2011 Dodge Ram 4500

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.  During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications.  The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU.  In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment.  FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle.  Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW.  These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes.  An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time.   In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU.  This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners.  Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation.  The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage.  There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation.  The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU.  If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC.  Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC.  All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled.  In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024.  With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 RAM 4500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE WATER PUMP FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE SERPENTINE BELT TO FRACTURE. THE FRACTURED SERPENTINE BELT CAUSED THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE STOPPED FOR ABOUT 20 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10825056

Incident

Feb 6, 2016

Mileage

46,000 mi

TOOK TRUCK IN FOR REPAIR. DIDN'T HAVE PARTS. SAID WOULD CALL WHEN GOT IN. NEVER CALLED. AFRAID TO DRIVE

NHTSA ID

10779974

Incident

Oct 23, 2013

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 RAM 4500. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

NHTSA ID

10745245

Incident

Jul 31, 2015

Mileage

130,000 mi

THIS RECALL WAS ISSUED IN MAY OR JUNE 2014 AND THE DEALER STILL DOESN'T HAVE THE PARTS. SAYS THEY ARE ON BACK-ORDER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10714455

Incident

May 30, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 DODGE RAM 4500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR A MANUFACTURER RECALL RELATED TO THE DRIVER SIDE TIE ROD. THE PARTS NEEDED WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE STILL NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE DELAY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ID

10650654

Incident

Jan 31, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 DODGE RAM 4500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V527000 (STEERING). HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

10641270

Incident

Dec 30, 2013

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 DODGE RAM 4500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V527000 (STEERING) BUT THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10632871

Incident

Sep 12, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 DODGE RAM 4500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V527000 (STEERING); HOWEVER, THE PART NEEDED FOR THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

NHTSA ID

10621992

Incident

Jun 13, 2014

Trac-Rite Operation Diagnosis, Chatter, Shudder, Moving From A Stop And Turning

BEARING - CRANKSHAFT THRUST and KIT

BEARING - CRANKSHAFT THRUST and KIT

Verify Reman part number availability. Order the "R" part number for all orders: Warranty, Mopar, customer pay and service contract. Order "68" part number for New unsold units only.

LAMP - DOME

LAMP - DOME