I have an 09 Ram with 11,000 miles on it. Last night when driving home a whole bunch of lights when off on my truck. The ABS light, the ESP light, the EVIC said "park assist off" and said "ESP BAS" and "Service 4wd". This stayed on for 5 minutes then turned off. But after another few minutes it started going on and off every 30 seconds or so the whole way home (over an hour). This morning it is doing the same thing.

Two questions: Obviously I'm going to call the dealership on Monday morning, but I have to work and will have to drive the truck in the 8-12 inches of snow we are getting tomorrow....is the truck safe to drive with all this stuff turning on and off constantly?

Will whatever is wrong be covered under factory warranty? I really don't want to spend any money right now.

Thanks!

 

On mine it was a bad wheel sensor that caused the ABS/ESP and ESP BAS light to turn on. If it is turing on and off - which mine was, it can cause the brakes to do weird things. I wound up disconnecting one of the wheel sensors so that it would just fail rather than coming on and off, never did find a fuse that would disable only the ABS/ESP - pulling the ABS fuse also kills the speedo.

 

Katahdin,
sounds like a wheel sensor issue, probably ok to drive it back to your dealer, just drive slow and careful.
Constantly check your brake pedal...Leave yourself PLENTY of stopping distance...!
Lets us know what they found after they`ve fixed it (hope they fix it right the first time)

 

Thanks guys. Well, I needed to go to the store. I pulled the truck out of the garage the lights were going on and off. I put the truck in drive and while still standing still the spedo was going between 0 and 15mph. I slowly hit the gas and heard the grinding that you get when the truck loses traction (the ABS or the ESP....I'm not sure) the truck kinda jumped forward, and then it went normally. At the stop sign it did the same thing so I just turned around.....

Will the dealership tow it for me under the factory warranty if I call? I am really hesitant to drive it right now.

 

You can either get it towed or just disconnect one of the rear wheel sensors so that the system will shut completely off.

What you are describing is exactly what happened with mine. It is dangerous to drive when the ESP/ABS is intermittantly kicking in, especially if you have ice or snow.

If you don't want to get under the truck to unplug one of the sensors, then just go ahead and pull the ABS fuse - be aware that the speedo will not work.

If your speedo was moving when the truck was not, it sounds like it is one of the front sensors - don't know which one they use (left or right)

 

I had the exact same issue at about the same mileage. It was a defective ABS module and they covered it free on warranty. It is not an uncommon issue.

 

Kat,
by the sounds of this, i wouldnt drive it.
...and YES, they will cover the towing under warranty

 

I called the dealership this morning, the manager agreed that a tow would be the best idea. I called Chrysler roadside assistance and am waiting for the tow truck....we got 6-8 inches overnight so I'm sure the tow guys are busy....it may be a long wait.....

 

So the dealership called a few hours ago and said it was a bad wheel sensor (good call guys!!) They said they didn't have the part but would get one in tomorrow. They just called back and said that they were able to fix the sensor and will not have to replace it....does this make sense? I REALLY don't want this to happen again, will just fixing instead of replacing lead to more trouble in the future? They still are going to keep it overnight to do 2 recalls on the truck.

Thanks for all your help guys!

 

Sounds like a wire issue.Got any kind of lift kit on it or? Fill out your signature so we know what you drive and such.