Nobody likes to think about RAM 4 corner air suspension problems—especially when your truck only has 25,000 miles. The air suspension system has been praised by countless consumers worldwide.
But if you live in a cold place, you probably hate this system with a passion. The number of problems you’ll run into under cold temperatures is insane.
But before you attempt to trade in your truck, you might want to check out some common issues with this system and how you can fix them.
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How Does The 4 Corner Air Suspension Work?
The four-corner air suspension system is a type of suspension that is powered by the vehicle’s compressor.
For instance, if you’re driving 30 miles per hour, the computer will automatically extend downward 2.5 inches. That way, the system will decrease the drag on your truck.
But if you want, you can control the air suspension system through the console. Otherwise, use your key fob to control the height of the truck.
8 Common Problems Found on the Ram 4 Corner Air Suspension
Keeping an eye on this system is critical if you live in a snowy area. You never know what could go wrong with it overnight.
That said, here is what could go wrong with the air suspension system and how to fix it:
1. Cold Weather
The 4-corner air suspension is an excellent system if you don’t live in a cold place. Cold weather will be your greatest enemy if you get this system.
For instance, if you live somewhere cold in Canada, your truck will constantly throw up random error codes, and the system will begin to act up.
And in many cases, the compressor will fail. If the truck is still under warranty, this is not a problem.
But if your vehicle is no longer under warranty, you’re pretty much out of luck. Just so you know, this is a $2,500 repair.
But before jumping to any conclusion, please check that your fuse is still in great shape. Most of the time, the air suspension system fails when the fuse goes bad.
That said, here’s how to replace and check a damaged fuse:
- Pop the hood of the car and then locate the fuse box. After that, find the OH 40 fuse and pull it out. If the inside of the fuse looks damaged, you have to get rid of it and get a new one.
- The metal part inside the fuse should never look damaged or split in half. So, if that’s the case, get it changed out.
This is a common problem found on the air suspension system, but it’s usually nothing to worry about. Just make sure to replace the blown a fuse, and your problem should be fixed.
2. Air Suspension System Extremely Loud
We’ve come across countless complaints about how loud the air suspension system is.
However, there’s one thing you need to know: this system can be pretty loud. When the system raises and lowers the vehicle, it will make some noise.
But why is this? Well, when you start up the car, the compressor will suck air.
So, when this happens, the compressor will make some noise. But in many cases, it’s probably not noticeable.
But if you’re recording a video inside your car, your microphone will probably pick it up, and so when you playback the file, you’ll probably notice the background noise.
But if you know that the noise is not normal, then perhaps the tire is rubbing against the wheel well.
This is pretty common on the Dodge Ram, and It’s probably why your truck is so loud — especially when turning.
3. Corner Air Suspension System Won’t self-adjust
As convenient as the air ride can be, Ram 4 corner air suspension problems are pretty common.
If anything, countless Dodge owners have filed complaints about how the air suspension system won’t self-adjust anymore. It won’t lower. It won’t raise. It won’t do anything.
Moreover, some drivers have expressed that the truck feels like it’s about to fall apart when going over bumps.
So, what is precisely messing up your truck? Well, you might have several culprits here.
First, your airbags might have died. If you get underneath the car, you might notice that your airbags might be leaning towards the right or the left.
It shouldn’t look like that. Your airbags should look straight. If that’s your case, the airbag might be crumbled inside the sleeve.
Second, you probably installed a lift kit, and it might have damaged your air suspension system. For some reason, the 4th gen Ram Rebel doesn’t seem to get along with the leveling kit.
Now, you could argue that it probably was a subpar installation.
While you could be right, hundreds of Ram owners have reported that they started experiencing issues with the air suspension system after lifting their trucks.
So if you’ve thought about lifting your truck, do it at your own risk. Not only are you potentially going to run into these issues, but you will also lose your warranty.
4. Air Ride Froze Up
Like we said before, the air suspension system does not get along with cold weather.
So, you probably noticed that your valve froze up, but the compressor is still working. This, unfortunately, can lead to severe problems with your air suspension.
Luckily, there’s a simple but efficient method to solve this problem. You have to use air brake anti-freeze de-icer lubricant. That said, follow these steps to warm up your truck:
- Head over to the tailgate and then remove all the torques holding it together. You should now see two hoses. But the only one you care about is the intake hose. The other one is the exhaust hose, but that’s not relevant.
- After that, pull out the filter. Be careful as you might pull too hard and possibly damage it. Next up, pour some de-icer. Just add a squirt, do not add too much.
- Once you’ve added the de-icer, please warm up your components to make sure everything is working. Be careful when heating the compressor and the valve.
After completing these steps, your truck should work flawlessly again. Even if your suspension fails at -20°C, putting an ounce should be more than enough to heat the car.
If you’re in Canada or any other cold place, we suggest doing this process every two months for better results.
But here’s a little tip that’ll get you out of trouble in the future: park your truck in a warm garage.
If the weather outside is cold, and you leave the car outside, the air ride will most likely freeze it.
5. Truck Takes Some Time To Raise
Another common problem we’ve found on the Ram 1500 four-corner air suspension is that the system takes a while to raise the truck.
Generally speaking, the compressor is somewhat loud, and you should always hear when it kicks in.
Upon doing research, we’ve found that worn mounting brackets often cause this problem.
If you take off the shield covering the compressor, you’ll probably notice that the mounting brackets got rusted, and so your compressor is moving around when the truck is in motion.
As expected, this shouldn’t happen, and it’s most likely your problem.
Fortunately, the problem is not the compressor, but you have to replace the mounting brackets so the compressor won’t wiggle around.
Also, watch out for any broken wires around the compressor. You might have to drop the compressor to find the cables. If any wire got corrupted or damaged, you would have to change it.
6. Air Suspension Acting up Even After Replacing Compressor
We’ve covered lots of problems related to the air suspension system. But if the information above was not helpful, you might need a certified professional to get this problem solved.
Perhaps, the dealer might have to flash your computer with a firmware update.
This is pretty rare, but if you’ve already replaced the compressor and all the airbags and still can’t get rid of the air suspension problem, then the software update might solve your problem.
7. Air Suspension Leaking
A common issue on the 4 corner air suspension Ram 1500 is air suspension leaks. Often, you can tell your airbag is leaking when the rear suspension feels loose when the car is in motion.
Moreover, the vehicle might not self-adjust. Typically, drivers can tell they have a leak if the car feels saggy when driving over a bump.
Finding a leak on the airbag is surprisingly easy. All you need for this job is some soapy water and a little bit of time.
- First and foremost, remove the dust cover from the airbag. You can also cut it off if you can’t slide it down.
- With that out of the way, get soapy water and begin spraying it all over the airbag. After that, let it sit for some time.
- Next up, look for white spots. If you’re not quite sure if you got the right place, clean it off and spray more soapy water.
And that’s all it takes to find a leak on the airbag suspension. If you can’t quite picture the white spot, we suggest watching this video:
8. Compressor Sounds Weird
If you’ve had your truck for a while, you’ve probably become familiar with your compressor’s noise. It shouldn’t raise any raise flags since it’s pretty loud anyway.
However, if you know for sure that the compressor sounds weird, then moisture might have gotten inside the system, causing the compressor to malfunction.
If moisture gets inside the system, the compressor will freeze up, and your air suspension system will not work.
In many cases, this problem fixes itself for a while, only to come back a few days later.
Moreover, drivers have also reported that they get creepy messages on the dashboard, including “system disabled due to excessive load, and air suspension cooling down, please wait.”
That said, the dealer will have to replace the air compressor to fix the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
If you still have some questions about the corner air suspension, here’s a section with a bunch of questions and answers about it:
Can you lift a Ram 1500 with air suspension?
Yes! You can lift your Ram 1500 with air suspension. However, many owners would rather not mess with the air suspension system as you might run into weird issues, including problems with the ride height and performance.
Does cold weather affect air suspension?
Absolutely, the air suspension is probably one of the worst systems you could have if you live in a snowy area.
The number of issues you’ll run into is insane. In fact, many dealers claim that the air suspension was not designed for cold weather.
How do you reset the air suspension on a Dodge Ram?
Surprisingly, resetting the air suspensions is pretty simple. To do this, get in your truck and then hold both the up and down button on your control panel. After that, the car will reset the air suspension.
How do you know if your air suspension is bad?
If your truck sags at the standard height, you have a problem with the air suspension system.
Moreover, if your vehicle feels like it’s being torn apart when driving over bumps, then it’s safe to assume there’s something fishy with the system.
Conclusion
Funnily enough, most RAM 4 corner air suspension problems can be solved by replacing a $10 fuse.
You’d be surprised by how many drivers always skip the easy stuff and take their cars to the dealership only to get ripped off.
But like you just saw, some problems can be challenging to fix, and you might have to take the truck to a certified professional.
Nonetheless, most fixes we covered above should solve whatever issue you ran into.