Intermittent starting issues can certainly be frustrating and can lead to fear of being stranded. SureTrack community member grizz81 had a RAM 1500 pickup in their shop that would randomly be hard to start or would start cranking then stop. They posed the question to the community, and with the help of fellow community member Jamesbellam and others, they were able to resolve the issue quickly.
The first modern cylinder deactivation system produced was the 1981 Cadillac V8-6-4 and that was a big flop. It’s now a common feature of multiple vehicles and generally trouble free. But when you have a vehicle so equipped and it has intermittent performance you might blame that system. SureTrack community member pdmason1492 had a 2013 RAM 1500 truck with a MDS 5.7L engine with intermittent a misfire problem and thought that maybe the cylinder deactivation system might be involved. They posed the question to the community, and with the help of fellow community member Ericsautomotive and others, they were able to finally figure out what was wrong with it and repair the problem.