[saltlife86]

So, I took delivery of a 2016 Rebel 4x4 w/ the Hemi yesterday. For the 15 miles I had her, she was awesome! Well, I went to go pick up my wife at work and got there a little early. I backed the truck in to a parking space in a lot across the street and I received two error messages in the Driver Info Center on the dash, "Service 4WD System" and "Service Four Wheel Drive System". Thinking it may be one of the fuses, I shut the truck off, popped the hood, and made sure all the fuses were seated (they all had to be pushed down/"clicked" in. Well, I go to start the truck and the brake pedal was very firm, so I press it like I normally would and press the start button, an NOTHING. Well, let me digress, all the electronics worked fine, the stereo, the dash, everything, but the truck wouldn't crank to start at all. Not even a clicking sound like a low battery. I call the dealership and they sent out a tow truck. Had to pull the "emergency neutral" lever (on the left hand side of the dash above the e-brake there's a little panel that you pop off, and an orange "rip cord" under the panel that will shift the truck to neutral if stuck in park). But I'm just dumbfounded, It wouldn't shift out of park or start. Yet, EVERYTHING else worked flawlessly. Not what I expected from a $56,000 truck that had a whopping 63 miles on it when I picked it up (due to my dealership having to do a trade to get it there) and after putting just 15 miles on it. Anyone have any insight on this? The service dept. is supposed to be looking at it first thing this morning.

 

[Arkhams Finest]

That sucks, sorry to hear that. I wouldn't know what would cause that, especially now days with all the electronics that go into these things. Keep us updated and be thankful for the warranty.

 

[saltlife86]

Thanks! I will keep y'all updated. I have been scouring the internet trying to find others who have had this issue and I have found a few people who have had a no-start problem (not on the rebel though). They said it was due to a bad battery. It is just sickening that this kind of problem happens on a $56k truck. I've had older ram's ('96 2500 and '99 1500) and never had a no-start (had a transmission issue, but that was common back then). I've also had an xterra, avalanche, and just traded a 2009 JKU Sahara and NEVER had any problems with the JKU or Xterra. ****, I even had 85k on the clock with the JKU and never once went in for any kind of warranty work or had ANY issues, and I had a 4" lift and 37's with stock gears on it. This is ridiculous. Dealership just called and said they just got the truck into service and will call later with the findings.

 

[Stackin]

I would be losing my mind. That is ridiculous :|

Maybe with the fuses not being seated, caused some sort of arching for one of the systems which in turn when you pushed everything down, something got shorted ?

 

[johnj]

A simple search of the web shows that this sort of thing happens to pretty much every brand of truck out there. Some little niggling production or equipment problem that hits a few of every company's vehicles. Disappointing, but it's reality. A little corrosion on a new alternator cable, a battery that isn't quite up to par, a fuse that pops for no reason, a switch that has an internal failure, a ground strap that's got a crack in it, a computer that locked up. None of these is the fault of the truck maker, they're all failures in the supplier chain somewhere. We as consumers get to experience the end result of all these parts sitting in our driveway.

When I was a marine, we used to call helicopters "20,000 loose parts flying in close formation."

 

[A5 HEMI]

We have to remember that these are STILL highly engineered MACHINES and that thinks happen. Heck, my friends $80K BMW had a fuel leak, the fuel line corroded and had to be replaced costing $700.

THE GOOD THING is that your truck was under warranty. I know it sucks, but you are protected.

 

[slainte06]

Ma, that's terrible, keep us posted on findings, sorry to hear that after 1 day.

 

[saltlife86]

Quick update: Dealership called and said "the route cause of the problem seems to be the starter, that is why it wouldn't turn over". I don't know how a bad starter would trip a "Service 4WD System" code though. I'll get more info when I pick it up today.

 

[saltlife86]

Update: So, the dealership said it was going to be ready between 1600 and 1800 yesterday. I decided to head there a little after 1700. Just prior to arriving at the dealership I receive a phone call from them and they say "well, we replaced the starter, but that wasn't the problem. We traced the problem to the alternator now, it had a bad wire and wasn't providing enough output to power everything in the truck, and we wont have one in stock until Tuesday". (which would make sense in my eyes about why it wouldn't turn over and why I was getting the service 4wd system message) Needless to say, I was livid, expressed my displeasure, and hung up on them. I told my wife about the whole ordeal, she called our saleswoman (both my wife and I just purchased new vehicles from her within a 2 week period of time) and laid into her about this. Our saleswoman said to my wife "I am so sorry about this, but they didn't call your husband back yet? They could tell how agitated he was over the phone, so they removed an alternator from another truck and installed it on his truck. His vehicle is ready to be picked up"....Yet, the service department never called me to tell me this. And, how is it possible that in less than an hour's time they were able to pull another truck in to the service dept, remove the alternator, remove the bad alternator from my truck, and re-install a "new" alternator on my truck, test everything and give the truck a clean bill of health???

Also, what is everybody's opinions on this? What I'm thinking is how can they get away with taking a part off another vehicle to repair a different vehicle? How am I supposed to know how many miles or hours on the "donor" alternator, and isn't this now considered a "USED" part on my vehicle??

What should I do?? I am waiting til Monday to talk to the dealership's general manager and going to try and see if they will order a brand new truck to replace this one. The way I look at it is "They thought it was the starter, ended up being the alternator, well, what if it wasn't the alternator, what if its something else and this truck leaves me stranded somewhere else??"

 

[Stackin]

Possibly "gently used".

I highly doubt they would give you another truck in this situation though, especially if it's just the alternator. If it was a major component failure, then I can see something like that happening. But I wouldn't worry too much if the alternator gets changed and everything works. If it doesn't work after that, then get into it with them.

 

[VaderRebel]

Possibly "gently used".

I highly doubt they would give you another truck in this situation though, especially if it's just the alternator. If it was a major component failure, then I can see something like that happening. But I wouldn't worry too much if the alternator gets changed and everything works. If it doesn't work after that, then get into it with them.

I agree. At first I was very upset when a few things went wrong with my Rebel, but the more I talked to my service rep I started to accept the warranty process and decided that better it be documented and repaired in the proper channels to protect my purchase in the future. It's heartbreaking to see your new $55k truck, your baby, sit in a service bay for days. But at the end of it, you have a brand new truck with the all the glitches worked out and piece of mind for many miles ahead. And don't forget, if you're not satisfied, don't leave the lot till its fixed. Don't fall for the "could not duplicate on road test" bullshiat. Ask for the shop foreman or service manager, they will respect you for demanding perfection as long as you do so in a respectful manner. Yelling and swearing won't get a truck fixed any faster.

 

[akyyee]

Hey SaltLife86,

I think you're going a bit overboard here.

This is why manufacturer's give you a bumper to bumper warranty. It's to cover situation such as these.

Any new parts could potential prematurely fail.

I would just keep the donor alternator, it pretty much brand new and you can get your truck back sooner too.

Unfortunately, asking for a NEW truck in your situation seems a little excessive and I'm pretty sure the dealership would not even agree to this.

-Akyyee

 

[roloramsey]

I had the same problem with the brake pedal being firm not wanting to depress to start. After first 1000 miles hasn't happened again just wrote it off to being new. I put extra pressure on pedal and it would start not sure what is causing your other problems good luck!!

 

[johnj]

Sounds like you may have had a bubble in one of the brake lines. This is always possible anytime brake work is done, and a brand new vehicle has brand new brakes. They're usually bled a little to get rid of bubbles at the factory, but sounds like one of your brake lines didn't bleed properly. That usually goes away pretty quickly if the brakes are working properly and have plenty of fluid.

 

[Stackin]

Gotta agree with everyone man. I'm sure it's not what you want to hear but, it's realistic. If they're agreeing and complying with fixing the truck, let them do their thing and it'll be pretty much brand new. Major point to agree with is @VaderRebel , do not leave until it's fixed to your satisfaction

 

[ballenbc]

Same thing happened to me at about 6000km. Nothing left on in it, shows full power to everything but no start. They tested the battery and it said it was fine, but they felt it was the battery, changed it out and never had it happen again. They kept my truck for 2 days to trouble shoot and check everything out and once they ruled out any source of draw on the battery they felt that it must be bad. Same thing with the gas pedal too, although mine had been hard to push down for a few days before it went kaput. I had them tow it from my house, I was pretty mad also, but happy with the service that I got , they offered me a loaner which I declined as we have enough vehicles here, but it was nice that they offered it at least, which is what they should have done for you instead of pulling an alternator out of another truck.

 

[saltlife86]

UPDATE:

So, I finally picked up my Rebel after work on Tuesday. Everything is working just as it should now. I've been dealing with the GM for the dealership and he has been awesome, much easier to work with than the service manager. It was the alternator AND the starter. Here were the options the GM gave me:

1. Swap trucks, monthly payments may increase or stay the same, would have been a lot more paperwork and headaches.

2. Take my truck back, and Ram would cut me a check for the first 3 months payments for the major inconveniences.

I choose option 2. Now, there was also a small dent in the driver side hood scoop, right on the bend, barely noticeable, but once I noticed it, that was all I could see (downside to being a perfectionist). Prior to picking it up on Tuesday, the GM said he" personally saw it and they removed it, almost couldn't notice there was even a dent there after they fixed it". Well, when I picked it up, I noticed it, same as when I dropped it off (ill get into this later). Also, the GM told me over the phone they ran into a slight issue regarding the "We Owe You" remote start. He said he personally was on the phone with Ram trying to get everything ordered and installed prior to me picking it up, but Ram told him that it cant be done now, and as he put it "Chrysler told me all they can say is theyre having many issues trying to get the remote start, push to go, and air suspension working properly, they have been having many issues with all 3 communicating properly". Well, he again offered to swap trucks to one that had it installed, but it would have to be a truck swap through a competing dealer, and would be difficult, but doable. I didn't want any more headaches, so what he said he would do was cut me a check for $500 (cost of parts and labor to install), and "When and if Ram/Chrysler comes up with a fix to this issue, we will install the remote start on your truck FREE OF CHARGE" (which I got in writing from him).

Back to the hood dent. On Thursday morning, I drove my wife to work and the Check Engine Light came on, but no messages in the info center. I did get an email from RAM regarding a "vehicle health report" about 30 mins after the light came on though, which I thought was interesting. So I went to the dealership Thursday morning to meet with the GM in person, thank him, and show him the dent again and have the CEL taken care of. The CEL tripped because the gas cap wasn't on, which I had no idea of because I have yet to put fuel in the truck. As for the dent, they took a hood off a truck they just took delivery of and swapped hoods as I waited!! Anyways, all is well and this truck is AWESOME!!

 

[johnj]

Sounds like they've done the best they possibly can for you under the circumstances. I'd be dealing with them in the future, too.

 

[Arkhams Finest]

Sounds like they've done the best they possibly can for you under the circumstances. I'd be dealing with them in the future, too.

I have to agree it seems they went out of their way to help you out the best that they could. Sorry you still had to jump through so many hoops but it happens, especially when dealing with vehicles. Good luck in the future.