2013 Ram 1500 Vibration Issue

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2013 Ram 1500 Quad Cab, 4WD, 5.7L Hemi with 14,700 miles: Over the past 6 months, a vibration from the middle rear of the truck has developed between the speeds of 25-75 MPH. It's not a big vibration, but more of a flutter type that has the same frequency and amplitude throughout the speed range. (That would seem to eliminate driveline and tires because they obviously have different rotation rates through the different speeds.) Looking at several of the Ram Forums, this seems to be a common issue and I'm wondering if anyone has dealt with this specific issue and how it was corrected. My truck goes in next Monday for the second time and the dealer plans to keep it for as long as it takes to figure it out. (Dealership has been great to work with - they seem to want this corrected as badly as I do.)

The usual suspects have been previously eliminated such as: tires have all been re-balanced using road force machine, shocks checked, driveline and u joints checked, loose engine trim shrouds, engine and transmission mounts, and even aerodynamic flutter. No change when turning off stability control, no change when selecting different gears, or tow mode on the transmission. There are no TSB's on this problem that I can find. The dealership had one other vehicle with this problem one year ago, and they couldn't completely eliminate the vibration and ended up buying the vehicle back. Given a choice, I would rather keep my truck and get it fixed rather than take a buy out but at this point, I'm not too optimistic.

Other owners have had this same issue and dealers have gone as far as replacing transfer cases, replaced several sets of tires, driveshaft replacement, re-balance torque converter, replace all shocks to no avail. I know of several owners that have had their trucks taken back by Chrysler under the Lemon Law. The 2014 Ram 1500 did have a driveline change, but I'm not sure that had anything to do with the reported issues.

Again, if anyone here has specifically had this problem and found a solution, I would love to hear all about it.

Thanks!

757Guy
 
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Same frequency and amplitude all the time, does not change with speed? In that case, the driveline isn't the issue.

How fast is it?
 
Originally Posted By: Kuato
Same frequency and amplitude all the time, does not change with speed? In that case, the driveline isn't the issue.

How fast is it?


Frequency is approximately 3-4 times per second. Amplitude increases when speed is over 40 mph and decreases above 70 mph. Amplitude can be seen by looking at a water bottle and how the liquid shakes during speed increase.

Test drive was done on several road surfaces - some recently paved, others older asphalt, some concrete, but smooth with occasional cracks. Bumps in the road do not change the frequency or amplitude.

It certainly could be some aerodynamic loading on the vehicle depending on wind speed. If you recall the Tacoma Narrows Bridge that was brought down by wind speed causing flutter and eventually large swings of the bridge deck. Physics professors will tell you that everything has a critical frequency- reach that frequency and everything will start to "excite" or flutter. 3rd generation Ram 1500's had what was called the "Death Wobble", but 4th generation vehicles were corrected of that issue.

I'm really curious to see what could be the cause of the vibration. One individual had posted that he self diagnosed the problem and corrected by putting Bilstein 5100 shocks on the rear axle. Others had tried replacing their shocks but still had the vibration. I'm going to let Chrysler throw their efforts and resources behind this.
 
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Remove the tailgate and see if it still happens (or if legal in your area, go for a test drive with the gate lowered). If it goes away, my guess would be an oscillation in the airflow over/through the bed itself. That could be cured by a bed cover, altering the trim on the lip of the tailgate, maybe adding bed rail bars, or simply by having proven that its harmless and letting yourself ignore it :)

The odd thing, if that's what is is, would be why all trucks aren't affected. But aero is a very tricky thing, and very slight differences can put things in and out of oscillation.
 
You guys should ride in an 18 wheeler sometime and then discuss vibration issues, PS. I got an ancient 2002 classic, B3500 Dodge van, 318ci engine, wanna talk about vibration and shaking issues ,,lol,, Ok, harmonic resonance can also drive you nuts, it happens.
 
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"The new 2014+ gen GM 1500 trucks are also having vibration problems with no known cure."

Had a 2014 short bed reg cab,2wd,V6. Engine vibrated when in V4 mode, hated it. Cruising down road got same vibration, I could get it to stop if I lowered the rear tires to 20PSI. Traded it off on a 2014 RAM Express SBRC 2wd V6. Best thing I ever did....love it.
 
My Mustang has stiff rear coil springs and does this when the rear rebound damping is set to soft. In your truck it might be a bad rear shock.

I also had a 2004 F150 with a vibration caused by a combination of frame, suspension and tire frequency. A change in tire brand which changed the frequency of the sidewall fixed it.
 
Update: After 3 visits to the dealership, no solution to the vibration being felt in my 2013 Ram 1500 Quad Cab Express. Another appointment is scheduled for June 21st.

Here's what the dealership has done so far: Road Force balanced all 4 tires, replaced rear drive shaft, rotated tires, replaced rear shocks, checked alignment (spot on), checked springs, checked front struts, checked motor mounts, checked transmission mounts, checked sway bars, re-flashed PCM module. The dealership has the same mechanic working on the vehicle and he is very experienced, willing to help, and wants this solved as bad as I do.

I have also had the vehicle inspected by transmission experts, body shop professionals, local mechanic, and every one of them feels the issue, but is at a loss as to what could be causing the problem given all that has been done already.

The web has many forums for the Ram 1500 where I am reading multiple complaints from many owners of 2013-2015 model years with the same issue. Many of these owners have had torque converters replaced, transfer cases replaced, multiple sets of tires replaced, shocks replaced, etc., to no avail. I am truly at a loss. Might be time to take that loss and go buy a Ford F150 again...
 
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