QWKSLVRZ06

The tranny blew today, no more shudder!! Why don't Ram put a tranny in as good as the engine? Towed to the dealer, more to come.......

SOhappy

That really bites, I hope it'll be covered under warranty and the dealer treats you good. Yours is the first (or second? I forget) failure of a 68RFE I've heard of on this forum, they seem pretty reliable. Not the most efficient, but reliable.

HOTSHOT11

What did they say was wrong with tranny

QWKSLVRZ06

Dealer didn't say what was wrong, they saw the deletes, flagged the truck and denied the warranty. The end.

Too bad so many people are having the exact problem I was having, many upset Ram owners to come. I will now have the tranny built the way Dodge should have to begin with. In other words, able to hold up to the power the Cummins puts out.

juicedcummins

Make sure you do not deal with that dealer anymore in the future and make sure the sales and service manager both know it. Service sells trucks and to flag a trans on deletes is not justified. Buy all your goodies elsewhere and your future trucks.

SOhappy

er....you mean "In other words, able to hold up to the power the Cummins puts out when modified."?

I don't believe I've ever heard of a 68RFE on a stock-powered truck blowing up. I feel bad for your situation, but don't blame Dodge.

DaddyRabbit

Who is going to be doing the work? Check out RevMax transmissions of Charlotte NC. He seems like a quality individual. If a warranty was not in my cards I'd be carrying my business there.
http://revmaxconverters.com/

QWKSLVRZ06

Yeah...and I have an ocean front condo in Arizona. Have you not read other threads on here where others are experiencing the exact problem that mine started with that have no mods?? Please do not feel bad for me, I knew exactly what I was getting when I bought the truck, this is the 2nd new Ram I have had since 2006. The transmission reputation was already there, I'm not creating it. Mods or not, the tranny is a turd and we all know that. This only gives me an opportunity to have it built right. One day Ram will learn like they did with the Engine to go buy a solid transmisson, hopefully. As for the decision to not warranty it, I get it, I expected it.
I also get the importance of what a satisfied customer means to a company that has a product to sell that is dependant on repeat consumers. I happen to work for such a company that has NOT forgotten the importance of a satisfied customer, could be why we are in the top 250 of the Fortune 500 and climbing. And also why in a poor economy we are setting records and hiring when others are laying off.
Feel bad for me Sohappy, please do not. Feel bad for the companies that we supported for so many years that lined their pockets with gold since the early days of our country but still have no clue about business basics, ethics and how to go the extra mile to satisfy the people making their paychecks.
I am very proud and fortunate to work for a company that demands happys customers and reminds us each paycheck with a phrase "A satisfied customer made this check possible!"
Sorry for the rant but lets get real, U.S companies need to make a stand and demand that the U.S consumer is left feeling like the company they spent their hard earned money on went above and beyond to make them happy. Because not only have we paid for the vehicle once, we also bailed them out.

SOhappy

Guys, correct me if I'm wrong but I did a search and couldn't find a single case of a blown 68RFE on this site with stock power, and only one other failure with a programmer. Granted that's a small sample, and they've only been out a few years, but I think it's safe to say they are more reliable than the 48RE. The trannys in the other two brands don't appear to hold up any better to mods.

zulusafari

I hate to fan the flames on this one, but I have had multiple Chrysler corporation vehicles over the years, all second hand, and have never had a transmission failure. I have replaced a couple that had well over 100k miles on them in gassers, mostly 3 spds in K-cars, but they hadn't failed yet.

There are many items in post #8 I take issue with, including the idea that the company owes people who modify the truck then break something, new or replacement parts just to keep a happy customer. I have been to several dealers over the years, some good, some bad, but I rate them on how they treat me as a person, and listen to my needs. I don't go in to them expecting free or replacement service on any vehicle I have modified, unless I am certain I can prove it wasn't my modification that caused the failure. I am happy the OP recognizes the denial of warranty, but I am dismayed at the level of venom I sense in the acknowledgement. I haven't read all about the OP's situation, but if the truck had a shudder from day one, I wouldn't have modified it until I was sure the warranty would replace the defective parts.

Be glad you don't buy cars overseas. Most countries I have been to laugh at our ideas of warranty entitlement. I have German friends who buy brand new Mercedes and BMW's that have trouble right away, and they pay the repairs. I think that is one reason VW had such poor reputation here for a long time -- they didn't understand the American Consumers' demand for warranty service beyond a short "testing if it works" period, so customer service after the sale suffered.

My truck doesn't shudder, even under load, with over 100k miles on it now. My last truck didn't shudder with over 142k miles on it. If it actually is shuddering, then I don't know what a non-shuddering truck feels like, as all heavy duty trucks from various brands I have ever had pleasure to drive feel exactly the same as this one does on take off, but the Dodge is the one I prefer.

QWKSLVRZ06

You guys are right, there are absolutely no issues at all with the 68RFE, my bad. Please accept my apologies.
Here are a few exceprts from a quick search of transmission comments from the 2011.5 and up guys...note, these are all seperate people...

· Hello to all, This is my only problem so far with my new 2012 2500 quad cab, short bed HO. On warm days, like say mid 80's and up with the truck at operating temp, if I'm trying to park and have to shift from reverse, neutral then to drive, it SLAMs into drive with such force that it feels like its gonna snap a u-joint

· I own an '11 lb cc srw 4x4. Mine was also terrible. Took it bk to the dealer they reflashed the tranny, adjusted the pressure they told me that the the 3500 have high pressures and that was normal i have 225k on the truck it still does it
· Mine does it too. A couple tranny guys also said it was high line pressure from the pump. If I don't pause I even get a noise that sounds like a tire breaking lose slowly on concrete with a low pitched groan.
· My does the same but not all the time.If I am going back and forth it will slam and then it will be fine. I check trans fluid and it sits in the middle of the stick below the two top holes.Dealer said level is ok.Book said between the two top holes.Who to believe?
· I have the same thing. It does it some times, but not all the time. But, just noticed this happening about 1.5 weeks ago.
· Ditto on both comments. Though I only get the low pitch groan every other or every third time. Hearing it is a common thing, I guess either Dodge will have a massive replacement campaign, or we're all good. Time will tell.
· I have the same thing on my 2012 with only 800 miles on it while towing if I give it to much gas, my father in law has the same problem
· Took mine to the dealer, they said everything in spec and would not "adjust" it.
· MY '11 LONG BED CREW DOES THE SAME THING SHAKES FROM A STOP LOADED OR NOT
· Here is the history: 2012 high output Longhorn mega cab 3500. 14,000 lb 5th.wheel. twice today on a hill after a stop, the transmission will stutter while trying to move.
· My father-in-law says his 2010 does the same thing every once in a while. Dealer says they cant find a problem.
· Yes, let me know if it duplicates. Going to take mine into dealer to be checked, maybe get a fluid and filter change for free on the tranny.
· I also get the shudder pulling my 5er under hard acceleration, wondered myself if it was something tranny related or not.

The End! Unless any other Fiat employees care to chime in and defend..

SOhappy

...but yours is the second failure (can't seem to find the first one right now) on all the 4th gen section, knock on wood. Granted that's two too many for those affected. I've read all those other posts you quoted too, I believe many are modified as yours was.

Oh, and I definitely don't work for Chrysler (do you work for Ford ?). But I don't want to see these vehicles to get a bad rap because a modded truck's tranny failed. I mean, if it was happening fequently (like the old 47RE) then yeah- pile it on. But it's not.

HOTSHOT11

One of those comments is mine. Turck is all stock!!! Ive got all the issues these guys talk about
1 jumps when i take off worse loaded
2 makes that noise
3 when loaded sometime when i let off the brake and just roll feels like i got a bad clutch

but its still holding up

SOhappy

Yours has 237k miles, right? That's getting close to the lifetime of an auto-trans that earns its living as a tow rig.

zulusafari

I am a wastewater biologist, and have never worked for Chrysler, DaimlerChrysler, or Fiat. I am not above driving or owning other brands, either. Show me a truck on the road that doesn't have some niggling issue, and that is the truck you should own. I am still waiting, and will likely never ee it. The most reliable diesel truck I am familiar with isn't sold in the US, and wouldn't haul my campers or fully loaded cargo trailers - Toyota HiLux. Best 4x4 diesel I have had the pleasure to take around. The little diesels that have been tried here all pale compared to the 'Lux I could drive all over Africa or in South America.

You have been given some advice, even sympathy, tempered with the blunt 'you play, you pay,' so deal with it and move forward.