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2013 Ram 1500 Air Suspension problems when -10 or lower

77K views 243 replies 63 participants last post by  Ms Pixie 
#1 ·
Does anyone have any problems and if so what have you experienced.
My Immediate air suspension service-repair comes on at -10 and lower but clears when warmer than -10.
 
#2 ·
Same here in Omaha, Nebraska. I have a Longhorn 1500 with the air suspension as well and after driving to the dealer the message cleared out once it warmed up during the day. The dealer said it's possible there is a sensor in the compressor that doesn't handle sub zero (Fahrenheit) temps well. Just wanted you know you're not alone, sorry I don't have a better answer.
 
#4 ·
Had mine out yesterday it was -9F no issues. Wanted to try 4WD lock in the snow at different ride heights on the air suspension and so far it worked fine. It would seem they would have tested the suspension at sub zero temps. I would not rely on the techs opinion on that one. Sounds like a explanation for something he knows nothing about.
 
#7 ·
Being a heavy Diesel tech, I think what is happening is that moisture is building up in the air tank reservoir when its cold thus not allowing the air to pump up to the max. Once it warms up the condensation/air is done the truck fixes itself.

My Hemi does this time to time. My bluetec also with airmatic does it only when really cold.
 
#10 ·
It is a closed Nitrogen system though. There should be no condensation in the system. There might be a fluctuation in pressure from the temperature outside but there shouldn't be any moisture in the system. I am thinking it might be a pressure issue where they have to add nitrogen to the system ( which the dealer isn't set up to do at this point ) or the compressor is freezing. Just my opinion. The dealer keeps looking at the electrical which I know there is no problem with because when it is above -10 the system runs flawlessly.
 
#8 ·
Wow... Judging by this post I'm glad I decided agains the air suspension because where I am it drops down to -30 - -40 at times.
 
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#17 ·
Wonder if this could be a safety issue with the suspension at entry/exit height and driving at high speeds.
Can be reported to transport Canada

http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/tp-tp2822-page4_e-276.htm
There was an issue that I had earlier with the suspension that could definitely reported. As I posted in another blog, there is an issue with the wiring harness where it isn't secured enough to the frame and it drags on a heat shield down by the fire wall. It wears through the wires and shorts out. The trucks front end then dumps to the ground and when you drive you have no suspension in the front as well as if you are driving at night time the headlights shine about 3 feet in front of your truck. My dealership knows of this issue. They had fixed 4 trucks one being mine. Now I just have the cold issues where the system is unavailable to go up or down. It rides at normal height.
 
#22 ·
My dealership called me yesterday and had told me that they are out of nitrogen to charge my air suspension system up. They told me that it should be here today. They don't have any courtesy cars and haven't offered to help me in any way to get a vehicle. I had called to see if they had an ETA on my truck today and it turns out that they are driving my truck to another dealer because they just don't have the ability to fix it. This is really starting to suck!!!!
 
#27 ·
Has anybody had this problem fixed yet? I am experiencing the same problems here in Winnipeg,Manitoba. Suspension drops in the cold."Air Suspension Requires Immediate Service or Repair" warning gets triggered. Just wondering if anyone has had any success in getting this fixed yet.Thanks for your time.
 
#28 ·
I have been getting the run around by Spruce Grove Dodge. I have called other dealerships and they have no clue what I am talking about. I almost think we should rally up all the people who have paid over 60 grand for these trucks with this feature (which is why we bought them) that doesn't work. Then approach Chrysler
 
#29 ·
Just dropped mine off at the dealer this morning.A new warning on the dash---"Air suspension limited adjustment.Payload exceeded.". Maybe 1" of fresh snow in the box so I know I haven't exceeded the payload of the truck. Drove it in to the dealer down on all 4 suspension snubbers.The truck says that it is at normal ride height but it definitely isn't.I will keep you updated.
 
#36 ·
I haven't verified the Nitrogen aspect (though it makes the most sense), however a TFL vid on youtube verifies that this is indeed a closed system, so any thought of frost inside the suspension doesn't add up. I don't know how the ride height is sensed, but I do know that older systems had issues with mechanical linkage potentiometer sensors had big issues with weather. Any chance this could be frost , ice, crud or thermal contraction causing the ride height sensors to read improperly? Temperature and false ride height reporting seems to be a big common factor here, so I have to wonder about the sensor system more than the gas/spring system.
 
#38 ·
Not necessarily true.

You would need some sort of a pump or compressor to move the nitrogen in/out of the storage tank and into the suspension.
 
#39 ·
Definitely a closed system.It uses a compressor to move the nitrogen from the low pressure tank to the high pressure tank and then down the line. System is charged with nitrogen at 125 psi from the factory.Any dealership that is able to do air conditioning servicing should have nitrogen on hand because that is what they use to pressure test the air conditioning system when doing repairs.
 
#41 ·
seen more -30C than I care to admit this winter with some -40C! I use all levels of my air suspention all the time as I want to reduce the risk of wrecking the plastic on a snow bank with all the snow we have had in Northern Manitoba this year. No problems to report at all! It does go a little slower than when it is warm out but I can live with that. I would guess this truck does warm up at least twice as fast as my 08 Hemi did, and for that I am gratefull!
 
#43 ·
same deal here in Ottawa...really getting tiring. That being said, air-suspension working like a charm. *knocks wood*
 
#42 ·
In response to none of the Edmonton dealers having nitrogen. The fort saskatchewan dealer filled mine right before Christmas. Could be an option for you guys who are dealing with the dealers in Edmonton. On a side note, getting the nitrogen filled didn't fix anything. Neither did a new compressor. Front end still drops when it's cold.
 
#50 ·
Bad Customer Care Service From Dodge Ram



We also have front end dropping to the point truck is not safe to operate. New compressor did not solve issue. The minute temp dropped on the negative side-down it went like a load of DODGE bricks. Nitrogen was also ordered and utilized-did not resolve. Funny how the dealerships just don't want to spend time addressing our concerns. This has become a time issue with them and manpower which they have no desire to move forward with. Easier to tell the customer - drive in warm weather-sorry bout your issue!!! Great Customer service and care…we have not been able to talk to anyone from Chrysler Customer Care …. obvious they don't care either. :LOL:
 
#44 ·
My apologies for giving anyone some mis-information. The system is charged with Nitrogen at a pressure of 185-215 PSI.My truck was down to 152 PSI throwing all sorts of codes and warnings.My dealership went through the whole system checking all fitting connections to make sure that they are tight.They have now refilled the system to 215 psi.So far all my problems seem fixed.They asked me to stop back in next week sometime and they will rescan for any stored codes and recheck the Nitrogen pressure.I have had some weird glitches with the air suspension since day 1 so there is a chance that maybe it was never filled to the max from the factory.They are now going to check that during their PDI of any Air Suspension truck.I will keep you updated as we are supposed to be back to -30C next week
 
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