Everyone has done it at one time or another. The oil change light pops on the dashboard of your car, truck, or SUV, and you ignore it. At least for now anyway, you’ll get around to it later. Regardless of the reason, you have to change the oil in your car. It’s one of the most simple things to take care of but can cause significant issues if ignored for too long. A man in Ontario experienced just that, as his lack of oil changes for his 2018 Ram 1500 ended up voiding his warranty, costing thousands for an engine replacement.

Ontario man’s 2018 Ram 1500 needs engine replacement due to missed oil changes

An electrician in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, bought a 2018 Ram 1500 Eco Diesel brand new a few years ago. It was an excellent truck for him with his job and his family at home. Best of all, he was comforted by the fact the truck came with a 100,000-kilometer warranty. These warranties can be sellers for most people, as they provide peace of mind that if something major, like an engine or transmission, fails, it’ll get a free replacement.

When the engine of his 2018 Ram 1500 seized, Moses Fosuo was relieved, knowing the dealer would replace it for free under warranty. “While I was driving it on the highway, the engine just died, and it took a bit of skilled driving to pull over at an off-ramp,” Fosuo told CTV News Toronto. “They informed me the engine was no longer working, and I was looking at having to have the engine replaced,” he continued.

Since the truck’s odometer was only up to 91,000 kilometers at the time, it made sense that the warranty would still cover it.

The warranty is voided, he owes $19,000 for a new engine

After talking to the dealer about the problem and replacing the engine, the bad news came. Fosuo was informed that the dealer could not replace the motor under warranty. This news came because he did not complete oil changes at the appropriate times. To summarize, the engine failure is the owners’ fault because of the lack of oil changes. According to the dealership, that’s enough to void the warranty completely.

“When I asked them why it (the engine replacement) was not covered under warranty, they mentioned at 50,000 kilometers, the oil switch came on, and I didn’t get an oil change done right away,” said Fosuo. Fosuo claimed that the last oil change he got was at a third-party shop. At that time, the shop told him that the truck could go another 24,000 kilometers between oil changes. That’s why he thought it was acceptable to keep driving without getting it done, even when the light came on.

Get your oil changed

CTV News Toronto spoke with a spokesperson for Ram’s parent company, Stellantis. “Due to customer privacy guidelines, we cannot disclose all details in this case. However, the customer received written notice this week that the claim was denied due to a lack of vehicle maintenance. As indicated in the vehicle’s Owner’s Manual, under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed 16,000 km or 12 months, whichever comes first. Our authorized Ram dealers reported that said maintenance was not performed to these parameters.” 

The Ontario man claimed he never received a physical owner’s manual so he couldn’t have that information. Unfortunately, that’s not enough for Ram and Stellantis to overturn its decision. Fosuo received an official quote of $19,000 plus taxes for the engine replacement. He told CTV News Toronto that the truck would go to scrap because there’s no way he can afford to pay for the new engine.

This is another prime example of why you should always get your oil changed on time. Not only will it cause engine failure if you don’t, but it could also completely void the warranty. Simply paying for a cheap oil change would’ve saved this man $19,000 and a whole lot of trouble. Plus, if something did go wrong with the engine in the future, the warranty would be viable.