CP4 Fuel Pump Saga Update

Just last week we posted a front-page news article concerning the 2019-2020 trucks with an article that discussed that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) had started an investigation focused on CP4 fuel pumps failures (10/14/21). The official bulletin noted “Complaints, 22” and “Population, 604,651.” At the end of the post, we noted a TDR article that discussed proactive things you can do during the ongoing investigation. Here is a link to the article, “CP4 Preventive Maintenance” that we published six months ago in Issue 112 of the Turbo Diesel Register.

The New News

On Friday, October 21, 2021, FCA (now Stellantis) was added to an existing lawsuit that was previously directed at General Motors and Ford. The class-action lawsuit seeks a financial remedy for CP4 fuel pump failures.

In December 2020, writer Bruce W. Smith wrote about the GM and Ford proceedings for another publication. I contacted Bruce to ask if he would update his previous report so that our audience would be up to date. Here is his five-page report and related pictures.

Click here to view the updated PDF.

Finally, the TDR has given you suggestions on how 2019 and 2020 owners can take proactive steps to minimize the potential for a CP4 problem. Add Bruce W. Smith’s advice (found at the end of the short five-page report) to your “toolbox.”

As we have further updates, we will keep you advised. The trial date is set for February 2023.

February 2023, that is a long time away.

 

What I find most impressive is TDR's ability to retrieve correspondence from the future. The date of Mr Smith's update is 10/30/2021......this is truly revolutionary.

 

We are good at looking into the future? How about you?
Typos and arrows happen.

RP

 

Much better article. The captions on some of the pictures are out of date or conflicting. Duramax owners have CP3 retrofit options as pointed out but a later caption says they are out of luck. Same with lube of diesel fuel but a later caption implies it's low sulfur that's the cause: I suggest it get clarified that the process to remove sulfur is what strips the lube out of diesel fuel rather than the sulfur itself providing lube as the caption can be taken as.

We are good at looking into the future? How about you?

Sadly this was plainly predictable biased on past failures and then current CP4 class action lawsuits: I am on record here as I (and others) predicted this impending disaster when the 2019's came out with the CP4. It's why I own a 'leftover' 2018 rather than a 'just arrived on the lots' 2019 RAM. To be fair info from other members on The TDR brought the 2019 having a CP4 to my attention and allowed a more informed choice for something one could have overlooked or taken for granted.

"If it was a problem it would be all over the internet with failures." It. Is. CP4 failures were well known at the time the 2019 RAM Cummins came out. Now that the internet has RAM Cummins failures and even going to your local AZ RAM dealer has one tripping over failures: it's "It's all overblown..." No: it a real problem that's gone viral.

Just like the Olds 5.7 Diesel that put Lemon Laws on the books (after all the engine disasters like the Vega engine didn't do it.): Customers are NOT going to put up with a defective cheap design that costs them money before it's time. Further denial of warranty compounded by the OEM's including Bosch's arrogance isn't going over well.

So maybe it's time to start helping Cummins and Stellantis be better than their competitors. Frankly they need to buy out S&S and retrofit the CP4 Cummins Diesels with the 50 state emissions approved kit. The selling point, after saving future extreme warranty repair costs for related expensive parts, is yanking the rug out from under Ford and GM on the lawsuit. Yeah, they better have a Non-Bosch injection system lined up because that may force Bosch into Bankruptcy. A move GM has used for the heated washer fluid option.

That burned out Crystal Ball of mine that uses history to predict outcomes of "the same mistake happening again" has the following guidance:
1) Corporations will happily send you down the road without correcting their beancounter expensive to your wallet screw up.
2) Class Action Lawsuits limit their damages and do not correct the problem. Maybe you get a small check or finally reimbursed for what should have been covered by warranty. Extended OEM warranty on a ticking time bomb is standard.
3) Government NHTSA and the OEM may settle on a fix that involves the horn blowing and lights flashing at freeway speed if the CP4 fails and stalls the engine. Or NOTHING like the V06 recall allowing the welding on steering parts.

Good example of "Nothing to worry about" is Norcold and Dometic Propane RV fridges that overheat the boilers, ruin the anti corrosion additives, corrode through, and then leak sometimes going up in a fireball that takes out the RV and things around the RV. No fix came of the lawsuits even though the original plaintiffs wanted a fix not money, but, it did limit Norcold's future fireball liability after an extended warranty and some cash back. Dometic's class action was simply dismissed last I checked. These fridges still do not have overheat protection and still cause fireballs today.

 

3) Government NHTSA and the OEM may settle on a fix that involves the horn blowing and lights flashing at freeway speed if the CP4 fails and stalls the engine. Or NOTHING like the V06 recall allowing the welding on steering parts.

I believe this is a very possible outcome.

 

There are some questionable statements made in that article but the overriding issue for me is that GM knew about the problems with the CP4 and quit using it in 2016. Then, two years later, FCA starts using it? Do they have blinders on and are unable to see these issues happening with other manufacturers, or are their memories just too short? Why they started using a known problematic pump after another manufacturer dropped it is beyond me.

 

FCA was probably able to buy a the Cp4 pumps at a huge discount.. Quick easy $$$ Drive all bad ideas.

 

Why is the 2018 MY included in this article?

 

FCA was probably able to buy a the Cp4 pumps at a huge discount.. Quick easy $$$ Drive all bad ideas.

Maybe Bosch had a fire sale on a bunch of CP4 pumps GM no longer wanted?

 

Why is the 2018 MY included in this article?

Looks like a mistake by the author or court documents.

It will be amended/clarified in the magazine print copy to read Model Years 2019-2020.

RP

 

Looks like a mistake by the author or court documents.

It will be amended/clarified in the magazine print copy to read Model Years 2019-2020.

RP

I've seen this mentioned in several articles which is why I asked. I thought I was missing something.

Here is one example of a few I have seen

https://www.businesswire.com/news/h...el-Pump-in-Dodge-RAM-Heavy-Duty-Diesel-Trucks

Here is the original complaint that also mentions 2018 MY. It states 2018-2020 5 pages in. Very strange.

https://www.hbsslaw.com/sites/defau...s/cp4-fca/Hagens-Berman-FCA-CP4-Complaint.pdf

 

Maybe the trucks in question were manufactured in 2018 to be sold as 19’s?

 

Maybe the trucks in question were manufactured in 2018 to be sold as 19’s?

The 2019’s 2500/3500 were not on the lots until like April 2019. IDK manufacturing dates but I sure was surprised when I started looking in 2019 that the 2019’s weren’t out yet. They were finally on the lots when I did get mine.

 

Maybe the trucks in question were manufactured in 2018 to be sold as 19’s?

The 2019’s 2500/3500 were not on the lots until like April 2019. IDK manufacturing dates but I sure was surprised when I started looking in 2019 that the 2019’s weren’t out yet. They were finally on the lots when I did get mine.

Not possible, unless they were lineset and then held until engines arrived. The MY19 engine didn't launch until late December, and IIRC didn't ship until Jan.

 

There are some questionable statements made in that article but the overriding issue for me is that GM knew about the problems with the CP4 and quit using it in 2016. Then, two years later, FCA starts using it? Do they have blinders on and are unable to see these issues happening with other manufacturers, or are their memories just too short? Why they started using a known problematic pump after another manufacturer dropped it is beyond me.

I don’t think the automotive industry is open between companies on Lessons Learned. They may even call it corporate espionage. Imagine if they were open with each other.