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Dead battery destroys shifting

PM City 
14K views 36 replies 18 participants last post by  robertjuarez58 
#1 · (Edited)
I've owned a 2016 Promaster city tradesman since August 2020 . Since then, my battery has died twice. Each time, after I jumped the battery , it became nearly impossible to shift into drive or reverse . And there is an error message, "Service hill holder". The check engine light comes on and another icon comes on that looks like the traction control . And the odometer and gear indicator are flashing. the first time it happened, the dealership charged me a lot of money to fix it. I know how to trick it into shifting into drive or reverse, but it lurches hard into gear and drives as if it's in third or fourth gear , very little torque. If this happens every time the battery dies, this is a horrible design feature. How do I reset the transmission to allow it to shift correctly Without spending a ton of money at the dealership?
 
#10 ·
I HAVE THE SAME ISSUES BATTERY DIED ONCE LEFT LIGHTS ON . JUMP BATTERY SHIFTING PROBLEMS.. DEALER CHARGE ME 580.. TWO WEEKS LATER SAME THING BATTERY DIED..MY SON LEFT RADIO ON WHILE CLEANING IT AGAIN CANT SHIFT IT JUST LIKE YOURS ... BEEN 2 DAYS AND I DONT WANT TO GO TO DODGE DEALER AGAIN IS THERE A WAY I CAN DO IT... AND THIS IS A STUIPED DESIGH....
 
#17 ·
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Is there any more info on this post? I have a 2019 with 50k miles and i have exactly the same exact thing as original poster and dieing to figure this out.
 
#18 ·
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Anyone? I been at it all day with researching and have found there are tons of people with this same exact thing happening to them. How is it that a 2019 vehicle cant handle a battery dieing? Why are there no redundancies in place? Why isnt Ram fixing this MAJOR issue? This van is my livelihood and now i cant work bc my battery died? This is ridiculous!
 
#19 ·
Hello. I had the same problem after my battery went dead in my 2014 Promaster 3500. I charged up the battery, then my shifting problems started up. The ESC and Hill Holder lights were on. It would shift up, but to only 5th gear. If you were going down the road and let out of the gas, it would really jerk! One day I stumbled upon a fix. I would start the van and instantly put it in drive and get going. No ESC or Hill Holder lights on, and it shifted perfectly. Sometimes I would stop at a red light, and the ESC and Hill Holder lights would come back on. I would shut the van off, when the light turned green, I would start it up and get going and be fine. Sometimes it would work perfectly all day. I tried everything we could think of to fix it, but couldn't. I drove it all over the country like that. It was routine. I ended up selling it to my buddy and he still drives it that way. All because the battery went dead. I wish I knew the fix.
 
#20 ·
I'm having the same issue with my 2016 PM City with under 60k after experiencing a dead battery this morning, which I replaced today. As soon as I started it, I got the Hill Holder error, and a massive "clunk" when taking it out of park. I had to shut off the ignition to get out of neutral, then was able to ease it back up the driveway. Seems like these conditions occur too frequently to be a coincidence, there are similar stories across multiple forums, and no clear resolution. I'll call the dealer tomorrow, but I certainly hope they don't try to convince me that my trans suddenly went bad. I sure hope Ram gets ahead of this problem pronto.
 
#21 ·
So my issue was resolved with a TCM reflash. It's a drag that it cost me $200 to change my battery, but I've gotta give credit to AutoNation Pembroke Pines for doing it in a day, and more than $100 under the initial estimate.

I think I'll keep a closer eye on the battery status from now on.
 
#22 ·
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Yes , mine too. A 2015 promaster city with 35,000 miles. Changed the battery and now the shifter doesn't work , getting hill holder message on dashboard, same thing . From what I reading here this doesn't sound good. I'm having it towed to dealer as soon as I can afford to fix it , whatever that's go long to be.

Everything worked so nice on this van until this happened. No way am I going to try get it into gear . Just hope the dealer is honest which in Hawaii is not certain and probably not going to happen. Did anyone find the reason for this happening?
 
#27 ·
Okay guys quick question how about If l replace the battery before getting dead is that a good idea or no .??
By the way l just Google it and I find out this problem get recall for years from 2014 to 2016 only ...
If your crystal ball can predict when the battery will die, then yes its a good idea to replace it before that day.

I replaced the battery myself then drove it limp mode to the local dealer, cost $250 to flash it to clear the problem. It's been fine since. The service guy confirmed my diagnosis was correct when I told him it needed flashing to fix, they didn't try to tell me it needed a new tranny.

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#31 ·
@smithop
All newly registered members MUST make an introductory post in the Introductory Post Forum as per forum rules. "Promasterforum.com Introduction Section " Please be aware until you do make the required introductory post any posts you make may be deleted
@Uvan

I'm not newly registered and I did make an intro post when I registered over a year ago.

Sent from my Lenovo 10e using Tapatalk
 
#28 ·
I'm sure everyone has replaced that stock AGM battery by now, but if you have replaced it because it died, and found out it had leaked, check the plastic transmission cover beneath it. The drain line from the tray, which is supposed to take the acidic juice under the truck, was cut too short and dripped the juice onto the A-arm and and that cover. The cover melted and I drove around with ½fluid; ½ road water for I don't know how long. It was found when a recall changed the radiator fan (and I had to drive 2Hrs to get it done , 'cause the LOCAL dealer wouldn't do it). BUT y'all need to look at that cover and get that hose (drain line) lengthened.
 
#30 ·
I bought the van 3rd owner, so it might have been a flooded. But the dealer who tested my battery said an AGM was stock... remember the City was a european model changed for American roads. AND maybe I was flim-flammed, but Les Schab, who did replace the battery, 'cause I wasn't payin' dealer prices, suggested the same. That was 7 years ago and the last time I dealt with that problem.
 
#33 ·
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Let me put an end to all the speculation about this problem. Has nothing to do with reseating connectors or replacing parts. The TCM is losing its memory and needs a Proxy Alignment. With the proper scan tool it literally is only 30 seconds to resolve. Ram and the dealers should be ashamed of themselves for ripping off customer. End of story. No other repairs will correct this issue.
 
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