Is your defective Ram 1500 actually a LEMON?

Find out in 30 SECONDS or less if it qualifies for a REFUND or a CASH SETTLEMENT.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
557 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 electrical problems

electrical problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2021 Ram 1500:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2021 Ram 1500 Owner Comments (Page 2 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #84

Jul 182023

1500

  • miles

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

The Auto Stop / Start system continues to malfunction. This occurs while the vehicle is in operation and is intermittent. The dealer serviced this issue a couple of times, and replaced the PCM but the issue continues to be intermittent.

- Mableton, GA, USA

problem #83

Jun 262023

1500

  • 42,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the U-Connect system inadvertently kept reconnecting, preventing the HVAC system and defroster from operating as designed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the U-Connect system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts being on backorder. The manufacturer was not contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

- Talihina, OK, USA

problem #82

Apr 272023

1500 6-cyl Diesel

  • miles
Dealer reporting leaking and water intrusion at rear window seal. Water intrusion causing significant water damage and mold. Water intrusion potentially disrupts vehicle BCM and other electrical components including airbag function, lighting controls, infotainment and navigation systems. Radio infotainment system has faulted, radio speakers crackling, guage clusters lights randomly illuminate. Mold significantly creating adverse health affect. Excessive moisture causing window fogging and visibility issues. Problem reproduced by Crown motors in Redding, CA.

- Redding, CA, USA

problem #81

Apr 112023

1500

  • miles

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

I had issues with the electrical systems on various occasions. There were times when the vehicle shut down in middle of driving while other times some functions such as keyless entry or auto braking didn't work. I took the vehicle to the dealership on 3 separate occasions and they said that they could not recreate the issues but rewired the system. I still had issues and was told that as long as the engine light is not blinking it is safe to drive. On 4/11/2023 while driving full speed on the highway, the electrical system stopped and i lost brakes and steering. This caused me to crash into the car in front of me. In addition, the auto braking did not engage and the airbags did not deploy

- Spring Valley, NY, USA

problem #80

Feb 272023

1500

  • miles
I was driving the vehicle about five miles-per-hour and came to a stop sign, then came to a full stop. I then proceeded to make a right turn and was driving straight for about one-quarter of a mile at a speed of about five to ten miles-per-hour. Next, I slowed the vehicle down and made a right turn. The vehicle then completely stalled and turned completely off. The engine stopped, all of the meters on the dashboard turned completely off and the entire car and all electronics were completely off without warning. It was a random shutdown, there were no warning lights and no engine warning light or anything. Immediately after the vehicle turned off, I put my foot on the brake, then I had to put the vehicle in park, and then I had to restart the vehicle by pushing the "start engine" button. My safety, the passengers safety, other cars safety was put at risk because the vehicle could have stopped anywhere at any time without warning and completely turned off. There could have been a vehicle close behind me that could have caused death to passengers of my vehicle or other vehicles. The dealer confirmed that this is an issue and there is supposed to be an update for the computer on the Etorque engine. The dealer inspected the vehicle, and ran a computer update on the engine. However, the service manager said that they could not guarantee that it would not happen again. There were no warning lamps, no messages, no symptoms to indicate that this was going to occur. It was completely random with no warning. The components that malfunctioned are the E-Torque Engine and the computer. I immediately traded the vehicle in for a completely different brand. I do not want do die due to this vehicle malfunction.

- Douglas, MA, USA

problem #79

Mar 152023

1500

  • miles
The fog lights on the vehicle stop working while I was driving at night in a not well lit area. After they stop working I went to get an oil change and was told I was unable to get an oil change and the water pump was leaking. The tech stated it was unsafe and dangerous.

- Philadelphia , PA, USA

problem #78

Feb 172023

1500

  • miles

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

When I started my vehicle the starter failed to disengage. The vehicle was unable to shut off. The only way to turn the vehicle off was to remove the battery cables. If I reattach the battery cable to the engine the vehicle try's to start on its own but is unable to, it just keeps turning over. The original starter failed and was replaced in January 2023 by a Ram dealer for the same issue. The dealer was able to find a replacement part at another dealership to avoid the long wait time to get the part. The current wait time is 30 days for the dealer to get the replacement part. I was told by the dealer that Ram will only provide rental coverage for 5 days.

- St Maries, ID, USA

problem #77

Feb 272023

1500

  • miles
I have had two incidents where shortly after a cold start while driving the vehicle it would turn off and and the emergency brake would apply. In both instances I was approximately a mile from where the vehicle was started. I had slowed to make a right turn, upon completion of the turn driving under 20 MPH the vehicle's engine would turn off, I was able to coast to a stop and then the vehicle's emergency brake would engage. When this happens the operator is forced to come to a complete stop, shift to park (in order to restart) and disengage the emergency brake. 2021 Ram 1500 Laramie eTorque 12K miles

- Niceville , FL, USA

problem #76

Feb 172023

1500

  • miles
The truck-??s push button start system was turned on to start the car, the keys were removed from inside the vehicle cabin but the truck was still able to be driven without the keys being inside. I started the truck to warm it up, then went inside my home, when I had to leave I changed my coat and forgot the truck keys in my other coat. I got in the truck and was able to drive as if I had the keys on me. When I reached my destination 5 miles away, I turned the truck engine off, and then realized I did not have the keys with me. The truck should NOT be able to be driven if the keys are not sensed inside the truck cabin. This is a safety risk, trucks can be stolen easily in this way.

- Ypsilanti, MI, USA

problem #75

Feb 032023

1500

  • miles
After intense rainstorms, we tried to start our Ram 1500. All key fobs won-??t work but there was battery life in all of them. We could not get into our truck or start it with the key fobs. Only way inside the truck was with the emergency physical key inside key fob, but then the truck alarm kept going off with no way to turn it off. Our safety was put at risk since we couldn-??t operate our truck. After talking to service department through our dealership, they suggested towing the truck to them for diagnostic testing since we couldn-??t even start or place car into neutral. After diagnostic testing, the dealership confirmed our RF module located behind the rear seats was damaged by water damage and showed water was still in the module. The dealership confirmed this was their 6th case like this. Problem is they suspect the rear glass leaks to cause damage to the RF module. However, the antenna and brake light could also be the water leak issue. The dealership will confirm where water is leaking from and attempt to fix. No warning lights or messages were displayed before this problem occurred

- Santa Clarita, CA, USA

problem #74

Feb 062023

1500

  • miles

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

Once again for the about 100th time our 2021 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel cuts off and when I means cuts off everything is off. No warning of any sort. Was going about 50mph and just completely shutdown on 880 Southbound in SF Bay Area. Truck has 52k miles is maintained and no codes no nothing. I had my children in the vehicle at the time of incident. We slowly pulled the shoulder with the help of rig driver slowing down to make sure no one hit us. It-??s ridiculous that the current recalls aren-??t as important and hazardous as trucks shutting off yet here we are cause it-??s never duplicated while at the dealer. Is the FCA going to wait till someone or folks lives are taken cause of this very HAZARDOUS/SAFETY ISSUE?!

- San Leandro, CA, USA

problem #73

Jan 182023

1500

  • miles
2021 Dodge Ram Hemi Etorque shuts down while driving. This has happened approximately a dozen times in the last year. On most occasions this has happened within the first 5 minutes of driving. On all but one occasion we were yielding and then pulling into an intersection and the truck shut off in the middle of the intersection. This caused vehicles that were driving at full speed to swerve from hitting us. The vehicle shut off, goes into park, and the emergency brake engages. A message appears on the dashboard indicating autopark engaged, In order to get moving again, we have to start the card, disengage the emergency brake, and put the car in drive. This is a DANGEROUS situation that will result in serious injury or worse. The very last incident the truck has been running a while. We stopped at a location and placed the truck in park. We never shut the motor off. A few minutes later, we put the car in drive and accelerated. Within the first 20 feet the vehicle shut off and came to a stop. Again, the vehicle automatically went into park and the E brake engaged.

- Bluffton, SC, USA

problem #72

Sep 092022

1500

  • miles
I was driving my new 2021 dodge ram 1500 classic and smoke started to come out from under the hood so I pulled over bc I thought it was overheating and then it caught on fire whilst I was still in it I immediately dialed 911 and by the time they arrived my whole truck was on fire from front to back the truck got totaled and I currently don-??t know where it is this happened in September of 2022 and the dealership that sold me the truck are refusing to do anything as it was still under warranty.

- Decatur , IL, USA

problem #71

Dec 192022

1500

  • miles
On 12/16/21 with mileage at 10,380 my truck lost power and engine turned off as i was making a left turn at a speed of somewhere between 5-10 MPH. After a complete stop i was able to turn the truck back on and everything seemed normal. I did called FCA the following day and was told to have it checked at a dealership near me but Covid hit my family around that time so i didn-??t take it in for service. on 2/27/22 with 14,800 miles the truck stalled again as i was making a left turn at a busy intersection. The truck stalled on me again for the 3rd time but i didn-??t document date or mileage. Currently i have a little over 32,000 miles and truck has stalled 3 times and not once did i get a check engine light.

- San Antonio , TX, USA

problem #70

Dec 072022

1500

  • miles
vehicle stalled and shut off while merging into traffic. Dash lit up and ebrake engaged. No check engine light after incident.Extremely unsafe and could have caused an accident on coming traffic had to swerve out the way to avoid an accident. No prior warnings and has happened twice now.

- Richmond, TX, USA

problem #69

Nov 192022

1500

  • miles
Was making a slow 10-15mph right hand turn out of my neighborhood and the truck stalled. Power was still on, park brake came on while in motion. Had to shift back to park to restart. Once restarted, no caution or warning lights on the dash.

- Pascagoula, MS, USA

problem #68

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 #67

Oct 112022

1500

  • miles
Unknown system is causing the vehicle to stall. Has happened three times, once in traffic. I will be cruising slow and applying slight brake pressure, then when I release the brake the engine will cut off, apply emergency brake and shift to park. I then have to start vehicle, disengage emergency brake and put into drive. This has happened on three different occasions making me doubt the safety of the vehicle. Dealer service state no codes were shown and can not duplicate. This needs to be addressed.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #66

Sep 292022

1500

  • miles
Car was in drive, I was in traffic (0-5 mph) and the auto brake system engaged. My seat belt was buckled and all the doors were closed. The engine turned to neutral unexpectedly. I was lucky to have enough momentum to pull over. The car then auto shifted itself to park and put its e-brake on. I had to disengage e-brake then push the start button. I-??m thankful I wasn-??t rear-ended. There was no reason the car should have engaged this safety system. I don-??t know of a way to manually over ride this. I-??m worried it will happen again and I won-??t be so lucky to be able to pull over.

- Lynn, MA, USA

problem #65

Jul 062022

1500

  • miles
While driving the radio console( a/c, etc) and odometer turned off for 3 minutes while the remained running. This has happened up to 6 times.

- El Paso, TX, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?