The many problems on my 06 and DC's attitude

[draymorris]

This is the message:



First of all - this is about all the problems I have had with my 06

3500 QC 4WD.



My phone is 254-631-5511. I pull travel trailers for a living and do

not have the chance to get on the TDRmuch - so feel free to call me.



If you think this is just a bunch of whining, you have the option to

stop reading now. This is about a person trying to make a living with a Dodge Cummins.



Here goes:

I have owned a 92, 97, 02, 03 and 06 CTD - so please don't assume that

I have been anything but a CTD lover - until now.



This is not exact on the dates or mileages, but they are very close -I have the documents to back all of this.



History of truck:



Purchased 1/19/06

12k - running rough - 2 injectors replaced - still ran rough

20k - 6 injectors replace, ran correctly.

26k - no start - truck towed - 2. 5 days in Salt Lake City due to STAR

error in shipping new TIPM(fuse block - total intigrated power module)

35k - starter replaced - truck had no start problem many times since

TIPM replaced - leaving me stranded for anywhere from only minutes to

hours - but would eventually start. Nice for a $40k truck.

55k range - reflashed computer to "hopefully" fix no start problem that

still continues. Humm - DC must have a problem or they would not

address such an issue in the software.

62k - Idler Pully bearing failure - lost the belt so I lost power

steering and power brakes at 65 MPH while going into a curve in a reduced

speed zone - fun fun! 10:30PM Friday night in very rural town. I could go

into all the hell this caused that night,but it would take too long.

Truck was towed and pully and belt replaced.

65K range - trailer turns signals quit - had to have computer reset because fuses just are not in DC's engineering handbook - I

guess. (maybe Dr. Z came up with this?!?!?) Nice when you drive 50 miles out

of you way with a trailer just to get the trailer blinkers to work

again - never knew why they quit.

70k range - AC blowing hot - I am in traveling from TX to GA on the 3rd

of July - fun in a $40k truck. Paid to have recharged - on the 5th - no

one was open on the 4th. Hot!!!!

75k - taken to dealer for the following : AC leak, Rear end pinion seal

leak, fuel pump leak, and the battery/ignition cable replacment to

"fix" the ongoing no start problem. No AC leak was found - nothing done,

pinion seal replaced, CP3 fuel pump replaced, battery cable replaced.



At this point I was trying to start the Lemon process, but none of this

fits the TX lemon laws. Since this truck is my living, at this point

the truck had cost me over $10k in lost wages, hotels, etc. I spoke to DC

rep for 1 hr and 17 mins - details below (you'll like what he told me).



The saga continues - the AC got hot again a few week later in 109F heat

in central California. I had that recharged - last 2 days - went out

again in Barstow CA on my way East ( I ask anyone who thinks that I am

being unreasonable to drive from Barstow CA to Vegas in the middle of

August and get in a traffic jam starting at 1PM. ) I thought I

would buy a set of guages and freon and fill it myself in VEgas - I did

for $140 - lasted 1. 5 days - continued this until I delivered the

trailer in MN and picked up another in IN. Southern IN, headed to TX - 2 cans of freon last 2 hours in the morning - the next 2 cans lasted 25 miles

- I gave up!! Made it home!! - Oh yeah, during all of this the truck

began to idle worse and worse and run rough at highway speeds.



88k - drop truck at dealer to have compressor replaced ( which now has

a new revision number that is on national back - order) have fuel delivery

diagnosed. PURCHASED CHEVY! And love it MPG better, ride better! Pulls good(since my dodge rarely ran right - its hard to compare) - AC cold (not hot on passenger side even when working like DC)



At this time, metal was found in the fuel filter bowl during the

beginning of the trouble shooting process!!!!



Here is what DC's position is!!!!!!----

Regarding the current problem - AC compressor - Warranty covered now that leak was obvious - I owe deductable for first round of leak detection when nothing was found. As for the ROUGH IDLE more test have to be run to

determine if injectors need to be replaced even though my tech can already

see #4 is not acting right - they will not let him replace it without

more diagnostics. And because of the history on the truck - STAR(DC)

beleives that it is "my putting dirty fuel in the tank" that has cuase any

injector problem - when I asked my tech why they did not think that the

metal in the filter was not the cause - he replied that he has already

been trained that the lift pump can fail also because of dirty fuel -

and since the lift pump shows "acceptable" pressure - STAR will not

replace it - I have known this tech for years and the service mgr was in

this conversation - this is the game DC plays. THINK ABOUT THIS - my

truck was recently RECALLED for the Rollover Vent Hose retrofit that DC admits is being done to prevent fuel contamination - yet all the

fuel problems I have had are my fault. !?!?!?!?!?!?!



Now, regarding the conversation with the regional DC rep that I spoke

to regarding DC buying back my truck___

It was his stance that they should have never replaced all 6 injectors

on my truck - DC is only responsible for defective part and that was

clearly dirty fuel. I asked him why his fuel filter did not protect the

injectors. He told me that the purpose of the fuel filter was to help

the customer by helping the fuel system last longer. I told him that it

had failed in doing that - he said that it was not designed to stop bad

fuel from entering the injectors - we beat that horse for 30 min -

think about this - is the air filter only supposed to stop gravel from

entering the engine?????? When I confronted him with my knowledge of DC new spec on a 7 micron filter instead of a 10 micron filter, but the

injectors can be plugged with a 4 micron particle - he did not disagree that

my knowledge was accurate - yet he insisted that DC did not have a

problem, because the filter is just there to help the customer - dirty fuel

is my problem.



As for the no start problem - he pointed out that they had done

everything that they could do to repair it and that since it had not happened

in some time it must be fixed. I told him that unless he could prove

that the parts that were replaced were a revised part - then I must

assume that I have parts that will have the same problems. He said that he

could not get information on Cause and corrective action in his plants (

I personally don't think he knew what that meant, but only people with

manufacturing experience would know).

As for the rear end leak, fuel pump leak, AC leak and Idler pully

failure - he said there is just no such thing as a perfect part.



It ended with - I am too upside down for them to buy it back and they

have done everything they are suppose to do. Too bad for me.



I told him that I will find a lawyer and sue and that I plan to put

decals all over the truck and travel the country - and post here on the

TDR. I could not afford decals - so all I can do is tell people.



Please call with questions or comments since I have very limited access

to a computer and they may kick me off here (just joking - TDR is made

of great people)



If you do post questions, I will repond as soon as I can.



Good luck with your 06's and DC. Filter that fuel!!!

 

[robmints]

Not good news to us new owners. I hope Dodge comes to it's senses and buys or replaces your vehicle. Are these quality and warranty problems just since Daimler bought Chrysler? My truck is fine so far, should I get out while the getting is good? Like you, I really like my dealer, but apparently that is not enough.

 

[draymorris]

Update

Sorry about the strange text like "this is the message" - I had to modify the post from an e-mail after I violated TDR post rules and did not edit the post correctly. Thank you Steve (the moderator) for letting me put it back on the forum. I am not trying to offend anyone or tell all dodge owners that they are stupid - I'm just trying to inform(and occasionally voice an opinion). It would be great if DC would change their position on warranty issues and defective parts instead of acting like they are at no fault, but I doubt that they listen to the customers until sales drop.



The latest on my truck -

last thing I heard was that 4 injectors were being replaced. The truck is sitting at the dealer while I continue my job with my new Chevy.



Chrysler Finance is calling me daily - as I expected. I have been lied to by a few reps that I spoke to over the phone as I am trying to explain what has happened to me and why I am not paying for the truck. One rep told me to give her a "case number" and they would hold my account until any litigation was settled - when I tried to get a case number from DC, they said they did not know what I was talking about. The next phone call to Chrysler Finance ended up in a heated argument with a rep who told me that the case number I needed to put a hold on my account, was a lawsuit filing in the county of jurisdiction - in other words "when you proove that you are really going to sue us by hiring a lawyer and file the lawsuit, then we will hold your account" In the mean time she informed me that in 8 days they would put a deragotory remark on my credit - and, even if I voluntarily surrendered the truck, it would still show as a reposession on my credit. After that they would run it through an auction and sue me for the remaining balance.



I told her what I would do (legally) and she really didn't give a ... . The funny thing was that she told me that one of the worst problems with America was frivilous lawsuits. At that time, I asked her to let me talk to DC's legal dept. She said they did not have a legal dept. (yeah right). I asked her what other choice I had to try to keep this out of court and she told me "pay for the truck" What choice did they leave me - and then she threatens to sue me!



Later that day a different rep called me and wanted to know what took place during the phone calls in the past few days. I explained most of it to her, and currently, I am suppose to receive a phone call from DC Monday to see what we can work out.



I don't know if my lawyer knew who to call or if a supervisor listened to the phone call recordings, but they seem more interested in me now.



I will know more Monday.



All of this from the company that advertises on TV that they are the largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles (or something like that), yet the money I lost trying to make a living with mine is my fault for putting dirty fuel in the truck - I wonder which station had the dirty fuel - the ones in Oregon? Idaho? Wyoming? North Dakota? Montana?... You get the point. I guess I need a test kit of some kind to use a CTD commercially. And as for the non-fuel related problems - remember, according to Dodge (or at least my regional rep) there is no such thing as a perfect part or perfect manufacturing. Put that on the advertisements! I don't know how my truck got so many of the small percentages of defective parts on it - the fuel pump, rear end seal, AC compressor, idler pulley. Just my bad luck.

 

[Regcabguy]

Dodge Blues

Boy you've been through the wringer with the '06. Good luck with the Chevy! You deserve a break.

 

[draymorris]

robmints you replied before I got the update posted. I know many people who have 06's and are not having problems. I drive for a large transport company and I think that there are more new CTD in the parking lot every time I am at the office, but I also see many new Chevy's and new a few new Fords.



As you can tell, I am "long winded" I talk to many drivers every day that I am on the road or in at the yard. This is some of what I hear:

I hear that a lot of drivers have had injectors replaced on the 3G's even before the 06. Of course the Duramax had some major injector problems early in its history. And Ford had and still recently has engine problems that seem to be design related. Since the are fewer Ford drivers in the business I have the least info on experiences with Ford. Since I was considering buying a Chevy - I did go out of my way, sometimes, to talk to a Chevy driver - I have found no Chevy drivers who have had problems with 05's or 06's. I could go on about me Chevy info, and why a did buy one, but this is a Dodge site.



I hear many wonderful stories about 05 and later Dodges, I had great experiences with my previous CTD too. But those drivers who have 06's, most are just getting to the 30k miles. In other words, I have had ming longer than most of the drivers I talk to - 88k miles in 6 months of driving for a living - I put some miles on fast. I also would pull many large 5th wheels that others would not because my mileage was terrible anyway - the 6 spd in geared so low it did not matter if I had a 12k trailer or a 15k trailer - 70 mph is 2200 rpm and about 7. 3 MPG unless I had a head wind - 5. 5 to 6. 5 mpg - do the math - financially,the amount lost in fuel from 6 mpg to 7. 3 mpg is not that big of a deal. So , yes I used my truck - but I am not an aggressive driver and the truck was never used past it weight ratings.



I have spoke to a few drivers who have had an injector or 2 replaced on their 06.



I know that every time my truck has been in the shop, there is either a truck in their with fuel problems, or the tech has worked on 1 or more for similar problems, since the last time I was in. So it is a recurring problem.



I would guess that the people who fill up at the same station all the time and drive normal lifestyles, will not see the problems of us commercial drivers who cross the country every week. I only use major truck stops like the Flying J, and I have not seen a filter plugging problem - so where are the other symptoms of all this bad fuel I am being accused of putting in my truck.



I am sure Dodge will correct these problems over time. Until then, the truck you purchase may be a roll of the dice.



My main problems are:

The engineers shoud have seen a filtering issue when they designed the new injectors into the engine.

In the past they had similar recurring issues with lift pumps - how many people were negatively affected before they finally went to the in tank pump used now? Many

How long will it take them to fix this problem? they are working on or they would not have changed to the 7 micron filter. Strange though, unless you ask for that filter you will still get the old 10 micron filter. Dodge should make this the ONLY filter! Or maybe it is just another way they can blame you for fuel problems by saying -"you should have bought the better filter we offered if you thought you might get dirty fuel - we tried to help you, but you did not accept our help"

Problem 2 - STAR's diagnogstic requirements are the main reason the repairs take as long as they do - they won't agree to trust the tech and let him get the customer on the road.

Problem 3 - they customer service chain of command is only 2 links long until you threaten to file a lawsuit. I made my intentions clear and asked many times to talk to someone at the higher levels who might be more concerned about a law suit than a phone anwering clerk.



It the customer service and engineering self perceived perfection that makes me angry. When they could have such a good product.

 

[CATCRACKER]

chevy is building a great truck the 06 cummins for some reason are plauged by lots and lots of problems. this is from my experience the 3 06's my buddies own have been nothing but trouble... only one has been modded I have my fingers crossed on this 03. . the new duramax's are very nice still prone to inject probs the same as dodge though. i hope DC makes it right with you. We are watching DC and Dr. Z

 

[BHolm]

Wow! You have definately been through the wringer on that truck. I also would like to wish you luck with the Chevy. I just hope you don't run into the same BS. I traded an '01 Chevy D/A truck for an '03 Dodge and an '03 Chevy D/A truck for an '05 Dodge. The Dodge trucks have been WAAAAAY better to me than those two Chevy's were. I haven't had any problems with my '06 Dodge thankfully. My wife currently is on a 4000 mile road trip with it pulling a trailer. It will be just over 30k miles when she gets back.



I had trouble with that '01 Chev, I fought for days with the turkeys at GM "customer service" and finally traded the truck for a Dodge. I again had to fight for days with GM customer service on the '03. When I finally got them to cave and do the right thing, I traded the truck for another Dodge. GM customer service later called me to see if I was happy with the resolution, I told them I was, I was very happy with my new Dodge and after buying half a dozen new Chevy's in 10 years time I would never buy another.



The Moral is..... ALL of the manufacturers put out some junk from time to time. All of them fight tooth and nail to avoid doing the right thing for customers. Its no fun to get caught up in it, and it is even worse when it hurts your livelyhood.



It is rediculous that they couldn't fix a no start problem and the AC problem. That is a total joke. If they can't keep that stuff working, what can they do? The pinion seal... oh well, that doesn't register as too big a deal especially on a truck that tows a lot. The injectors, not sure what went wrong there, and be aware that GM has way more injector problems than DC. I hope you got a good one this time.



It sure seems that service and customer care is DEAD. It is unfortunate that we are stuck with the luck of the draw when it comes to $40-50,000 vehicles. It shouldn't be that way. They should all acknowledge that a few lemons sneak through, and they should PROMPTLY rectify the situation for the customer. Obviously, this is beyond the whole lot of them

 

[HBarlow]

Dray,



I also pull trailers but in truth I do it for fun and extra income so my situation is different but I fully understand your situation and sympathize with you. We can read in your words that your back is against the wall and you're not sure which direction to go. I've talked to several Ford owners who were in a similar situation. Let me say first that I don't doubt the validity of your comments and am not here to disagree with you or defend Daimler-Chrysler.



I wish you would have provided more info. Your posts reporting that DC blames you and the fuel you have purchased begs the questions: Where do you purchase fuel? and what is your fuel filter change interval and is it documented? Should I expect similar problems from my new '06?



I put over 320k miles on my previous '01 Dodge and 52k already on an '06 and have never experienced fuel or other related problems. I buy 98% of my fuel from Flying J stations, all over the nation and Canada as you mentioned, but have never encountered a dirty fuel filter. The remaining 2% not purchased from Flying J has been bought at Pilots, or T/A truck stops with a few purchases made at a regional truck stop chain with discounted fuel in Oregon, Space Age I think is the name. I change my fuel filters faithfully every 15k miles wherever I am using only Fleetguard filters purchased from Geno's. I always carry a spare or two. What is your fuel filter maintenance experience?



Also, how did you wire the extra seven pin wiring harness for goosenecks and 5ers? I have learned from this forum that it is very risky to cut factory wiring harnesses on an '06 for any reason to add any additional lights or circuits. I added a Painless Wiring auxiliary breaker panel for the aux fuel tank, CB radio, AC/DC inverter, and additional lighting circuits. Also learned from the TDR, I used a seven pin in-bed extension harness with the male end hidden under the rear bumper and when I towed 5ers or goosenecks I plugged that into the OEM plug receptacle on the rear bumper. Just today I installed a new DrawTite/Reese harness that plugs into the factory harness at the rear of the truck then reattaches the bumper seven pin. I've not had any electrical problems except that I did have to have an alternator replaced under warranty at 35k miles recently.



I'm not familiar with the rollover vent hose recall. Can you describe what that is? Does the rollover vent hose have an opening to the atmosphere that could have allowed metal filings from drilling or grinding something in the truck bed to install an aftermarket fuel tank, 5er hitch, or lights to enter the fuel system?



Why won't the Texas Lemon Law help you? I had a friend here in Texas who got a new 1990 Chevrolet 2500 Suburban repurchased by GM under the TX Lemon Law in 1992. He walked away with a new 1992 Suburban with more options than the original and was only out modest charges for the mileage he put on the '00. He felt like he was treated very well.



I've twice run into the same Horizon Transport driver from Oregon on the road. He has a new '06, a few months older than mine. Both times I've talked to him he has reported with considerable frustration a problem similar to yours ---- slow starts. He claimed that some times he cranks his until the batteries run down. It always starts eventually but he is growing very frustrated and angry about the start problem. He reported that Dodge dealers have not been able to diagnose it.



Unfortunately, an honest guy like yourself who is trying to earn a living with a $40k new Dodge is trying to get warranty satisfaction after years of terribly expensive warranty losses paid out due to the younger hotrodders with the black boxes and reprogrammed engine management computers who have modified their engines then made warranty claims when the engines failed. Dodge (and Ford and GM) are probably understandably concerned about the fraudulent warranty claims and have turned their warranty administrators into minor fraud investigators who say no when they should say yes, it's coverred.



Please give us additional info when you are home and have access to a computer.



Harvey

 

[draymorris]

Replies

BHolm

I know some who went through difficulties with their Chevy's as well, so for the past years I was "bad mouthing" Duramax like most Dodge fans. However, I know 3 Chevy owners who had the famed injector failures and ended up receiving a letter from GM (as all Duramax owners did - from what I have heard) giving the original owner a 200k mile warranty on the injectors and would replace all 8 when they brought the truck in - even if there was no indication of failure - GM got smart and was able to keep from calling it a "recall" - but they took care of the customer - at least the 3 I know.



Your right - all the manufacturers do what they can to save money when it comes to warranty claims. I wonder how foreign car/ truck owners are treated or is this truly an American problem as it seems.



HBarlow

Hopefully I can answer all your questions without missing one.

I change my fuel filter every 10 whether needed or not. When the first injectors were replaced at 13k I used only factory filters. I have alway been distrustful of OEM parts and their quality. I have a lot of experience from my injection molding background, in filtration, and I don't alway beleive factory parts are better. The 3rd filter was NAPA and from there I started using Baldwin. Without trying to sound like a salesman - Baldwin is used by many transportation companies, they are made in Nebraska, and they can give you the specs on their products - mainly micron rating. I now have 2 Baldwin filters for my Dodge that are rated at 1 micron - they may have to be replaced often(if I was driving my Dodge) but maybe the fuel system would last longer, and not blow injectors. Like you, I used fling J primarily. But when I was getting such poor mileage with my Dodge, I had to stop other places to keep from running out. So, I would always try to stop at another truck stop chain. My opinion is that a properly specified filter is supposed to prevent damage in the components of the system - in this case the injectors - the filter system fails to do that, and the rep disagrees with my opinion. Like I stated - what if they put a screen in place of the air filter and then told you that it was your responsibility to drive in clean air - same exact theory. You cannot control the cleanliness of the air you drive in, nor can we control the cleanliness of the fuel we buy.

I fill up all over the country, so I have no idea where the problem started, it was a gradule failure that worsened every day.



As for the seven pin harness - all factory. The trailer I was pulling when I referenced the turn signal problem, probably had a short. However, when a vehicles turn signals require a computer to repair - engineering has taken the customer out of the picture. In reality, turn signals are considered safety devices and should be able to be repaired on the roadside if needed.



The rollover vent hose recall - it is my understanding that the factory position of the rolloever vent valve in the top of the fuel tank, is down in a recess. Without the hose installed on it, water could accumulate in the recess and get into the tank, the hose is a curved hose meant to keep out contamination. The hose was not install on early released 06's like mine. If water was allowed in, how much dirt could get in? They trip I was on when the first injector problem started, was to the northwest - I hit a lot of places where they had put that chemical de-icer (some kind of flouride I think - it corriodes aluminum bad) - lots of snow - slush etc. Maybe it got in the tank. The second time I took the truck in was when they replace all 6 injectors. That was when they dropped the tank and found nothing. I might have sucked it all up by then.



Texas Lemon Law is impossible to make if you drive like I do. I failed to meet the first criteria - repaired for the same problem twice within the first 12k or 12 months. My first injector problem was marked as 13k.



I read a web article that told of the portion of the Lemon Laws that state that if a vehicle has been lemoned then the title must reflect such. It went on to say that a lawsuit involving chrysler was the main reason that portion of the lemon law was in place - chrysler was buying back lemons before they were actually called a lemon and then selling them as normal used vehicles.



If you see the Horizon driver with the long start problem. Ask him to confirm that the dealers he has work on it are looking at the right reflashes. Sometime, the service guys don't keep up with why a reflash has been issued, but there was at least one reflash issued that involved the long start problem.



Gotta go to California.

Call if you want to, or I will try to get on here in a few weeks.

 

[HBarlow]

Dray,



Thanks for the reply. I don't see how you could have done anything to prevent the problems you've encountered. I don't read any neglect or tampering in anything you've said. It just sounds like a bad product or bad luck. You may have taken on a load of contaminated fuel at some point, it could happen to any of us, but by changing the fuel filter every 10k miles which is more often than required by the manufacturer you should have seen some indication of contamination on a filter when removed. As far as the electrical problems if pulling a trailer that was miswired from the factory will cause all those problems it sounds like Dodge has created a system that is pretty vulnerable to any external problem, difficult to diagnose by an owner, and expensive to repair. I wonder why DC wanted the lighting systems to be managed by the truck's computer?



I understand why you bought a new Chevy and don't honestly see how you could do anything else but buy another truck and get back on the road. When you earn your living with a truck you've got to keep the wheels turning and you certainly can't earn a living when the truck is out of commission in rural America where you don't know anyone and may be victimized by a local tobacco-chewing tow truck operator and his brother-in-law who owns the auto repair shop.



Chrysler Finance will probably play very rough with you unless you've got a smart, tough, and ruthless lawyer. You didn't say how many miles you have put on the Dodge but from my own experience I know it is probably 70-100k already. (Edit:On rereading your post I see that you did state the last mileage was 88k) The truck will probably be sold cheap at auction and Chrysler Finance will come after you for the balance. Ultimately they'll probably destroy your credit rating and may sue you for the unpaid balance. If they get a judgement they can file a lien against whatever property you own. In Texas they cannot take your home and if they file a lien against your home property it only means that when the property is sold, maybe after you expire from old age, they'll get their money from the proceeds after the sale.



Best wishes. I hope the Chevy is reliable and treats you better than the Dodge did. I hope you'll remain a member of the TDR and keep us posted.



Harvey

 

[jandr]

Wow! You have definately been through the wringer on that truck. I also would like to wish you luck with the Chevy. I just hope you don't run into the same BS. I traded an '01 Chevy D/A truck for an '03 Dodge and an '03 Chevy D/A truck for an '05 Dodge. The Dodge trucks have been WAAAAAY better to me than those two Chevy's were. I haven't had any problems with my '06 Dodge thankfully. My wife currently is on a 4000 mile road trip with it pulling a trailer. It will be just over 30k miles when she gets back.



I had trouble with that '01 Chev, I fought for days with the turkeys at GM "customer service" and finally traded the truck for a Dodge. I again had to fight for days with GM customer service on the '03. When I finally got them to cave and do the right thing, I traded the truck for another Dodge. GM customer service later called me to see if I was happy with the resolution, I told them I was, I was very happy with my new Dodge and after buying half a dozen new Chevy's in 10 years time I would never buy another.



The Moral is..... ALL of the manufacturers put out some junk from time to time. All of them fight tooth and nail to avoid doing the right thing for customers. Its no fun to get caught up in it, and it is even worse when it hurts your livelyhood.



It is rediculous that they couldn't fix a no start problem and the AC problem. That is a total joke. If they can't keep that stuff working, what can they do? The pinion seal... oh well, that doesn't register as too big a deal especially on a truck that tows a lot. The injectors, not sure what went wrong there, and be aware that GM has way more injector problems than DC. I hope you got a good one this time.



It sure seems that service and customer care is DEAD. It is unfortunate that we are stuck with the luck of the draw when it comes to $40-50,000 vehicles. It shouldn't be that way. They should all acknowledge that a few lemons sneak through, and they should PROMPTLY rectify the situation for the customer. Obviously, this is beyond the whole lot of them

I think BHolm says it all.

I had many warranty problems with my '01 and Dodge covered them all. I did not do an upgrades to the truck until it was out of warranty (100,000 mi). And then tried to upgrade with "proven" upgrades. Now I consider the truck to be pretty reliable at 161,000 miles(after my new DTT is finished).

I have not had any problems with my '06 yet but there is only 16,000 miles on it. My oil seems to get dark pretty quick and figured I should do an oil sample to see if there is any fuel in it. But power and fuel mileage are great. I just towed my '01 to Ariz. on a triple axle trailer ( approx. 10,000 lbs combined) and got over 15 mpg - hand calculated.

I have heard horror stories from owners of all brands and have become a firm believer in "the luck of the draw"! unfortunately

 

[KParsons]

wow

that is a very very nasty story, i have may 06 dc. very low miles. my friend runs a fuel inj. lab. i will send him this story and see what he has to say. good luck. kp

 

[jandr]

Well... ... ... ... the only good news (for me anyway) out of this post is that with 88,000 miles of apparently heavy commercial use, there was no report of any failures from the G56

 

[Andersonville]

If I were you,I would spend some time here on the TDR and look up all the posts about the fuel tank vent problem, the bad injector problems and the Bosch fuel system. I might be wrong but I think I read a post on here that Bosch specifies 2 micron fuel filters for their common rail fuel system that DC uses on the CTD. If this is true and you can give the proof to your lawyer, I would get one soon, this would show that DC doomed the injectors to failure right from the start. Also,the fuel tank vent posts that I read showed sand,dirt and red crud from inside the fuel tank. I would print out everything I could find on here and other boards and take them to your lawyer. Baldwin filters aren't approved by Cummins. I buy my fuel at Fly J mostly too. I have a CAT 2 micron fuel filter on my external tank filter and I don't put fuel directly into my internal tank from any pump. Get print outs of your fuel purchases ( I hope you used a card intead of cash) Check out the Diesel 101 too. Good luck to you.

Also,that liquid crap they spray on the roads to melt snow/ice eats electrical wiring and connections. Not kidding. I read it in Truckers News when DOT's started using it.

DC put out the TSB for the "rollover" vent hose fix. I bet it was because of the crud getting into the fuel tanks.

 

[TCDiesel]

Sorry to here of all your Trouble,The fuel In America is not Handle or scrub enough to meet the standards that Bosch would like to see for CR applications,couple that to the lousy standards that fuel stops are applying in fueling at the Pumps Just P*** Me off. go in and ask when the Pump filters were Last change. I DON'T Know?... I have check at some Station around Here and found some to be on OVER year. At one Year old ,I would be hard pressed to believe that the Bypass is not engage. I also have a Auxiliary Tank with a Zinga 2mic Filter,( Zinga was the only Company that Had True Ratings) I check with some of the most use filter manufacturers and found their standard deceptive. Here a Link and not one reply www.tdr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=161750 . At that GM,Ford,DC have drop the Ball on fuel filtering... . Chris My Partner In T&C Runs the Shop in St Cloud and almost every week some type of injection Problem do to Dirty Fuel. Not that the fuel is dirty it"s just NOT clean enough for CR, and if you get contaminated fuel its a nightmare. . The whole chain in the fuel is a PITA,No one wants to take responsibility for this disaster. I think in the interest of commercial haulers to install a auxiliary Tank with a True 2mic system. At that its should be the manufactures responsibility for a filtering system to adequate to meet the environment the engine was required to survive In.

Most OTR trucks Have a entirely different fuel systems and are not subject to the standards that CR is. So just because the big rigs fuel there, it should not be consider a standards for CR.

Dray, The D-MAX CR has the same basic design as the Cummins CR and is just problematic when it comes to contaminate Fuel.

 

[tobaccogrower]

did DC actually have your fuel analized by a lab to determine it was bad? i had injector problems on my 2004. 5 and after several weeks in the shop they blamed my problems on "dirty fuel"! they said i was on my own with the problems! i made them send the fuel out to be anaylized and guess what? there was nothing wrong with it!

it makes me sick to read this kind of crap! i've given dodge close to $100. 000 since 1998 for 3 CTD's! they are getting worse and worse to deal with! i just bought a 2006 and have 8000miles on it. it has the long crank problem and truck shakes at idle in netural. you think they would treat there costomers better then they do(especilly repeate costomers!) i hope you get it settled to your satisfaction! i have to go throw up now after reading all that!... james

 

[draymorris]

Came in off the road for a few days, so I thought I would let you know where my 06 problems stand.



Last word from dodge - "considering the history of the truck we will pay a third for new injectors if the dealer will pay a third and the customer pay a third"



Considering I have no intentions of ever driving the Dodge again, I said "No... . "



While it was at the dealer, they also replaced the AC compressor. A few weeks later the AC doesn't work - apparently it still has a leak. I am glad I was not in driving the Dodge when it quit - my luck I would have been in 100F in Arizona and had to pay for more freon again!



Chrysler Finance calls daily - if I talk to them at all, I tell them that they are part of the same company that has cuased my problems and if they want me to cooperate they need to get with DC service and call me and see what we can work out regarding the money I owe and the condition of the truck - Finance refuses to contact DC, but they have called me and left a message acting like they were Diamler Chrysler Service and needed me to call them back. I wonder if these people were ?!*?!* when they were born, or were they actually trained to be that way. And I can't believe that they think that talking to me the way they do will get me to give them every last dime I have!



Big problem is that I have yet to find a lawyer who will help me, except for one who sounded very new and wanted 2500. 00 to get started. Then he proved himself a week later when he returned my call again and could not remember one thing about what he told me.



Conclusion - truck is hidden in hopes of finding a lawyer who wants to use it a evidence - it runs terrible!



American (or any) corporations have us all in their palms and can crush us at any time. They can ruin your credit, which will cost you in interest if you borrow later. In my case, a divorce cost me everything and then some 3 years ago, I managed to maintian and improve my credit score since then by paying all the bills I was left with. Now it looks my credit is going to be ruined anyway and the only way to stop is to throw more money away to the attorneys. This would not be as bad if I had a house, but unfortunately I don't, and I doubt I will be able to borrow money for a long time. Ironically, I just recently qualified and obtained an American Express Gold Card! I hope it will help my credit later.



Thanks DC!



The Dodge service manager told me that he is seeing many 06 with problems including one of their own loaner trucks - bad injector burned a piston - new short block and injectors - guess what, DC say bad fuel- your problem. They now have a white card that the service techs have to take smudges from different areas of the fuel system and send it to DC before they agree to warranty. They have basically refused every one he has sent in and some were almost impossible to see the contamination.



BTW the Chevy is great so far - more comfortable than my Dodge, better ride quality, better mileage, more room, Etc. The power is great too, being an Allison, it is different, but I have not found a hill yet that seems to stop it - if you want to get into the throttle enough.



I think my subscription to the TDR is about to run out and I doubt I will pay to re-new, good luck to all 06 owners. The TDR is a great site with great people behind it - I wish they had a Chevy site.

If anyone ever sees a way to get DC to act on the injector problems or just wants to talk, my phone is 254-631-5511

 

[TCDiesel]

Chevy Site www.thedieselplace.com also if the fuel (according to DC is the cause) you should should turn this into your insurance carrier,Most Insurance companies will either Hire a attorney for you or pay for the repair (and possibly fight DC)

 

[JTodd]

Man... This post has me quivering in my britches about my shiny new '06 sitting in the driveway with 600 miles on it. . I am terribly sorry to hear of all your problems and wish you the best in the ultimate resolution, whatever that may be. .



JT (going to research upgrading the fuel filtration system). .

 

[DPKetchum]

I got BOSCH R&D on the phone a few weeks ago and was told all their systems require a 5 micron/absoulute filter. This is after BOSCH head quarters told me they would NOT give out the required micron ratings on their systems! I think the DIRTY fuel is bull crap to some extent. There is a design or manufacturing flaw in the injector design. ONE of the NEW Duramax engines does NOT have injector issues and the other still does so I'm told by a tech at the Chevy store near me. (LLY/LB whatever) Two differant H. P. ratings and I'm told two differant style injectors etc. On the G. M. forums even with 2 micron filtering the injector issues/failures plaqued the older Duramaxes. Several ac compressers replaced for leaking BUT the evaporators leak more then the compressers. Evaporators and D. C. have a LONG history of failing. The D. C. REP and his fuel filter speech is a joke. To bad it wasn't recorded on tape. Yours is NOT the first one I have read about metal being found in the fuel system. My question is WHERE did metal come from? The first one I read about no answer was ever mentioned. Curious if the CP3 has a internal issue and shredding metal. But anyhow I personaly don't think its totaly a filter issue. More of a parts failure/design issue like the G. M. s As far as the ROLLOVER valve its been left OPEN and EXPOSED since 03!!!! I'd check this on ANY 3G! Mine was open,neighbors 05 was open and so on. Wasn't TILL 06 did THEY decide to do any thing about it.