2023 RAM 2500 Electrical Problems

This complaint notes two separate safety problems for the 2023 Ram 2500 Tradesman. 1) Transmission leak. "Heavy transmission leak" noted by dealer during normal service. Apparently so common that the seals are on back order. Was caught at 35453 miles so covered by warranty, but any issues related to the leak I am told will not be covered once they fix the leak. I have read this common leak has been known to cause pressure issues and fires. 2) Electrical issue related to key fob. Since the truck was brand new, an error message would light up the dash indicating "Key Fob not detected" This would happen when trying to start the truck and while driving. This has left me stranded several times from not starting the truck and having to wait an hour to get truck to recognize key fob. While driving, truck will go into limp mode until you park, turn off the truck, and restart with the same key fob. Have brought to the dealer many times. they state low battery. I pay for them to put in new battery. before I leave the dealership the problem still shows up. They have replaced the key fob twice now. The last time at 35453 miles. Dealer says Problem out of their control after 500 more miles at 36000 when warranty is up. If the truck stops working while driving because of key fob I am out of a truck? Both issues are safety concerns.

NHTSA ID

11738397

Incident

May 7, 2026

The contact owned a 2023 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in his driveway, it had spontaneously caught fire. The contact had been alerted by a neighbor when the contact observed the vehicle engulfed in flames from the front end into the passenger cabin. The contact stated that the fire department was called and extinguished the fire using water and chemicals. The contact stated that his insurance provider had declared the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was still in his driveway. The contact stated that the heat from the fire had damaged the driveway and the garage. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V060000 (Electrical System). When the contact checked his VIN, it was not part of the recall selection. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

NHTSA ID

11709743

Incident

Jan 7, 2026

Mileage

57,000 mi

Grid Heater Relay failure. From my understanding this problem is an issue across the United States. The grid heater on the 6.7L diesels has a bolt that welds itself off and can go into the intake causing an engine failure. Recently Dodge has told me that this is not covered under a power train warranty. There is no other remedy they provide other than spending $800+ for a aftermarket part to replace the OEM grid heater.

NHTSA ID

11623749

Incident

Oct 22, 2024

The contact owns a 2023 Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving approximately 74 MPH, the EGR valve de-energized seizing the turbo, causing the vehicle do decelerate to 30 MPH in less than a quarter mile. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the vehicle, and waited approximately 15 minutes before restarting the vehicle and continuing to drive the vehicle. The contact stated the failure had occurred several times while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the vehicle had previously been repaired under a TSB with NHTSA ID Number: 10241065 (Electrical System, Engine and Engine Cooling) before the contact took ownership of the vehicle. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer where the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve, Turbo actuator, and Engine Control Module (ECM) were replaced. The dealer was unsure if the repairs would fix the vehicle. The vehicle remained at the dealer. The manufacturer had been made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 12,000.

NHTSA ID

11601186

Incident

May 11, 2024

Mileage

12,000 mi

While driving I get a return for service and all my dash lights and rear view mirror goes blank with light flashing and aural warning. Have taken to dealer and they replace backup camera, simplest fix for them, then it did it again when I picked up and continues to do while driving home. I have not driven in over 4 months waiting on parts which Ram says are not available.

NHTSA ID

11587922

Incident

Oct 27, 2023

Hvac system blows cold or hot air through defrost in any mode. Face , feet, no matter what. Makes it hard to see out windows.

NHTSA ID

11585363

Incident

Apr 26, 2024

High beams engage when left turn signal is activated. Also, when flashing high beams by pulling the turn signal stalk forward, the left turn signal activates.

NHTSA ID

11555203

Incident

Nov 14, 2023

Randomly, when powering up the vehicle, the instrument cluster emits a very bright light on the left side only. This light cannot be dimmed or turned off with the lighting controls. As a result, driving at night is dangerous with a bright light stuck on directly in front the driver. Normal functionality is for a dim accent light to show on both sides of the dash (and is controllable via a dimmer). When the problem occurs, I'm forced to drive with less than ideal visibility. Please review attached photos.

NHTSA ID

11551062

Incident

Sep 1, 2023

Headlight high beams turn on with left turn signal, also when actuating the high beams it turns on the left turn signal. You can not signal left without blinding other traffic with the high beams. No service lamps, happened since I bought the truck new. Ram has failed to service the vehicle and fix the issue. 3 trips to the dealer and 2 conversations with ram cares.

NHTSA ID

11539516

Incident

Jun 21, 2023