Many owners of older 2014-2016 Ram and Jeep EcoDiesel vehicles are reporting very significant acceleration delays after the emissions recall work was performed. We got two first-hand reports of excessive “turbo lag” or perceived accelerator delay. Some owners are reporting a power lag of up to four seconds during full-throttle applications.
We also have a first-hand report that a Ram 1500 EcoDiesel recall fix did not change the acceleration behavior or fuel economy, and the truck behaves normally.
Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
FCA and the US regulators have been working together to resolve the 2014-2016 emissions scandal. The class-action lawsuit ruling took affect in February 2019, and existing owners have been taking their Ram 1500 or Jeep Grand Cherokees to the dealer to perform the emissions-approved recall. This recall is also referred to as AEM (Approved Emissions Modification). The recall is one of the prerequisites for current or previous owners of the affected EcoDiesel vehicles to receive lawsuit settlement payouts.
The original emission inquiry that was raised in January 2017 affected over 100,000 vehicles. These are the 2014-2016 Ram 1500 pickup trucks and 2014-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs that are equipped with a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 engines. The original power specification on this (2nd generation) of the engine was 240 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque. It’s not clear how peak power is affected by the AEM action if at all.
Here are the two accounts that report acceleration lag.
— Scott Older: 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel (Original owner.)
“This is my wife’s daily, so I rarely drive it. I haven’t driven it since the software was updated. I picked up the Jeep from the dealer today, now that the particulate matter sensor was replaced. I went to pull out of the dealer lot, and there is a very noticeable lag from the time the throttle is applied and the vehicle responds. It makes pulling into traffic unnerving. The Jeep used to respond instantly with tons of torque. Now it falls on its face.”
— James DeBerry. 2015 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel.
“This recall/update is called the approved emissions modification (AEM). Post-AEM there have been a large number of Ecodiesel owners that have experienced extreme throttle lag from a stop. This throttle lag is on the order of 3-4 seconds, and is most pronounced when the engine is cold. When I picked up my truck after the AEM was installed, I wasn’t aware of this performance issue, and I personally almost got hit several times while pulling out into traffic.”
Here is an account that reports no negative driving characteristic change.
— Matthew Cresci: 2016 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel HFE owner
” I just had the emissions recall (AEM) done two weeks ago, and this weekend I will be doing my first towing trip with the new software. So far I haven’t noticed any differences in driveability or fuel economy. This will be a good test because I have past towing data to compare it to.”
The emissions Ecodiesel settlement hwebsite outlines the steps for current and previous owners of the affected vehicles should take in order to bring the trucks and SUVs into compliance, and receive a settlement payout that can be as high as $3,075. The process requires the emission AEM recall to be performed. Next, the paperwork and the settlement claim need to be filed. Owners started to file their settlement claims in May 2019.
FCA representative stated that qualified owners should get full claim payment within eight weeks of filing a claim. However, some qualified owners have been waiting 10 weeks or more to receive payment.
FCA (Jeep/Ram) representative:
“Eligible owners must have the AEM software installed on their truck to receive the cash compensation and extended warranty. Payment for eligible claims may take up to 6-8 weeks from claim finalization and confirmation of the AEM (software modification) being performed.”
If you are one of the affected owners, please let us know your experience: good or bad. You can add your feedback in the comments section below, or by sending an email to ask@tfltruck.com
