Ram 1500 Complaints (2026)

104 consumer complaints on file.

#11772607October 21, 2026
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I have been trying to schedule an appointment to fix the trailer lighting recall for over six months. The dealership tells me the parts are on back order even though I know people are getting this fixed at other dealerships.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11772616October 21, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
The vehicle shut off in the middle of the road while driving without warning. To get it restarted, we needed to activate with remote start on key fob several times before it would allow us to restart. The vehicle also did the same behavior 3 more times in a parking lot where it would immediately halt and shut off while the vehicle was in motion. We have today reported to the dealer and will be transporting the car there today.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11770919October 13, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My 2026 RAM 1500, with approximately 3,900 miles, experienced an unexpected engine shutdown on October 13, 2026. After entering the vehicle, fastening my seatbelt, pressing the brake, and starting the engine, the engine ran for approximately one second. When I attempted to shift into Reverse, the engine shut off and the transmission automatically went into Park. The dashboard and electronics remained powered, but the vehicle would not shift into another gear or respond to the start button. After completely shutting down the vehicle’s electronics, I was able to restart the engine, and the truck operated normally. The vehicle has also experienced intermittent infotainment failures, including CarPlay freezing, the radio remaining on after shutdown, and navigation updates failing. These issues began around mid-September 2026. I am concerned about the possibility of the engine shutting down unexpectedly again, potentially while driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11770923October 13, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My 2026 RAM 1500, with approximately 3,900 miles, experienced an unexpected engine shutdown on XXX. After entering the vehicle, fastening my seatbelt, pressing the brake, and starting the engine, the engine ran for approximately one second. When I attempted to shift into Reverse, the engine shut off and the transmission automatically went into Park. The dashboard and electronics remained powered, but the vehicle would not shift into another gear or respond to the start button. After completely shutting down the vehicle’s electronics, I was able to restart the engine, and the truck operated normally. The vehicle has also experienced intermittent infotainment failures, including CarPlay freezing, the radio remaining on after shutdown, and navigation updates failing. These issues began around mid-XXX. I am concerned about the possibility of the engine shutting down unexpectedly again, potentially while driving. This has happened a few times while driving out of my drive way I have a service appointment scheduled XXX at the ram dealership automation in [XXX] off of [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11770466October 11, 2026
ENGINE
I was stopped at a stop light with auto start off, the engine shut off and went to park. A message showed on the screen to start the vehicle I did and drove off.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11769190October 5, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The primary failures involve the central electrical system, computer module architecture, and the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), specifically the automatic rear backup braking. The 2026 Ram 1500 Laramie is currently parked at Lithia Ram in Helena, MT, and remains available for a complete inspection upon request. My safety, my wife's safety, and the lives of others have been put in extreme jeopardy. The truck suffered a terrifying, complete electrical and powertrain blackout directly in the middle of a highly dangerous, busy traffic intersection (Malfunction Junction). I was forced to activate my hazard lights and coast blindly through cross-traffic with zero steering control. The truck has also randomly stalled in parking lots. Furthermore, the computer system experiences severe glitches; the dashboard display repeatedly instructs me to push the start button to start the vehicle, even though the engine is already actively running. Additionally, the reverse backup braking system glitches, causing the rear brakes to randomly engage and violently jerk the truck when no hazard is present. The vehicle was towed to the dealership following the near-fatal intersection failure. The truck has had ongoing computer issues since August 2026. While remote, over-the-air software updates appeared on the center screen claiming to fix the vehicle, they failed to resolve the underlying defects. Despite the towing history and ongoing electrical glitches, the service department at Lithia Ram in Helena claims they "cannot replicate" the defects. No independent, manufacturer, or police inspections have occurred yet; the local dealer has only performed basic diagnostics and is actively refusing to investigate deeper or provide alternative transportation. The safety failures and computer errors happen completely at random with zero advance warning. This is the second truck with the same issues. Lithia transferred me into the Laramie from a 2026 Rebel that died on interstate.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11768818October 4, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Motor Generator Unit. The dealer is swapping it under warranty. Failure is a risk to safety because it shuts the truck off while driving. Last time it was at 70 mph on a busy interstate. Problem has been confirmed by Ram dealer. There were no warnings prior to the failure. There were also no check engine lights after for 4 events. Then on the 5th time of shutting off, it left a check engine and battery light.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11766846September 25, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving on the Interstate approx. 70 MPH the main digital instrument panel completely blacked out and remained dark for 30 to maybe 60 seconds before attempting to reboot. During this time, I lost all access to all critical safety information including the speedometer, gear selection, gauges and safety warning indicators creating an immediate and hazardous driving condition. this vehicle is a 2026 Ram and a daily driver. the total loss of dashboard visibility while traveling at interstate speeds during rush hour traffic poses severe safety risk to me and others on the road. Date of incident: 09/22/2026 Time of incident: Approx 3:10 p.m. CST Mileage at time of incident: Approx. 3309
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11766327September 23, 2026
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
My 2026 RAM 1500 has the optional trailer tow mirrors. I have had similar trailer tow mirrors on my previous vehicle, a 2023 RAM 2500 HD and they did not seem to be as bad as they are here on my 1500 RAM truck. These trailer tow mirrors obscure too much visibility, particularly and specifically at an intersection. People in crosswalks, as well as other motorists at either the left or right of me, at an intersection, are almost completely impeded by these larger mirrors. I'm 6'1" and I still have to completely get out of my seat to see around these mirrors, to ensure I see other motorists and that don't hit someone. I have had multiple close calls with both vehicles to the left and right at intersections being almost completely hidden with these mirrors, and even a pedestrian recently at a crosswalk. I don't think these mirrors are safe. I don't feel comfortable having my wife drive my truck with these mirrors.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11766563September 23, 2026
ENGINE, SEAT BELTS, POWER TRAIN
Vehicle returned from warranty repair at MainStreet CDJR of Lansing with severe mechanical negligence and federal compliance breaches. The dealership left critical drivetrain components completely loose, including rear transmission mount bolts and cooler lines, creating an immediate highway safety hazard. A separate, certified Ram dealership has since inspected the truck and generated a formal work order explicitly documenting: "Loose bolts left from prior dealer." Furthermore, the initial dealership assigned an uncertified student trainee (Tech ID 1078) to perform this advanced powertrain warranty work and subsequently signed off on a critical federal occupant safety restraint recall completion. The General Manager verbally admitted to the consumer that the servicing technician was uncertified and currently still attending training classes. The dealership held the repair ticket open locally for 33 days to actively manipulate data and hide the compliance paperwork from corporate
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11765756September 21, 2026
ENGINE
This happened twice in 3 weeks. I came to a stop, and suddenly the engine raced to 3,500 rpm’s, and surged forward 20-30 feet before I got it under control with extreme brake application.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11765929September 21, 2026
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
while operating my brand-new 2026 Ram 1500 at approximately 35mph, the panoramic sunroof suddenly and violently imploded with a loud explosion resembling a gunshot. There was absolutely no vehicle ahead of me, no overhead structures, and zero external impact from a rock or debris before the failure occurred.The glass shattered violently outward, showering the interior cabin and the roadway behind me with sharp, tempered glass shards. This structural failure caused an immediate, severe distraction while driving at highway speeds, creating an extreme safety hazard for myself, my passengers, and surrounding traffic.Upon taking the vehicle to three separate authorized Ram dealerships—including Finnegan Ram in Rosenberg, TX—service management verbally admitted they could find no physical evidence or point of impact on the glass, yet they refused to cover the repair or report the failure to the manufacturer as a factory safety defect. The vehicle currently has approximately 3100 miles and suffered a catastrophic structural glass failure under normal operating conditions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764983September 17, 2026
ENGINE
2026 Ram Acceleration problem. It has happened 3 times as the vehicle only has 4200. Miles on it. I had it towed to dealership and they were able to duplicate failure. They ran a number of diagnostic test and software updates. I haven’t had a failure since , but it’s only been a few days. 1/27/2026
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764237September 14, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On September 14, 2026, my 2026 Ram 1500 Limited, with approximately 6,000 miles, caught fire while parked and unattended in my workplace parking lot. I had driven the vehicle approximately six minutes to work and parked it at approximately 1:30 PM. I did not notice any warning lights, warning messages, smoke, unusual smells, or other indications of a problem while driving or when I parked the vehicle. At approximately 2:25 PM, a coworker noticed smoke coming from the parked vehicle. He approached the vehicle and then ran inside to alert others. Workplace surveillance cameras captured the incident. Management reviewed the footage, which shows the truck sitting parked and unattended before smoke becomes visible, followed very quickly by visible flames. The fire developed very rapidly. The fire department responded and extinguished the fire, and a fire investigator responded to the scene. There was no collision, the vehicle was unoccupied, and thankfully there were no injuries. The cause of the fire and the component or system responsible are currently UNKNOWN. The vehicle is available for inspection. Because this is a 2026 vehicle with only approximately 6,000 miles that caught fire while parked and turned off shortly after being driven, we are concerned that a vehicle component or system may have malfunctioned and created a serious safety hazard.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11764262September 14, 2026
POWER TRAIN
While driving at highway speeds, a severe transmission defect caused an electronic and mechanical failure chain on my 745-mile vehicle. The transmission experienced an immediate loss of hydraulic control, causing the engine to surge to 4,000 RPM and violently slam three separate times under load, attempting to force a gear engagement (DTC P076F-00). This severe physical trauma caused the Transmission Control Module (TCM) to completely drop communication with the Engine Control Unit (ECU), throwing error codes U0080-00 (Ethernet Bus 1) and C2226-00 (TCM Disabled ECU).The vehicle's safety software responded to this network crash by entirely cutting transmission line pressure. This architecture resulted in an instantaneous and catastrophic Loss of Motive Power (LMP). The vehicle entered a dead-freewheel state, causing it to roll backward on an active, inclined freeway off-ramp into oncoming traffic. A severe collision was avoided solely due to immediate driver reaction time. The driver and a [XXX] passenger were left stranded in a live traffic zone. Dealership Repair Order #XXX explicitly documents this loss of motive power and unintended directional movement. However, the manufacturer's current remediation plan completely ignores the severe electrical and structural trauma. The dealership is attempting a superficial valve body replacement based on a stationary shop air test. This low-pressure test cannot inspect for warped clutch steel plates, glazed friction linings, micro-fractured planetary gear teeth, or torque converter clutch fatigue caused by consecutive 4,000 RPM shock-loads. Furthermore, a mechanical valve body fails to address the high-speed Ethernet bus crash that disabled the TCM. This vehicle suffers from an unpredictable, systemic electronic and mechanical safety defect that creates an immediate hazard to public safety. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763918September 13, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The charging system does not charge the starting battery at times. On a 2 plus hour drive I got a low voltage warning from my dash camera. the dashcam has the feature to protect not running the battery to low. I was driving at highway speeds and the trucks onboard gauges showed the battery voltage at 12.5 volts. It should show between 13.8 to 14.1 with the engine running. If the battery were to have completely died the truck would have been disabled at speed. Dealer looked at it and charged the battery up. Said batter was good and saw no issues, but I have experienced it again after so they are wrong. Truck has less than 4000 miles on it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763123September 9, 2026
AIR BAGS
side air bag is at body shop waiting on estimate. side impact wife driving 30 mph hit in left side started at A post ripped through drivers door crushed outer and inside rocker panels. has dent into cab area. Wife was taken to hospital in a neck brace with large Hematoma above left eye from head bouncing off side window. Vechicle has not been inspectied by anybody other than body shop. Truck is new 3000 miles with no warning lamps on. The truck was pushed over 1 lane do to impact.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11763018September 9, 2026
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2026 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V059000 (Exterior Lighting, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763022September 9, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ENGINE
On XXX, I leased a 2026 Ram 1500 truck from Enterprise Rent-A-Car ([XXX] branch) with a friend, both of us being young women. While traveling, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic electronic system failure. The truck’s central computer completely desynced from the key fob, locking two female occupants out and leaving us stranded and vulnerable in a remote area. It also began alerting about “ checking tire pressure system despite checking all tires. A passerby stopped (dangerous) and by offered a used AirTag battery, the red light in the fob was working before and after the battery change. It started once, we were forced to sleep in a running vehicle, afraid to turn it off. Eventually the tire pressure alert over rode the key fob alert so we reached a secure location and turned off and locked the truck. After breakfast we were completely locked out and stranded again. We tried a replacement NEW fob battery but still didn’t sync leaving us stranded AND locked out. Because Enterprise corporate actively alters manufacturer safety equipment by stripping the physical, manual emergency backup key blades out of the key fob housings, we had absolutely no physical mechanism to override the locked doors to seek shelter or access the cabin during this system failure.A subsequent VIN search on the official NHTSA database proved that this exact vehicle had an active, unresolved federal safety recall for software defects (NHTSA Recall Campaign #26V-531 / Manufacturer Recall #78D) issued on XXX. Enterprise held this vehicle in its active fleet and rented it to me eleven full days after the federal safety recall went live, violating federal laws governing rental fleet recall compliance. The specific software defect cited in the federal recall matches the exact electrical system crash that disabled our vehicle, locked out our security protocols, and put our physical safety at risk TWICE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11762728September 8, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
[XXX]. at about [XXX] I put the vehicle on Drive mode after releasing the electronic parking brake. Suddenly the vehicle engine stopped running all power was not available to include power windows and doors. I was trapped inside my vehicle for about 20 minutes. I made a call to the manufacture's roadside assistance at 8667264636 since the vehicle has only 3,000 miles on it. The script reading third world country support team was not very helpful. I managed to exit the vehicle through an open window after releasing the hood latch. My first troubleshooting procedure was to reboot the system by disconnecting the negative of the vehicle power pack, my next step was to confirm volage on the power pack. After I got confirmation that sufficient power was available and reconnected the negative side to the power pack, I used my key fob to unlock the vehicle. I got power to the dash and the 12" cluster screen but the push to start was still disabled. I called back the manufacture's roadside assistance once again only to be informed that I had to pay $200 for towing. I decided to disconnect the power pack once again this time for 30 minutes. Upon reconnecting it back again I was able to restart the vehicle and cautiously drove it to my home. I've noticed glitches since the last software update completed through my ISP as the system is designed to do so. Please investigate, this is a safety concern. People could get trapped for hours in inclement weather (heat) specially the ones with no technical/mechanical background. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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