2004 Dodge RAM 3500 transmission problems

What is wrong

On certain pickup trucks equipped with diesel engines and automatic transmissions, in an attempt to exit the vehicle quickly without shutting off the engine and removing the key, the driver may inadvertently leave the automatic transmission shift control in indicated reverse.

Risk

This error is an unintended action that may result in a lack of transmission park pawl engagement and possibly delayed rearward movement of the vehicle.

Remedy

Dealers will perform a software modification to equip these vehicles with an out-of-park alarm. Owners may contact daimlerchrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.

Recall number 05V462000 · Recall details

Analysis of the complaint, field report and warranty data shows that the majority of stalling incidents in the subject vehicles appear to be related to the engine calibration concerns that daimlerchrysler addressed with service bulletins releasing revised PCM software.analysis of the complaints and odi's survey of owners of vehicles that received engine management software updates under tsb #18-013-05 show that these stalling incidents have the following characteristics: - they occur at low speeds, often during parking lot ordriveway maneuvers; - they occur during decelerations, such as braking for a stop sign or traffic signal; and - the operator is almost always able to immediately restart the vehicle.when compared with other safety defect investigations and recalls of conditions that result in stalling during low-speed deceleration with immediate engine restart possible, the failure rate in the subject vehicles is low.analyses of complaint and warranty data also show a declining trend.accordingly, this investigation is closed.the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist.the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted.see document file for additional information regarding this resume.

EA05018

On may 16, 2005,odi opened preliminary evaluation pe05-027 to investigate complaints of engine stalling in model year 2004-05 dodge durango suvs and ram 1500 series pickups equipped with the 5.7l v8 engine.information provided by daimlerchrysler during pe05-027 indicated that a large percentage of the complaints are related to an idle undershoot condition that may cause the engine to stall during turning maneuvers.in february 2005, daimlerchrysler revised the powertrain control module software in production vehicles and issued a technical service bulletin (tsb 18-013-05) releasing the new software as a service remedy for the idle undershoot condition.the bulletin was superceded by tsb 18-013-05a in april 2005.daimlerchrysler believes that the failure rate for stalling while driving due to the idle undershoot condition is low and that the bulletin has adequately addressed the problem. Since pe05-027 was opened, odi has continued to receive complaints from owners of the subject vehicles who allege experiencing engine stall incidents under all types of driving conditions.in some instances the stalling has continued after the vehicle received the service bulletin repairs.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea05-018) to further assess the scope, frequency, and safety consequences of the alleged defect in dodge durango and ram 1500/2500/3500 series pickup trucks.

PE05027

The subject vehicles are heavy duty pickup trucks with diesel engines and automatic transmissions commonly used for commercial and work purposes.a column mounted shift lever is used for gear selection and an electronic prndl on the instrument panel provides gear position information to the driver.the subject vehicles are also equipped with a brake-transmission shift interlock that prevents the shift lever from being moved from the park position (when the engine is on) unless the brake pedal is depressed and an ignition-shift interlock that prevents key removal unless the transmission is in the park position.complainants generally report that the vehicle was being operated in a forward gear and brought to a stop through brake application on alevel surface, at which time the operator moved the shift lever to engage the park position.the operator then opened the driver side door and, without verifying park engagement (e.g., prndl gear indication), securing the park brake, or turning the engine off, exited the vehicle.initially, no vehicle movement was apparent, however, a short time later, typically reported as 10 to 30 seconds, the vehicle moved rearward under engine power.the incident often ended in a vehicle crash, and sometimes involved serious injury.two fatalities are alleged.odi?s analysis of test vehicles and some incident vehicles found no evidence to indicate that a shift lever properly placed in park could unintentionally (I.e., without driver input) disengage from that position.however, odi did find that the shift lever could be inadvertently placed, and remain at rest, within an intermediate position between the park and reverse gear positions.when placed in such an intermediate position, the vehicle can experience a delayed pressurization of the reverse hydraulic circuit that is sufficient to cause the vehicle to roll rearward under power.the delay period allows sufficient time for operators to exit the stationary vehicle without perceiving that the shifter is not in park.the summary report discusses the technical analysis of this issue in greater detail and compares the frequency of these incidents in the subject vehicles to other peer vehicles that odi examined.as described in their october 4, 2005 letter to the federal safety agency, daimlerchrysler corporation (dcc) will conduct a safety recall (the federal safety agency recall no. 05v‑462, dcc no. E17) to install an out-of-park alarm system in the subject vehicles.the alarm will provide audible and visual feedback to alert the driver, and others, if the driver attempts to exit the vehicle while the engine is running and the shift lever is not in the park position.the timing of dcc?s action has yet to be determined.

EA04025

There have been 50 complaints to odi and daimlerchrysler alleging incidents of reverse powered rollaway in subject vehicles that were parked with the engine running and the parking brake disengaged.the incidents are alleged to have resulted in 42 crashes and 3 injuries. According to daimlerchrysler, incident vehicle inspections have not identified any misadjusted or broken parts.a typical incident is believed to involve the following set of conditions:(1) with the vehicle on a relatively level surface, an attempted shift into park inadvertently places the transmission in a position between the reverse and park gear detents; (2) the driver exits the vehicle with the key in the ignition, the engine running, and the parking brake disengaged; and (3) after some delay, the vehicle begins traveling rearward.in prior investigations of other daimlerchrysler products, reverse motion was found to result from a gradual pressurization of the reverse circuit (hydraulic reverse). Daimlerchrysler attributes the incidents to operator error in using a system that functioned as designed.according to daimlerchrysler, the alleged defect cannot occur if the driver:(1) shifts fully into park as indicated by end of shifter travel slam, the forward throw of the shift lever, and/or the illumination of the park indication in the prndl display; (2) removes the key from the ignition; (3) turns the engine off; or (4) engages the parking brake. The subject vehicles are equipped with:(1) daimlerchrysler's re-specific transmissions that have been the subject of two previous odi reverse powered rollaway investigations (ea96-006 & ea01-017); and (2) a column mounted shift mechanism with an electronic gear position indicator (prndl) that is located in the dash display directly forward of the steering wheel.two peer populations of dodge ram pickup trucks were analyzed for comparison with the subject vehicles:(1) my 2001-02 ram 2500/3500 pickup trucks equipped with similar transmissions, but a different shifter with a mechanical prndl; and (2) my 2003-04 ram 1500 pickup trucks equipped with the same shifter as the subject vehicles but different transmissions.the complaint rate in the subject vehicles is significantly higher than in the two peer populations.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis.

PE04039