Ram 1500 Complaints (2021)

669 consumer complaints on file.

#11698948November 12, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Body Control Module failure. 2021 Ram 1500 Tradesman with 3.6L engine My first symptom was a message that appeared on the dash gauge cluster that said something like "problem with shift positioner". That message came up then went away. Next symptom was dash lights flashing for no reason. This was a few days after the other. These lights would flash one time for just a fraction of a second, and only when I hit a bump on the road. I thought that I had a loose wire so I checked wiring for loose connection but did not find any. I had no other problems for several days. Then I was on a trip far from home and that is when things got really bad. All of the gauges on my instrument cluster were going up and down for no reason. The windshield wipers came on by themselves. The dash lights started flashing, like before but this time that were on and off for longer periods of time and not caused by bumps on the road. The vehicle lost power while I was driving and I was forced to pull to the side of the road. The engine had died. I was not able to restart right away. While I was sitting there trying to figure out my next move (because I was in the middle of nowhere), the lights on the dash were still flashing even after I had turned the key off. I know that sometimes trouble codes can be cleared by disconnecting the battery, so that is what I did. After I put the battery cables back on, the controls seamed normal again. I was able to start the engine and drive into town. I went straight to an automotive repair shop that I had found by Google search. They put their code reader on and said that I had 59 fault codes. They had never seen that many on any vehicle before. They checked my battery to make sure it was fully charged. It was. They checked a few other things, but diagnosed the problem to a bad Body Control Module. After this incident, I did some research and found that this seems to be a come problem with the Ram Pickups. This should be a recall item.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11698629November 10, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle began to vibrate. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the front axle half-shaft was worn and needed to be replaced. The contact also took the vehicle to a tire shop and was informed that new tires were needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was referred by the manufacturer to report the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11695596October 25, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My etorque motor starting making a really loud noise. So I took it in to have it looked. Technician said the etorque motor was going. Ordered a new one but said it was on back order. My truck then died and the part still does not have a ship date.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694047October 17, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
eTorque MGU hybrid motor going out with unexpected loss of power and stopping. Upon failure vehicle lost power and became inoperable. Both independent service center and dealer service center confirmed the eTorque MGU hybrid motor is failing. Upon further research thousands of these MGU hybrid motors are failing unexpectedly. No remedy in sight and manufacturer indicates no eta on availability of parts to fix.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694043October 17, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, BACK OVER PREVENTION
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that an Over-the-Air update was been performed on the vehicle overnight and the following day the battery was drained and needed to be replaced. The contact drove another vehicle to an independent mechanic and purchased a new battery. After replacing the battery, an error code for a firmware failure was displayed on the instrument panel. As a result of the message, the radio module became defective, and the back over prevention system failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11693388October 14, 2025
ENGINE
Oil pans are rusting through . Mine has 45,053 miles. In the 60k mile powertrain warranty. RAM refuses to fix because it is 'corrosion'. They want $1,861.53 to replace. These rusted pans are all over the internet.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11692581October 10, 2025
STEERING
On 10\09\2025 I was backing into a parking spot and when I was trying to adjust the position of the vehicle the power steering failed as I was backing up. After the power steering failed to work, the Power Steering Light appeared on the Dashboard. This is the first time this has happened. The safety issue is if I was going around a corner on the steering failed, my kids and I would probably be dead right now. Yes we live off a windy road. I left the truck parked at the shopping center overnight & it was towed to an Auto repair center locally. They told me to take it to the Dodge Dealership. The vehicle was towed to Pedder Dodge Chrysler on 10\10\2025. It is available for inspection.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11692019October 8, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY/WIPER
Vehicles headunit no longer functions, backup camera system is also in-operational. Due to apparent over the air (OTA) updates to the uconnect infotainment headunit there is a widespread and known issue of, during the automated firmware update process, the vehicles battery being drained completely. This causes the vehicle to lose all power and the head unit to then fail the update process which creates a failure state for the headunit. In this particular case the headunit is "bricked" prescribled troubleshooting steps have been attempted but screen only displays: ("Software Update Update failed. Please re-insert USB Device.") according to a dealership service technician needs to be replaced. But there are none available for order. 2021 Ram 1500 BH UC 4 8.4" w/o nav.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11691763October 7, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Change in acceleration since purchasing truck. Discovered recently the fuel pump was causing the problem. Also the air bag light comes on and warning of a safety issue.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11691574October 6, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH or slower, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the engine compartment. While attempting to accelerate, the vehicle intermittently hesitated and slightly surged forward before accelerating. The failure had become more persistent over time. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact found information related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V265000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was taken to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the motor generator had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of replacing the motor generator unit. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11691393October 4, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The uconnect radio system freezes. It will do this and then reset. Sometimes it resets multiple times before working. It will freeze when using the backup camera. The entire screen will be frozen until it resets itself it takes approximately 60 seconds for it to reset.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11691392October 4, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
I am receiving a check electronic brake system alert. I can no longer use cruise control, traction control or four wheel drive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690835October 1, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The alternator has went bad on my 5.7 V8 E-torque motor and the alternator is on back order from Dodge and no dealers are able to tell the owners when the part will be available. My truck has been down for a week with no end sight. I have reached out to Dodge on several occasions and then placed on hold only to have my phone calls redirected to an State of Indiana Dodge dealer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690574September 30, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving the vehice on 9/23/25, it randomly turned off while driving down my street. Took a while to get it started again, then once it was started, it would not turn off. I brought the vehicle to a local shop. There were NO warning lights.The next day they let me know that the issue was from a faulty sliding backlite, there were cracks on the frame by the back windows that caused water to leak down around the window into a control module that was filled with water that caused the vehicle to randomly turn off while driving down the street then later caused it to not be able to turn off. If this issue caused the vehicle to turn off while on a highway or a curvy road it would have almost definitely ended with a severe accident. I got in touch with stellantis and they know about the issue but aren't willing to help in any way.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690517September 30, 2025
POWER TRAIN
I put the car in drive and heard a loud bang. When I went to move it sounded like metal scraping. It turns out the front differential cracked and came loose making the truck inoperable. The truck was not off road and has been well taken care of. The part is three weeks on back order for a new front axle because this is happening to many of the RAM trucks.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690329September 29, 2025
POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was driving on the highway going the speed limit and the car suddenly slowed to 35 and all sorts of lights (check engine light and others) came on and messages went across the screen about the throttle control and stability control. This is the 4th time this has happened to me. Each time I bring it to the dealer and am told "its a known computer glitch" or that there is a fix but it continues to happen again. Suddenly losing power and speed has caused other drivers to slam on breaks, swerve, etc. In order to reset the car I have to pull over on the highway to restart it. This is putting my safety and the safety of others at risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11690166September 28, 2025
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
While towing, my truck threw P00AF-00 Turbocharger Boost Control Module "A" Performance and ABS C121C-00 Torque Request Signal Denied codes and I lost power due to turbocharger not engaging. Alarms that were lit included CEL, Service Electronic Throttle Control, and the Stabilizer system. The safety aspect is the loss of power while towing on a highway. The original code was cleared by my hometown dealer and vehicle ran well. 130 miles later it happened again, cleared by dealer in Parkersburg WV On the way home it happened a 3rd time. After parking for half an hour the alarm lights went off and I had full power. A day later the CEL also went off leaving no evidence of a problem on my dash. The vehicle is scheduled at the local dealer tomorrow (9/29/25) The trailer and truck combination was well within the towing limits of the vehicle. There are various threads in RAM owner groups that allude to this problem in the Gen 3 Ecodiesel The truck is under an extended warranty from MOPAR...hope they resolve the problem
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689574September 24, 2025
ENGINE
Failed Motor Generator @ 74,000 miles while is covered under the Federal emissions warranty. Vehicle has been off road for 30 days with no ETA on replacement parts
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689249September 23, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
The contact owns a 2021 RAM 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or while the vehicle was idling, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a faulty alternator. The contact was informed that the alternator needed to be replaced; however, the part was indefinitely on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689246September 23, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds or while idling, the contact observed a clicking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the alternator was faulty. The contact was informed that the alternator needed to be replaced; however, the part was indefinitely on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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