2026 RAM 1500 Electrical Problems

On September 14, 2026, my 2026 Ram 1500 Limited, with approximately 6,000 miles, caught fire while parked and unattended in my workplace parking lot. I had driven the vehicle approximately six minutes to work and parked it at approximately 1:30 PM. I did not notice any warning lights, warning messages, smoke, unusual smells, or other indications of a problem while driving or when I parked the vehicle. At approximately 2:25 PM, a coworker noticed smoke coming from the parked vehicle. He approached the vehicle and then ran inside to alert others. Workplace surveillance cameras captured the incident. Management reviewed the footage, which shows the truck sitting parked and unattended before smoke becomes visible, followed very quickly by visible flames. The fire developed very rapidly. The fire department responded and extinguished the fire, and a fire investigator responded to the scene. There was no collision, the vehicle was unoccupied, and thankfully there were no injuries. The cause of the fire and the component or system responsible are currently UNKNOWN. The vehicle is available for inspection. Because this is a 2026 vehicle with only approximately 6,000 miles that caught fire while parked and turned off shortly after being driven, we are concerned that a vehicle component or system may have malfunctioned and created a serious safety hazard.

NHTSA ID

11764237

Incident

Sep 14, 2026

The charging system does not charge the starting battery at times. On a 2 plus hour drive I got a low voltage warning from my dash camera. the dashcam has the feature to protect not running the battery to low. I was driving at highway speeds and the trucks onboard gauges showed the battery voltage at 12.5 volts. It should show between 13.8 to 14.1 with the engine running. If the battery were to have completely died the truck would have been disabled at speed. Dealer looked at it and charged the battery up. Said batter was good and saw no issues, but I have experienced it again after so they are wrong. Truck has less than 4000 miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11763918

Incident

Aug 22, 2026

On XXX, I leased a 2026 Ram 1500 truck from Enterprise Rent-A-Car ([XXX] branch) with a friend, both of us being young women. While traveling, the vehicle suffered a catastrophic electronic system failure. The truck’s central computer completely desynced from the key fob, locking two female occupants out and leaving us stranded and vulnerable in a remote area. It also began alerting about “ checking tire pressure system despite checking all tires. A passerby stopped (dangerous) and by offered a used AirTag battery, the red light in the fob was working before and after the battery change. It started once, we were forced to sleep in a running vehicle, afraid to turn it off. Eventually the tire pressure alert over rode the key fob alert so we reached a secure location and turned off and locked the truck. After breakfast we were completely locked out and stranded again. We tried a replacement NEW fob battery but still didn’t sync leaving us stranded AND locked out. Because Enterprise corporate actively alters manufacturer safety equipment by stripping the physical, manual emergency backup key blades out of the key fob housings, we had absolutely no physical mechanism to override the locked doors to seek shelter or access the cabin during this system failure.A subsequent VIN search on the official NHTSA database proved that this exact vehicle had an active, unresolved federal safety recall for software defects (NHTSA Recall Campaign #26V-531 / Manufacturer Recall #78D) issued on XXX. Enterprise held this vehicle in its active fleet and rented it to me eleven full days after the federal safety recall went live, violating federal laws governing rental fleet recall compliance. The specific software defect cited in the federal recall matches the exact electrical system crash that disabled our vehicle, locked out our security protocols, and put our physical safety at risk TWICE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11763022

Incident

Sep 7, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V059000 (Exterior Lighting, Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. 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 had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ID

11763018

Incident

Sep 9, 2026

The vehicle has failed to start and left me stranded multiple times. The concerning thing here is, upon jumping the vehicle, there were no concerning lights just a single check engine light. I was driving directly to the dealer for a repair. All was fine for about 10 minutes. Then, I hit the brakes and all warning lights came up and the brakes STOPPED WORKING. The pedal was soft and going nearly to the floor. I very luckily avoided an accident and pulled over, then had the vehicle towed to the dealer. A week and a half later, when trying to start the truck it had another full electrical freakout and was towed to the dealer again.

NHTSA ID

11762807

Incident

Aug 10, 2026

[XXX]. at about [XXX] I put the vehicle on Drive mode after releasing the electronic parking brake. Suddenly the vehicle engine stopped running all power was not available to include power windows and doors. I was trapped inside my vehicle for about 20 minutes. I made a call to the manufacture's roadside assistance at 8667264636 since the vehicle has only 3,000 miles on it. The script reading third world country support team was not very helpful. I managed to exit the vehicle through an open window after releasing the hood latch. My first troubleshooting procedure was to reboot the system by disconnecting the negative of the vehicle power pack, my next step was to confirm volage on the power pack. After I got confirmation that sufficient power was available and reconnected the negative side to the power pack, I used my key fob to unlock the vehicle. I got power to the dash and the 12" cluster screen but the push to start was still disabled. I called back the manufacture's roadside assistance once again only to be informed that I had to pay $200 for towing. I decided to disconnect the power pack once again this time for 30 minutes. Upon reconnecting it back again I was able to restart the vehicle and cautiously drove it to my home. I've noticed glitches since the last software update completed through my ISP as the system is designed to do so. Please investigate, this is a safety concern. People could get trapped for hours in inclement weather (heat) specially the ones with no technical/mechanical background. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11762728

Incident

Sep 7, 2026

My tailgate wont open at all ! I tried the button in the overhead console ,the key fob and manually! Nothing works and I can't get a dealership to get me a loaner to look at it because I can't be with out transportation! It's a little frustrating I have a new truck that was less then 1month old at the time. Not to mention the other electrical issues like (system keep unpairing my phone),my airbag RH rear canister makes a loud bursting noise or the light indicator in the mirror come on and system is froze until I turn the truck off and back on. I'm hoping you will be able to help with the issues I've mention!

NHTSA ID

11761422

Incident

Jul 29, 2026

While actively driving the vehicle on roadways the vehicle began initiating a software update without any approval prompt request to confirm OK to begin the update. The backup camera, radio, SOS and driver assistance features were unavailable during the update, and the update screen stated "Vehicle should not be driven, and should remain in PARK or with parking brake engaged". Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by dealer as it occurred this morning 8/28/26.

NHTSA ID

11760226

Incident

Aug 28, 2026

At a red light, the truck flashed all lights then refused to move. I tried to put the truck in park and turn it off and back on again but it didn't ever turn on again. The truck was towed to the dealer 13 days ago now. They fixed all safety recalls but it didn't resolve the issue and the truck still will not drive. The manufacturer is refusing to repair what the dealer believes to be the issue.

NHTSA ID

11760150

Incident

Aug 14, 2026

Vehicle auto braking inoperative, lane detection not working, main screen goes completely black. Vehicle went into limp mode while entering the freeway . Main dash flagged yellow, and highlighted check engine, service electric stability control, airbags service, 4 x 4 unavailable, service electronic stability control.

NHTSA ID

11757189

Incident

Aug 15, 2026

Check engine light on 2026 ram RHO Ram Dealerships selling trucks when they know have electrical problems coming off the assembly line.

NHTSA ID

11756396

Incident

Aug 1, 2026

Check engine light was electrical failure truck has been in the shop for a week now .

NHTSA ID

11756395

Incident

Aug 1, 2026

Multiple occurrences of center stack display freezing and then going black. Which made the backup camera display unable to be used. Screen stayed black for entire drive and did not reset until multiple restarts of vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11754434

Incident

Jul 28, 2026

My 2026 Ram 1500 Bighorn Crew Cab After vehicle startup, approximately five seconds, after initiating forward,, the vehicle experience and abrupt engine shut down while in motion. Concurrently the vehicles, electronic parking brake forcefully self engages without driver command due to an automated safety conflict. This severe powertrain, and electrical failure completely strands the vehicle and active traffic, presenting an immediate life-threatening risk of a rear-end collision. This exact failure mode has occurred a total of five separate times, and the authorized dealership is currently attempting a software remedy under an escalated Corporate stare case.

NHTSA ID

11753691

Incident

Jul 17, 2026

Truck went off when braking in traffic. Numerous times. Dealer unable To duplicate. Video was Sent to them. Headlights flash off sometimes at night when applying brakes.

NHTSA ID

11751148

Incident

Jun 27, 2026

Parking sensors and forward sensors used for adaptive cruise control will identify objects that are not there and the car will break. Car with shut off while driving (not the normal engine cutoff with restart) and shift to park suddenly. Backup camera is blanked out and rear sensor will not work. Towing mode with initiate on its own with not trailer hooked up while driving. False low oil lights and no tire pressure sensor connections. The truck has stalled several times while pulling into cross traffic nearly causing accidents 2x Display screen/speedometer will just black out while driving.

NHTSA ID

11751126

Incident

Jun 22, 2026

2026 Ram 1500 Bighorn level 2 package. The Theme Mode button is missing under Display or Profile on the radio display screen, which keeps the widgets on screen black and no back lighting on the instrument console gauges in front of driver during daylight operations keeping them dark also. Some vehicle have the issues with the missing Theme Mode Button others do not. Local dealer can’t figure a solution. Ram customer care states “ we can only make an ointment with the dealer.”

NHTSA ID

11749996

Incident

Jun 15, 2026

The uConnect radio and the gauge cluster in my 2026 RAM 1500 have consistent issues with their performance and do not operate consistently as designed. The gauge cluster will frequently go blank, have the odometer flashing, or stay on when the vehicle has been turned off. The radio will consistently display "connection negotiation failed" which impairs the use of android auto or any of the factory navigation or other radio features. You have to power cycle the vehicle a few times for those issues to resolve themselves.

NHTSA ID

11749800

Incident

Dec 9, 2025

The auto leveling air suspension in my 2026 RAM 1500 does not operate as designed. The vehicle is designed to lower from normal ride height to aero ride height at speeds above 63mph. However, it is not supposed to raise or lower at any speed automatically with a trailer with an integrated trailer brake controller attached to it. In January 2026, I was merging onto the highway with my 7x16 enclosed trailer and the rear end of the truck because unstable the stability control activated and when I looked at the dash it stated aero ride height achieved. I have video of this happening more than once. I took it to the dealer on January 16th was told to bring my trailer in and they woulf perform a comparison test with a truck that is equally equipped. It took from January to June to perform the comparison test. Stellantis has confirmed they are aware of the issue but they do not have a solution for it at this time.

NHTSA ID

11749799

Incident

Jan 2, 2026

The truck has a hose of issues I purchased the truck on 11/28/25 the truck has 6000 miles on it its been in the shop on multiple occasions for electrical issues with the entertainment system there are glitches in the system and it will randomly blank screen will not load information its been in the dealership of this issue and as of the last time it was in the dealerships communication with tech support as documented ( this is an emerging issued that will be solved in the future with software) no current fix is available The front and rear seats the leather was not installed properly and requires the leather to be removed and new leather and seat cushions to be installed the front doors the interior door panels are not adhered or fastened properly and come lose from the doors

NHTSA ID

11747099

Incident

May 28, 2026

The contact owns a 2026 Ram 1500. The contact stated that occasionally while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument panel powered off and would not illuminated critcal safety information. No warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to no recall was associated with the VIN. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign:26V225000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,000.

NHTSA ID

11741763

Incident

Apr 15, 2026

Mileage

3,000 mi

On Saturday April 25 while driving my leased Ram 1500 Tungsten with the radio volume turned all the way down (no sound), I was changing stations on SiriusXM using the steering wheel button when the volume suddenly went to maximum. It was easily over 100db and would not respond to the volume control knob and continued blasting until I turned the radio/center console power off. I took the vehicle to the dealership the following Monday, but they did not find any "codes" indicative of what may have caused the problem. While this may not appear to be a serious issue, it could have easily caused an accident given my startled reaction to the very loud sound; and one of my ears still hurts five days later. I have not tried to reproduce the issue.

NHTSA ID

11734823

Incident

Apr 25, 2026

The in-car microphone stopped working for several hours. I could hear the person on the phone but they could not hear me.

NHTSA ID

11731197

Incident

Apr 13, 2026

The back up camera display intermittently shows a blank blue display instead of the camera image while the vehicle is in reverse. This has occurred 4 times over 5 months of ownership of this brand new vehicle. The issue is usually resolved after a complete power cycle of the vehicle. The rear visibility of the vehicle is poor without the added benefit of the back up camera. The problem has not yet been brought to the attention of the dealership as it is very intermittent and has not been inspected by anyone but myself. There are no warning indicators.

NHTSA ID

11730313

Incident

Apr 5, 2026

Vehicle: 2026 Ram 1500 Limited I am filing a safety complaint regarding a brand new vehicle that experienced a dangerous failure in live traffic and continues to have unresolved issues. The vehicle was purchased on March 31, 2026. On April 3, 2026, just three days after purchase, the truck broke down in active traffic. The situation was serious enough that local police had to respond to direct traffic while the vehicle was towed. This created a clear safety hazard for both the occupants and other drivers on the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealership on April 4, 2026 for repair. At that time, the dealership replaced the battery and reset a radio frequency module. We were notified the vehicle was repaired and ready for pickup on April 7, 2026. However, immediately after leaving the dealership, the vehicle began experiencing additional failures. The key fob would not function, the doors would not lock or unlock electronically, and the vehicle struggled to start. Within minutes, the check engine light illuminated. Due to safety concerns, the vehicle was returned to the dealership the same day. After returning the vehicle, we were informed that there is a short in the main PDC (power distribution center / fuse box). This critical issue was not identified or addressed during the initial service visit. A fault in the main fuse box presents a serious safety concern, including the potential risk of an electrical fire. Additionally, the dealership failed to properly verify the repair before releasing the vehicle. The truck was not adequately tested or driven after the initial repair, resulting in us being sent to pick up a vehicle that was still unsafe and malfunctioning. This vehicle has been in our possession for approximately one week and has already experienced multiple serious failures, including a breakdown in live traffic, repeat electrical failures, and now a confirmed issue within the main power distribution system. The vehicle is unreliable and poses

NHTSA ID

11730035

Incident

Apr 3, 2026