Did you ever figure out the problem with your rebel? I have a 2019 with 40,000 miles, and it’s having the exact same problems.
 

NJMOPAR

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Open the TIPM and push down on all the fuses & relays.
They have a reputation of 'walking' up out of their slots from vibration.
 

tbrown21

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Open the TIPM and push down on all the fuses & relays.
They have a reputation of 'walking' up out of their slots from vibration.
That very well could be. I just drove it to the dealership to get worked on, and when I went over the railroad tracks it died again on the way. Also, when it died on me yesterday it threw an engine code. The display said to service transmission. Do you think that’s still related?
 
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Ottawa

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That very well could be. I just drove it to the dealership to get worked on, and when I went over the railroad tracks it died again on the way. Also, when it died on me yesterday it threw an engine code. The display said to service transmission. Do you think that’s still related?
Sorry to read this happened to you, did the dealership ever found what was wrong?
A very similar thing happened to us over the weekend (we have a 2019 Rebel with approx. 31 000 miles). We first tried charging the battery or boosting did nothing (thinking it was just a dead battery). Wouldn’t start, when it finally decided that it would start, I got the service transmission message. When I tried to turn it off it wouldn’t shut-off. The truck is now parked in our driveway dead waiting to get towed to the dealership. But based on peoples experience with them, I’d like to have an idea of what it could possibly be.

Edit: I thought I would update in case someone else is looking for a possible reason why this is happening.

We had the truck towned and they called a few days later to tell.us it was the battery... We were very sceptical and didn't really believe but, we aren't the mechanics. We took it home after having issues starting it at the dealership (we were told both keys had de-programmed themsleves....).
The next day, we were driving and it just turned off, in a roundabout with a city bus coming right behind us. We managed to get out of the way but it was scary. We called FCA and opened a case so we would have records. They sent us back to the dealership. They were not able to reproduce the events but they said "they found a fault in the ignition data". So we are now waiting on a new part (I don't know which one yet, will update when I get more info from the dealership.
 
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Ottawa

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I can't edit my post... So I'll add here (again, in case someone is in a similar situation). The dealership got error code: B1A7D-2A: start button stuck. So they replaced the kin switch. Fingers crossed it solved the problem.
 

crazykid1994

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Mine would do that. It ended up being the tipm. I could open the lid and gently press on the fuses and it would shut off. I’m guessing failed connection or a short and I showed the dealer. It had been in 3 times. First time they said pcm. Second time they said some wiring harness. Third time was when I found out it was the tipm because the truck actually started losing functions related to electrical and was throwing out communication error codes finally. Hopefully your issue is resolved. Mine has been fault free for over a year now.
 

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