2016 RAM 3500 Electrical Problems

I have a complaint that needs to be addressed. On Sept. 11 2025 I had a fire in the cab of my 2016 Ram 3500 truck while it was sitting in my drive way. It was not even running. The fire was not very big and it could have been repaired. So I called FCA and opened a case with them. They informed me that I needed to bring my truck into the closest dealership so that it could be inspected. So I then called and set up and appt for Sept. 12, 2025. I had my truck towed to the dealership and upon arrival my husband who took the truck was told to take it off the trailer. So they took it off the trailer. They informed me that a woman went to the truck, opened the door and stated “ well that’s a gonna be a total loss,” closed the door and had told them to move it to the fence line. She then stated that there was nothing that y’all could do for us and that it would cost me $350.00 to be diagnosed. At this time she already knew that I had an open case with FCA and that I was told to take it in. Upon walking to the truck when my husband opened the door and it had caught fire again. So he went and told some employees in the service dept and they ran out to the truck and disconnected the batteries. Then we were told that we needed to take it off the lot if we weren’t going to pay. So they reconnected the batteries and we put the truck back on the trailer and brought it home. The next day my truck was completely engulfed in flames along with my husbands welder which is used for our business. I called FCA back on Monday and spoke with my case manager/inspector and let them know about the two fires after the first and he stated he would be going to inspect the following day. He then asked if the truck was at the dealership and if the batteries had been disconnected by your employees. I stated no the truck is here at my home and the batteries were reconnected so that we could tow it out of the dealership since that’s what we were told to do. I have told the dealership and no response

NHTSA ID

11693412

Incident

Sep 14, 2025

On Sept. 11, 2025 my truck parked in my drive way. It was parked there all night. When I opened the doors to get in smoke and flames started coming out. The center console was on fire. The next day on Sept. 12, 2025 while at the dealership to have the truck inspected it caught fire again further burning the center console, the passenger seat and the roof. The dealership told us there is nothing they could do so we had to have the truck towed back to my home. Sunday night on Sept. 14,2025, I heard a loud pop noise and when I walked outside the entire cab of the truck was engulfed in flames. We had to call the fire department and they had to come put the fire out. Each of the incidences started spontaneously when the truck was just sitting parked.

NHTSA ID

11687435

Incident

Sep 11, 2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact's husband owns a 2016 Ram 3500. The contact stated that her husband was recently interested in trading in the vehicle. While on Facebook Marketplace, a person interested in vehicle requested a Carfax report of the vehicle. Upon obtaining the Carfax report, the contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 167,000; however, the Carfax report discovered that back in 2022, the vehicle mileage was 370,000.

NHTSA ID

11660502

Incident

May 1, 2024

Mileage

370,000 mi

ON THE SCREEN IT COMES UP (NOT ALL THE TIME) IT COMES UP SERVICE ELECTRONIC BRAKING SYSTEM AND CHECK TRAILER BRAKES( NO TRAILER) & EXHAUST BRAKE AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL COME OUT. I HAVE HAD MY TRUCK INTO LARRY MILLER IN BOISE 3-4 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM THEY SAY THEY CANNOT FIX IT BECAUSE IT IS NOT DOING IT THEN. IT WAS DOING IT ONE DAY I STOPPED AT PETERSEN DEALERSHIP AND THEY DID A PRINT OUT WITH WHAT IT IS DOING BUT SAID THEY COULDN'T FIX IT BECAUSE I BOUGHT TRUCK AT LARRY MILLER. SO I TOOK THE READ OUT TO LARRY MILLER THEY SAID IT'S NOT DOING IT NOW SO SORRY CAN'T FIX IT! THE TRUCK HAS 32,000 MILES AND HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS, THE TRUCK IS 3 YEARS OLD. ALSO, I HAVE HAD 5 RECALLS IN 3 YEARS I HAVE NO FAITH IN THIS TRUCK. I FEEL LARRY MILLER IS NOT INTERESTED AND WILL NOT WORK WITH ME TO FIX THIS TRUCK. I HAVE THE PRINTOUT WITH ALL THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE HAPPENING IF YOU WANT TO SEE THEM?

NHTSA ID

11210810

Incident

Feb 1, 2017

REAR DRIVERS WINDOW FALLS DOWN WITHOUT THE SWITCH BEING ACTIVATED.

NHTSA ID

11053962

Incident

Jul 17, 2017

Mileage

10,600 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 RAM 3500. AFTER TOWING A FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER FOR APPROXIMATELY FIVE HOURS, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO IMMEDIATELY RESTART AFTER BEING SHUT OFF AND IN THE PARK POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNKNOWN DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT LATER HEARD A LOUD BOOMING SOUND COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE BEFORE FAILING TO DRIVE FORWARD. A SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS PERFORMED ON THE ELECTRONIC TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER (STAFFORD DODGE LOCATED IN FREDRICKSBURG, VIRGINIA) WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.

NHTSA ID

11014255

Incident

Jun 6, 2017

Mileage

10,000 mi

ON 1/17/2017 I TOOK MY 2016 RAM 3500 INTO THE SELLING DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT (DWAYNE LANE'S EVERETT, WA) TO CHECK FOR THE CAUSE OF A "CHECK TRAILER WIRING" VISUAL AND AUDIBLE WARNING WHICH HAD BEEN PRESENT INTERMITTENTLY WITH BRAKE PEDAL APPLICATION SINCE SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE (NEW). WHEN PRESENT, THE DEFECT WOULD OCCUR IF THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY OR IN MOTION, PARTICULARLY IN DAMP ROAD CONDITIONS. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT, BECAUSE OF THE PRESENCE OF NON-FACTORY OPTIONS, THEY WOULD NOT WORK ON THE VEHICLE UNTIL IT WAS RETURNED TO STOCK CONDITION (MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY ACT VIOLATION) BASED ON THE ADVICE OF CHRYSLER/FCA. I THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO INSTALLED THE CAMPER WIRING, WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THE THE BLUE WIRE FROM THE BRAKE CONTROLLER TO THE FACTORY INSTALLED 7-PRONG PLUG WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY AT THE RAM FACTORY, CAUSING THE FAULT CODE AND A POTENTIAL MALFUNCTION OF THE TRAILER BRAKE SYSTEM. SHOULD THE BRAKES ON A TOWED VEHICLE MALFUNCTIONED IN OPERATION, THERE IS THE VERY REAL POSSIBILITY OF LOSS OF CONTROL, INJURY OR DEATH TO OCCUPANTS AND BYSTANDERS. I HAVE VIDEO OF THE FAULT TAKING PLACE BUT THE FILES ARE TOO LARGE TO ATTACH TO THIS EMAIL.

NHTSA ID

10947244

Incident

Jan 23, 2017

Mileage

6,554 mi

THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BREAK CONTROLLER DOES NOT STOP A HEAVY TRAILER PROPERLY. TESTS HAVE SHOWN THAT WHEN THE BREAK IS APPLIED THE CONTROLLER ONLY SENDS 7VOLTS TO THE TRAILER BREAKS. ADJUSTING THE GAIN TO THE MAXIMUM 10 SETTING HAS NO AFFECT. THE DEALER AND CHRYSLER SAY THE SYSTEM IS WORKING AS IT IS PROGRAMMED TO. IT IS DIFFICULT TO STOP THE TRUCK AND TRAILER IN A REASONABLE DISTANCE. CHRYSLER NEEDS TO COME UP WITH A FIX FOR THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOME ONE IS SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED.

NHTSA ID

10897168

Incident

Aug 7, 2016

Mileage

3,800 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 DODGE RAM 3500. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, WATER LEAKED FROM THE SUN ROOF WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO HAVE ELECTRICAL ISSUES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BE REPAIRED, BUT THE ISSUE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000.

NHTSA ID

10887407

Incident

Jul 20, 2016

Mileage

9,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 DODGE RAM 3500. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED TO DISPLAY THE PROPER MILEAGE WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,060.

NHTSA ID

10840189

Incident

Mar 1, 2016

Mileage

1,060 mi