05 Vibration from rear

[Mike B.]

DMcAnulty,



DC will buy back the truck but it will take some time. Don't give up.

My 06' is as smooth as glass at any speed.



DPK, Anytime a service rep tell you they don't know anything about these truck having a driveline vibe they are one of two things. Stupid or playing GAMES.

 

[TPappas]

DPK,



I wonder at what point does the "drone" become a vibration. I have a 67 chevelle that had a drone from an exhaust I put on it. The drone hurt my ears before it ever became an actual vibration, and I changed the exhaust.



The rear view mirrors in my truck shake and vibrate at these speeds to the point where I can't see out of them, everything is blurry. The change in my ash tray rattles when i am at these speeds. My hands go numb if I drive for any length of time. But with all these things my ears never hurt. I hear the wow wow wow wow wow that it makes but its not that loud.



I am by no means an expert with any of this stuff. However I do know that I paid a lot of money for a truck to tow my RV for family fun and memories. What I got was a truck that pulls my trailer great, but riding in it takes the fun out of our family RV trips because of this issue.



I am going to give them ample chances to repair then I will be getting a new truck if it is not fixed.

 

[DPKetchum]

Mine does not have it. It did have a buzz/drone that the powersteering hose took care of. The dealer I deal with has had a 1500 or two with a vibration but has not worked on any diesels with it. In fact I informed THEM of this issue a long time ago. They are NOT a large dealer. I had a short conversaion with a D. C. rep I knew about this issue maybe 18 months ago. He did handle some Atlanta metro dealers as well as rural. He had heard of the vibration issue but personaly had not been involved with any problem trucks. I think there are TWO issues in a way. A true VIBRATION such as shakes the mirrors and a NOISE that does not vibrate anything but is rpm releated. I have been involved in vibration issues with a number of year model Nissan trucks as well as Cadallic Broughams. Nissan trucks had a vibration for several model years. They offered NO repair. G. M. had this LONG TSB from weights to shafts,driveline angles etc. followed by a DO NOT SPEND ANY WARRANTY dollars on this with a WE WON"T PAY DEALER CLAIMS IF REPAIR ATTEMPTS ARE MADE. The TWO I was involed in I tried a driveline shop to rebalance shafts. Made it worse if anything. Replaced shafts with NEW and it was cured. Rep said I was LUCKY and paid the claims but with a stern warning. He offered BUYBACKS with out a hesitation. Owners were FLOORED at that attitude as was I. Rep said THEY had learned the hard way to cut their looses and let owners test drive OTHER new Broughams and pick one to their liking. The shafts I replaced were I think about $1200 each. Rep said HIS instuctions was that usually THOUSANDS were spent on a auto and in the final outcome replaced anyhow. G. M. said cut the cost and chase JUST replace the vehicle. Now Nissan said TOUGH. Its a TRUCK. Sorry but offered NOTHING. The Nissans that vibrated at certain RPM and road speed never had anything fail that I ever saw. Saw a few of these trucks for several years and lots of miles. Owners stayed pxxx forever. Can't blame them. In those years I get(got) the impression these harmonic/vibration issues are a real unexpected challange to trace and repair. I'd be curious to WHAT the engineer team/group has to say about it and what they REALLY know(bet they have miles of recorded notes/findings etc)and what their GUT feelings are as well as proven facts. You can bet its been a LOT of early morning meetings on it.

 

[DPKetchum]

My neighbors 05 dually 4x4 auto 3. 73 gear had this BAD drone/noise like cupped tires at 65 or so mph. Worse on a downhill coast. HE SWORE only at 65. I HEARD it on coast even down in the low 40 high 30 mph range. He swore at 70 it was gone. It wasn't. Just faster. I still heard it. DID NOT bounce change in ashtray etc. But it was LOUD. Like old mudgrip tires. Dealer replaced driveshaft(whole deal,midbearing and all)NO change. I suggested the TSB on take off shudder. Cheap,easy etc. Neighbor took truck with his gooesneck hooked and they measured the angals and ordered the shims per TSB. It stopped te noise until 72 mph and it rolls back in at that speed now. He normally dosen't tow that fast and said he'll live with it for now. BUT the angals of the rear diff/shaft DID move the noise.

 

[TPappas]

DPK,



Very interesting info that is for sure. The dealer I bought it from and where I took it in is a very large dealer, that mostly sells trucks. I am not sure what ratio 1500 to 2500/3500, but they claim to be the county's largest truck dealer.



As the service writer was typing up my work order, he went on to tell me that there are no other dealers in the area here that can take care of me like they can. He named a few dealers (which are actually closer to me than they are) and went on to say how it would be a waist of my time to take my truck there. Based on friends experiences and what not I do not disagree with him, this is why I went back to them for the problem.



With the size of dealer they are, and the number of heavy duty trucks they have sitting on their lot, I find it hard to believe that they do not know anything of the vibration I explained. Maybe the guy was new though and honestly didn't know???



I also wanted to add that last night I was talking to a friend who bought a 2004 dually brand new setup just like mine except it has 3:73 rear end. He drove it over and I took it for a spin. The truck was smooth as glass. No vibrations anywhere except a little at idle like mine does too, after all its a diesel, right? I wish my truck drove as smooth as his does. I would have no complaints at all.



I need to do some research here as to what truck configurations vibrate and what does not. I have heard 4x4, auto, swb trucks are the worst culprits. Maybe I will get a dually next time around. I can't wait till this is worked out.

 

[DMcAnulty]

05 Vibration

MikeB:

If yours is smooth as glass, then I should be able to have one too.

That's all I've asked for.



None of us would be complaining if this issue didn't exist.

 

[IEdwall]

Had my 04. 5 checked at Carson Dodge in Carson city, NV... they said the vibration was "harmonics"... it still vibrates at 70mph... don't know what to do, going to contact a Dodge rep I guess or maybe give a local dealer a shot at it...



____________________________________________________________

04. 5 QC CTD. . airaid, transmission & rear end mag-hytec covers, bone stock other than that

 

[TPappas]

Well here we go..... Just got a call from the dealer. He said your truck is ready for pickup. We replaced your door seals and we could not duplicate the vibration problem.



I explained to him to look in the mirrors when driving at that speed if nothing else. He said DC gives them about 5 minutes to diagnose a problem and if they don't find it they can't spend any more time on it. I asked him what he suggested I do and he said, "Come get it and if your still not happy then bring it back. " Hmmmmmm... ... .



I asked what I owed for the oil change, and he said, oops we didn't change the oil in it. I guess they overlooked that request. No biggie I can't get over there till tomorrow anyway.



I am disappointed with the response on the vibration. I was really hoping to be the exception on this. Here is how I look at it now. Two more trips back and I will park it in my driveway and contact a LL attorney to take care of it for me.

 

[DPKetchum]

D. C dosent suggest a TIME guideline to diagnois. Take HIM for a ride and show him. If HE documents actions and time involved HE gets PAID. Chezz. What sories. On WRITE up ask to see the WORK order to WHATS typed in. I asked EVERY customer to read what we discussed and sign at bottom.

 

[DMcAnulty]

05 Vibration

Tim:

Welcome to the club... ... ... .....



Put a few miles on between trips back to the dealer. I suspect you won't get them to even look at after awhile just like they did me. They said not to bring it back for the vibration because there's nothing they can do for it. Besides, "it's normal".



Prepare to get a lot madder. Get your LL paperwork ready to go.

 

[TPappas]

DPK,



Thanks for the info. After I read your last post about taking him for a ride, I called him to suggest that. He said he is not authorized to do that and wouldn't do it. He then suggested I go to a different dealership to get the truck looked at because they can't help me. I asked him to write that on the service order and he said, "No problem at all I will do it right now. "



We will see if he does it when I pick it up tomorrow. I asked if he was working tomorrow and he said he was not.



A lawyer at my work gave me a couple suggestions so I will be moving forward with the LL process. He also went on to explain that the car makers all have the same philosophy, which is to wear the customer down to where the customer ends up selling or trading for a huge loss. I am not going to put up with this.



I have the LL paperwork all lined up, but I am still HOPING that they will be able to fix it. It just seems there are too many of these that have gone this way for me to be really positive about getting it fixed.

 

[Mike B.]

See if you can get them to put the truck up on a rack with all four wheels in the air. Have them run it up to 65-70 mph and look at the drivetrain. If it's like my 05 was the tail of the transfer case will shaking like you've never seen. Have them try this in both two wheel and four wheel drive.

When they did this with my 05 nothing they (the dealer and the DC rep) tried would stop the vibe.



DC does have a standard check list for this issue. The first time I took my 05 in for this they had it for 10 days. The second time they had it for 29 days, the third time was only for a few hours while I worked things out with the DC rep.



Mike

 

[TPappas]

I am not even going to ask for this or any other favors, as far as putting in on a rack. The lawyer also told me not to pursue a DC rep for any reason at all. I do not even have to contact DC's arbitration hotline or whatever it is when you are not satisfied.



The lawyer said these are just attempts by the MFG's to prolong things, wear the customer out and have the customer give up. In California all I have to do is have four attempts at a fix then give it to the lawyer.



I am not going to have some rep waist more of my time and keep me on the edge of my seat waiting for a call that may never come.

 

[Mike B.]

Yeah I understand.



I was so lucky to have a great dealer to work with. They made all the calls to the DC rep. I feel for you guys that are just left out blowing in the wind on your own.



hmm,, I see I need to update my sig to add my 06

 

[MHorne]

alright guys now you got me worried. I'm only 20 and just invested in this 40k dollar truck. I haven't heard any such noise yet but would that be because i took the cat and the muffler off. Its an 05 which seems to be the year of question. Its only got 21,000 miles on it. Can i expect this problem to happen to mine later on or will i be lucky and get off ok. My mirrors don't shake or anything either so... ... ... ...

 

[TPappas]

Mhorne,



If you don't have it then don't worry about it. Seems as though the trucks either have it or they don't. Mine had it right from the start. I knew this when I looked for a truck too, in fact I read it right here. It just so happens the location I test drove the truck was a section of freeway in SoCal where it was all expansion joints. It is difficult to feel it when the whole truck is bouncing all over the place. I thought I didn't have it, until I drove on a smooth section of asphalt freeway. It is very noticeable and actually exhausting to drive it at those speeds, which just happens to be the speed of the flow of traffic.

 

[MHorne]

well thats good to hear. i was getting paranoid ever since i read this.

 

[sag2]

TPappas

Before you get some attorney to write a letter for you, ask your dealer to send in a "tech fax" to DC. It can be found on DealerConnect under the "business center" tab on the far right. If he scrolls to the bottom it is on the left and titled " Technical Assistance Request"

If the dealer faxes that in to DC, he will get the tech rep, not the DM. The tech rep works on nothing but problems. Depending on the schedule and location, they can usually work it in within a few weeks. If nothing else, your dealer will be contacting the guy that is most capable of getting it fixed.

(not sure if this works with other offices, but does for west coast dealers)

 

[DMcAnulty]

05 vibes

I agree with TPappas. My truck apparently had it from the beginning, too. It had 262 miles on it when I bought it because it was transferred from another dealer to mine. I never dove it over 65 MPH until it had about 600 miles on it. I couldn't figure out what it was at first because I had the radio on. What I noticed was some kind of harmonic drone that interfered with my hearing the radio. When I would let off the accelerator, it would stop. I later experimented with putting it in neutral. The drone immediately would stop. When I'm driving and get to 70-72 mph, the drone it creeps up on you and peaks at 75 mph. However, you almost don't realize how loud it has gotten until you let off the accelerator or go back below 70 mph. The more aware you become of the drone, the more irritating it is. You also realize you're feeling a vibration in the seat from it.



When I took mine back to the dealer, they had the chief diesel mechanic ride with me so I could demonstrate to him what I was talking about. He diagnosed it as "a driveline noise problem". He told that to the service writer and they kept it for 6 days. They were unable to resolve it. The service writer was honest enough to tell me he'd seen this before and believes it may be an exhaust-created issue. Ultimately, they spec'ed the truck out and then told me they had emailed the regional Dodge Rep to see if there was a TSB for the issue. After a day or two, the rep emailed back that it is a "normal characteristic for this truck". Since then, my complaint and demand to effect a repair or else buy it back has fallen on deaf ears.



I've been told by three other dealerships that "some trucks have it and some don't; there's no fix for it. " If your's doesn't have it, it is not likely to develope. Wish I knew what the difference in the trucks that have it and those who don't is. Also, it seems to me that if the 2006 2500-3500 4 X 4's don't have it, Dodge ought to know what the difference between the two years is. There aren't a lot of 2006's on the streets yet; I'll be curious to see if the problem still exists. It's has effected the 2003-2005 trucks so far.

 

[TPappas]

TPappas

Before you get some attorney to write a letter for you, ask your dealer to send in a "tech fax" to DC. It can be found on DealerConnect under the "business center" tab on the far right. If he scrolls to the bottom it is on the left and titled " Technical Assistance Request"

If the dealer faxes that in to DC, he will get the tech rep, not the DM. The tech rep works on nothing but problems. Depending on the schedule and location, they can usually work it in within a few weeks. If nothing else, your dealer will be contacting the guy that is most capable of getting it fixed.

(not sure if this works with other offices, but does for west coast dealers)

Sag2,



Thanks for the info. It appears as though you may work for DC, or at least another dealer and are familiar with DC's system. I don't have a problem doing this, but why is it up to the customer to point this out to the dealer? I mean I don't work there and if I didn't learn this from you I would have no idea about it right? I would think the dealers would exhaust every avenue to get it fixed before the customer takes it further. I think the attorney I talked to nailed it when he said they are hoping I will give up, lose interest, and/or go away, or even better yet trade it in at a loss to me and a profit for them.



Sag2, I will have to think about bringing this to their attention. I am just about done with them and this truck now and it will be easier on me to just do the necessary steps for Lemon Law and be done with it. I don't want to drag this out any longer or get my hopes up for no reason only to be let down again.



I really hope the service writer writes on my receipt that he recommends I go to a different dealer where they can drive it on smooth freeway because they are not authorized to do it. I asked him to and he said he was going to do it, but I doubt he will.



By the way through all of this I have been on extra special good behavior because of two reasons. You get farther when you are nice, and it is not these peoples fault that the truck has a design flaw.