Ram 1500 Complaints (2021)

669 consumer complaints on file.

#11618696October 8, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
ON 9 separate occasions, the truck has issued the same warning light for "Powertrain Malfunction Indicator Light". We have written records and emails of specific days each time the truck lights issued this warning. On 2 of these 9 alerts, the truck completely shut down and was unable to start for approximately 30 minutes. We have taken the truck to the dealer multiple times and they have been unable to address this issue. Recently, we saw that RAM recalled 1.2mm trucks of the same model and year as our truck. The recall is number 24V65300. I do not know if this is related but this seems very similar to the software problems we are having on this truck. The fact that this electronic malfunction completely shuts down the truck is very concerning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11617994October 3, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
There was a software problem with the e-torque system of my truck. From what the dealership stated it was over charging my 12v battery under the hood. It ultimately made my 12v vehicle battery fail. upon this my truck has the start stop feature multiple times at random intervals at stop lights when the start stop was activated my truck would not restart with out a jump pack. This left me in a live traffic lane in at a stop light multiple times. I can upload the dealer repair sheet if requested
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11616317September 25, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Both of the front driver and passenger side flip down sun visors have broken within one week of each other. Each visor is attached to the ceiling of the cab by a metal arm with a plastic retaining clip. That plastic clip has broken on both visors within one week of each other and my truck only gets very light use. Since the retaining clip is broken both visors fall out of the ceiling and hang in the view of the driver and block the line of sight, which means the driver can not see directly in front forward. I have spoken to the local Dage Ram dealership who sold me the truck as well as the main national Ram customer service and both say the repair is outside of warranty even though its a safety issue and a clear defect so they will not fix the issues without me paying form $550 plus labor for each visor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11616127September 24, 2024
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed that one of the air bag systems needed to be replaced. The contact was unsure which air bag was replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred, and the air bag warning light was illuminated again. The contact returned to the same dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the air bag had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated he was not advised which air bag was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that after he had taken possession of the vehicle the air bag warning light was again illuminated. The contact took the vehicle back to the same dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11616021September 23, 2024
STEERING
Steering went out as I was turning “right”onto the street we live. The vehicle would not turn thus causing the rear end to hit a storm drain and slash the side wall of my right rear tire. The tire immediately went flat. It took me several minutes to inch back and forth to get the truck into my drive and out of the street. I contacted the Ram dealer here in Flowood, Ms and got a car hauler to come get it the next morning. When we rolled it back to allow the car hauler room to winch it up, three of the tires and wheels were straight but the right front was positioned at a 45* angle inwards. Service department at dealer said it was an internal issue and they would order the part. That was Friday [XXX]. I got it back on Friday [XXX]. I called Ram during this time and they gave me a case number and a case manager. I told the case manager what happened and his comment was “wow”. I explained to him that I felt it was a serious issue bc I could have been traveling at a higher rate of speed than what I was. He said he has one other case with the same issue . I have never had a vehicle that the steering went out. This truck has just under 50k miles and all miles are street or highway. Case #with Ram [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
#11615398September 19, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
I am contacting you on behalf of my uncle in regards to this. He noticed that my cab and truck bed was separating, so they made an appointment for the dealership that he purchased it from. It was then brought to their collision shop and after further inspection, he was told that it was in fact a manufacturer’s defect and they could not help him. He was told to take it home and just weld it himself. He did purchase a warranty and apparently it expired I believe this past December. Chrysler Cares and Ram Cares were both called and both have said they could not help. Given the year of the vehicle and the issue we are rather confused on how this happened and how/why this is not a covered repair. Clearly this is a manufacturer defect. Furthermore, how is this safe to drive? Clearly both can detach while driving and cause a catastrophic accident resulting in fatalities. Who is then responsible? The dealership for turning away a blind eye, Ram, Stellantis, Chrysler Cares because they were made away and chose to not help and the same with Ram Cares? All of this could result in lawsuits. He feels unsafe driving this now, sadly he is now stuck with this vehicle as he is still paying this vehicle off. This is an issue that needs to be resolved immediately as the safety risks it brings. That’s all he wants is for it to be fixed PROPERLY and not out of his pocket or for it to done as Goodwill. It should not be a Goodwill program as Ram Cares suggested. This is a manufacturing defect and proper ownership and repairs need to happen. The vehicle is still at Rouen in Woodville, Ohio and at this moment it has 32,663 miles. So there’s not a lot of miles on this vehicle for this to have happened. I used my best judgement on miles when brought in and I’m not sure when the issue was first noticed. But the date I listed was when the vehicle was there.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11615290September 18, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
Driving in my neighborhood at 25 mph when the sunroof EXPLODED and SHATTERED for no reason. Nothing impacted the glass and there were no chips whatsoever. Took it to the dealership and they agreed that nothing impacted the glass or went thru the glass, and that it just spontaneously exploded. This is becoming a common issue with Rams and is a MASSIVE safety issue. Had this happened at highway speed with the retractable cloth roof open it would have cause a SERIOUS situation of glass falling on me, the driver, and anyone else in the vehicle and having pieces of glass flying around in faces and being inhaled. This incident needs to be addressed and Ram needs to put out at the very least a TSB or actually admit a fault and confirm a recall. Ram is notorious for ignoring manufactured part defects and needs to be held ACCOUNTABLE for the poor quality of product they are putting out on the road and putting people's lives at risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11615233September 18, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On [XXX], my husband tried to start the truck and nothing would happen. We originally thought the key fob battery was bad, changed the battery and the truck still would not start. We had it towed to the Singing River Chrysler dealership in Florence, Alabama and they told us the Radio Frequency Hub/wireless receiver (located in the back of the cab) was bad due to a water leak. This truck is kept under a carport when it is not driven it was a shock to us that water could have caused the issue. They also informed us there was a bulletin posted on how to fix it. This problem causes the vehicle to shut down, with no steering, with no brakes, if an individual is driving in the rain and this happens it would cause an accident and potentially lives lost. There needs to be some kind of recall to have it fixed. At this time it is going to cost $1,000.00 to fix a manufacturer defect that I should not have to pay for. 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
#11615138September 18, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Several times I’ve been backing up and for no reason the truck jerks to a stop and some kind of alarm or buzzer goes off and it jerks to a complete stop even when I’m not close to anything.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11614922September 16, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
The contact owns a 2021 RAM 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Electronic Stability Control); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11613678September 10, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
After changing the battery, my truck was affected by a computer malfunction which caused my ABS, forward collision detection, electronic stability control and other systems to not work and indicate trouble in the dash. I took it to the dealer, and they charged me $205 to reprogram the computer. These are all symptoms of recall 85B, but my VIN is not in the affected list at this time. I believe the list should be expanded and that I should receive a refund from FCA for the repair work that was completed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11612948September 5, 2024
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
In July 2024, with approximately 31,500 miles on my vehicle, I began experiencing issues with the "service electronic braking system" warning appearing on the dashboard. I brought the vehicle in for inspection, and the dealership identified and replaced the tire sensor under my extended warranty. A week later, the warning reappeared, and the dealership replaced the brake master cylinder sensor, also under warranty. However, upon picking up the vehicle after the second repair, the dashboard immediately displayed both the "service braking system" warning and the check engine light. On July 23, 2024, I left the vehicle at the dealership for a third time. The following day, they informed me that the problem was with the ABS module, which was under engineering review and unavailable. They advised contacting RAM customer care, which confirmed the part's unavailability and anticipated delays due to a lack of vendor supply, with no clear resolution timeline. Despite ongoing efforts, the issue remains unresolved. The vehicle is now unsafe to drive, lacking ABS and traction control due to system shutdowns. Additionally, on September 3, 2024, and a few weeks prior, I experienced problems with the vehicle being stuck in park mode because the brakes would not disengage. Restarting the vehicle temporarily resolved the issue, but it persists.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11612206September 3, 2024
STEERING
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while reversing, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the wheels were turned to the left during the failure. The traction control warning light was illuminated, and the service trailer brake message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who was unable to release the steering column to place the vehicle on the lift. The vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the rack and pinion and steering column needed to be replaced, but the parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611205August 27, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
This has happened twice. The first Time Ram replaced the part no charge Warranty. The drivers side Sun visor breaks where it is hooked on to the interior roof. It falls down only hanging by the wires for the light in the visor. Yesterday it did it while driving on Highway. I allmost crashed. The part is on back order and Ram doesnt know when they will get them. Without it you are blinded by the Sun. Dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11611158August 27, 2024
STEERING
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering function failed to operate as intended. Additionally, the electronic power steering failure warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the electronic power steering warning light was off. The contact stated that the electronic power steering function was reset. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact was advised that if the failure should reoccur, the rack and pinion would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The failure mileage was 38,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11604606July 25, 2024
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My truck has shut down unexpectedly, on 2 separate occasions, as I was driving at slow speeds. I then had to come to a complete stop and restart it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11604299July 24, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
>Refer to investigation PE24018. For reference recall 23V-265 was performed on this truck. >This incident was before the recall work, and it was mentioned to my dealership. There have been no additional incidents. >Driving on a rural road at about 30mph. I slammed on breaks to avoid contact with animal. My vehicle went into park, emergency break activated, and engine turned off. I was able to restart vehicle. >There were no safety issues at the time >I don't have any information about warning lamps or messages other than noting my emergency break was engaged.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11603818July 22, 2024
ENGINE
In my 2021 RAM Ecodiesel, several times while on vacation pulling our trailer up steep grades with semi trucks all around a warning message came on saying “Warning Service Electronic stability Control.” Then, the engine immediately went into what seemed to be a “limp” mode with power severely cut. This posed a safety concern because I had to immediately look for a place to get off the highway because the vehicle was slowing down quickly. I found that when I turned the engine off, it took it out of the “limp” mode. I took it to the RAM dealer in Cortez, Colorado and they said they couldn’t duplicate the problem so just cleared the warning codes. When I got home, I took it to Cole Chrysler in San Luis Obispo and they said they installed software that solved the problem. I did not expect a charge for this, because I thought it should have been like a recall item, but they charged me. I assume the problem is fixed, but won’t find out until my next vacation pulling the trailer in September. Should I have been charged for what appeared to be a factory defect? Thanks,
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11603722July 22, 2024
STEERING
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and steering to the right, there was an abnormal sound coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the upper steering column assembly had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered to partially cover the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11603685July 22, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
I was driving on the highway when my vehicle suddenly lost power and simultaneously the service throttle control and service electronic stability control messages came up as well as the check engine light came on. This also happened last November and the dealer said they fixed the issue (high pressure fuel pump) but it has now happened again. I was concerned for my safety as well as my passengers and others as we did not have adequate power to get up a hill. And the sudden slowing nearly caused an accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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