Lawsuit Claims FCA Sold Ram Cummins Trucks with Defect: Lower MPG, Costly Repairs, and Illegal Emissions

2014 ram 3500 cummins engine fca emissions
2014 Ram 3500 HD – 6.7L Cummins I6

A class action lawsuit claims that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) knowingly sold Ram Cummins HD pickup trucks with defective diesel emissions treatment equipment. The lawsuit identifies at least 135,000 heavy duty trucks (model year 2014-2016) equipped with a 6.7L Cummins I6 engine.

The allegation points to an existing litigation between FCA US LLC and Cummins Inc that has to do with defective Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) systems and resulting recalls for fixes. The claim brings several consumer complaints. Complaints state that FCA/Ram dealerships performed several software updates that direct more fuel into the exhaust system to clean the DPF during the “regen” cycle. These updates are claimed to significantly lower the MPG (by around 20-25%), cause excessive exhaust system temperatures that can damage the system and lead to costly repairs, and also cause excessive exhaust emissions at illegal levels.

See full FCA Ram Cummins lawsuit document.

TFLtruck has not experienced the issues alleged in this lawsuit: “limp” mode, decreased performance, dramatically lower fuel economy. TFLtruck is currently unable to test real-world oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions, due to high cost of testing equipment. TFLtruck is unable to confirm the NOx emission levels.

Learn more about the Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) system here.

Here is our latest HD truck efficiency testing. The 2017 Ram 3500 HD got the best MPG result on our highway loop when compared directly against Chevy Duramax and Ford Power Stroke with a 22,800 lbs trailer.