2025 Ram 1500 Lemon Law Case Study — Oklahoma
A Brand-New 2025 Ram 1500 That Spent 162 Consecutive Days in the Shop — Then Came Back for More
Our client purchased a new 2025 Ram 1500 from a Carter County dealership in Oklahoma in July 2024. The truck had just 10 miles on the odometer at delivery. Within months, it developed a serious electrical defect: the truck would not start after sitting overnight because an internal short in the power distribution center (PDC) was keeping electrical circuits active — silently draining the battery without any warning lights or error codes to alert the driver.
The dealership's first repair attempt lasted from April 11 through September 19, 2025 — 162 consecutive days. Technicians eventually traced the issue to a faulty Body Control Module (BCM) causing LIN bus circuits to remain energized, drawing parasitic current through the radio and media hub. Parts were replaced in sequence. Despite this extensive repair, the problem returned: in October 2025, the truck again failed to start overnight, and a battery failure was confirmed on a second visit lasting 18 days.
In total, our client's brand-new Ram 1500 was out of service for 180 cumulative days across two repair visits — twelve times Oklahoma's 15-day lemon law threshold. Easy Lemon secured a settlement. Stellantis (Ram's manufacturer) covered all attorney fees.
The Defects in This Case
- Parasitic battery drain — vehicle would not start after sitting overnight: A fundamental electrical failure where the truck's power distribution center and BCM kept LIN bus circuits 8 and 4 permanently energized at 5V, even with the ignition off, continuously draining the battery
- Faulty BCM (Body Control Module): The BCM was sending a constant 5V signal when it should have been off — confirmed by dealer diagnostics — requiring replacement along with the radio, charging port connector, and wireless control module
- Radio and media hub malfunction: The faulty radio remained active when the vehicle was off, contributing to the battery drain and requiring replacement and reprogramming
- Battery failure on second visit: After 162 days of repairs, the defect was declared resolved — but within weeks, the truck again failed to start, and the main battery itself was found to be failed, requiring replacement with additional 24-hour monitoring to confirm no further drain
- No loaner provided during 162-day repair: Our client was without their vehicle for over five months with no replacement transportation from the manufacturer
180 Days in the Shop. Two Visits. A Defect That Kept Coming Back.
From April 2025 through October 2025, this brand-new 2025 Ram 1500 spent more time at the dealership than in its owner's driveway. Below is the documented repair timeline extracted from service records:
April 11 – September 19, 2025 — Parasitic Battery Drain (162 Days)
Our client reported the truck would not start after sitting overnight and needed a jump. A check engine light was also illuminated. Upon diagnosis, technicians found that low-temperature water pumps and the radio were activating randomly with the vehicle off, drawing power from the battery continuously. Further investigation found the media hub operating erratically, and the root cause was traced to an internal short in the engine bay PDC (power distribution center) causing intermittent parasitic power use through LIN bus circuits 8 and 4, which the BCM was holding at a constant 5V. Fuses for the radio and media hub were removed; the wireless control module, charging port connector, and radio hub were replaced. Despite these extensive repairs and post-repair observation showing no further power loss, the repair took 162 consecutive days to complete — more than five months without a vehicle, and with no loaner provided. Oklahoma's cumulative OOS threshold of 15 days was exceeded within the first two weeks of this single visit.
October 3 – October 20, 2025 — Battery Failure Returns (18 Days)
Just two weeks after the truck was returned following the 162-day repair, our client reported the same overnight no-start condition. This time, technicians tested the main battery and found it had failed outright. The battery was replaced and the vehicle was held for 24-hour observation to confirm no further parasitic draw. The vehicle was out of service for an additional 18 days. The recurrence so soon after the supposedly completed first repair demonstrated that the underlying electrical issue had not been fully resolved — and the manufacturer's inability to provide a permanently functional vehicle across both repair attempts formed the basis of Easy Lemon's lemon law demand.
Why Oklahoma Lemon Law and Magnuson-Moss Applied to This Ram 1500 Case
Oklahoma's Lemon Law (15 O.S. § 901 et seq.) protects consumers when a new vehicle has a nonconformity that substantially impairs its use, value, or safety, and the manufacturer cannot repair it after a reasonable number of attempts within the eligibility period. Key qualifying thresholds include:
- 3 or more repair attempts for the same defect within the first 12 months or 12,000 miles, OR
- 15 or more cumulative days out of service for repair attempts within the eligibility period, OR
- 1 repair attempt for a defect likely to cause death or serious injury if driven
This case exceeded the OOS threshold by a factor of 12. Additionally, the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (15 U.S.C. § 2301 et seq.) applied independently, covering the full term of Ram's manufacturer warranties:
- Oklahoma OOS threshold exceeded from Day 16 of the first visit: The first repair visit began April 11, 2025 — within 9 months of the July 24, 2024 purchase date. By April 26, 2025, Oklahoma's 15-day cumulative OOS threshold was independently satisfied by this single visit alone. The vehicle then remained in the shop for an additional 146 days beyond the qualifying threshold
- Same underlying defect recurred after repair: The second visit in October 2025 for the same no-start/battery drain condition confirmed that the manufacturer had not achieved a permanent repair, strengthening the "reasonable number of attempts" argument
- Magnuson-Moss federal coverage: Ram's 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty were both in effect. Under Magnuson-Moss, when a warranted defect is not repaired after a reasonable number of attempts, the consumer is entitled to a replacement or refund — providing an independent federal cause of action that covers the full warranty term regardless of state lemon law windows
- Defect substantially impairs use: A truck that fails to start after sitting overnight due to an unresolved internal electrical short is not just inconvenient — it is unreliable for daily transportation, rendering the vehicle's primary function substantially impaired within the meaning of Oklahoma law
Easy Lemon's Approach to This Case
Free Evaluation & Case Acceptance
Our client came to Easy Lemon after the second repair visit in October 2025 — having spent a combined 180 days without their truck across two visits in less than a year of ownership. We reviewed both repair orders, confirmed the recurring nature of the battery drain defect, and calculated the cumulative OOS days against Oklahoma's 15-day threshold. With 180 days documented across two visits — and the first repair's 162-day duration itself exceeding the threshold by 10× — the case was accepted without hesitation.
Evidence Compilation & Defect Documentation
Easy Lemon assembled both repair orders in full, noting the diagnostic findings for each visit: the PDC internal short, BCM failure, parasitic draw through LIN bus circuits 8 and 4, parts replaced (BCM, radio, media hub, wireless control module, charging port connector), and the confirmed battery failure on the second visit. The absence of a loaner vehicle for 162 days was also documented. We confirmed the purchase date, mileage, and warranty coverage to ensure all claims were grounded in verified facts.
Formal Demand Filed Against Stellantis (FCA US LLC)
Easy Lemon filed a comprehensive lemon law demand against Stellantis under both Oklahoma's Lemon Law and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. The demand documented the 180 cumulative days out of service (12× the statutory threshold), the same-defect recurrence across two repair visits, the failure to provide a loaner vehicle, and the manufacturer's inability to deliver a reliably functional truck after extensive repairs. We demanded a full remedy — buyback or replacement — and made clear that litigation was the next step without an acceptable resolution.
Settlement Reached — Case Resolved
Stellantis agreed to a lemon law settlement. Our client received relief. Stellantis (Ram) covered all attorney fees under the applicable warranty statutes. The case was resolved without litigation. Our client never paid Easy Lemon a dollar — from the initial free evaluation through the final settlement check.
Why This Qualified as a Lemon
Oklahoma's Lemon Law (Oklahoma Lemon Law) sets specific thresholds that entitle a consumer to a buyback or replacement. This case satisfied multiple criteria:
- Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act eligible: Federal warranty protection provided additional remedies.
Oklahoma Lemon Law Settlement — Case Resolved, Zero Cost to Client
Case Summary
- Vehicle: 2025 Ram 1500 — purchased new in Oklahoma (July 24, 2024)
- Purchase mileage: 10 miles at delivery
- Current mileage at time of claim: 19,565 miles
- Primary defect: Parasitic electrical drain — vehicle fails to start overnight due to LIN bus circuits held active by faulty BCM and internal PDC short
- Secondary defect: Battery failure on second visit — same no-start condition recurring after first repair
- First repair visit: April 11 – September 19, 2025 (162 consecutive days)
- Second repair visit: October 3 – October 20, 2025 (18 days)
- Total days out of service: 180 cumulative days
- Oklahoma OOS threshold (15 days): Exceeded by 12× — the first visit alone exceeded it by 10×
- No loaner vehicle provided during the 162-day first repair
- Settlement type: Lemon law settlement (specific terms confidential)
- Cost to client: $0 — Stellantis covered all attorney fees
- Manufacturer: Stellantis (FCA US LLC) — Ram brand
Results may vary. Prior outcomes do not guarantee a similar result. Each case is evaluated individually based on its specific facts and applicable law. Attorney advertising. Easy Lemon® by RockPoint Law P.C.
What Our Clients Are Saying
Attorney on Record
Steven Nassi, Esq.
Managing Partner — Easy Lemon by RockPoint Law P.C.
Licensed attorney specializing exclusively in lemon law. Steven leads the Easy Lemon legal team and has overseen thousands of successful settlements against major manufacturers including Stellantis (Ram, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler), GM, Ford, Toyota, Honda, Kia, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and more.
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