I was out of town for the week and had my wife's car because it got better gas mileage.
I left her with the truck. She drove it to work and back for three days but on the third day she came home, parked the vehicle in the drive, got the mail and took the trash can up to the house.
Went inside and let the dog out. After several minutes she went to let the dog back in. she said she smelled smoke and started to look around to see what it was. She looked out front and there was fire under the truck.
As you can see the truck burned to the ground.
The following is from the fire inspector report.
The remains of the fuse and relay center were found within the burned Ram 3500. An examination revealed heavier damage to the bottom of the fuse and relay center. Examination of wiring extending from the relay center disclosed evidence of electrical arcing. Several circuits within the relay center had arced during the fire. Additional wiring that had extended from the relay center was found in the front left corner of the engine compartment. An examination of this wiring revealed multiple shorts and brittle wire conditions. Fire patterns clearly indicate this to be the area of origin.
It is my professional opinion the fire is electrical in origin. Several circuits within the fuse and relay center are energized whether the vehicle is running or not. The vehicle had been operated within 30 – 45 minutes prior to the discovery of the fire. With the engine running additional circuits in the relay center would have been energized. A malfunction occurred within the relay center igniting the wire insulation and plastic housing. Heat generated by the burning plastic ignited additional components found within the engine compartment and the fire ensued. Though we cannot identify the exact circuit that malfunctioned, all heat, smoke and fire patterns clearly indicate the origin to be within the fuse and relay center. All other causes for the loss have been eliminated.
This truck gave no warning that anything was wrong. No lights, no performance issues, Nothing!
I called Chrysler about the problem They said it was because of the extra lights on the truck. I pointed out that there were no extra lights on the truck. There are only enough lights on the truck to make it legal. She said it was because of the flatbed I installed on the truck. I pointed out the the bed had been on the truck since I bought it from the dealer in 2007. She said it was my fault for putting the bed on the truck and the extra lights put a strain on the relay. That they are quite aware of the problem and it was only a matter of time before the relay failed. It just depends on how many times I used the turn signals etc. Once again I explained to her that there are no extra lights on the truck.
She said its the after market bed. I said, your going to get sued! She said you do what you have to do.
That's how Chrysler handles a problem that is clearly their fault. It does not matter if there were extra lights (and there were not!) That's what fuses are for!
This is a relay that has failed and is built in plastic.
The truck was parked next to my house and caught the house on fire. Thank God we were not inside sleeping and no one was hurt.
I had liability on the truck so I have to eat it.
I will never own another Chrysler product again.
Chrysler knows they are a giant and can keep me tied up in court for years.
As for the rest of you Chrysler owners. Good luck! I hope you don't expect the company to ever do whats right
click to see larger images
I was out of town for the week and had my wife's car because it got better gas mileage. I left her with the truck. She drove it to work and back for three days but on the third day she came home, parked the vehicle in the drive, got the mail and took the trash can up to the house. Went inside and let the dog out. After several minutes she went to let the dog back in. she said she smelled smoke and started to look around to see what it was. She looked out front and there was fire under the truck. As you can see the truck burned to the ground.
The following is from the fire inspector report.
The remains of the fuse and relay center were found within the burned Ram 3500. An examination revealed heavier damage to the bottom of the fuse and relay center. Examination of wiring extending from the relay center disclosed evidence of electrical arcing. Several circuits within the relay center had arced during the fire. Additional wiring that had extended from the relay center was found in the front left corner of the engine compartment. An examination of this wiring revealed multiple shorts and brittle wire conditions. Fire patterns clearly indicate this to be the area of origin.
It is my professional opinion the fire is electrical in origin. Several circuits within the fuse and relay center are energized whether the vehicle is running or not. The vehicle had been operated within 30 – 45 minutes prior to the discovery of the fire. With the engine running additional circuits in the relay center would have been energized. A malfunction occurred within the relay center igniting the wire insulation and plastic housing. Heat generated by the burning plastic ignited additional components found within the engine compartment and the fire ensued. Though we cannot identify the exact circuit that malfunctioned, all heat, smoke and fire patterns clearly indicate the origin to be within the fuse and relay center. All other causes for the loss have been eliminated.
This truck gave no warning that anything was wrong. No lights, no performance issues, Nothing!
I called Chrysler about the problem They said it was because of the extra lights on the truck. I pointed out that there were no extra lights on the truck. There are only enough lights on the truck to make it legal. She said it was because of the flatbed I installed on the truck. I pointed out the the bed had been on the truck since I bought it from the dealer in 2007. She said it was my fault for putting the bed on the truck and the extra lights put a strain on the relay. That they are quite aware of the problem and it was only a matter of time before the relay failed. It just depends on how many times I used the turn signals etc. Once again I explained to her that there are no extra lights on the truck. She said its the after market bed. I said, your going to get sued! She said you do what you have to do.
That's how Chrysler handles a problem that is clearly their fault. It does not matter if there were extra lights (and there were not!) That's what fuses are for! This is a relay that has failed and is built in plastic.
The truck was parked next to my house and caught the house on fire. Thank God we were not inside sleeping and no one was hurt.
I had liability on the truck so I have to eat it.
I will never own another Chrysler product again.
Chrysler knows they are a giant and can keep me tied up in court for years.
As for the rest of you Chrysler owners. Good luck! I hope you don't expect the company to ever do whats right
- frmerdodgeownr, Topeka, KS, US