UPDATE! 2019 Ram 1500 Air Suspension PROBLEM after 190,000 Miles of Ownership | Truck Central 

*200,000 mile update coming soon! ...probably* 🤣

You did a good job of trying to narrow it down! I don’t have the air ride on my 2020, guess I’m happy about that, but I can’t think of anything you haven’t already thought of yet. I’m definitely waiting for the next video to see if you found the culprit! Good luck bud and keep these great vids coming!!

Hoping to see the 200,000 update soon! Would be nice to see a recap of all of the issues, and non issues with the truck. Looking forward to see what comes next.

I love your Spock-like pure logic in attempting to discover the culprit of the air suspension front corner drop, excellent process of elimination, always informative & entertaining my friend! I feel better & better about my 2021 Limited with every video upload man!

I dad similar problems. Started out with a wheel dropping over night, long story short. It ended up being an internal leak inside valve body. These starters are a closed system, but not really. They do vent/take air on which in turn introduced moisture. One thing I had done every winter was get the system purged at dodge. It always would work good after that for a while. Anyways my dealer bought it off me “ 17 longhorn” and now I’m in a non air susp 22 rebel. I’ve watched all your videos as I love these trucks and your content is real world. I’m in Alberta Canada and it might be a tad colder here and cold weather brings out the gremlins in these. Anyways I’ve zctudlly been amazed that your ram’s air susp has worked as long as it has. I had my 17 for 5 winters and It took a trailer ride to a dealer every one of them, some times more

Don't know if you figured this out yet or not, but if you have leaky bags it's often hard to detect unless the vehicle is off the ground. Reason being the leaks usually will develop within the folds of the bags. Temperature, load, incline, etc will affect if the bags leak or not. So try jacking it up so the wheels are off the ground, then retry a soap bottle spray test.

As one that is on their second compressor revision 4. If you notice that your compressor is getting louder, it might be going out. 4 years seems to be the average people are getting out of their compressors. I'm on year 5 with the second one. My compressor has become much louder over the past year and has been struggling/taking longer to lift the truck with loads or increasing the height.

Evening Justin. About the only thing I can think of, is a wire rubbed bare or has a nick in it and comes into contact with something at the right time to cause that bag to deflate. Hope it gets figured out sooner rather than later.

I experienced this on my 2014 Ram 1500 Laramie with the 4 corner air suspension. It was still under warranty when it occurred, so my local dealership had to track down the issue. The issue only occurred when the temps were very low, under 10 degrees F. The answer the dealership gave me was that the compressor was overworking and has a fault protection circuit that shuts it off. When that fault happens, if the valves to fill the front, or rear, are open, it will let the nitrogen escape back into the reservoir tank. Typically, since there is more weight on the front, the dealership said that is why it seems to happen to the front, and not the rear for the droop. After the truck warmed up, and the compressor was able to reset itself, it worked perfectly like nothing had happened. Hope that helps with maybe tracking down your issue.

It is a slow leak in the bag hose connection you should first for the bag up front. It will hold pressure, but if you move it a little and do your spray test, I bet it leaks. I have a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee with the same air ride suspension (195,000 miles) and had the same issue. Once I replaced these little connections, I worked perfectly, no more mysterious drops.

After a dealer misdiagnosis and repair weeks prior, I was still getting the dreaded “air suspension needs servicing light”. Long story short, it was finally determined that it had condensation in the lines that was more likely to drop the air suspension during colder weather. My air suspension started failing at 100,000. Aside front spending an arm and a leg on replacing the entire system, because of the “water intrusion”, there is no permanent solution once it starts having this issue. I ended up converting the air suspension to a standard system. It doesn’t ride as smooth (rides more like a truck now) but it still handles well. I am content with my decision.

Your truck hitting 200k will make Scotty Kilmer Mad. According to him, his celica can tow entire planets, drive on the ocean floor, get blasted by 5 consecutive mini nukes, and can swim in magma and still won't break.

My guess is the solenoid valve for that specific bag has a speck of dirt in it and intermittently doesn't seal completely. On my 2020 Ram with full air suspension, the compressor will not turn on (after sitting for more than a few minutes) until I open and close any door, or press any button on the remote. It will not run down the battery while sitting. Pure nitrogen in the system is a fallacy as there will always be some air loss similar to the way a tire leaks. Approximately 78% of normal atmosphere is nitrogen. It is the moisture in the air that is bad for the system. So far my system works well, however the compressor does cycle every morning after closing my door. I always use the entry/exit position when getting out. Your diagnostic steps are excellent and I have a heads up, thanks to you, should I have problems in the future.

Had my Rebel nose down, a** down on different mornings. You don't have a leak. What you have is a gremlin in the computer system. Try thoroughly re-working/cleaning the ground connection on the driver fender from the battery. Worked for me. edit: the BCM and CAN bus comm`s can go spastic with poor ground connections or low voltage from a weak battery causing all kinds of trouble.

My '19 5th Gen has an issue with the air ride in which the suspension never falls however when I start the truck the air compressor will run and then blow off like an 18-wheeler for about 10-15 minutes. It will cycle like this for the entire time. It seems like there is a suspension side of the system and a compressor side as my compressor side loses pressure. There needs to be something "in the middle" as I have read that one can bleed the tanks, but the suspension will stay at the level they were set at. Have you checked the manifold where all the airlines attach?

Issue is most likely with the solenoid valve block. Internal damage to the seals which causes the leaks or the solenoids are sticking or failing. If there is moisture in the air system this will cause freezing within the valve block and possible tearing of the seals. RAM should have added an air dryer to the outside air circuit. The two nitrogen connections above the solenoid valve block are to charge the system when the bags are fully deflated. The small compressor is not designed to lift the truck when the bags are fully collapsed. During service work where deflating the air suspension system is required. Ex. replacing any of the four air struts. You need to inflate they system back up with nitrogen to lift the truck back to normal height. Assuming that all four ride height sensors are functional and there are no external leaks that can be found, it's most likely the solenoid valve block that's leaking internally and sending air to the wrong bad or out the exaust port. You can probably modify they sytem by adding an inline desiccant air dryer immediately downstream of the compressor. I'm assuming it feeds into the to air tanks and the solenoid valve block draws air from the tanks. It wouldn't hurt to add a desiccant dryer upstream of the compressor as well. Just ensure it's large enough to accommodate the same airflow as without it.

If you can get it in a dead silent shop with lifts it's easier to hear the leaks. Didn't hear one on my 19 Limited until I did this.

My 2019 Bighorn (158k miles) started running the compressor a lot just before it failed. The nose dropped and would not recover. The front was setting on the bump stops. I had to have the compressor replaced. Fairly expensive and RAM had none available for over two weeks back in 2021. Even though I had this issue, I still love the ride of the air suspension and would get it again.

Owning the same truck with only 75,000 miles, I would think that there could be an internal leak in the valve body allowing nitrogen to move from the bags to the tank. Being intermittent though makes it hard to be confident about that.

Im having the same issue, its been like 2 days, since ive changed my car battery to a new agm 950 battery, didnt check it out yet but when i start the car it levels up to normal, in the hot weather the car sometimes opens the discharge relief valve, can be heard and identified easly, similar to the sound in big trucks with air compressors I need a solution to this

I'm in the same boat minus the weird stance and the only thing I can find is the the compressor itself is failing internally, and the compressor run time is exceeding the run time interval

30k miles on my 17 rebel I have a similar issue. been into the dealer and they cant find anything wrong no leaks pressures good sensors good.. Mine the back end squats and takes forever to get back to normal ride height. Live in the tropics so its not the cold issue others have. The way its acting is if a valve in the valve block is sticking. seems to be fine once its holding but if it auto adjusts or I adjust the height then park the vehicle within an hour the truck will be lower. So I think the next step is the solenoid valve block near the compressor. However strange thing is it should auto adjust back up unless the compressor is trying to but shutting down because its overheat protection trips in as the truck isnt adjusting up.

10:30 was it cold on those two nights? I just replaced a slow leak on my 4th gen drivers rear bag that only leaked when it is cold.

I have a 2016 rebel.. might be the reverse air flow valve located behind passenger tail light

Did you ever figure this out? Or has the problem never happened again? The only thing I can think of is an intermittent issue in the valve block. I've seen that happen a few times. Once ambient air gets in the system, below freezing temperatures can freeze the moisture in the system and cause some strange things to happen. The easiest way to fix that is to evacuate the system and refill it with high purity nitrogen. This is supposed to be a sealed system and it is sealed, but it does have the ability to take in outside air if the nitrogen charge gets low. And really that can only happen if there's a leak somewhere. So always fully check for leaks before evacuating and refilling the system.

I have 2016 rebel 95,000 miles... same issue... although my notifications alerted me.... I put my truck in the garage and put heat on it and all suspension levels are the same, yet alert is still notifying me of known issue... I can't raise or lower but all bags are inflated..without the compression kicking on

My 2016 Ram Ecodiesel is currently at the dealership. The suspension for a time now drops at odd times. Even while driving. The pump sometimes runs a bit as well. They just replaced the reverse Air mass valve and sensor as well as compressor. Was replaced with OEM parts as well. Picked up truck and was perfect during lunch and went back to work. Went to leave work and truck looked to be in Exit mode height. It states Selected Ride Height Not Permitted Due to Payload. Doesn't allow truck to go up or down. So no fix with what was changed. Compressor does in fact run, but truck doesn't change height. It's done this right along for a bit now. I've had times where can go 3-5 days with no issues and then just happens. Very frustration for sure. Almost camper season! And we are warm temps now so freezing is not the issue from what I am seeing.

2020 Rebel W/ air suspension, only owner (low mileage). My rear bags randomly do the exact same thing, dealership never found an issue. Does the same thing before and after I put the 4” bds lift on it. Make a video if you figure it out 🤞🏻

Did you hear pressure relief (pshhhhhh) when dropping or starting up first thing in the morning? I do occasionally idk if it’s from temp change??? 2019 Limited 43k on it

I’m having the same issue but it only happens on cold days I’m in Houston and when we get into fall it does that on the front been to the dealer and can’t find any leaks

Any update on this? My 2019 is doing the same thing.

My 2014 ram only has 47,000 mi on it. Last week while pulling out of a parking lot, I got an error saying that the air suspension system was overheating and would stop functioning. So the ass of the truck was in off-road 2, while the front of the truck was on the bump stops. This went on for almost a week. I ended up jacking up the front end, twisting those right angle fittings on the front air shocks back and forth several times and about a half an hour later it started working again. Apparently those fittings are a big problem. One of the frustrating parts, is always considering trading it in. Had I done that a few weeks earlier, I would have gotten rid of a problem before it was going to cost me to get it fixed. Now depending on the cost I don't know what I'm going to do.

Any new updates on this issue?????

I wonder if there is a check valve between the bags and tank that is sticking open sometimes causing it to "leak" down back through the compressor

2014 Limited 1500....same issue. Seems to start working again during longer drives. Following for ideas.

I have a 2015 Ecodiesel. My truck dropped on me about a year ago. Mine would drop will driving, usually after driving a couple hours. Replaced the compressor. After 11 months started dropping again. This time I was told it's the controller. (Its back ordered and $942 plus labor.) I think there is a programing/communication problem where the suspension doesn't know where it is so it shuts off. I've had some luck resetting it by disconnecting the battery for a couple hours then it seems to reset itself. I got 170K miles on mine. Also looking for solutions.

I got a 2021 ram Laramie under the description it say air suspension but I got have a toggle switch. So does that mean I only get one level and it not a left truck?

I’ve been having an issue with the left rear dropping and the compressor runs about every 5-10 minutes to re adjust and kills the battery. It’s been to two different dealerships for a total of 5 weeks (under warranty) and they have both stated there are NO external leaks. They are replacing the left rear airbag with the hopes that fixes it however I have my doubts. I am considering a faulty height control sensor or the valve block.

We have a 2011 jeep grand Cherokee with air ride system that shop diagnosed with a weak compressor , needing replacement , suggest you find your compressor relay and replace it , I replaced ours in the jeep and working perfect now . I broke open the old relay and found the contacts burn't and worn from use , now keep in mind a bad contact will equal lower voltage to the compressor due to contact resistance due to burning or pitting from years of use .

Justin: was it as intensely cold in your area as it was up in the northeast last week? Sometimes electronics can temporarily fail if they are too cold and take a few days to come back once they warm up.

My 19 Ltd is nose down. Dealer charged the nitro but it still sitting weird and none of the options work ( off road 1&2) it just sits. They said junction block in rear wheel well failed the soap test but I suspect there is more to it. I don't think the compressor is working at all. I'm so frustrated. Is there an aftermarket compressor anyone could recommend? Worst part is nobody had nitrogen

What the weather like when it happened? I'm a truck driver, amd my Freightliner likes to dump its air overnight, only when it's wet during the day and then freezes at night. While not the same system, there's a possibility that air is escaping the front bag, and going to other bags if a valve freezes partially open.

I am curious as to what you find out. I have the same issue but with the rear suspension. It has been very cold and also visited the dealer to have it recharged/purged 3 times without success. They also performed a function load test and everything passed. No leaks were found. If I manage to find a solution before you do, I will make sure to let everyone know. I have the exact same model year so this should be interesting.

I have a 2014 Ram that does the same thing an also when i sit on the tailgate i can feel the trucks back end lower down..I have no clue why

i think it could be a internal leak with the valve metering block for the height control unit leaking past o rings and dumping air back to tank , the way it's only every so often it hasn't failed completely. id replace the valve body. it's probably plastic and it's got a few years and Miles on it

I have had it happen to all sides of the truck. I'll come out from an 8 hour work day and it will be tilted. Oddly enough, the truck is alway tilted to the east and it only happens on sunny days. I kinda feel it is a heat issue with the sun. My tires do the same thing (nitrogen as well) with the sun beating at them. It's fairly odd though that the struts are tucked under and don't have direct sunlight on them. My other question is while driving on a colder Wisconsin winter day, usually driving up the east side shore of Lake Winnebago, I will get a notification that the "Air Ride System Needs Service!" After a few miles, it shuts off. Another thing it does, driving or parked with ignition off/on, it will blow off pressure like a semi air brake system when it is flushing moisture from the tank. I wonder if there's a correlation with that too. The master RAM tech at my dealer said everything checks out and they have purged and refilled the suspension system with nitrogen but he likes how I keep monitoring it as well and I talk to him monthly. I love this truck and not willing to get rid of it yet. I have 120K on my odometer. So I will keep fixing it and driving it till the doors fall off or the RAMCharger comes out.

looks like a Ram Gremlin Justin..😁🤣

So what was the problem? I have that exact same truck doing the same thing. I just can't figure it out and it's driving me bonkers!

I am in the same boat and i'm from Houston TX ( hOt weather ) ....Following

My dads 1500 limited also has the airride problem

If it’s a close system and it loses the pressure, correct me if I’m wrong, but it would never pump back up…. so I don’t think it’s a leak.

My truck is a 4th gen, but the system is mostly the same from my understanding. Typically what leaks first is the rear bags. Because the bags are basically an accordion there is flaps of rubber in there that self seal. So you’ll end up having intermittent leaks depending on how those rubber flaps just happen to be sitting. Cold weather will make it far worse. Typically it will get worse with time, and will start happening while you are driving, as the bump in the road will move the rubber “flaps” around introducing intermittent leaks. I do think the front and rear use separate reservoirs so it does seem strange that if the back is leaking the front would go down. But I have heard of that. Have you checked your codes for the air suspension? It will throw a boat load of codes before it will throw a warning light on the dash. You will need alpha OBD to check codes. You can also monitor the total system air mass, and it will tell you if it has lost pressure.

Definitely seems like a electric issue or a computer issue. If it’s leaking enough to go all the way down one day and then doesn’t go down at all the next that’s almost certainly not a leak. I’d replace the battery as well.

Well this is just confusing. But ram did a great job with the air suspension for it to last basically 200,000 miles

My air suspension leaks every day down to the bump stops in north Montana in winter

I have the same issues. I suspect the control valve. If any contaminant has been introduced, it will prevent the valve from closing and allow the nitrogen to bypass back into the tanks. Mine deflates the front only. The compressor attempts to inflate and stops from overheat. Over night I can come out and see the system back to normal height. I suspect the movement when driving requires the compressor to balance the pressure in the inflation ride height. The valve continues to deflate the front bags. The system is unable to keep up with suspension movement. ( I live and the end of a 22 mile dirt road with a lot of uneven surface) I say a bad front control valve.

So, your battery should actually be over 13v at rest and up to 14v ish when running even though it's a 12v system and should not drop below 12 when running a load. If it is, your battery is bad even if it starts te truck. Typically you want around 13.45v when running based on alternator output.

I lose air after driving it for 50 miles or so...then I'm riding on the bump stops and they are back breakers...then my air ride comes back for a while, then goes again... I'm at a loss also

Air ride went bad on two shocks after 4 years. Guess what I'm changing to non air stocks now.

I have a 2017 Limited and I'm having similar problems. I noticed last summer that my truck just dropped on all 4 wheels. I was out on a trip and was already planning on towing it back to town. I was bummed out so put the alarm and waited around for an hour while I had lunch. After that hour, the truck was up again. Seem to fixed itself. I drove back from Fresno to Orange County without an issue. I was a bit worry, but since it was a one time thing I didn't think much of it. Fast forward to now. 1 month ago on a saturday around noon my truck went low again. I was using it for work and was riding around on a ram that felt like f***ng low rider. This time it stayed low for 2 days. The rest of that saturday, Sunday and Monday. I took it to the dealer and they told me I had a leak on 3 bags. They wanted to charge me 8k to fix the 4 bags. I took the truck to another shop and they told me it wasnt the bags. The truck was fine for a week. Now its doing it again when im driving on the freeway. I have no idea what it can be.

*And also...* 😬

I have a 2021 Ram 1500 that will not hold the last setting. It keeps going back to the mid setting. as soon as you start to drive. It also is a 3.0 ED. I like the ride to be at the lowest setting. It held this till I got into a small hit on the front end, now back from the shop it will not hold the lowest setting

So did you ever figure out what's going on with the air suspension problem? I have a 2016 Ram Rebel doing exactly the same thing. Problem is my extended warranty is just about up and it's been to the dealership 3 times and those clowns can't seem to figure it out. Was hoping you figured it out so I could steer them in that direction.

my airbags leaked also could never pinpoint the leaking source took them off and installed heavy leaf springs

Sensor? Pressure/Height? A leak on the pump between bag to reservoir? Software?

I have a 4th gen but you only checked the top connection on the front and not if the front shock is leaking. You have to remove the bag shroud and spray it down to check for a leak. Also I have found that it is more prone to leak if you put it on the "exit" level, which is the the lowest. When I turned off the option to lower the truck on the highway, it stopped the leak down on the front. It's odd that it leaks more at the lowest setting but not at one with more pressure in it. My front driver side has a very small leak but only appears at the exit setting. I have to replace it eventually, but this gives me more time to do it.

I have no experience with this but I'm thinking a intermittent sensor on that drivers front.

I'm getting error codes stating "Service Air Ride Suspension Immediately" :(

You could look for a "ground-glitch". The ABS and AirRide controllores work in conjunction. It's not part of the the regular OBD if I recall. Confirm your grounds on the secondary controllers. It's cheap. It's easy. O=)

Not sure if it helps. I found my suspension acting wonky similar to that and realized I never turned back on the Jack Mode/Tow mode setting. Had no problem since then

It may be a leak it may not be...all it takes is someone to walk behind mine and it would lower with out it even running!

Hey, what tires do you have on your truck?

ALL air suspensions leak. Factory or aftermarket.

Maybe this is a recall item that should be looked at instead of all just living with it.

First of all. Buy obd Reader Like Mx5 and Software Like Alpha obd or witech Clone to See Codes oft the acsm. And maybe give commands. Points to Check with soap: Top of the Schock Absorber Reservoir behind rear right Cover Reverse valve direkt in Front of Reservoir (4 Connections) Valve Block Connections behind compressor And the Air springs itself( but in the Most cases you See the Bubbles there only in parking mode because of the folding) In my two cases, in time the valve Block failed and in the second the overpressure vent and the reverse vent prbably both time because of leaks in the Air springs and then throug water and Frost. You can Check the second issue fast. Disconnect right Backlight, wait until Kompressor runs, directly after the overpressure goes Out loud and then the vent should BE sealed, If there comes a little Air you know. One time it was enough to dissamble, Clean and use of Silikon Spray.

Just had same issue , compressor bad

Anyone know how to remove the Heater Core on a 2019 Ram Tradesman..???

When the temperature drops below 30 degrees is one problem

You accidentally changed the ride height with your key fob in your pocket when you sat down. Lol

Hello from Henryetta OK! What was the outside temperature when this is happening? My ‘19 limited has never dropped. But I do have a Jaguar XJR with air ride. When it was cold outside, the front of the jag would dip. I installed new air shocks- problem solved.

Wow and it’s only a 19 !

This is strange im still going with faulty sensor lol down right strange

Yo

Delete the Air Suspension there's kits out there for it! I fought it for years adding anti freeze to system and I finally got sick of it and deleted it with a 3 inch lift kit!

Wear a pair of old Nike and you look like Forest Gump.

If this is what we’re calling a failure please buy a Land Rover. This sounds like a dream after 190k 😂

Don't get air suspension!

SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOCKING

Try owning a Range Rover buddy

It's not a closed system if it pulls in outside air.