Transmission Recall is Inadequate!!!!

[dlmartin]

YOUR TRUCK COULD KILL YOU! Your 3rd Gen. Automatic can and will jump into reverse when you think it is in Park. My 2005 2500 CTD Auto. almost ran over me, and proceeded thru a fence and did approx. $900 body damage. I guess DC doesn't consider me smart enough to put it in park! I have been driving for 39 years and never had trans/linkage issues that threatened my life! Surely DC can and must come up with a better fix than another annoying buzzer for sloppy/defective and dangerous transmission linkage. Has anyone ever tried to get body damage covered that was the result of other vehicle defects??

 

[jwduke]

If I'm not mistaken there is a voluntary recall, but the fix is a joke. It is a alarm to let you know you left the engine running, with the transmission in either park or neutral.



But it is better than Fords phony fix for the same problem in the '70's & '80's. It was a stupid sticker that went on the dash telling you not to do it! But, what do you expect from a phony car company like Ford!

 

[lil red cummins]

did the lever/indicator say it was in park even when the truck moved??



or is the detent poor and let the lever slip down to reverse?



sounds like a good reason to use your parking brake every time you stop.



i try to use my parking brake with my other vehicles that have automatics, just to keep the cables free.



sorry for your problems. it would definately make me mad if this happened to me.



jim

 

[robertyoke]

I always set the parking brake in both my trucks. I never leave it just in gear with the manual or just in park with auto and especially when it is running!

-robert

 

[Regcabguy]

I was always taught to place truck in neutral,set parking brake,let truck rock backward or forward,then place shifter in park. This way you avoid destroying the parking gear and rear brakes minimize any potential catastrophes. It does sound like the 3rd gens. have a problem but not setting the parking brake doesn't help

 

[SSage]

I was always taught to place truck in neutral,set parking brake,let truck rock backward or forward,then place shifter in park. This way you avoid destroying the parking gear and rear brakes minimize any potential catastrophes. It does sound like the 3rd gens. have a problem but not setting the parking brake doesn't help

Ditto, use your parking brake. A parking pawl could fail on any thing.

 

[Okey0]

I was always taught to place truck in neutral,set parking brake,let truck rock backward or forward,then place shifter in park. This way you avoid destroying the parking gear and rear brakes minimize any potential catastrophes. It does sound like the 3rd gens. have a problem but not setting the parking brake doesn't help

that's how i do it, i also put the transmission in neutral before i let the parking brake off, that way i avoid that CLUNK when there is stress on the parking pawl when you bring it out of park.



I've used the parking brake religiously ever since my 98 QC gasser rolled down my driveway one morning, after it had sat all night-IN PARK.

 

[BHolm]

I am on my fourth 3rd gen and while the detents are not perfect, I haven't had a problem. That is over 200k miles of experience, including multiple drivers on the two work trucks. Seems an awful lot like Audi in the 80's too. I doubt it is a equipment issue, no flame intended but it sounds like operator error to me Sorry to hear about the damage.

 

[juicedcummins]

I doubt it is a equipment issue, no flame intended but it sounds like operator error to me Sorry to hear about the damage.

I thought that till it happened to me.



My 05 disappeared on me a couple of months ago. I started it after it had sat ALL day by simply reaching in the door with BOTH feet on the ground and the only thing touched was the key. If not in park it should not have started!



Chrysler Canada says there is no problem and have never heard of any recall. They are saying this with a copy of the article off of msnbc in their hand.

 

[rbattelle]

I completely agree with everyone who said "APPLY PARKING BRAKE!". All you have to do is disassemble 1 automatic transmission and you will never never never not ever trust your life to the park pawl ever again. It should be illegal for anyone to park a vehicle and not apply the parking brake.



Having said that, when I read about the "fix" for the voluntary recall I was amazed that DC is actually getting away with it. I promise you, someone will get seriously injured with this and SUE THE CRAP out of DC. I hate massive frivolous lawsuits as much as the next guy, but in this case it might actually be a good thing.



The proper thing to do would have been for NHTSA to mandate a recall and a total replacement of the entire shift module with a redesigned unit.



-Ryan

 

[JDeVita]

I have a new 05 Ram 3500 Diesel SRW Automatic with just 5000 miles. I have noticed from day one that the shift into park is not precise and one could easily leave it half way between Park and reverse. I have quickly habituatd myself to apply the parking brake first and make sure I have the shift level all the way into park before shutting the engine off.

 

[Rotty]

Since I have moved to the NW from FL, I have no choice but to use the parking brake. I also set the parking brake so it will not move period. This elimainates the driving with the parking brake on.



Stick or auto it makes no difference.

I am glad you were not seriously hurt, but it would be a good habit to get into setting the parking brake.

 

[JLehman]

yeh my truck does the same thing, not going into park always and yes i always set my parking brake anyhow, in all my vehicles. Doesn't matter, you sure as crap shouldn't have to on any vehicle sold in this country or anyother for that matter, much less on a $40,000 truck. Pure bull!!!!!!!! Come on Dodge i no u can do better than that.

 

[hammersley]

If Running - stay in vehicle or shut it off!

I know what you guys are talking about shouldn't happen - but to be 100% safe - do what I said in title... ... Also there are times when you shouldn't use the parking brake. Specifically I mean extremely cold weather when you've been running through stuff that can cause your linkage to freeze - and believe me it can!

 

[MCecil]

A week or so ago I went to the NHTSA web site to learn more about the issue. The problem was initially reported about 16 months ago. After about an hour of digging around the site (not user friendly), I finally got to the documentation and correspondence between DC and the NHTSA. It got pretty heated on the DC side and they were adamant the 48re didn't have the problem noted. They backed this up with tests on two trannies set on a bench in a lab. Their data showed that the park indicator would not light and the pawl was in position before detent. I have to believe these were not randomly chosen units fresh from the factory, and they certainly weren't in their normal operating environment.

I went out to my 2500 and tried to duplicate their results. On a slight grade with nose high, slowly shifted toward park and stopped just when the park indicator lit. Then I took my foot off the brake and rolled backward... not in park or reverse, but kinda like limbo. I did it a total of 6 times and 4 times it rolled back. If it went passed a certain point in the detent then the pawl engaged. Not exactly what DC reported to NHTSA! However, going into reverse the same way of just starting into detent, I was in limbo every time; the R was lit up but the transmission was in non-dedicated N. Nothing at all like DC's data presented to the Feds. But then, my truck may be one in a million with those characteristics... or not. One data point proves nothing.

The final decision was not on the site when I checked, but I suspect DC cut a deal to minimize/eliminate possible future litigation and bad press for a formal recall. For my truck, I can't see it going from "park-limbo" all the way into full reverse, but it can certainly not be in park with the indicator saying it was.

Bottom line is DC probably has a problem they don't want to own up to, IMHO.

Enjoy your day and God Bless,
Merv

 

[VTomasso]

I'm a religious parking brake user, even with my 05 automatic. I have noticed that when I shift from D to N to let her "rest on the brake", an occasional nudge of the lever is required to get the N indicator to light. I can tell the transmission is in neutral, but don't always get the indication.



I'm still debating if I should pursue the recall because what good is a warning horn if the linkage is out of rig?



Diesel On,

-Vic

 

[sag2]

Perhaps I'm over simplifying things, but isn't it called a parking brake?

 

[SSage]

In very cold weather, wheel chocks could be used. I've yet to freeze up the parking brake, even in the Colorado mountains. It could happen though.

 

[NavyDood]

My driveway has a slight incline. I park nose high 99% of the time and never have came out to my truck being in the middle of the road or anything. Also I have never had a problem with it going in to park like it should. BUT... i do like to start the truck then walk back into the house and gather my crap for the day. I think the parking brake will be utilized from here on out. The last thing I want is another friggen buzzer.



Maybe we should send this to myth busters so they can prove DC wrong on national television. :-laf

 

[BHolm]

Not sure if this is related but it probably is. On my '06, if the truck moves and the drivers door is open, the horn sounds before it gets even a foot. I found this out jockying the truck around hooking up the snowmobile trailer. Rather annoying and I am going to try and disable it if I can. The shift lever is also substantially lower (closer to the floor) in any gear. Maybe this is to ensure it gets pushed up further when selecting park. The detents are still as vague as my '03s and '05. Now the shift lever blocks the t-case selector knob when in anything but park. Looks like an afterthought to me.