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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
1,753 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2021 Ram 1500 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2021 Ram 1500 Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #37

Jan 312022

1500 8-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When driving at speeds above 45mph the truck loses acceleration out of no where. It will make grinding/shifting/stuck noises and rapidly going to unsafe speeds. I have been in HIGH traffic EVERY time this has occurred to me. This situation has put myself and my family in harms way too many times. I assume from my research this is a transmission/powertrain issue. This truck is a 2021, I am the first and only owner purchasing in 2021 early year. By three months in I had experienced the issue thinking it was a one off. It is not. I have taken the truck to Ram dealerships in TX as well as New Mexico and no one can seem to find the issue as according to them -??nothing shows up-??. I have a VERY detailed video of the issue happening as I was driving in 75mph. I have show it to the dealership with no solution from them. Latest service appointment was in October 2022-dealership could not find anything. The truck has been driven no more than 15 times from late October 2022-January 2023. The truck as of today January 31,2023 is currently at a collision shop, not related to this current issue but was caused by the Ram Dealership. I received an alert this morning (MOPAR) stating that the Powertrain malfunction indicator light has come on. Other attached information was ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL (ETC) WARNING LIGHT-If light is flashing when the engine is running immediate service is required and you may experience a steady RPM with no throttle control or engine stall and your vehicle may require towing. Transmission Temperature Warning Light, Charging System Warning Light also showed as concerns. I have contacted the current shop that has my truck in its possession to inquire what was done when the alerts wee received etc. Waiting on a call back from them. Bottom line, understanding that anything can happen with vehicles and not all can be replicated etc.,if Ram knows it-??s a known issue fix it so your drivers/consumers don-??t die. Can we enjoy our investment SAFELY Ram?

- Albuquerque , NM, USA

problem #36

Jan 142023

1500

  • miles
After completing a left hand turn, the vehicle stalled while moving. The emergency brake activated. The car would restart but not immediately engage leaving me stuck in traffic. To get going again the emergency brake had to be deactivated and the vehicle restarted. Following the event an internet search brings up dozens of similar events with many being much worse as they happened at highway speeds. This is incredibly dangerous. I booked a service appointment and will have it looked at. However, even with this being a repeat failure with Ram 1500 eTorque as indicated through a simple internet search, that the dealership indicated they were not aware of this problem is surprising.

- Beaumont , TX, USA

problem #35

Nov 132022

1500

  • miles
I was making a right hand turn at about 5-10 mph and the truck stalled. All dash lights were still on. Truck was in Run position, engine just stalled, it put itself in park and emergency brake was engaged. Restarted truck with no warning lights or possible cause of fault. Thankfully there was no traffic or I could-??ve been hit.

- Big Lake, MN, USA

problem #34

Jul 062022

1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The transmission in this vehicle will stick into 3rd gear. I have to pull off the road. Turn it off and then it shifts. Going into 4th gear is lunges and at times I can fell it slip then engine light comes on. Also if I-??m sitting idle and put it into reverse it lunges backwards or dosnt engage at all. I turn it off and turn it back on and reverse works. I have noticed on freeway driving it will suddenly downshift and I smell a burning coming through the vents. Dodge has opened a case and I was advised when it was diagnosed that it has Premature 4th gear failure and it would need a updated transmission. I was also advised by the dealership that this is becoming common problem in the 2021 ram with the v6 motor and dodge delivery vans which they had about 15-20 vehicles at this dealership and I was advised it would take 3-4 months before repairs could be completed with the trans work they had. I called other dealerships and they advised the same time frame. Dodge has opened a case on my vehicle and for the past 2 months I have gotten the run around. I was advised by Clarice 3 weeks ago they were going to contact the dealership to order the transmission. I called for a update and was advised no parts were ordered and I would have to bring it in again and leave it until they got to it and they will not give me a loaner to drive. This is become a serious safety issue. If this transmission overheats or fails it could catch on fire or cause a serious accident please help in this matter. It only has 19000 miles on it and Dodge seems like they don-??t want to help

- Garden City , MI, USA

problem #33

Jul 252022

1500

  • miles
This vehicle has an issue where it will stall. While making a right hand turn about 5 to 8 miles an hour onto a side street near my home the vehicle just shut off and rolled to a stop. It put itself in park and the auto e-brake engaged. At that point the dash info center said to shift into park and release the emergency brake. It started up and I was able to continue. I have also noticed that sometimes during a turn the truck almost stalled but recovered, You could see the rpms drop down to almost 0 but it recovered on its own. This has happened a few times. It is just not safe. 62k for an unsafe truck.

- Seekonk, MA, USA

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problem #32

Apr 042022

1500

  • miles
While starting to drive forward or backward turning, there is a shutter vibration felt slightly heard. It also has grinding shutter vibration at turn in intersection during the turn. The dealer on the 3 complaint visit replaced a front passenger CV Joint and bearing, upon picking the truck up it did it immediately again. Could not return as it was the service department closing time. There is also vibration grinding around 50 mph and up. Dealer states they can not duplicate issue. This is abnormal and concerns me as in a turn or higher speed, something breaks will put my family's lives and other motorist in danger. Also when using AC defrost vent stays open and will cause dew on the windshield.

- Milton, FL, USA

problem #31

Jun 212022

1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was driving to work and made a right turn (I did not come to a complete stop). As I finished the turn, maybe going 5-7 MPH, I pressed on the gas pedal to accelerate and the truck did not respond. A second later the truck turned off and the parking brake automatically engaged, so I came to a complete stop in the middle of a road with other vehicles around me. I had to put the truck back into park, start the truck, and disengage the parking brake, and then was able to continue my trip to work. There were no Check Engine Lights on before or after it happened. I spoke to the local Ram and multiple other dealerships further away and they said they haven't heard of this happening to any other Rams, and just to watch it and if it continues to happen call them back. A quick google search will show that it happens frequently to other people over the last year or so, some of which are at highway speeds, which is very dangerous. I am fortunate this was at low speed, because your parking brake engaging at highway speeds could obviously be catastrophic.

- Windber, PA, USA

problem #30

Jun 022022

1500

  • miles
MY RAM TRANSMISSION FAILED TO SHIFT GEARS OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THE RPMS WENT TO 3000 TO REACH ONLY 16 MPH. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS. I HAVE 18,641 MILES ON THE TRUCK PRESENTLY. THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED TO ME AND RAM WOUND UP REPLACING MY TRANSMISSION AROUND 12,000 MILES. In addition, while making a right hand turn the parking brake automatically engaged and stopped the vehicle in mid traffic. I could not get the parking brake released. Eventually I had to hold down the parking brake button to restart the engine and to move forward to safety. The dealership was able to re-create this problem. The car was starting fine each and every day, however the dealership said that I needed a new battery which caused the problem. There are no red lights or warning signs of a low battery of my dashboard. This incident of almost got me T-boned at an intersection after making a right hand turn.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #29

May 052022

1500

  • miles
On two separate occasions while backing out of my driveway, my truck automatically jumped from 2WD, to 4WD Low/High both simultaneously and also locked the park brake. In both of these cases, I was able to place the vehicle in park, turn the vehicle off, let it set a minute or two and once restarted, the vehicle was in 2WD again and performed as it should. It was just concerning as to why it would do this. But on May 5th, I left home and was traveling down the road at approximately 20 mph, when the vehicle jumped into 4WD Low/High once again and the park brake engaged automatically. I always wear a seatbelt, but had I not had it fastened yet, I would have immediately been slammed into the steering wheel. It was towed to the dealership as it would never release from 4WD or the park break would not release either. They have had it since May 6th and cannot find anything wrong as it has since went back to "normal" as they said. But this is a major safety concern if it will automatically jump into 4WD at 20 mph......what will keep it from doing this at 70 mph on the interstate? That will cause all sorts of issues and probably fatalities if this happens. I do not feel safe being told that nothing is wrong with the vehicle and that I can pick it back up, and drive it until it happens again and they will see what they can find then. It might be too late at that point.

- Oxford, AL, USA

problem #28

May 082022

1500

  • miles
My truck has stalled multiple times upon the first 5 minutes of driving. It has always been at low speeds of less than 15mph. Once the emergency braking system came on which required me to put vehicle in park to restart while in the middle of the road in traffic. Sometimes the engine dies after turning but sometime when going straight. Seems to always be associated with a slow down / stop via braking. This is a very hazardous situation that needs to be recalled an fix by the manufacturer.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #27

May 042022

1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The parking brake started displaying not available on the heads up display. It did this several times within 5 minutes. When I was coming to a stop at around 5 mph the vehicle shifted into Park and set the parking brake and stopped. The engine stopped as well. I had to restart the vehicle to get it going and the check engine light was on after that.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #26

Apr 132022

1500

  • miles
Purchased truck with 4WD last November. Live in a snowy ice region. Truck randomly displays 4WD serv light and error message. Until the error clears itself, truck will not go into 4WD (four wheel drive), making it an unreliable vehicle during snow and ice storms, when traveling over the mountains, or when on dirt or sand roads. Additionally, this error can impact ABS functionality in some cases. Dealership has seen the truck four times, but has not fixed the issue. Now that the weather is warmer, the error is happening near daily.

- Mackinaw, IL, USA

problem #25

Apr 132022

1500

  • 22,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle operated for a second and then stalled while the shift to desired gear warning error illuminated. The contact mentioned the brakes were applied independently. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the diagnostic result was undetermined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 22,000.

- Howell, MI, USA

problem #24

Mar 162022

1500

  • miles
Cause of the incident is UNKNOWN at this time. The vehicle is currently with a Ram dealership for identification of the issue and repair. The incident occurred shortly after I exited an interstate with traveling speed at 70 mph or faster. If this issue had occurred on the interstate the potential for a serious accident would be extremely high. Incident: On March 16, 2022 while driving into work the vehicle seized and would not move. This occurred as I was pulling into the company parking lot at a speed of approximately 5 mph. The vehicle had just come off an interstate and had been traveling approximately 75 mph in congested traffic. Attempts to put the vehicle into Drive, Neutral, or Reverse were unsuccessful. The shifter would automatically move back into Park. I shut the engine off and then restarted. This did not resolve the issue and the truck would not go into any gear. The START/STOP Ignition also would not go to the OFF position when I shut the engine off. It would go to the ACC position only. I noted two different messages on the display when I restarted the engine. "Service Trans Press Brake When Stopped Key Off Engine to Engage Park" and "Service Trailer Brake System". I check the Error Code with an OBD device. The error code was U0402 "Invalid Data Received From TCM". To move the vehicle I disconnected the negative battery lead for 5 minutes and then reattached. This cleared the error and I was able to put the vehicle into drive. I took the vehicle to the dealership and will not drive it until repaired. The dealership had requested I take the vehicle and continue to drive as is to see if the issue would re-occur. I refused this as it could lead to a serious accident and potential loss of life.

- Pleasant Prairie, WI, USA

problem #23

Mar 152022

1500

  • miles
Five minutes into my commute while making a low speed right turn from a stop, my vehicle stalled and shutoff in the middle of the road nearly causing an accident. Once stopped it automatically applied the emergency brake. This is apparently a known issue with the e-torque system.

- Temecula, CA, USA

problem #22

Feb 022022

1500

  • miles
After letting the truck warm up for at least 3 to 5 minutes, got in the truck and drove less than a mile and came to a second stop the engine stalled. Also I do not have the E torque system. I've also had an issue from day one a purchase of the truck and even filed a complaint with FCA about my stability control activating on certain turns under 30 miles an hour.

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #21

Jan 252022

1500

  • miles
While traveling over a speed bump at approximately 5 mph, truck will stall, "autocorrect shift" and apply emergency brake. Vehicle is a 2021 eTorque.

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #20

Dec 262021

1500

  • miles
Unknown Failure causing issue. Vehicle's Engine Shutoff while traveling down the road with no warning messages. Then message says to apply breaks and push "start", but it was in the "Run" and still coasting in Drive on the road. After it slowed to about 5-10 mph, the emergency break system engaged and the vehicle went to "Park" causing the vehicle to throw me forward in the seat and objects were thrown as if I had collided with something. My wrist was injured by this, but lucky I had no passengers or my dog with me. The local dealership is looking into it, but say there is nothing wrong. Upon doing some research, I see multiple people have stated this has happened to them as well. This is a significant risk to health and safety of vehicle occupants and other vehicles that may be traveling near them when this happens. Depending on speed it occurs, the outcome could result in death. I did attempt to connect my on-board diagnostic/monitoring system and found that the manufacturer has it block so I cannot see any possible codes or sensor readings of the vehicle. Then they say nothing is wrong when you take it to them to scan. That is also unacceptable.

- Muskegon, MI, USA

problem #19

Dec 182021

1500

  • miles
After coming to a complete stop where the auto stop engages and then trying to start and move again, the truck will stall, put itself into park and apply the emergency brake. The only way to resolve from here is to turn off/on the truck and release the parking brake. A big hazard when in heavy truck and people are expecting the truck to be moving.

- Apex, NC, USA

problem #18

Nov 032021

1500

  • miles
Gas mile sensor goes from 250miles to 60miles left in tank. It jumps up and down on the miles. It said I had 175 miles till tank to be empty. I was driving for 10 minute it drop to 10 miles and then car shut off. It had no gas. Transmission when driving it sometime doesn-??t change gear. Rpm goes up 6000 7000 driving 15-20 mph. It happen more often when going up a steep hill and going on a flat road the gear won-??t change

- Tappan, NY, USA

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