2021 RAM 1500 Complaints

Wa driving with cruise on at 60 mph. Truck stalled with no notice, no warning lights or check engine light. All temperatures and pressures seemed okay at time of incident. Could not move electronic shifter into neutral, was stuck in drive. Alarm came up to shift to park, I did not shift due to moving at 55mph at this time. Coasted to a stop on side of the road. At about 2-3 mph, truck automatically shifted to park. I attempted to restart truck but engine just cranked over with no fire. Attempted 3 times and still nothing. Waited 20-30 min and attempted again and same result. Call for tow truck and had towed to dealership. While waiting for tow truck, had full power in truck, no warning lights. Checked fuses for fuel and found no issues. Did hear fuel pump engage when turned ignition to run. Checked oil level, oil was changed 800 miles prior to incident, oil was at full level on dip stick.

The rear running lights go out due to a short in the wire harness from the computer module to the tail lights. The short causes the lights to either flicker or go totally out.

Stellantis is recalling over 1.2 million 2019-2024 Ram 1500 pickups, including the 2021 model year, due to a software flaw in the ABS module that can disable the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system My ram vin is not listed, but i am receiving this error.

The oil pan on my 2021 Ram1500 has premature severe corrosion. When the oil pan fails, oil will drain to the roadway causing hazard to other vehicles and cause catastrophic engine damage disabling the vehicle. I tried to contact Ram about the issue to raise concern about this material failure and they would not take my concern/complaint. A quick search reveals this problem is extremely common. The repair quote is slightly over 1500 to replace the oil pan. Something needs to be done. A recall needs issued and a fix provided for all affected vehicles.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. While driving 65 MPH in inclement weather and attempting to clean the windshield, the windshield washer fluid failed to spray onto the windshield. The contact was unable to see the road clearly and pulled over to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle. The contact became aware that the windshield washer fluid hose was cracked. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was determined that the windshield washer fluid hose needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

My husband went down into a 15 ft embankment fully in the air side bags deployed driver and passenger did not

MGU unit failure. Truck is less than 5 years old and just hit 60k miles. Noise came on very abruptly and was lucky enough to get it to a dealer nearby where I was traveling. Still was stranded 4 hours from home and needed a rental to get home. I got a battery warning light and auto start/stop malfunction light and 20 minutes later the truck was dead. I have a family of 5 and need a vehicle for work and to transport kids to school/daycare. Technician said it could take upwards of 8 months to get the replacement part. This is absolutely ludacris for something like this to happen and potentially causing financial damages to people. Dealer offered $10k less than the truck is worth because of the issue so I can’t even get a fair trade in value if I wanted to trade it in. Ridiculous!

The Check Engine Light came on and the truck would misfire and stall. We took it to 2 separate mechanics - Mechanic 1 (Certified Sideros Automotive): It was found that the multiple cam shaft lobes were flattened and ground due to a failed lifter, recommendation - replace engine. Mechanic 2 (Stew Hansens Ram): Check Engine Light came on, multiple cylinder miss fire. Using a bore scope inspected cylinder walls, found a very small crak allowing coolant to slowly bleed into the system, recommendation - replace engine We replaced the engine with a rebuilt engine at a cost of $7,677.58. This should not happen to a truck that is only 4 years old. Its a 2021 and the engine was replaced 5/2025. We were not aware of any recalls but we did have the dealership clear all recalls on the new engine such as the engine software update after it was installed.

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: •Driver distraction due to coolant fumes and loss of defrost capability •Exposure of occupants to engine coolant within the enclosed passenger compartment •Sudden loss of cabin heating and windshield defogging capability in cold weather Given the age of the vehicle and the severity of the failure, this does not appear to be normal wear and tear. I am concerned that this may represent a design, material, or manufacturing defect that could affect other vehicles of the same model year. The odor was present for many months prior to the failure; however, the local dealership could not examine the issue at the time of a prior oil change due to lack of time on that visit. I am submitting this report to document the issue, assist in identifying potential patterns, and ensure appropriate review by the manufacturer and regulatory authorities. Repair invoices and supporting documentation are included.

There have been several instances where the vehicle appears to lose traction in 4WD. An error message appears "4WD Overheated Performance Temporarily Reduced". When this message appears, the vehicle is unable to gain traction in snow. Even 1" - 2" of snow is enough to prevent forward movement. In this condition, the rear end of the truck tends to fishtail to the right and left. After checking online, there appears to be many other instances associated with this condition. The dealer replaced the fluid in the differential and transfer case hoping to fix the issue, but the problem persisted. They were unable to reproduce the issue on the second service call. Currently, my vehicle in in the driveway and is unable to move given the 1" of snow present. The truck is being towed to the dealer tomorrow, Jan. 28th, 2026, for them to assess it a third time. I believe the failure is related to the light duty Transfer Case & Transfer Case Motor, but that has not yet been determined by the dealer. I'm having the vehicle towed since losing traction on a slippery road can be dangerous and cause the vehicle to slow/stop and/or lose control along with 4WD.