Sprinter 3500 loss of power problems

Filed Sep 22, 2007 · Engine · 4,539 miles · WA

This complaint concerns a 2006 dodge sprinter 5 cyl diesel engine failure. I have a 2007 winnebago view rv on a 2006 sprinter. On aug 29 2007 I was traveling on i90 in washington state just west of the snoqualmie pass summit when the vehicle lost power. At that time it had 4539 mile on the odometer. We could have been hit from behind or stranded in the mountains as a result of the failure. The warranty on the vehicle suggest that any repair must be accomplished by a sprinter dealership. The nearest on was over 100 mile away. The parts that failed were the 'temperature sensor (part # 486235aa te 8037155 and the resonator- turbo part # 513715ab) . The sprinter service personnel in and other sprinter owners tell me that the resonator and temperature sensor failure rates are quite high and suggested that I purchase a sensor replacement to carry when traveling. I was also told that there was a service bulletin on this apparent defect in the sprinter engine. I suggest a recall.

Filed Apr 30, 2007 · Body · 3,000 miles · CA

My new motor home , sprinter chassis, suddenly lost power when driving on freeway, which almost caused a crash. It was towed to dodge dealer in thousand oaks city, result was a failure of a turbo resonator. This is a very common problem among these vehicles, and dodge failed to admit it to issue a recall.

Filed Apr 26, 2007 · Engine · 5,600 miles · CT

Sudden loss of power while driving 50-60 MPH. No acceleration despite depressing accelerator pedal to floor. Vehicle towed 15 miles to authorized dealer where turbo resonator was replaced.

Filed Mar 1, 2007 · Engine · 11,000 miles · WA

(1) without warning sudden loss of power. This has happened twice. Had to drive a total of over 200 miles on reduced power to get home. (2) 2006 dodge sprinter chassis motorhome with mercedes benz 2.7l 5-cyl turbo diesel engine, turbo resonator split at seam, causing turbo shutdown, and maximum speed of 30-40 MPH and no power on any hills. Failure on a hill or freeway could cause a major accident! (3) dealer has replaced resonator twice at no charge. We're seeking a metal replacement part that won't void the warranty.

Filed Feb 20, 2007 · Engine · 12,250 miles · FL

The truck lost power suddenly and the speed reduced from 62 to 35 totally out of my control. This occurred on i95 in northern virginia in heavy traffic. The problem was a failed turbo resonator.

Filed Dec 24, 2006 · Engine · 15,800 miles · OH

I was driving a 2006 itasca navion class c rv with a dodge-sprinter chassis (built on july 2005) and cruising at 65 MPH, when going up a slight incline, the speed dropped drastically to 50 MPH, unresponsive to further accelerator pressure. A reduced power mode subsequently ensued and the check engine light came on. It was a potentially hazardous situation because of the vehicles following behind and the reduction in power made it more difficult to execute maneuvers in accordance with the flow of traffic. The vehicle was towed to a dealership where a leaking turbo resonator was found causing the problem the part was replaced under warranty and normal function was restored.

Filed Dec 12, 2006 · Engine · 4,500 miles · CA

"turbo resonator" failed at highway speed on a major interstate causing severe loss of power and near collision. *jb vehicle is winnebago vuw

Filed Nov 14, 2006 · Engine · 2,436 miles · PA

I purchased a 2006 dodge sprinter motor home and with only 2,000 miles the engine lost power while traveling on the interstate. Luckily traffic was light and I was able to have enough power to get off at the closest exit and called the daimler/chrysler hotline obtained the name of the nearest repair dealer. I explained my situation to the repair shop and they new exactly what the problem was and had the part available. The problem was a cracked turbo resonator which is made out of plastic and replaced with a new updated version. The repairman said this is a common problem with this vehicle and daimler/chrysler is aware of it and that they are now replacing the part with a more reliable one. My complaint is if I were in heavy traffic the loss of power could have caused me to hit someone or I could have been hit. Sprinters are used in many applications including ambulances, and as of this date dodge has not issued a warning or recall on their web site.

Filed Sep 8, 2006 · Body, Transmission · 4,000 miles · CA

Leaving the town of lakeside, or made left turn onto the 101 hwy with traffic not visible due to a curve both ways, accelerated to get up to freeway speed for safety. Found the vehicle would not shift out of third gear. Drove 4-5 miles before I could turn off the freeway. I parked headed downhill, turned off the engine and opened the hood. I then went into the store to use phone; had no luck finding service. I felt I might be able to go back to my destination in third gear so gave it a try. When I put the hood down the support was so weak it bent and I had to hammer it out of the way to close the hood. I found something might have reset itself as it shifted normally once I restarted the engine. This happened twice more in the year 2005. The fix each time was to turn off the engine and restart. No red light . June 23, 06 before I traveled out of state went to local dealership starting fiasco with three dealerships (supposedly authorized and certified to work on this vehicle) couldn't get it fixed until mercedes benz mechanic was brought in and it was done within the morning of that day. Transmission control module was replaced three times; the gear shift was replaced and the transmission was replaced unnecessarily at less than 8k miles . The repair done is unclear to me; but, supposedly the culprit is the resonator. It was remarked in email to [email protected] by chryslerdaimler rep, it was the fault of winnebago industries installation of a sirius radio on the production line; they are discussing this between them now. While the two are attempting to place blame anywhere else but on themselves, people are in jeopardy of their lives the longer this issue is put off. Please assign someone to check out the yahoo groups forum: view-navion and view-naviontech there are 25 incidences of limp home mode (losing power) in the database.

Filed Aug 16, 2006 · Engine · 5,444 miles · CA

Vehicle suddenly lost power on freeway, creating a dangerous situation. Had to be towed to dealer. Dealer traced problem to turbo resonator failure, a well-known and documented problem with dodge sprinter vans.