2019 RAM 1500 Powertrain (other) Problems

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated shortly afterwards. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission failed to shift out of first gear. The message “Slow Down - Service Shifter” was displayed. The contact associated the failure with TSB: (23-029-22 Rev. A); and referenced an extended warranty coverage. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and produced DTC: U0645 - Lost Communication with Active Air Dam Module. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 137,700.

NHTSA ID

11755973

Incident

Jul 12, 2026

Mileage

137,700 mi

I was on the highway when the vehicle alerted me that shift was unavailable then the auto start/stop was unavailable then the airbags were unavailable then my FUEL and my MPH were not reading. My windshield wipers started all on their own and could not be turned off! And my EMERGENCY LIGHTS WERE INOP. I LOST POWER STEERING and was locked in gear! All while in morning rush hour traffic on the highway! The vehicle gave me a notification to get to my destination before turning it off or changing gears because it would not go back into gear. I got off the highway as safely as I could without EMERGENCY LIGHTS OR TURN SIGNALS and proceeded to a stop light. While slowing down I had no steering control. I pulled over and had to force the wheel to turn then I attempted to accelerate to move and had no power. So I was stuck. I had emergency services come and tow my vehicle to Chevrolet of Homewood at that point who is currently looking at it.

NHTSA ID

11751567

Incident

Jul 20, 2026

The truck went into park from drive on its own . The emergency brake was also activated after going into park. The shifter knob kept switching from drive into park every time I slowed down at a light or stop sign.

NHTSA ID

11748202

Incident

Jul 3, 2026

System/Component Malfunction: High-voltage hybrid powertrain system failure. Code P0DAF-00 (Hybrid EV Battery Cell Balancing Circuit) is present and locked in the Hybrid Control Processor (HCP). Vehicle is available for inspection. Safety Risk: Operating a vehicle with an unresolved high-voltage hybrid cell balancing defect poses an immediate safety risk. Cell imbalances can cause sudden loss of motive power at highway speeds, propulsion shutdown, or an increased risk of a thermal event in the high-voltage pack. The manufacturer (Stellantis/RAM Care) refuses to provide a written safety determination, yet the dealer instructed me to continue driving a compromised high-voltage system on public roads until the failure worsens. Dealer Confirmation & Inspection: Confirmed and reproduced by authorized dealer (Ron Tonkin RAM) across multiple visits: Feb 25, 2026 (RO 502329): Code P0DAF-00 present. Dealer performed a BPCM software flash, which failed to resolve the underlying fault. June 2026 (RO 504097): Held for 10 days. Technician documented: "Scanned codes and found code P0DAF-00- Hybrid EV Battery Cell Balancing Circuit present but code is stored (not active) and also not stored in PCM, only the HCP." Tech test-drove 97 miles but corporate engineering (STAR) rules prevent parts authorization until the code migrates from HCP to PCM as an active fault. Dealer explicitly instructed me to drive it until it triggers a hard failure. Warning Lamps & Symptoms: First appeared Feb 25, 2026, via a yellow Check Engine Light. The light intermittently cycles on/off as the computer stores the code, but the underlying high-voltage defect is completely un-repaired.

NHTSA ID

11747275

Incident

Feb 25, 2026

While coming to a stop or slowing down, truck shifts into neutral on its own without driver input. Truck then makes you press brake and shift back to drive.

NHTSA ID

11743639

Incident

Apr 6, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11733207

Incident

Feb 12, 2026

Rear differential started making loud noise and grinding sounds

NHTSA ID

11732024

Incident

Mar 11, 2026

Transmission won't go into reverse at times, auto shifting back to park before check engine light comes on. Vehicle initially started with hard shifts at low speeds about 25 mph. Issue progressed to the point where vehicle has to be put into reverse. Otherwise vehicle would not shift at the same point about 25 mph and would be stuck in the low gear until vehicle is shut off and restarted then put into reverse before proceeding. The issue has continued to grow where shifting into reverse causes the vehicle to noticeably lurch back with a very heavy thunk before putting it into drive. Reverse takes time engaging. However the issue will persist and it will not go into reverse before Auto shifting to park and the check engine light comes on. Vehicle would drive for a little while before the transmission would stop shifting and go into limp mode where I wouldn't be able to drive over 30 miles per hour without very high RPMs. During some of those times the vehicle would take a long time before the transmission would engage and shift which would cause the vehicle to jerk abruptly forward. And at times back tires have lost traction. Recently the vehicles transmission has disengaged entirely while driving. At times it'll be 40 mph where it will disengage or in one case about 15 mph as I was making a turn and in the intersection it disengaged. First time the vehicle went to a dealership. They were unable to replicate the problem and that was approximately 30,000 mi on the odometer. The second time it went in with the issue it was diagnosed as being a service bulletin which was then updated and issue remained. The third time it was brought in there was a code that showed that the clutch gear ratio was incorrect. Mechanics have said the vehicle needs a new transmission and this has been a known issue with the 8-speed 8 HP75 by ZF transmissions. Transmission has also surged and lunged while braking at various points. While completely stopped, vehicle has lurched forward.

NHTSA ID

11727381

Incident

Feb 1, 2021

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and hauling a 500 lb. trailer, the vehicle hesitated and failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, a bearing made an abnormal grinding sound. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, opened the hood, and noticed dust on top of the eTorque Motor Generator Unit (MGU). The contact was able to restart the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Motor Generator Unit (MGU) had failed. The dealer informed the contact that continuous driving of the vehicle had caused the tensioner to overextend due to the loss of power by the MGU and bearing. The contact was informed that parts to repair the vehicle were on backorder. The vehicle remained with the dealer unrepaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a claim. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

NHTSA ID

11720658

Incident

Feb 1, 2026

Mileage

82,000 mi

SEE FULL COMPLAINT NOTES IN ATTACHED PDF; SUMMARY HERE (you do not provide sufficient space to provide all info you request) I own a 2019 Ram 1500 4WD Limited (not eTorque). On multiple occasions, the vehicle has unexpectedly shifted out of Drive into Neutral while driving. When this occurs, a warning chime dings and a message on display directs me to “Shift to Park”. The vehicle immediately loses forward power (because it has shifted itself to Neutral), until I come to a complete stop, shift to Park, and then shift back to Drive to move forward. Usually the engine stays on, but on at least one occasion the engine turned off and I had to restart. This has happened at least five times total, including three times within the past month. The events have occurred while decelerating to a stop, braking but not stopping, and accelerating from a slow down. Each time, I experienced a sudden and unexpected loss of propulsion, requiring me to stop the vehicle in traffic, shift fully into Park, and then reselect Drive before the vehicle would move again. These incidents have occurred in active traffic situations and have placed me and others at risk of a collision due to the sudden loss of power (SEE DETAILS IN PDF). I previously brought the vehicle to a dealer for this issue after it had just occurred (~1 year ago, before the recent increase in frequency); however, the dealer stated that the vehicle did not throw a code, or no code was stored. They could not replicate the problem and no repair was made. There are at least 55 NHTSA complaints filed that appear the same as my issue; none appear to have been resolved by dealers or RAM. This appears to be a systemic safety defect involving the powertrain and electronic shifting system. The unexpected loss of propulsion in traffic presents a serious risk of injury or death. I am submitting this complaint due to the ongoing and unresolved safety concern. I am scared to drive my family in my vehicle until it is known to be fixed.

NHTSA ID

11714209

Incident

Jan 24, 2026

have a 2019 Ram four-door. I had it for about 6 months when I got this alert for the first time. I was coming to a stop light, and the truck dings at me, gives me the error code "Shift to P then Desired Gear" and shifts itself into neutral. Once I come to a stop, I can then put it back into Drive and continue driving. This only happened once then so I let it slide at a quirk. Fast forward to now. The error code comes up at least 4 times per week, sometimes multiple times in a day. Always happens when I'm coming to a stop. I do notice that the truck seems to shift very hard when accelerating from a full stop or slowing to stop. This has almost got me killed twice now. I have taken to dodge multiple times with no resolution. Please help

NHTSA ID

11713254

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

Right front axle seized in front differential both axle splines worn and identical needs replacement. No parts available.

NHTSA ID

11711047

Incident

Nov 13, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after stopping at a red traffic light, the vehicle hesitated and failed to accelerate as intended while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact stated that another driver was behind and assisted the contact, and the contact noticed that the parking brake was unintendedly activated. No warning light was illuminated. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed the transmission had unexpectedly shifted from drive(D) to park(P). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed; however, the failure was not identified. The vehicle was also taken to two other local dealers; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired because the VIN was not under recall. Prior to the failure, the contact stated that occasionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would independently shift into lower gears. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

NHTSA ID

11704482

Incident

Oct 18, 2025

Mileage

45,000 mi

My 2019 RAM 1500 diesel (built 12/12/2019 is included in Recall 23V-411 for tone wheel delamination. My tone wheel has failed (confirmed by technician). Stellantis provides free tone wheel replacement under Recall 73A for 2014 and 2016 models but excludes 2015/2017/2018/2019 models despite having the identical defect from the same supplier. I received only Recall 66A (software) which did not prevent failure. Stellantis now wants me to pay $3,037 to replace the defective part they replace free in other model years. This discriminatory recall remedy is inadequate and unjust.

NHTSA ID

11703408

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

During normal driving when coming to a stop the vehicle will hard downshift to neutral for no apparent reason. It will also hard shift to 1st like it’s lagging hard from 2nd or deciding if it wants to shift to neutral. It will happen at random times, in the middle of a turn, middle of an intersection. And is a serious concern

NHTSA ID

11703317

Incident

May 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a whining sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that later, while driving the vehicle, there was a clucking sound coming from the vehicle, and the vehicle lost power to the rear axle. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic, who examined the vehicle. After removing the rear axle casing, the mechanic discovered metal shavings and bearings inside the rear axle casing. The contact was advised that the rear axle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact indicated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V556000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 84,000.

NHTSA ID

11703024

Incident

Nov 3, 2025

Mileage

84,000 mi

Car shut off while driving without warnings.

NHTSA ID

11700796

Incident

Nov 21, 2025

Alternator with etorgue has gone out leaving the truck stranded and no parts are available. I order one on the 23rd of June 2025 it is now September 9th 2025. There is no update and part is still showing back ordered.

NHTSA ID

11686136

Incident

Jun 23, 2025

Issue started with a "service shifter" warning at just shy of 3,000 miles, in January of 2019, and upon speaking to the dealership, they advised to shut off the truck and restart which cleared the "service shifter" warning. They said it was a glitch and that should remedy the issue. This issue became more frequent later (after manufacturers warranty ran out) It started leaving me stranded, sometimes for hours around 45,000 miles. Later, I suffered a multisystem failure and warnings that the truck was not in park, the shifter would not turn, truck would not start, and multiple other warnings. We were able to replace the battery which we thought had fixed the issue, but two weeks later it has done it again, and this time the battery disconnection for a period of days has not fixed the issue. I still owe two years on this truck and it has been a lemon. I have taken it to two dealerships, neither can fix my issue. I have done countless hours of research to address the issue. I am paying payments and do not have anything to drive. I need help with this issue. I have maintained the vehicle and have only put close to 60,000 miles on the truck. There is no logical reason I should be dealing with this many major issues that even the dealership can not seem to remedy. With such low miles and at only 7 years old, these issues should not be considered "routine maintenance" at the point in the truck's life. I believe this issue needs to be investigated, as I know many RAM owners who are facing the same issues that I am having, with no answers as of yet. I have been watching for recalls or statements from RAM, but nothing yet. Thank you for your time and careful considerations. I look forward to seeing a solution to my issues. Until then, I'll be stranded in Virginia, paying for transportation that can't be fixed.

NHTSA ID

11685480

Incident

Dec 31, 1969

MGU FAILED AND HAS BEEN ON BACKORDER FOR MONTHS

NHTSA ID

11682661

Incident

Jul 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle jerked violently and downshifted unintendedly. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the gear shift indicator and speedometer were malfunctioning. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the failure had recurred while driving at various speeds, and the vehicle stalled on several occasions. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to be restarted after 5-15 minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with loose wires. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while his son was driving 65 MPH, the failure recurred, and the vehicle shut off. The contact's son was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact’s son was unable to remove the ignition key when the vehicle shut off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.

NHTSA ID

11680350

Incident

Jun 12, 2025

Mileage

16,000 mi

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently shifted from drive(D) to park(P) independently. After shifting back to drive(D), the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11676774

Incident

Jul 28, 2025

Motor Generator Unit failed at 89,000 miles. Three dealerships that I spoke with having waiting lists of customers for this repair. Backlog on part is up to four months. It is evident that this is specifically problematic to the models equipped with the 5.7-liter V8 Hemi MDS VVT eTorque Engine. Federal warranty expires at 80,000/ 8 years. Based upon the number of vehicles effected and specific to eTorque engines, seems like a recall (or reimbursement) is warranted in this case.

NHTSA ID

11674195

Incident

Jul 7, 2025

The dangerous behavior occurs only when the truck is in four-wheel-drive. Two behaviors: One:Low range. Ascending up a steep dirt road without warning truck shifted into neutral and got stuck there. Shifting into reverse drive or park did not take it out of neutral. The steering and brakes worked. The four-wheel-drive, low and four-wheel-drive high indicatorlights were blinking simultaneously. This behavior persisted after turning the truck off and on again. I had to back down a switchback dirt road. Eventually, I thought to disconnect the battery and reconnect it which corrected the behavior and put the truck back to normal. I no longer use this truck in four-wheel-drive low. I am having the truck looked at by a second dealer service department to try to diagnose this problem. 2: the second abnormal, behavior occurs in four-wheel-drive low, first gear heading downhill using the engine compression for braking. The truck will without warning shift into 2 Wheel Dr. high range, and the four-wheel-drive, low and four-wheel-drive high indicator lights blink simultaneously. This behavior is corrected by turning the engine off and then on again.

NHTSA ID

11674119

Incident

Jul 3, 2025

My 2019 RAM 1500 Big Horn/Longhorn 3.6L V6 (VIN: [XXX] ) experienced a sudden and catastrophic engine failure without warning while driving. The vehicle shut off unexpectedly on the highway and would not restart. There were no prior dashboard warning lights, low oil pressure indicators, or error messages before the incident. A full diagnostic revealed severe mechanical failure in cylinder 1, including piston-to-valve contact and 40% leak-down with compression at 50 psi. This damage rendered the engine inoperable and required a complete replacement. Prior to the failure: The vehicle was regularly maintained using synthetic oil, following the manufacturer's recommended intervals (between 6,500–10,000 miles). The oil life indicator was followed, and the truck was never low on oil or pressure. A Customer Satisfaction Notification for PCM (Powertrain Control Module) reprogramming was never completed due to the dealer’s system being down on two separate service visits. Despite following proper maintenance and attempting to comply with the manufacturer’s recall-like notice, the engine failure occurred without any warning or indication. The dealership and warranty provider have attempted to deny responsibility, blaming maintenance intervals without proof that it caused the failure. This is a serious safety concern as the engine shut down at highway speed, placing me and others at risk. I am requesting NHTSA investigate this issue and whether PCM logic, a known defect, or improper diagnostics at the dealership contributed to the failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11662953

Incident

Apr 13, 2025