Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 10/01/2012 | 125000 | 1 | |
| Engine dies driving at unknown times (key turn on) found test of power windows at same time stop due to no power (12volts) engine cut in and out but stops running. deal never found the trouble. 1 click (relay) turn key to start (starter never turn) truck mite start 15 min or next day . found bad mfg engine grounding. added ground engine back to ground post fix the missing ground. / 2nd the mfg turbo resonator split making limp home mode. *tr | |||
| 10/01/2012 | 125000 | ||
| Engine die's driving at unknown times (key turn on) found test of power windows at same time stop due to no power (12volts) engine cut in and out but stops running. deal never found the trouble. 1 click (relay) turn key to start (starter never turn) truck mite start 15 min or next day . found bad mfg engine grounding. added ground engine back to ground post fix the missing ground. / 2nd the mfg turbo resonator split making limp home mode. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 06/01/2009 | 4000 | ||
| This 2006 winnebago navion (on a sprinter 3500 chassis) has suffered two failures of the turbocharger resonator. when the failure occurs there is an immediate and almost total loss of power and the loss of the ability to climb hills as the vehicle goes into limp home mode with a top speed of 35 mpg on level ground. the vehicle is unable to keep up with or stay ahead of, or get out of the way of, other traffic. the first failure was initially not correctly diagnosed by the dealer, and after two additional incidents the resonator was replaced under warranty. the resonator has totally failed a second time and the dealer has refused to perform the repair under warranty. i have researched the problem and found that this is a well known defect with the sprinter that is not being addressed by dealers or the manufacturer. this is the most unreliable and unsafe vehicle i have ever owned or driven. i have had to pull over to the side, unable to get to a turnout, and still partially blocking an active lane of high speed traffic. the vehicles should be recalled and properly repaired, or the manufacturer should buy them back if they are not repairable. | |||
| 10/03/2009 | 11500 | 1 | |
| Vehicle is winnebago view on a dodge sprinter 3500 chassis. traveling at highway speeds the vehicle suddenly loses acceleration. will not engage the turbo. when climbing a hill it will not accelerate beyond 20mph. this happened the first time with only 5,000 miles and it happened the second at 11,000 miles. both times the dealer had to replace the plastic resonator. the mechanic told me this had been happening quite often with other owners. in reviewing the odi complaints i have found the same complaint repeated many times. *tr | |||
| 10/08/2008 | 18909 | 1 | |
| Sudden loss of power while climbing hill in heavy traffic. could proceed at only 5 mph to get off road into shopping center parking lot. had to be towed to a safe overnight location. was a dangerous situation when it happened. we were very lucky not to be hit from behind. failed part was a plastic turbo resonator. replaced by dealer. code #43358. *tr | |||
| 07/09/2008 | 7500 | 1 | |
| Turbo resonator failure. part has been replaced twice and dodge dealer says this is all i can keep doing. sprinter winnebago only has 10,000 miles. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 03/09/2011 | 72911 | ||
| My 2006 dodge sprinter 3500 has just been diagnosed with the turbo resonator failure that was expected. it was expected be because it has now happened to all the sprinters i own. the vehicle suffers a dramatic loss of power and speed with no warning. i have almost been hit from behind when the van is on an upgrade and suddenly loses power and speed. this problem has been around as long as the sprinter has been out and nothing is being done about it. it is a danger to public and an extremely expensive repair to make. as far i am concerned, it a failure of the government to force the manufacturer to fix the problem and reimburse the people who have paid for it in the past. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 06/06/2008 | 4642 | 1 | |
| I purchased a 2006 dodge sprinter 3500 as a 2007 winnebago view class c motorhome. in about january of 2008 i experienced a sudden loss of power and the plastic turbo resonator was replaced under warranty. on june 6, 2008 on trip from tulsa to frisco, tx again experienced loss of power and another plastic turbo resonator was placed on the vehicle at 4642 total miles. having had two failures of this resonator within a year and under 5000 miles, i fill there is a serious defect in the original resonator and the improved one that also failed. the last failure occurred on a turnpike and my speeds ranged from 35 mph uphill to 55 mph downhill. a vehicle going that slow and being unable to accelerate to avoid problems is a definite hazard to us and other motorists. from what i hear from dodge dealers no fix to the problem is anticipated. this is unacceptable! *tr | |||
| 06/15/2008 | 19425 | 1 | |
| 2006 dodge sprinter 3500 turbo resonator failures. my wife and i purchased the above unit in the form of a winnebago view. on our first trip we had to cross a small mountain pass in the shenandhoas. a few minutes in to the climb, i noticed the power dropping off. we were already all the way in the right lane, however; the vehicle lost so much power the large trucks also in the right lane had to swerve to avoid hitting the vehicle. we had the vehicle towed to a dealer and they explained that the vehicle had suffered a failure of the turbo resonator and that it would be repaired under warranty. the incident was most unfortunate. while the family trip was pretty much ruined, winnebago did eventually help pay for the rental vehicle costs that we had to absorb to get the family and contents of the rv home until the vehicle was repaired. unfortunately, we have suffered an identical failure. after looking in to the problem on-line, we discovered that there is a huge community of sprint owners that have suffered the same failure, many of them with multiple failures. this is a dangerous situation which dodge and mercedes refuse to resolve. the manufacturers need to design a permanent fix for this problem and issue a recall before someone gets killed. *tr | |||
| 06/07/2008 | 2500 | 1 | |
| Repeated failure of turbo resonator on dodge sprinter 3500 / winnabago view resulting in sudden loss of 90% of power. part cracks open causing loss of turbo pressure. engine sensor thinks turbo has failed shutting down engine into limp mode resulting in 90% loss of power. same part has failed twice in 2,500 miles. both times happened on the interstates highways in traffic and nearly resulted in an accident on i 75 south of atlanta last year and on i 20 west of atlanta last weekend. in both cases high speed vehicles passing on both sides created an extremely hazardous conditions. user groups report this is a widespread problem. dealer has fixed under warranty but refuses to allow known 3rd part solution (described below) that permanently solves the problem to be used and threatens cancellation of entire vehicle warranty if part is installed. instead dealer installs same part that has a history of repeated failure and says good luck. the problem is well-known to sprinter owners. it is well documented on user blogs such as: http://sprinter-source.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=108, http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/sprinter/message/94 http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/sprinter/message/95 it is also interesting to note that according to the james f. riordan company, inc, a local dodge dealer initiated an effort to create a permanent solution to the problem, the resonator eliminator: http://www.riordanco.com/our_products_catalog.htm#sprinterturboresonator. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - DIESEL | |||
| 08/01/2007 | 50760 | 3 | |
| 2006 dodge sprinter truck. consumer states several issues with vehicle leading to break downs *tgw the dealer noted the vehicle lacked power and would not accelerate properly. the vehicle would especially loose power while driving on an incline. one year later, the resonator was replaced. the vehicle broke down again on march 27, 2009. the consumer was informed the lock washer on the lug nut for the drivers side front tire had been improperly put on the tire. the brake light and tail light bulbs were replaced. the egr valve was sticking, the battery was replaced, the turbo was leaking oil in the intake track, the transmission adapter plug was leaking, the check engine light illuminated, the harmonic balancer and water pump were replaced.*jb | |||