Be careful doing business with Thomson Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. I will think twice before I go back there again.
I own a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 with a 5 year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty and 45,000 current miles. A year ago I noticed a whining / howl noise coming from my truck while driving between 35 and 60 mph, I then looked under my truck to notice wetness around the rear axle at the differential. I took the truck to Thompson Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram for repair.initially the Service representative said the leak was not coming from the differential, but I insisted that it was because it could not be coming from any other location. They mechanic then added a special dye to my differential fluid that would enable him to tell if the fluid was in fact leaking, which it was. The mechanic then fixed the leak, and the whining howl noise stopped. Now, one year later, the whining howl noise while driving between 35 and 60 mph has returned, so I again looked under my truck to see that there is differential fluid wetness around the rear axle at the differential, and at the point where the drive shaft meets the rear differential. I took the truck back to Thompson Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, and was told by the service Rep, that it is normal to have differential fluid wetness around the rear axle, and that the mechanic does not hear a whining howl noise, and that there is no leak. I insisted that there was a leak. I then requested to speak with the Service Manager. The service representative told me she would have the Service Manager call me back directly, which he did not. The same Service rep then called me back and proceeded to read to me Chryslers definition of a leak, which stated that it was normal to have fluid
wetness outside the differential housing. I then told the service rep that I was not interested in Chrysler's definition of a leak, and that the only way that differential fluid can get outside the differential and onto my rear axle was to "leak" out, and that I did in fact have a leak. The service rep then said that they would not be doing any repairs on my vehicle because there was no problem that they could fix. They are deying that a problem exists. Any mechanic that claims not to hear noticeable a noise coming from a vehicle that he or she is certified and should be well familure with, is either lying or incompetent. They are denying is that there is a problem that needs to be fixed. They are saying there is nothing wrong, that it is normal to have some differential fluid wetness around the axle and the differential housing, and that they hear no noise coming from the rear.
After my research I found that my truck has the whine/howl noise coming from the rear dif at 35 to 55 mph. It is a known issue by Chrysler, and there doesn't appear to be a fix for it. A lot of other 2009 and 2010 RAMs have this problem. Other owners who have had this problem say the dealers are doing nothings as well.
It seems that Chrysler is betting that if something does brake, it is after the 5 year / or 100,000 mile mark. Then the customer has to pay and not them. It is all about money, not doing the right thing for the customer. I would bet that is why there is a different rear differential starting in 2011 dodges Ram model years.
This will likely be the last Dodge Chrysler etc. I will own.
0 comments