2018 68RFE failure

[DonFitzwater]

This transmission subject has been beat to death, but I’m so tired of hearing how tunes, big tires, hot rodding etc are the cause of failures. My 2018 2500 4x4 just came home from a 4 week stay at the dealer because of the trans. I bought it new, completely stock, tow a 5200lb trailer every day and at 78k the trans let go. Check engine light came on and within 5 miles to get to a spot to stop i had 1st, 4th and reverse. Towed to the dealer and after they took it apart pretty much every part needed was on back order. Why you ask? Because so many are failing. It took the factory 2 weeks to authorize a complete reman and another week to find and get the trans to the dealer. I was told the problem has been the solenoid pack failing and then taking out the rest of the trans. The service manager told me unless I upgrade the trans that it WILL fail again. So for all the guys that have had good luck with the 68...I’m happy for you! I find it ridiculous that a truck like this has a problem with a light load and even more so that it took Ram 4 weeks to fix it. I’ve been in Dodge/Ram trucks since 1997, this is the last one.

Enjoy whatever you get. I must have had a rare Ford Powerstroke that had engine AND transmission problems. Apparently Dodges are the only ones that break.

 

[Dahlsfarrier2018]

Covered under warranty......... "I’ve been in Dodge/Ram trucks since 1997, this is the last one."

If they slapped in a reman it should have any updates available built into it.

CHITZ happens for sure but your story has not been played much so I guess you drew the short straw.

Maybe, who knows. Hopefully whatever factory updates are available are in the reman.

 

[Minnow101]

Sounds like you’ll be happier in a Ford or GM product.

 

[Dahlsfarrier2018]

Sounds like you’ll be happier in a Ford or GM product.

Sounds like I still own 2 Rams that i am happy in. I am trying a Ford product for business, will it have mechanical failures...quite possibly. No manufacturer has a perfect build nor do I expect one.

 

[Jim W]

I have no idea of the numbers, but there seem to be more than normal failures around where i live.

I would like to know if the trucks are stock or not?

Also are these backed up by facts or just someone saying will my buddy down the street knows someone who failed a transmission?

This is why I asked about stock or not!

I was at my older son's part time business when I was servicing my trans several years ago. I gentleman came in wanting his kid's money back on the truck that they worked on the other day. It seems that his son destroyed his Dodge trucks transmission in less that 24 hours after a Smarty S67 was installed. My son ask him what was the son doing to the truck that he failed the transmission so, fast being that the OD had less than 1,000 miles on it when they installed the Smarty. Will his son admitted after awhile that he was doing donuts in a field on CaTCHER Level 9 and power launches. This will destroy any stock transmission even Smarty informs you do not go above CaTCHER Level 3, with a stock transmission.

 

[Dahlsfarrier2018]

Enjoy whatever you get. I must have had a rare Ford Powerstroke that had engine AND transmission problems. Apparently Dodges are the only ones that break.

Never said only Dodges break...I had a 6.0 ford work truck that was in the shop constantly, I’ve had GMC’s that broke....probably the biggest issue is Ram taking a month to swap a transmission. The dealer was following Ram’s rules on cost comparison(70% rebuild vs reman), Ram wouldn’t approve a reman even when all the parts showed back order.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Play ya gots ta pay!

 

[Dahlsfarrier2018]

I would like to know if the trucks are stock or not?

Also are these backed up by facts or just someone saying will my buddy down the street knows someone who failed a transmission?

This is why I asked about stock or not!

I was at my older son's part time business when I was servicing my trans several years ago. I gentleman came in wanting his kid's money back on the truck that they worked on the other day. It seems that his son destroyed his Dodge trucks transmission in less that 24 hours after a Smarty S67 was installed. My son ask him what was the son doing to the truck that he failed the transmission so, fast being that the OD had less than 1,000 miles on it when they installed the Smarty. Will his son admitted after awhile that he was doing donuts in a field on CaTCHER Level 9 and power launches. This will destroy any stock transmission even Smarty informs you do not go above CaTCHER Level 3, with a stock transmission.

I don’t know if these other trucks are stock or not Jim, I only can speak for mine. I totally agree that if the truck is modified or abused that it’s not the manufacturer’s fault.

 

[DonFitzwater]

Your service department was playing good cop bad cop and trying to make FCA out to be the bad cop. My Ford was in the shop for 43 days on the last visit.......Alaska lemon law is 45 days consecutive.

 

[Dahlsfarrier2018]

I wanted to post an update on my repaired truck. It hasn’t been driven as much since the transmission was fixed, but so far so good. I’m keeping the truck as a back up, it’s being used mainly to pull our horse trailers and haul hay vs daily in my business. I am hoping that it continues to hold up because i do like the truck.

 

[EDankievitch]

132785 miles, stock power. Towed heavy at times driven hard most of the time. I’ve even done things you should never do changing directions without coming to a full stop. I’m not a slush box fan but it seems to work ok most of the time. I do prefer the way the new Ford SD transmission shifts over this RFE68. But the transmission is not the reason I will be considering a Ford product in 5 years.. You can see my posts elsewhere on here. My last two RAM’s have been subpar. I did just drive a 2020 RAM down in Fla that did impress me... time will tell if RAM can. Get their head back into the game and build a product that actually works an keeps working like my 89 and 05 did.

 

[Dahlsfarrier2018]

132785 miles, stock power. Towed heavy at times driven hard most of the time. I’ve even done things you should never do changing directions without coming to a full stop. I’m not a slush box fan but it seems to work ok most of the time. I do prefer the way the new Ford SD transmission shifts over this RFE68. But the transmission is not the reason I will be considering a Ford product in 5 years.. You can see my posts elsewhere on here. My last two RAM’s have been subpar. I did just drive a 2020 RAM down in Fla that did impress me... time will tell if RAM can. Get their head back into the game and build a product that actually works an keeps working like my 89 and 05 did.

I did buy a 2020 F350 Tremor to replace the 2018 2500 for my business. I drove the 2020 Ram 3500 to compare and can say Ford stepped up their game, the decision between brands on the 2020 was very easy.

 

[EDankievitch]

Good to know. Ford has quite a few incentives to make the switch. I’m not ready yet. Just finished paying my 13 off. I want to enjoy no payments for a while. 5 year plan unless trouble shows it ugly head .

 

[Dogpatch]

So...end of last week I got a P0871 code on the EVIC. Overdrive Pressure Switch. Could be transmission Valve Body. I’ve only towed heavy about 5 times. None in the last year. Was going up a light grade and noticed some slipping and erratic gear changes. Took it in to my dealer service to get it checked out.
Service dept. broke the news...
Lucky me. 129,000 kms. 29,000kms past warranty! Not covered!

However, I had been complaining about the shifting of my 68RFE for several years. So, there’s been a record of my complaints about this truck’s transmission.
I said (reluctantly) fix it. How much? $2600.

Thankfully, I have a great relationship with my dealership. Bought our 1st car there when we moved here 17 years ago.
I went to the General Manager, whom I’ve gotten to know quite well over the years and plead my case.

“I’ll look into it” he said.

I’ve never liked the 68RFE. Never wanted it in the first place. But, when I first picked a truck, it had the Aisin, however, the truck got sold from under me by another dealership mine was getting it from. I only had 1 day left to catch the sale and deal I wanted so I settled for this one I’ve got. My dealership gave me a ton of (free) concessions like mods, parts, upgrades to make up for losing what I wanted. So I bought it.
This transmission scares the bejeebers out of me!

In any event, Got the call end of the day to pick up my truck. They had to replace the solenoid pack.
Went to the service desk. Pulled out my credit card to pay and they said “Oh No Mr. Dogpatch...the GM said this one’s on us”. Got it covered!

After I picked my jaw up off the counter and did 3 cartwheels, I jumped in my truck and drove away with a sh-t eating grin on my face.

There definitely are some great dealerships out there. I’m happy Mine is one of them.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Dog, question do you run TH all the time or not?

NOT wanting a big argument from others here!!! Why I ask is I didn't like my 68 unless I had TH on.

 

[Dogpatch]

Dog, question do you run TH all the time or not?

NOT wanting a big argument from others here!!! Why I ask is I didn't like my 68 unless I had TH on.

Yes, I run TH and EB all the time.

 

[jhenderson]

Good dealer and good for you.

 

[xiondavis]

Just another data point for the bonfire... My 2017 6.7 68RFE failed at 27k miles Nov 2019. Mostly highway miles unloaded, Occasional towing of 10k, no mods. It was shifting extremely hard in and out of 4th up and down to the point it was unpleasant to drive. I’d check the mirror for parts in the road. Not intermittent... EVERY SHIFT.

No codes. I had it in to two places, one shop kid told his boss “yeah it shifts firm”. One trans tech didn’t even drive it and told me it’s fine (I have a gps logger, don’t lie to my face). Finally after 4 times in the shop for bad trans, a different trans tech drove it on a 2 mile loop per my GPS tracker and then replaced the valve body, pump assembly, and torque converter. He told me it was dog* to drive. Yeah, I knew that. It was in and out of the dealer shop in a week. He said the pump was all “wallowed” out whatever that means. I’m worried about something misaligned and it coming back.

My old truck was a 2003HO manual. I miss that truck, I should have bought a manual. This 2017 still shifts like garbage but it’s typical now, not a coffee spilling shift like it was. I still brace myself for that hard hit... hopefully it doesn’t come back.

 

[xiondavis]

Double post

 

[Dogpatch]

After a few weeks of driving after they replaced the solenoid kit in my 68RFE transmission, it still shifts like the piece of shiet that it’s always been.

Nothing smooth shifting about this one.
transmission tech in service tells me 3-4 hard shift is designed that way. WHY?