2021 RAM 1500 Electrical System Problems

I am submitting this complaint to report a significant and unusual mechanical failure involving my 2021 Ram truck. The vehicle experienced a failure of the heater core assembly, which resulted in engine coolant leaking directly into the passenger compartment. This failure caused coolant odor and fluid intrusion inside the cabin and required extensive disassembly of the dashboard and HVAC system to repair. The total cost of repairs exceeded $5,300, which I believe is disproportionate and unexpected for a vehicle of this age and mileage. Two separate repair visits were required as it was found after the heater core was replaced the actuator on the driver’s side was damaged by the ongoing leak and required repair. The vehicle has been properly maintained and serviced according to manufacturer recommendations. While this incident did not result in an immediate crash or injury, the nature of the failure raises safety and health concerns, including:...

Every time my truck sits for more than 3 days even in the summer the battery dies. I have to jump this truck more than I jumped anything in life. It has less than 30000 miles on it and I’ve had nothing but trouble with the battery staying charged and the air bag system being jimmied to keep the sensor from not going of by the dealer.

Alt/Gen failure stopped the truck in the middle of an intersection No transmission power steering lights. Had to walk back home to charge the battery in a driving rain storm leaving the truck in the intersection.

I bought this truck used from a dealer in 2022. From the start the resting voltage of the car was a problem getting 12.7v and when I was driving it would often only get up to 13.4v. I took it to the dealer and they replaced it completely in 2023. It still shows low resting voltage and driving voltage. I told them and they said it was fine and not to worry. Now for the past 6 months it has been making a whirring sound that gets louder as I accelerate. I took it back to them and they said they didn't hear anything wrong, which is an outright lie. It still hasn't gotten better so I took it to a different mechanic and they said its a bad alternator and that they are very expensive and on back order. I tried setting up an appointment with the dealer to...

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V653000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Electronic Stability Control (ESC); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. 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 stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Battery Low Voltage" was displayed and the vehicle experienced loss of power steering functionality and decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to the recall. Additionally, the contact was informed that the E-Torque generator also needed to be replaced but the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer...

All warning lights on dash came on including battery. Freedom Dodge assessed it on 11-10-2025 and said the vehicle generator has an internal short and is discharging the battery. If being operated could cause the vehicle to die while in motion. I am making $700 per month payments and Freedom indicated over 6000 of these units are on back order and cannot give me a date for replacement only saying "months"

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

1. The Motor Generator Unit (MGU) failed on my 2021 Ram 1500. The component is still installed in the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. 2. The MGU failure caused a loud whining noise that worsened over two weeks, raising concern that the part could seize or fail while driving. A sudden failure could result in loss of vehicle power or drivability, creating a dangerous situation for me and others on the road. 3. Yes. A certified Ram dealership inspected my vehicle and officially diagnosed the MGU as defective. 4. Yes, the dealership confirmed the failure. To my knowledge, it has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. 5. There were no warning lamps or dashboard messages. The only symptom was a whining noise that started faintly and gradually increased over the course of approximately two weeks before the dealer diagnosis.

Vehicle was a 2021 Ram 1500 (60k miles) with no known problems or issues. Drove home during during rainstorm truck operated normally. Next morning truck started normally with an error message "Power Steering Unavailable". Truck then began to run through a series of "error messages" and windshield wipers turned on and truck would not shutdown, unless you disconnected the battery. Towed to dealership and after several weeks of diagnostics with the manufacturer's assistance (due to the number of errors) it was determined the failure was the Power Steering Module. Once the Power Steering Module was removed, all other modules came back online and functioned normally. Even though the dealership has seen multiple failures of this type, it was not on the recall for this truck. Had this failure happened with my family in the vehicle while driving, it could have had devastating effects...

Driving to work and my truck lost all electrical power. All display lights turned on and hazard light signal started blinking but the hazard lights were not actually on. I then lost all electrical power; power steering, hazard lights would not turn on, all dash lights and display lights, head lights at first and then the battery died a couple minutes after that started. I could not put the truck into neutral so I could push it to the shoulder of the highway. I had to put it in Neutral manually with the pull tab under the steering wheel. My Ram 1500 5.7L hemi etorque was towed to Andy Mohr Chrysler Jeep Ram. The service shop told me that the motor generator unit is on back order and it could take a month or 2 months for the part to come in.

2021 Ram 1500 Longhorn Anniversary addition vin: [XXX] Navigation/console Display flashes “115V Cargo outlet on”, the front windows don’t work, main display off/dark, heater turns on, A/C doesn’t work, seatbelt alarm doesn’t work. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

2021 Ram 5.7 etorque MGU bad and vehicle sitting as part appears to be on nationwide back order. vehicle sitting while still making payments and paying insurance. seems to be major issue and no recall yet.

I am submitting this complaint regarding a critical issue with my 2021 Ram 1500 equipped with the eTorque mild hybrid system. The vehicle has become inoperable due to the failure of the etorque alternator in this system. Unfortunately, Mopar—the official parts supplier—has not made this part available, and it has been on indefinite backorder for months. This is a known issue and has broken just outside of warranty. I'm in desperate need of this part and the backorder and supply time is unknown with no ETA.

Our check engine light came on and we took it to get the code read. We had the code read by 3 independent sources and nothing came back on the code. There is currently a recall for this EXACT same issue with Dodge Ram 1500s from the exact same year but for some reason our truck VIN is not coming up as being on the recall. Now, we cannot pass smog in our state because the check engine light is on and the dealership does not have us on the recall for this exact issue.

Driving on highway lost all power sudden shut down of motor pulled off highway immediately ,autoshifted into park skidding in gravel unable to restart had towed to dealer,,they put in new under hood battery at my expense (was charging system failure) part needed was backordered. Got truck back home running lower than normal voltage local dealer claiming nothing wrong with it ,,diag from other dealership says otherwise,,,this isnt just a mechanical issue, its a safety issue as i drive alot.

Went to start the vehicle with the key fob and the vehicle would not start. Had it towed to ram dealership and was told that the RF hub module needed to be replaced due to being damaged from water at leaked in from the rear window. Upon researching online forums, this seems to be an ongoing problem for this making model because of where the module is located. If there is not already in the works, there should be because this will continue to happen, especially where it rains a lot.

Mgu is out. Apparently there are 4000 on back order bc this part keeps failing on these etorque vehicles

Mine was flickering the 115v cargo outlet and the radio was Turning on and off… blind monitoring system, Cap applying the brakes, automatically thinking something was in front or behind me

The alternator with the etorque option. Truck is available upon request. Stellantis knows of the issues with the motor and doesn’t have a fix. The part to fix is on back order with no eta till available. I have been researching and some are without a vehicle up to a year. Dealers are aware of the situation. No warnings are shown prior to a total power loss failure. While driving home from work lights all over the dash lighted up and my truck was reading 9 volts. Luckily I was close to home and coasted into the driveway. My truck is now dead in the water sitting in driveway till when a part becomes available. I ended up leasing a car due to having no other option to get to and from work.

2021 Ram 1500 Laramie. 2 Occasions of unexpected engine Revving. 1) Pulled up to a stop, waiting for cross traffic, when fully stopped, the Engine began to rev up by ~500 RPM, up then back down, about 3 times in a row. Each time the truck tried to creep forwards, forcing me to step on the brake harder to prevent movement. Each engine surge lasted 1-2 seconds. 2) At low speeds (<20mph), car had similar RPM surges, but just caused some jerking. Both occasions occurred within 2-3 minutes of a cold start (~70 Deg F Env. temp). Certainly a safety concern, needs to be addressed.

Component: Motor Generator Unit (MGU) — part of the eTorque system on 2021 Ram 1500. What happened: I own a 2021 Ram 1500 with eTorque. In the year I’ve owned the truck, it has broken down twice due to major electrical issues. Most recently, it has been in the dealership’s shop for over 3 weeks due to a faulty MGU (Motor Generator Unit). There is no estimated time for repair because the part is backordered nationwide. Safety risk: The MGU failure caused the vehicle to become completely inoperable, leaving me without reliable transportation. I am concerned this issue could lead to a loss of power or stalling while driving if it had occurred under different conditions. Reproduction/inspection: The issue has been confirmed by the dealership (Preston Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in New Castle, PA). They are unable to proceed with the repair due to lack of part availability. The truck...

The MGU of the 2021 Ram Laramie (e-torque) is not functioning properly and hampers the safety of the vehicle. The MGU, which controls the alternator, will not charge the battery beyond 13.0/13.2 volts during driving. As a result, when sitting for several days, the battery will not have sufficient voltage to start the vehicle since it is not charged fully during driving. Additionally, the MGU is now making a strange bearing noise so we will see if a failure is imminent. Considering this MGU controls the starting of the vehicle during stop/start, and the battery is not charging sufficiently to ensure the owner is not stranded, I consider this a significant safety issue (especially when I live in a place with winter of 8 months). I have not seen any warning lamps, but the charging indicator/screen shows 13.0 as below normal.

When driving home in the rain going 65+/- MPH my truck just shut off and turned back on, but was not able to accelerate. Had to pull off on the side of the road and the car started back up. This happened at least 5 more times on my 30 minute ride back home. When I finally got it home the truck would not cut off. I had to disconnect the batter which still did NOT stall the truck. Luckily I found a forum that advised to pull a specific fuse to cut the truck off. My biggest concern was that no warning lights or error codes came up on the dash it just went blank and came back on. The vehicle is currently at Roger Williams Ram Dealership in Weatherford TX. They have had the truck over a week and are still trying to figure out what the problem...

I frequently receive a “Camera system unavailable” when I need it to safely reverse. The system will work randomly one percent of the time. An internet search reveals this is a common problem with the Ram 1500 but the manufacturer states that my VIN wasn’t included in the recall and directed me to reach out to NHTSA. Please help us have this vehicle included.

Engine light came on. Was driving ~25MPH on city street, in x-section of 2 major streets and heard loud mechanical noise, warning indicators audible and visual, and vehicle bucked and stalled within 100ft of when it started. After restarting vehicle was able to move about 20 more feet before losing power again. Brough to dealer, diagnosed with MGU (Motor Generator Unit) failure and battery that was defective due to incorrect charging. MGU part is nationally back ordered, with approximately 4000 replacement units on order with manufacturer, and 5 years of history of problems reported on owner chat boards and websites, both with brand new vehicles and vehicles that are just a few years old.

My Ram has the ETorque Generator that failed. It has caused the vehicle to suddenly stop and lose power. It first lost all electrical components in the interior. Then driving function shut off which includes the power steering. I was then driving down the street and it suddenly stopped and grinded into the park position of the transmission. The engine bay was very hot and I was surprised a fire didn't start. I hooked up jumper cables to another vehicle to get it off the road way as you couldn't shift it into neutral when the battery was dead. Pretty much all of the warning lights came on as I was still moving and they are still on. I took it into the ram dealer locally and they said there is 4379 that are in the same boat. There is no outlook to get replacement parts. I then took the...

On May 16 2025 I started my truck and all the lights started flashing on my cluster( I took pictures) I drove down the street in my vehicle and it put itself into park. I drove back to my shop and called the dealership to make an appointment along with enterprise Rent-A-Car. I had the rental vehicle from May 16 through May 22. After the ABS module recall was performed on May 21, 2025, my 2021 Ram Rebel began experiencing electrical and mechanical failures affecting multiple vehicle systems. While driving at approximately 7 mph, the vehicle unexpectedly shifted itself into Park. Just like the separate occasion, the parking brake engaged while the vehicle was in motion. These events pose a major safety hazard. Since the recall, the following issues have occurred: •SERVICE BRAKES: Parking brake engaging while driving; ABS-related instability. •POWER TRAIN: Vehicle attempting to shift into Park and 4WD...

Doing research it seems that a lot of people are running into issues with part 68623194AB and are unable to get this through my research. I am currently in this position without recourse other than this.

After a simple battery replacement, the entire infotainment system and computer for the vehicle crashed. Safety systems and other safety systems for the vehicle connected to the main computer can no longer be controlled, including parking sensors and other equipment and the battery continues to go dead. Many other owners are having the same issue.

Bad bearing noise coming from MGU, part is covered under warranty and was told I can keep driving it the way it is. Seems like a fire hazard or safety hazard to drive something that could potentially lock up on the road. 6 weeks + for the part.

Traveling down the roadway at 45mph. It had been raining for a couple of days. Engine completely shuts down, almost like a stall. Had to quickly pull over. When vehicle came to a slow roll, shifter auto shifted into park and engaged parking brake while in traffic. Disengaged parking brake, and was able to start. Pulled into parking lot and truck immediately shut down again. Eventually would not restart. Called tow. Tow company couldn't disengage parking brake. Towed to dealership. They notified me that my truck with 68K miles had a failed seal on back power window which allowed water into the truck, seeping into the RF Hub Module causing the RF Module to fail. 8K miles out of factory warranty and they denied coverage three times. I have MaxCare 8yr/125k warranty and they denied as well citing water intrusion. This is a well documented problem with these trucks as...

The first time, the vehicle was, in effect, "dead," as nothing worked. After 24 hours it started without any codes being present. The second time, the vehicle stopped, shut down and engaged the e-brake. Nothing was thereafter operational. Four days later, it started without any mechanical intervention The only thing I did was remove the battery connections and then reinstall them. Three to four hours later it started.

After idling for 30-45 minutes in a parking lot my radio suddenly turned off (black screen), the dash indicated that my 115V Outlet showed that it was on as the indication flickered continuously. A/C will not function, only hot air blows progressively worse while driving. Windows will not roll up or down anymore, clock on the dash no longer shows up, side mirrors will not close with the button, power steps will not deploy. The vehicle also states that the blind spot indicator is off. Doors will not lock either. I disconnected the battery for 15 minutes and made sure EVERY FUSE WAS SEATED PROPERLY (interior and engine bay) as they were almost ALL loose. Now I am attempting to let the truck sit disconnected for up to two hours with the doors open and will factory reset the radio after to get the 12” screen functioning if possible.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted but stalled again. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that there was water leaking from the third brake light and had leaked onto the battery pack control module and RF hub, and the parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,259.

While driving on the highway with cruise control engaged, the system became stuck and would not disengage. I attempted to cancel cruise control using the button, tap the brakes, and shift to neutral, but none of these actions worked immediately. The truck continued accelerating beyond the set speed, putting my life and the lives of others in serious danger. I eventually regained control after repeatedly braking and forcing the truck into neutral, but this was an extremely dangerous situation that could have resulted in a fatal crash. To my knowledge, there were no warning lights or messages before or during the incident. I have not had the problem confirmed by a dealer yet, but I contacted the manufacturer (RAM customer service), and they instructed me to take the vehicle to a dealership for diagnostics at my own expense. This appears to be a serious defect in the cruise control or...

Part # 68623194AB alternator generator has failed twice and now the truck has been at the dealership for 1 month with no parts available. Truck bought new Oct 2021. Parts failed at 78,000 miles (09/24) and again at 95,0000 (04/25). I paid the $4000 bill on the 1st failure. Now I'm told 2nd repair is warrantied after they replaced the starter and in addition to need the alt/gen. My safety was at risk because the truck shut down while driving with no warning. The truck is currently at the dealership awaiting parts. The dealership told me the problem and that they can not get the parts needed to repair the vehicle. No warnings given before the failure. Any warning was concurrent at time of failure. My family was at risk. This is not acceptable. Please make this recall.

While I was driving on the freeway, my check engine light came on and my battery voltage dropped rapidly (within 5 minutes I had a dead battery). My transmission, power train and electrical components all stopped working. Luckily I was pulling over before this happened so I didn’t get in a wreck on the freeway. I had a tow company take my vehicle to the dealer for inspection. After a few days they let me know it was the alternator inverter which was not functioning correctly and caused my battery to drain along with all my electrical components malfunctioning and engine stalling. The dealer has now had my truck for weeks and won’t let me drive it until they resolve the issue with a new inverter which is on back order with no updates on arrival.

Alternator is on back order with 3200 orders waiting with none in production

My truck caught fire after I got a service airbag system alert on my dashboard

2x within the same week after leaving a stop light/stop sign after the vehicle turns back on and starts to move forward it shuts off completely in the intersection and I had to wait for it to reset before it could be turned back on. Cars had to swerve around me to avoid hitting me. Took to RAM service and they stated a leak behind 3rd brake light got water into a RHF module. Was told after that 2 more trucks with same equipment were brought in for the same thing.

I was driving and the engine stalled just like I shut it off . I pulled off the road and restarted the engine to have it do the same thing several more times. No codes no warning lights.

On 3/6/25 at 0520 hours, I 95 northbound in Stafford, VA. at mile marker 141 in left travel lane at approximately 75 mph the truck suddenly lost power slowing significantly. We pulled over onto the left shoulder as the truck slowed and stopped. The truck required shutting off the ignition and restarting the vehicle for it to operable. We had vehicles behind us slamming on brakes and quickly changing lanes in order to avoid hitting us. This truck has been checked by a dodge dealership for previous complaints of this occurring at lower speeds. Dodge dealership told us, there are no codes, no recalls ( only on V8) , we can note it in file but there is nothing else we can do. This is unacceptable and almost got us into a serious accident. There is something wrong with the etorque.

My vehicle has had 2 starter replacements, 2 batteries replaced , 1 radiator replacement. 3 times at the dealership for clock spring repair. Exhaust system replaced because of bolt rusted parts. This vehicle is a built to serve edition and it hasn’t led up to its name. Without me paying for an extended warranty i dont know what would i would’ve done.Does this vehicle require for a buy back from the corporate headquarters

I have had a grinding noise that was intermittent for several MONTHs, slowly getting worse. When I took it to the dealership, it was identified that the MGU had failed. The dealer advised that the part was not currently in stock anywhere and was not able to provide an ETA as there is a major shortage of this component. I was advised that eventually the battery voltage would drop from ~14v down below 11v and at this time the vehicle would throw engine warning lights which would lead the complete shutdown of the vehicle. This eventually happened in January 2025, where my vehicle voltage suddenly dropped, the dashboard lit up with different warning lights and the vehicle died. Fortunately it was in my driveway but now I have no vehicle and it is MARCH '25. It has been 2 months and when I contact all the local dealerships, NO ONE...