2021 RAM 1500 Power Train Problems

87 NHTSA complaints on file

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All Power Train Complaints — Page 2

#11504708 |
When driving at speeds above 45mph the truck loses acceleration out of no where. It will make grinding/shifting/stuck noises and rapidly going to unsafe speeds. I have been in HIGH traffic EVERY time this has occurred to me. This situation has put myself and my family in harms way too many times. I assume from my research this is a transmission/powertrain issue. This truck is a 2021,I am the first and only owner purchasing in 2021 early year. By three months in I had experienced the issue thinking it was a one off. It is not. I have taken the truck to Ram dealerships in TX as well as New Mexico and no one can seem to find the issue as according to them “nothing shows up”. I have a VERY detailed video of the issue happening as I was driving in 75mph. I have show it to the dealership...
#11501834 |
After completing a left hand turn, the vehicle stalled while moving. The emergency brake activated. The car would restart but not immediately engage leaving me stuck in traffic. To get going again the emergency brake had to be deactivated and the vehicle restarted. Following the event an internet search brings up dozens of similar events with many being much worse as they happened at highway speeds. This is incredibly dangerous. I booked a service appointment and will have it looked at. However, even with this being a repeat failure with Ram 1500 eTorque as indicated through a simple internet search, that the dealership indicated they were not aware of this problem is surprising.
#11493413 |
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.
#11479000 |
The transmission in this vehicle will stick into 3rd gear. I have to pull off the road. Turn it off and then it shifts. Going into 4th gear is lunges and at times I can fell it slip then engine light comes on. Also if I’m sitting idle and put it into reverse it lunges backwards or dosnt engage at all. I turn it off and turn it back on and reverse works. I have noticed on freeway driving it will suddenly downshift and I smell a burning coming through the vents. Dodge has opened a case and I was advised when it was diagnosed that it has Premature 4th gear failure and it would need a updated transmission. I was also advised by the dealership that this is becoming common problem in the 2021 ram with the v6 motor and dodge delivery vans which they had about 15-20 vehicles...
#11477560 |
This vehicle has an issue where it will stall. While making a right hand turn about 5 to 8 miles an hour onto a side street near my home the vehicle just shut off and rolled to a stop. It put itself in park and the auto e-brake engaged. At that point the dash info center said to shift into park and release the emergency brake. It started up and I was able to continue. I have also noticed that sometimes during a turn the truck almost stalled but recovered, You could see the rpms drop down to almost 0 but it recovered on its own. This has happened a few times. It is just not safe. 62k for an unsafe truck.
#11475611 |
While starting to drive forward or backward turning, there is a shutter vibration felt slightly heard. It also has grinding shutter vibration at turn in intersection during the turn. The dealer on the 3 complaint visit replaced a front passenger CV Joint and bearing, upon picking the truck up it did it immediately again. Could not return as it was the service department closing time. There is also vibration grinding around 50 mph and up. Dealer states they can not duplicate issue. This is abnormal and concerns me as in a turn or higher speed, something breaks will put my family's lives and other motorist in danger. Also when using AC defrost vent stays open and will cause dew on the windshield.
#11470385 |
I was driving to work and made a right turn (I did not come to a complete stop). As I finished the turn, maybe going 5-7 MPH, I pressed on the gas pedal to accelerate and the truck did not respond. A second later the truck turned off and the parking brake automatically engaged, so I came to a complete stop in the middle of a road with other vehicles around me. I had to put the truck back into park, start the truck, and disengage the parking brake, and then was able to continue my trip to work. There were no Check Engine Lights on before or after it happened. I spoke to the local Ram and multiple other dealerships further away and they said they haven't heard of this happening to any other Rams, and just to watch it and if it continues to happen call them back....
#11467328 |
MY RAM TRANSMISSION FAILED TO SHIFT GEARS OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THE RPMS WENT TO 3000 TO REACH ONLY 16 MPH. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS. I HAVE 18,641 MILES ON THE TRUCK PRESENTLY. THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED TO ME AND RAM WOUND UP REPLACING MY TRANSMISSION AROUND 12,000 MILES. In addition, while making a right hand turn the parking brake automatically engaged and stopped the vehicle in mid traffic. I could not get the parking brake released. Eventually I had to hold down the parking brake button to restart the engine and to move forward to safety. The dealership was able to re-create this problem. The car was starting fine each and every day, however the dealership said that I needed a new battery which caused the problem. There are no red lights or warning signs of a low battery of my dashboard. This incident...
#11465451 |
On two separate occasions while backing out of my driveway, my truck automatically jumped from 2WD, to 4WD Low/High both simultaneously and also locked the park brake. In both of these cases, I was able to place the vehicle in park, turn the vehicle off, let it set a minute or two and once restarted, the vehicle was in 2WD again and performed as it should. It was just concerning as to why it would do this. But on May 5th, I left home and was traveling down the road at approximately 20 mph, when the vehicle jumped into 4WD Low/High once again and the park brake engaged automatically. I always wear a seatbelt, but had I not had it fastened yet, I would have immediately been slammed into the steering wheel. It was towed to the dealership as it would never release from 4WD or the park break would...
#11463900 |
My truck has stalled multiple times upon the first 5 minutes of driving. It has always been at low speeds of less than 15mph. Once the emergency braking system came on which required me to put vehicle in park to restart while in the middle of the road in traffic. Sometimes the engine dies after turning but sometime when going straight. Seems to always be associated with a slow down / stop via braking. This is a very hazardous situation that needs to be recalled an fix by the manufacturer.
#11463384 |
The parking brake started displaying not available on the heads up display. It did this several times within 5 minutes. When I was coming to a stop at around 5 mph the vehicle shifted into Park and set the parking brake and stopped. The engine stopped as well. I had to restart the vehicle to get it going and the check engine light was on after that.
#11460760 |
Purchased truck with 4WD last November. Live in a snowy ice region. Truck randomly displays 4WD serv light and error message. Until the error clears itself, truck will not go into 4WD (four wheel drive), making it an unreliable vehicle during snow and ice storms, when traveling over the mountains, or when on dirt or sand roads. Additionally, this error can impact ABS functionality in some cases. Dealership has seen the truck four times, but has not fixed the issue. Now that the weather is warmer, the error is happening near daily.
#11460627 |
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle operated for a second and then stalled while the shift to desired gear warning error illuminated. The contact mentioned the brakes were applied independently. The vehicle was able to restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the diagnostic result was undetermined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 22,000.
#11457076 |
Cause of the incident is UNKNOWN at this time. The vehicle is currently with a Ram dealership for identification of the issue and repair. The incident occurred shortly after I exited an interstate with traveling speed at 70 mph or faster. If this issue had occurred on the interstate the potential for a serious accident would be extremely high. Incident: On March 16, 2022 while driving into work the vehicle seized and would not move. This occurred as I was pulling into the company parking lot at a speed of approximately 5 mph. The vehicle had just come off an interstate and had been traveling approximately 75 mph in congested traffic. Attempts to put the vehicle into Drive, Neutral, or Reverse were unsuccessful. The shifter would automatically move back into Park. I shut the engine off and then restarted. This did not resolve the issue and the truck would not...
#11456727 |
Five minutes into my commute while making a low speed right turn from a stop, my vehicle stalled and shutoff in the middle of the road nearly causing an accident. Once stopped it automatically applied the emergency brake. This is apparently a known issue with the e-torque system.
#11455410 |
After letting the truck warm up for at least 3 to 5 minutes, got in the truck and drove less than a mile and came to a second stop the engine stalled. Also I do not have the E torque system. I've also had an issue from day one a purchase of the truck and even filed a complaint with FCA about my stability control activating on certain turns under 30 miles an hour.
#11449849 |
While traveling over a speed bump at approximately 5 mph, truck will stall, "autocorrect shift" and apply emergency brake. Vehicle is a 2021 eTorque.
#11445062 |
Unknown Failure causing issue. Vehicle's Engine Shutoff while traveling down the road with no warning messages. Then message says to apply breaks and push "start", but it was in the "Run" and still coasting in Drive on the road. After it slowed to about 5-10 mph, the emergency break system engaged and the vehicle went to "Park" causing the vehicle to throw me forward in the seat and objects were thrown as if I had collided with something. My wrist was injured by this, but lucky I had no passengers or my dog with me. The local dealership is looking into it, but say there is nothing wrong. Upon doing some research, I see multiple people have stated this has happened to them as well. This is a significant risk to health and safety of vehicle occupants and other vehicles that may be traveling near them when this happens. Depending...
#11444252 |
After coming to a complete stop where the auto stop engages and then trying to start and move again, the truck will stall, put itself into park and apply the emergency brake. The only way to resolve from here is to turn off/on the truck and release the parking brake. A big hazard when in heavy truck and people are expecting the truck to be moving.
#11442203 |
Gas mile sensor goes from 250miles to 60miles left in tank. It jumps up and down on the miles. It said I had 175 miles till tank to be empty. I was driving for 10 minute it drop to 10 miles and then car shut off. It had no gas. Transmission when driving it sometime doesn’t change gear. Rpm goes up 6000 7000 driving 15-20 mph. It happen more often when going up a steep hill and going on a flat road the gear won’t change
#11440119 |
At approximately 9,000 miles I was turning left from a residential area traveling at 15-25 mph. During the turn, and without warning, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle shifted to park, the electronic parking brake engaged and the engine shut off. There were no warning lights before the incident and the incident has not occurred since. I pressed the start button and the engine fired and was operational. Of concern is that the vehicle stalled while I was being followed by another car. Fortunately, the other driver realized something was wrong and was able to stop before striking the rear of the truck. A certified dealership found no current or history codes when it scanned, and could not duplicate the issue. No repairs were done.
#11440065 |
Engine died while driving. There could have been a collision if the oncoming vehicle would have failed to stop in time. The problem has not been reproduced. Dealership could not find a code. There is an appointment scheduled 11/16/21 for the Dealership to inspect the vehicle again. This is the third time that this has occurred. 1st time was as soon as I pulled off the dealership lot with 34 miles on the vehicle. The 2nd time was at 300 miles on the vehicle and the 3rd time, the vehicle has 1022 miles. All these incidents has occurred in 3 weeks.
#11439437 |
While driving about 5mph approaching an intersection my ram shut off without warning, said “apply brake to start vehicle” and as I rolled through the intersection with zero control at about 2mph it set its parking brake by itself. I had to move my shifter to park, apply the brake, restart the truck, and turn off the parking brake IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. Thank God it was a small subdivision intersection at night so there was no traffic or myself or someone else could have been hurt or killed. No dash warning lights, no remaining lights, no codes thrown, no issue after restarting, no reproducible codes found by the dealer. Only 1,000 miles on the truck. I’m terrified of this happening again, but haven’t been able to replicate it myself or the dealer. It’s not safe and I don’t want to die as a result of this. It...
#11439180 |
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH, the engine suddenly shut off and the message "Put in Park" was displayed on the dashboard. The vehicle continued to roll away before automatically switching to the park position causing the vehicle to abruptly stop. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 6,113.
#11438247 |
I slowed down to take a right turn into a drive through when the engine shut off out of nowhere. I had to stop to try to start again. When I slowed down, the truck put itself into park and applied the parking brake, coming to a sudden stop. I restarted the engine and put the truck back into drive with no problems. This incident can pose a severe safety risk if, for example, I would take a left turn and the engine shuts off with oncoming traffic approaching.
#11438272 |
2021 5.7L HEMI e-Torque with 5000mi. While traveling at approximately 25mph I slowed down to stop at a stop sign and the truck start shifting down as it should. At around 5/7mph the rpms drop below 500, no feedback when applying the gas pedal and the engine stops or sometimes is able to recover. When it stops, the truck shifts to P and applies the Parking brake. I’m able to start the engine back up every time this happens but there’s something wrong for sure. I’m able to replicate this issue every time the engine is cold or haven’t been running for a long period of time Took the truck to the dealer. They couldn’t find any codes or replicate the issue. Took it back to the dealer 2 days later after it stalled again. This time they were able to find 1 code. P1C64-00 - Hybrid perf. Engine speed...
#11437848 |
Was backing out of a parking spot truck shut off when restarted it was limited power and check engine light. 1920 miles.
#11436251 |
While slowing down to make a right turn and then trying to accelerate the vehicle stalled, turned itself off, put itself in park and applied the parking brake. This has happened twice now. The first time at approximately 4,000 miles and the second time just over 6,000 miles. This has been reported to the dealer, they flashed the PCM, but that obviously dod not correct the issue.
#11435863 |
While traveling at approximately 15 mph I slowed to make a right hand turn. Truck was moving slowly enough, maybe 5-8 mph through the turn that I did not apply the accelerator, nor did I have any brake pressure applied to complete the turn. Before I could straighten the truck out of the turn, it stalled. Center screen stated to place vehicle in park before starting. The emergency brake applied itself and I had to place vehicle in park, release e-brake, and restart the vehicle. This has happened about 5 times now in the last 2 weeks, dealer says no recalls at this time, no problems can be found. I fear I am driving a very unsafe vehicle that is less than 6mo old and has 5800 miles on it.
#11433145 |
After accelerating onto a 30 MPH road, from a dead spot, engine RPMS spiked while Ecodiesel engine/ ZF transmission dropped into 1st gear with no warning. AFTER taking foot of accelerator and turning on warning flashers I noticed (HUD)heads up display that I was in 1st gear. I advanced gear shifter on steering wheel to 8th gear ASAP. Problem went away, but WHY INSTEAD of advancing up in gears and speed, IT WAS UNEXPECTEDLY DROPPED INTO 1ST Gear is MY CONCERN.
#11430323 |
My 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 has stalled 8 times since purchasing the vehicle. The first occurrence was the day after purchasing the vehicle. In each instance, the circumstances have been identical: The vehicle speed is reduced to a near stop. The accelerator is applied gently. The engine cuts out. The vehicle places itself in park. The vehicle activates the parking brake. In each instance, the vehicle has stalled when attempting to merge into traffic. This vehicle defect creates a significant safety concern as in each instance, I have been without power, and had to re-start the vehicle while sitting in an active lane of traffic. Online forums dedicated to the 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 would indicate that my experience(s) are not isolated.
#11425092 |
Truck stalls while making hard turns, usually at slower speeds. Truck has also cut off while making a turn into traffic. I've read about a number of consumers having the same issue with the etorque Hemi engines. To answer the above questions: - Not sure what system failed but the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. - The safety of myself & family are put at risk anytime the stalling occurs, especially when turning on to a road with oncoming traffic as the truck could potentially shut off again automatically. - The issue has yet to be confirmed by a dealer. I take the vehicle in on 8/1/2021 to be diagnosed. - The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance representative as of yet. - No prior warning lamps, messages or other symptoms aside from stalling at different times. This issue has been ongoing for...
#11423384 |
Was making a left had turn from a stop sign and my truck just shut off. I was going roughly 5 mph or less when this happened. I was able to coast for a second until the emergency brakes came on for some reason while the truck was still in drive. The only thing that came up on the dash was something along the lines of “put the vehicle in park and apply the brake to turn off parking brake and to start the vehicle”. The radio and all electrical related stuff seemed to have stayed on. This is the first time this has happened since I bought the truck and I only have roughly 700 miles on it.
#11422715 |
I turned left from the center lane into the driveway of my bank. After crossing the driveway apron, the truck engine died leaving me rolling through the parking lot. The vehicle sounded an alarm stating that it needed to be placed into Park to start the engine. The engine restarted after I came to a stop, placed the vehicle in park and pressed the ignition button. This failure could have happened at any time leaving me stranded in traffic, potentially at high speed where it could have caused a severe accident injuring myself or others around me. The vehicle has not been inspected yet by the dealer but will be when it's brought in for the pending recall related to the backup camera. I did inspect the Power Distribution module under the hood when I returned home and found that several of the relays were not fully seated in their...
#11412814 |
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2021 RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDISCLOSED SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND SHIFTED TO PARK INADVERTENTLY. THE CONTACT RESTARTED THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE BECAUSE THE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING HAD ENGAGED INADVERTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,850. Consumer stated battery was replaced.
#11408118 |
ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE WITHIN 5 MINUTES OF STARTING THE TRUCK WHILE MOVING FORWARD ON A CITY STREET BOTH TIMES IT INITIATED ON A TURN THE TRUCK TURNS OFF AND TELLS YOU PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK TO RESTART. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IS ALSO ILLUMINATED. THE TRUCK HAS LESS THEN 200 MILES ON IT.
#11383816 |
I PARKED MY TRUCK, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, AND EXITED AND WENT INSIDE. I WAS WALKING MY DOG SEVERAL MINUTES LATER AND SEEMED TO NOTICE MY TRUCK MOVING BACKWARDS. I SAW THE FRESH TRACKS IN THE SNOW IN FRONT OF MY TRUCK AND REALIZED THAT IT WAS ROLLING BACKWARD ON MY DRIVEWAY. I GOT IN, PRESSED THE BRAKES TO STOP THE ROLLING AND TRIED CYCLING THE POWER. MY KEYS WERE INSIDE SO I RUSHED IN TO GET THEM AND THEN BACK TO THE TRUCK. IT STARTED WITHOUT CHANGING THE SHIFT SELECTOR KNOB, SO IT HAD DEFINITELY BEEN REQUESTED TO ENGAGE PARK.

Other 2021 RAM 1500 Problem Areas

Engine 257 complaints Electrical System 172 complaints Unknown Or Other 90 complaints Fuelpropulsion System 63 complaints Service Brakes 50 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking 44 complaints Steering 41 complaints Vehicle Speed Control 28 complaints Structurebody 26 complaints Fuel System Gasoline 24 complaints Air Bags 22 complaints Service Brakes Hydraulic 18 complaints Electronic Stability Control Esc 16 complaints Visibilitywiper 15 complaints Exterior Lighting 11 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings 8 complaints Suspension 7 complaints Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection 6 complaints Back Over Prevention Camera System 5 complaints Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking 4 complaints Back Over Prevention Warnings 3 complaints Electrical Systemalternatorgeneratorregulator 3 complaints Seat Belts 3 complaints Wheels 3 complaints Back Over Prevention 2 complaints Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control 2 complaints Parking Brake 2 complaints Structure 2 complaints Visibilitywindshield Wiperwasher 2 complaints Electrical Systemadashill Descent Assistsoftware 1 complaint Electrical Systemignition 1 complaint Engine And Engine Cooling 1 complaint Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust System 1 complaint Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust Systemmanifoldheadermufflertail Pipe 1 complaint Equipment 1 complaint Exterior Lightingbrake Lights 1 complaint Fuel System Diesel 1 complaint Fuel System Dieseldeliveryfuel Pump 1 complaint Hybrid Propulsion System 1 complaint Latcheslockslinkages 1 complaint Power Trainautomatic Transmission 1 complaint Power Trainautomatic Transmissioncontrol Module Tcmpcmtecm 1 complaint Power Traindrivelinedriveshaft 1 complaint Power Traintransfer Case 4 Wheel Drive 1 complaint Steeringhydraulic Power Assistpower Steering Fluid 1 complaint Structurebodyhood 1 complaint Structurebodyroof And Pillars 1 complaint Suspensionfrontwheel Bearing 1 complaint Tiressidewall 1 complaint Trailer Hitchesfifth Wheel Assembly 1 complaint Visibilitydefrosterdefoggerhvac System 1 complaint
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