[dbbldz]

Did a brief post a month ago about my issues with a cooling fan relay in my PMC.
Here's a condensed history of this issue so far...

Engine threw a P0481 code for the cooling fan relay.

Dealer confirmed faulty relay, replaced and cleared code.

About 100 miles later van began to overheat due to the cooling fan MELTING (yes, you heard that correctly) off of it's motor.

Dealer says the fan is defective and backordered with a 3-week estimate.

Did some research and found that the same fan used in PMCs is used in the Jeep Renegade.

Couldn't find too many PMC owners with this issue but discovered MANY reports of defective Jeep Renegade fans with no apparent recall from Chrysler and owners waiting over a month to have their vehicles repaired due to back ordered fans. According to one online source the fans are apparently in high-demand due to a high rate of failure. My dealer had mentioned someone came in that day with the exact same issue.

Just wanted to share this with you guys in case you notice your PMC overheating even slightly, throwing codes, or fan acting funny. Insist that the dealer inspect your cooling fan properly as the relay swap did NOT fix my issues.

 

[dbbldz]

Quick update... the part is back-ordered "until October" (it's Sept 19 for those of you in the future). Vehicle has been waiting for this repair for about 40 days already. Hopefully won't be long now. FCA and dealer offered me no loaner vehicle at all whatsoever. Said reimbursement might be possible after the fact, must get a case manager blah blah blah, overall pretty unhelpful. Didn't feel like fighting with them.

Separately, I read a report from a Jeep Renegade owner that the fan they're using to replace this defective one supposedly fixes the issue and has "more fan blades and thicker wiring". Take that with a grain of salt... but if your fan goes bust I'd think twice about buying older inventory to replace it (since it might just break again)!

Hate to say it, but this lil van has been out of commission for more than enough days this year to qualify for the lemon law. Extremely disappointed with how many issues I've had, how long this repair is taking in particular, and the general lack of concern on the part of FCA. This experience has really left a sour taste in my mouth and I'm deeply considering whether to sell my PMC. I'm afraid the current list of problems might just continue to grow and grow as it ages and exits warranty coverage. Wishing you all have better luck than I with your PMC's in the future.

 

[driving]

Had the same issue with my 2016 at 22,500 miles. At the dealer now. Parts are on backorder until 10/25/17 at the earliest.

 

[geokite]

If I wanted to replace my cooling fan before anything happens to it, what part # would I look to get (that has the 'thicker wires and more blades')?

Thanks so much
Steve

 

[R.PM]

did your temp gauge go up ? mine seems to run hot and smell hot at times but gauge stays right in the middle also when fan is on it does not run as fast as needed ? I know if you lift the hood after running a while the front metal frame is even very warm to hot.

 

[dbbldz]

did your temp gauge go up ? mine seems to run hot and smell hot at times but gauge stays right in the middle also when fan is on it does not run as fast as needed ? I know if you lift the hood after running a while the front metal frame is even very warm to hot.

Yes. Temperature gauge went up twice. First when the relay blew and again when the fan finally melted off it's motor. I'm not a mechanic, but my guess would be the temperature gauge might not move until things start pushing towards the danger zone.

The fan's main job is to keep the engine cool while idling so if you're driving with a malfunctioning underpowered fan (or even a completely dead one) you might not see the temperature gauge go up until you sit and idle for a bit. I drove it a bit while the fan was completely inoperable. Temperature gauge didn't move at all as long as I was cruising over 20mph (even in 95 degree heat) but the engine absolutely felt much hotter than usual after. There's always a chance the thermostat is defective as well.

 

[dbbldz]

If I wanted to replace my cooling fan before anything happens to it, what part # would I look to get (that has the 'thicker wires and more blades')?

Thanks so much
Steve

I couldn't tell ya honestly! That description is something I read on the Jeep forum so not exactly gospel. Here's the full thread if you're interested in checking it out. AFAIK the part in the PMC is the same as the Jeep Renegade and the dealers are reporting a defect to customers. If I had to guess I'd say it would be fairly difficult to acquire one of these from a dealer preemptively with such a significant backorder going on.

 

[dbbldz]

Had the same issue with my 2016 at 22,500 miles. At the dealer now. Parts are on backorder until 10/25/17 at the earliest.

Sorry to hear! Hopefully you suffer less than I.

Still waiting over here... latest estimate is "sometime in November".

 

[driving]

Got a call from my dealership service manager on 10/23 that the parts were in and they would install and I could pick up vehicle that evening. Good news, but...

I got vehicle about 15 minutes before closing at 7pm that day. They had to jump start it before bring it around to me. I drove home not thinking of it since vehicle sat for more than a week.

The parts replaced were 6360299-AA fan assembly and 68094354-AA fuse maxi. All covered under warranty - no charge.

Two days later i had to jump it to get home from work. Dropped it off Thursday morning 10/26 explaining problem. Noticed a lot of sulfation and a slightly melted positive battery terminal cover. Told the service manager this and he said they would take care of it.

Picked up the vehicle today 10/28 with a new battery at no charge and assurance that wiring was checked. We'll see - only inconvenience was the waiting times for parts. This is not the usual dealership/service department experience. We typically know more than them and have to argue to get good service. I feel lucky but don't know where to put all the rage I had ready for them if this went any other way. Jack D will help with that tonight.

dbbldz - my parts were shipped from Tampa Florida, so they are in stock somewhere. Call them every day!!!
Insist they replace both and check wiring back to and going from battery. I'm sure the failure caused a couple of battery cells to get hosed in mine along with the sulfation and eroded battery wrap/ melted positive terminal cover.

geokite - I've attached a pic of my service ticket for the parts you need.

R.P.M - you have the same pre-failure symptoms as me. I was close to home/dealer so I dropped it off that same day after driving no more than 10 miles. While moving everything was fine but at long lights and even while waiting in the service line at dealer, my temp gauge would spike and warning light/message would come on. I also had some slow acceleration issues while in reverse for a few days before this. Don't, wait get it to them asap/convenient. Limp-mode is inevitable.

If anyone gets this repair done, I would suggest opening the hood and doing an engine compartment inspection, specifically wiring looms and taped wire bundles, with your service manager before driving off the lot. Mine was very understanding and responsive with updates and eta's they beat in each instance. Not the norm, I know, but cover yourself and use my experience as a guide. Ram/Dodge technicians don't have a lot of experience working on PMC's. The service clerk even tried to send me to the other dealers in town when I first called, even though I purchased the vehicle from them. So keep a watchful eye on any work done. Inspect and ask questions till you are satisfied. If anything else comes up I'll post in the PMC thread.

 

[dbbldz]

Thanks for the update and congrats!!! Also thanks for the tip re: potential battery issues.

How long did you end up waiting?

 

[dbbldz]

The parts replaced were 6360299-AA fan assembly and 68094354-AA fuse maxi. All covered under warranty - no charge.

A quick google search yields no information or sources for the fan assembly. Fuse seems like a common part.

 

[Ben Bayer]

I just had a similar issue on my 2014 PM 2500 with only 16k miles. I was parked in a lot with the engine running and the check engine light came on (solid, not flashing so I assumed it was ok to drive). After I started moving a bit, the temperature gauge red-lined. I parked and let it cool off. When I started driving again, the CEL was on but the temp was normal and stayed normal until I reversed into my driveway...at which point the gauge redlined again and the pressure release on the coolant tank tripped and coolant started shooting everywhere.

I took it into the dealer and they confirmed that it was a fan control module that needs replacement. Of course the module is on indefinite backorder from their warehouse. They said they can get one from O'Reilly but I would have to pay the difference myself which was about $200 for 6-8 days or $450 for 2 days. As suggested above, I'm pressing them to check over the whole electrical system for problems now. At least I could get a replacement since I rented out my house and I'm supposed to move into this POS for a year in 2 weeks.

It's probably unrelated but I also had to replace my catalytic converter immediately after buying the van (used with 14k miles on it). I had to remind the dealership that it's covered under the 8-year emissions warranty since they wanted to charge me for it.

I also keep getting bulb out warnings for bulbs which aren't out (and a few failing all at once).

Needless to say I'm disappointed with my PM experience so far and terrified it's going to crap out on my when I'm in the middle of the Yukon.

 

[dbbldz]

Thanks for sharing your experiences Ben. All I can say is that I'm shocked and disgusted that people are still experiencing delays due to backordered fans. If I could have ordered the fan early for $200 I probably would have. Took many months to get mine back.

 

[Ben Bayer]

Small update:
I have my van back and it seems to be working well so far. I did opt to pay the extra $217 so that I wouldn't be waiting indefinitely. I filed a complaint on Dodge's website and, to their credit, they assigned a case manager who called. She was very much to the point about what can they do to make it right. I said that, at a minimum, I wanted them to cover the extra $217. But considering how widespread the problem is, I felt that they should issue a recall for the part. She said she'll try to get me be reimbursed but, interestingly, she told me that they have no control over recalls. For a recall to happen, enough people need to file complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). I did that as well but since this is affecting a lot of people, it seems like that's the route to go.

It only takes a minute and the form is here: https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/