NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Ram 1500. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
After coming to a complete stop where the auto stop engages and then trying to start and move again, the truck will stall, put itself into park and apply the emergency brake. The only way to resolve from here is to turn off/on the truck and release the parking brake. A big hazard when in heavy truck and people are expecting the truck to be moving.
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds, the vehicle lost motive power. The failure occurred on two separate occasions and nearly caused a collision. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,665.
When attempting to make a turn on a back street after a partial rolling stop the vehicle stalled out. The engine cut off and I was fortunate enough to be able to coast to the side of the ride without harming anyone else. The vehicle automatically applied hazard lights, engaged the parking brake once I came to a complete stop, and signaled for me to "push to start" the vehicle again. Prior to that occurring no warning signs were given that the vehicle was having any issues. I was able to restart the truck but this is the 2nd time something like this has occurred since owning this brand new vehicle. This created a potentially hazardous situation as the people behind me had no warning and if I were to cut out into a busy street I would have been hit. I'm fearful of this happening in a busy area while with my family. The dealership/manufacturer has not looked at this vehicle since the incident. I am scheduled to bring it in next weekend.
My Ram truck with a Ecodiesel engine completely died and stalled. It would not restart. Luckily I was not on the interstate or highway. I was only in a parking lot, but had to have it pushed out of the driving lane and into a safe area. The truck is only 6 months old. After having the truck towed to the dealer, they notified me several days later that the fuel pump had gone out and likely damaged the entire diesel fuel system. This is one of the Bosch CP4 fuel/injector pumps that are currently on recall on HD Rams and under investigation by the NHTSA. There were no warning indicators or symptoms beforehand, it simply stalled and would not restart. The vehicle is available for inspection, but has not been inspected by the manufacturer, only the dealer at this point. The vehicle has been in the dealer repair shop for nearly a month now. Some of the parts needed for repair are on back order and the dealer cannot tell me how long it will take to get them in. The only good news at this point is that the dealer has said that it is under warranty. One key concern I have is that they are going to put the same Bosch CP4 pump back on. Considering, that by all the facts I can gather at this point, that CP4 pump is either defective or the wrong pump to use with U.S. diesel fuel, I don't feel good about the dealer putting the same pump back on the truck. Was hoping this could help with your agency's investigation, including looking at the 1/2 ton diesel Ram trucks that use the same pump as the Heavy Duty Ram trucks.
When I pressed the accelerator after the light turned green, the engine bogged, didn't respond and then stalled. The truck automatically shifted to park and engaged the parking brake. I tried to restart the truck multiple times and it would not start. Thankfully a passing tow truck driver stopped to help me get out of the busy road. After a few minutes, the truck started again and I was able to continue driving. Me being stuck in the middle of a busy road was extremely dangerous and a police officer had to direct traffic around my disabled truck.
Truck engine stalls and turns off at unexpected times when traveling under 25 miles per hours, the emergency brake gets engaged and the car just turns off in the middle of driving. It happens whether or not the Auto start feature is activated or not.
On Monday 11/29 around 5:30pm I was on the San Mateo Bridge (92) going eastbound with my children when the truck came too an abrupt stop and shut off! I was going about 65mph as it was the mid time for rush hour. Fortunately no one hit us from behind and I was able to kinda pull over into the emergency lane without going over the bridge and thankful the person behind also pulled over since he seen what happened and wanted to check on us. We did exchange information especially since Ram Customer Care and NHTSH doesn't seem to believe anyone about these problems since there hasn't been any recalls on this safety issue! This isn't the first incident I've had with this truck but so far was the most dangerous especially since my children were in the vehicle Yes I have been in touch with Ram Customer Care and nothing but ok take it back to the dealership uh no I'm done with that. It was already there twice for over a month period each time and they don't know what's going on since there is nothing that comes on the scan. When will something be done? When someone is injured or there's a fatality?
The backup camera no longer works. I only have 2200 miles on my truck
I was driving on the street and had to accelerate rapidly to avoid a collision and when I pressed down the accelerator pedal it got stuck and the truck accelerated and wouldn’t slow down, I immediately pressed on the brake and it did not slow down at all, I then managed to bring the accelerator pedal back up with my shoe and get it unstuck and that’s when The truck stopped accelerating. To the best of my knowledge it seemed as if the pedal was sticky or like a spring or something made it get stuck to the accelerating position. I did not notice any warning lights on the dashboard but this is a very serious concern because I was approaching an intersection when this occurred and also I always carry my baby in the truck with me. I have an appt with the dealership on 11/29/21 to diagnose concern.
In an effort to avoid deer, driver swerved and crashed into woods where small trees were hit with the truck crashing and stopping in a small ravine. As a result of the front end damage (bumper, grill, etc.) and impact, front Air bags failed to deploy. Injuries incurred were a broken nose, left knee injury, left elbow injury, mid to lower right back injury, possible heart Afib (not previously known or detected prior to accident could have been exacerbated).
While traveling 15 mph across railroad tracks, the throttle stopped responding to the gas pedal and stopped accelerating. The vehicle made it three feet past outer track and began to roll backward, I applied emergency brake and put gear in park but dial would not move. I attempted restart 3 times without success; 4th time worked and was able to move forward to safe position.
Today 11/19 around 12:50pm Pacific Time I was picking up my kids from school and as I was going about 20mph and my truck braked out of nowhere then shut off. Nothing was with 50ft in front and luckily no one was behind me. This isn't the first time this has happened the first time was on the freeway as I was going 75mph and fortunate no on hit me then. This is a safety issues for owners and other drivers. Unfortunately my truck still has the issue of staying on at times which again is a safety issue and fire hazard. We have video on our security cameras that caught the dashboard blinking and no it's not any security light. My truck has been to the dealer twice already for these issues for about a month. The dealer couldn't figure out what was wrong they don't even know. A little over month ago Ram Customer care case manager (2nd one I've dealt with) called and she asked me if the dealer called me and I told her no one has called me but I have the same issues and some. She said she'd call the dealer for an appointment and after that nothing till last Wednesday 11/10 around 6pm Pacific Time I got a call from another case manager I missed that call as I was outside trying to get the truck to turn off and since then I have been returning her calls and nothing. I guess we'll just have to wait for something serious to happen before these issues become important to [XXX]. This truck is our family vehicle so why aren't these SAFETY ISSUES taken more SERIOUS? No warning lights came on dashboards before braking out of nowhere. Guess we'll just have to see what happens...We LOVE our RAM but [XXX] the issues it has. Can't upload videos on here they should change that. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Driving around 25 MPH and slowed to make a left turn into a parking lot. At about 10 MPH the engine shut off. As I came to a stop the parking brake was automatically engaged. I had to put the truck in park, restart the engine and remove the parking brake to drive off. Thank god I wasn't stuck in the middle of the road. As I do my research this same issue has been reported by many etourque ram owners.
Automatic emergency braking has failed to operate on several occasions, the warning flashes 'brake' but the truck never applies any brakes. If I was not able to slam on brakes myself and dive into another lane safely I would have crashed.
Driving 8-10mph in traffic when truck engine died. Truck stopped and engaged emergency parking brake. Was able to restart truck and go on my way. 2600miles on odometer, I have read many other owners experiencing exact same issue with eTorque.
This following has now happened twice, first time 9/7/21- second time 11/12/21. While slowing from approximately 35-40 MPH to make a right hand turn the vehicle shuts off - auto braking engages - must restart the vehicle. As stated, this has now happened twice (truck has 10K miles) - vehicle shutting off in traffic and applying auto braking is highly dangerous and placing myself and my passengers at risk.
Engine died while driving. There could have been a collision if the oncoming vehicle would have failed to stop in time. The problem has not been reproduced. Dealership could not find a code. There is an appointment scheduled 11/16/21 for the Dealership to inspect the vehicle again. This is the third time that this has occurred. 1st time was as soon as I pulled off the dealership lot with 34 miles on the vehicle. The 2nd time was at 300 miles on the vehicle and the 3rd time, the vehicle has 1022 miles. All these incidents has occurred in 3 weeks.
Coming up to a T junction where I had to stop and turn left, slowed to about 2 mph and accelerated into a left hand turn when truck's engine died, truck stopped and the parking brake was engaged automatically. The transmission didn't turn to neutral so minimal rolling just stopped in middle of road. Cars around me had to brake to avoid hitting mine.
My new truck has less than 500 miles on it, and it was just purchased new last month. This incident has happened to me twice so far on the mornings of 10/31/2021 and 11/7/2021. Making a slow left hand turn, the vehicle turned off and and stopped in the middle of the intersection. The vehicle emergency brake also automatically was set when it stalled. The message on the dash said something like to restart, put foot on brake and push start button. This incident was very dangerous and could have resulted in an accident. I am lucky I was not hit in the intersection. In both cases, this occurred about a mile from my home and my initial trip of the day. Temperature outside was normal about 60 degrees. I have scheduled an appointment with the dealer for 11/9/2021
On several occasions since purchase of a new 2021 RAM 1500 the backup camera has failed to work when in reverse. A black screen is displayed. Repeated efforts to turn the backup camera on by putting the vehicle in reverse or selecting the backup camera from the control panel resulted in a black screen. Repeated efforts to turn the vehicle off and on several times consecutively had the same result. I also tried opening and closing the tail gate with no positive result.
On two separate occasions while slowing to make a turn or to come to a stop, the truck will shut off the engine, once it slows to below 5mph it will force itself into park and apply the emergency brake while still rolling. This is very unsafe when in traffic, and could cause a wreck. It has been at the dealership for two weeks and there is still no solution, and they have not been able to reproduce it yet. Both times there was no warning it was going to happen.
At approximately 9,000 miles I was turning left from a residential area traveling at 15-25 mph. During the turn, and without warning, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle shifted to park, the electronic parking brake engaged and the engine shut off. There were no warning lights before the incident and the incident has not occurred since. I pressed the start button and the engine fired and was operational. Of concern is that the vehicle stalled while I was being followed by another car. Fortunately, the other driver realized something was wrong and was able to stop before striking the rear of the truck. A certified dealership found no current or history codes when it scanned, and could not duplicate the issue. No repairs were done.
While driving about 5mph approaching an intersection my ram shut off without warning, said “apply brake to start vehicle” and as I rolled through the intersection with zero control at about 2mph it set its parking brake by itself. I had to move my shifter to park, apply the brake, restart the truck, and turn off the parking brake IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION. Thank God it was a small subdivision intersection at night so there was no traffic or myself or someone else could have been hurt or killed. No dash warning lights, no remaining lights, no codes thrown, no issue after restarting, no reproducible codes found by the dealer. Only 1,000 miles on the truck. I’m terrified of this happening again, but haven’t been able to replicate it myself or the dealer. It’s not safe and I don’t want to die as a result of this. It seems to be a major problem with the e-torque trucks based on forums.
While making a left hand turn at approximately 5-9mph, my engine turned off. I braked the vehicle to a stop and the Emergency break then automatically haulted the vehicle to a stop. Once stoped the dash read “press brake and push button to start”. The dash then read “park brake auto engaged press brake +push switch to release”. I then pressed brake and pushed switch to turn off E-brake. The screen then read “Safe-hold temporarily disabled” I then turned the truck on and the dash read “auto park disabled”. To sum up, the truck is auto parking while I am driving down the road. This occurred today (11-03-2021) at 9:50AM. Two times within 1 week this has happened. Beginning to occur more and more frequently. Has happened several times in the past and the dealership told me there’s nothing they can do because they can’t duplicate the issue. Ram will charge me for any further service appointments regarding the issue. Major safety concern. Video footage of incident available if requested.
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH, the engine suddenly shut off and the message "Put in Park" was displayed on the dashboard. The vehicle continued to roll away before automatically switching to the park position causing the vehicle to abruptly stop. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 6,113.
Gas mile sensor goes from 250miles to 60miles left in tank. It jumps up and down on the miles. It said I had 175 miles till tank to be empty. I was driving for 10 minute it drop to 10 miles and then car shut off. It had no gas. Transmission when driving it sometime doesn’t change gear. Rpm goes up 6000 7000 driving 15-20 mph. It happen more often when going up a steep hill and going on a flat road the gear won’t change
Engine has stalled multiple times while making turns, left or right. Was able to restart every time. Dealer cannot replicate and has not repaired.
04-19-21, 05-18-21, 07-05-21, 09-19-21, 10-06-21, 10-30-21. Engine shuts off while making a right hand turn at approximately 10-15 mph. Emergency flashers automatically turn on, "Shift to P to start" appears on dash. I then brake to come to a complete stop. The truck then converts its-self from "Drive" to "Park" and engages the emergency brake. "Press brake and push button to start appears on dash". I press brake and push button to start vehicle. Vehicle then turns on and I disengage Emergency break. I then put truck in drive and turn off flashers. Dash then says "Autopark disabled" and I continue on. This has happened on all of the above dates. I was nearly rear ended when it occurred on 09-19-2021. I have video footage of two of the occurrences. Took truck to dealership on the following dates regarding issue: 04-29-21(3,232 mi.), 05-27-21 (4,227 mi.) , 06-11-20, 07-08-2021(6,295 mi). Chrysler service department said the issue must have been a "glitch" and could never duplicate the problem. Got a letter in the mail from Ram in July stating that I would have to begin paying for the inspections regarding the issue since receiving the letter. Have not taken it to the dealership since then. *** Other Issues *** -Can’t use park assist because brakes randomly lock up when backing out of my driveway or parking spots angled at a slope. -Truck quit honking when pressing lock button on 10-16-2021 – took to Dealership on 10-23-2021 issue resolved -Truck failed to shift on interstate- quit accelerating and revved up to 6,000 RPMS – 10-29-2021 -Truck would not accelerate at stop light 11-02-2021 and then tires spun out when it finally did accelerate.
I am a courier and use my truck to deliver lots of material that I pick up at loading docks. The back up camera shows all shadows as simply black areas, and any details in shadow are absent. If my load obscures my rear view mirror I am backing up blind until the camera is itself in shadow. This is incredibly dangerous, especially if backing up around children.
I slowed down to take a right turn into a drive through when the engine shut off out of nowhere. I had to stop to try to start again. When I slowed down, the truck put itself into park and applied the parking brake, coming to a sudden stop. I restarted the engine and put the truck back into drive with no problems. This incident can pose a severe safety risk if, for example, I would take a left turn and the engine shuts off with oncoming traffic approaching.
I purchased the new vehicle in May 2021. As a single individual, normally I am alone in the vehicle. While on a trip to Florida my niece was sitting in the rear-passenger seat with the window partially open and sustained a very slight cut on her forearm from the window. After inspection, there is a visible deformation of the glass. Back in Chicago I waiting until my first oil change was due and reported the glass defect to the dealer service department. The service manager decided that the glass was not defective but possibly damaged by transport from the factory. They refused to address the issue. I contacted Ram customer service and was told to keep visiting other dealers until I find one willing to address the issue. Auto door window glass is Tempered and if damaged during transport, would have shattered. Also as evident in the attached photos, there is no damage to the outside of the glass where transport damage would have occurred, plus the area where the defect is visible would have been enclosed within the door frame during transport. My concern is the possibility of another individual cutting themselves on the deformed glass. I am even more concerned that the structural integrity of the glass might be compromised by the defect and the glass shattering in a passenger's face without warning.
Was backing out of a parking spot truck shut off when restarted it was limited power and check engine light. 1920 miles.
The incident is related to the truck’s engine and possibly hybrid electrical system. When pulling away from a light, the truck reached about 10 MPH and then stalled out. The electronics remained on but the engine would not start. This had happened once previously and the engine did start up after going through a key cycle. I was left stranded in the middle of a busy intersection, endangering myself and others on the road. Luckily some firefighters were close by to stop traffic and help me get the truck to a safe location. I had the truck towed to RAM on 10/22. I still have not heard back with their suspected issue and repair plan. The truck is at Arrigo Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in West Palm Beach FL. I also found TSB-08-014-21 that seems related to my issue. I’ve passed this information off to the dealer as well.
Twice in one week the Truck has stalled in the middle of the road at very low speed. Maybe it a issue with the etorque. This can be very dangerous and may cause an accident. I have read about the same problem/same issue with this 2021 Ram 1500.
While driving and making a right turn low speed 10 mph to 20 mph .. the car completely shuts off on me .. happened 2x within 2000 miles of each other . No engine codes or anything . I pull over to the side and put in park and car turns back on. Major safety issue if it happens during high traffic. Others are reporting the same issue with this vehicle and dealer cannot replicate the issue and give the car back and it happens again.
engine stalls coming up to stop sign, no warning light, truck will not start until it comes to a comple stops, no power brakes, truck computer apples parking brake and you have to put in park and release brake before you can restart. This happen in the middle of a intersection with traffic on both sides of vehicle. no warning light.
I purchased a 2021 Ram TRX in Nov of 2021. The tailgate had opened on its own several times over 9 months until Nov 2022. I complained to dealer during oil changes and they said it was my fault and blamed me for not shutting it hard enough or hitting release button in my pocket. I had 8 instances of the tailgate coming open. One I had my cargo load calm out onto highway. Two I had my golf clubs fall out onto highway. Three I had my tailgate hit my boat trailer jack. I went to an independent shop to determine if they could help some dealer never even recorded my complaints or requests. On inspection we found the strikers severely out of alignment and adjusted them to fix issue. We recorded videos and photos of the alignment prior to adjustment and after. In Dec 2022, Ram issued a recall for this exact issue. They then inspected my vehicle and noted the adjustments we made and the facts it was out of alignment prior. Marks could be easily seen where it was factory installed and where we adjusted to remediate. Stellantis and Ram are now denying all liability for my losses and damages prior to the recall since I repaired outside of Ram despite their refusal to repair after several losses incurred.
I left my house 10/18/21 to go to work, drove the truck approximately 2 miles going into two separate curves and then stopping at a stop sign. As I accelerated forward and turning to the left the trucks motor suddenly just shut down and a message that said place vehicle in park and push brake in to restart engine. That is not exactly what it said I semi panicked as cars where behind me and one coming in front of me.
On two occasions vehicle has stalled after making a stop and then turning onto another roadway. First incident occurred at approximately 60 miles on odometer on 09/01/2021. Vehicle stopped as stop sign prior to making a right hand turn. When engaging the throttle after the stop, vehicle stalled partway into the turn, and the console indicator stated to place vehicle in park before starting. The emergency brake also engaged. As I was halfway into the turn, traffic was momentarily clear, however, other motorists were approaching. I had to place vehicle in park, release parking brake, and then shift back into drive. The second incident occurred with the odometer at approximately 1816 miles on 10/16/2021. Circumstances were identical with the exception of roadway was in residential area, therefore there was no oncoming traffic when vehicle stalled in intersection.
I purchased this vehicle on August 2021 with a towing package thinking I could tow an RV Trailer. The Vehicle did not have a brake controller. Went to the dealer who advise me that this item, Electronic Trailer Brake Controller - Mopar (82215278AE) is on back order (450 orders) and cannot per manufacturer advise me when this item will be in stock. The Trailer Brake Controller assist the vehicle when stopping by helping to brake the RV Trailer. The dealer did not advise me of this problem at time of purchase. I believe that vehicles, RAM Products will hit the road with no Electronic Trailer Brake Controller, (chip problems), for many years causing many vehicles accident and deaths.
Was driving at slow speed making a right turn no brake or acceleration coasting through a turn and the 2021 Ram 1500 Larime with eTorque turned off and I had to pull to the side of the road. Engine was off, radio, lights and dash were all on and it went into e brake telling me to apply brake, turn off e brake and restart….highly dangerous. Appears to be a major issue with many of these trucks. Mine only has 1200 miles, it’s brand new.
While slowing down to make a right turn and then trying to accelerate the vehicle stalled, turned itself off, put itself in park and applied the parking brake. This has happened twice now. The first time at approximately 4,000 miles and the second time just over 6,000 miles. This has been reported to the dealer, they flashed the PCM, but that obviously dod not correct the issue.
I was turning right at 2-3 mph when the engine shut off, vehicle shifted to park, and electronic parking brake applied itself. I had to shift to Park and release the electronic parking brake to restart it. The truck had been parked for approximately 8 hours following a 26 mile drive. Outside air temperature was around 70 deg F. Truck has been in my possession for 8 days and has about 1100 miles on it. It is an eTorque engine. Fuel level was about 3/4 tank. The truck had been running for about 5 minutes and traveled about 1/4 mile. The truck is completely stock.
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the car wash, he noticed that the headliner had turned blue. The contact stated that the inside of the rear end of the vehicle was corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that water was leaking through the rear taillight on top of the cab into the headliner and rear end of the vehicle. The dealer installed silicon in the gap between the rear subframe and the rear taillight; however, the failure had been recurring. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately was 3,000.
Once again I'm having to make a complaint. While going 70 on the freeway the truck shut off out of nowhere. Almost causing multiple vehicle to hit me with my kids in the car! Some red light on the dash quickly flashed and right after the truck shut off. A vehicle behind be stopped and slowed traffic down thankfully and I was frantically able to start it and immediately pulled off the freeway and just thankful. I called my hubby to come switch vehicles cause I wasn't going to drive it after that. I'm still having issues with the truck staying on after turning it off happened about twice a week for a few minutes then I move parking spots and see what happens. Just a beautiful truck but so many safety issues. Oh and seems like the truck was slapped together. Mufflers aren't straight or even, interior door panels keep coming off, lining is already falling apart, front bumper goes to the right, and break system just turns on at times. Truck was bought brand new with 49 or 59 miles and currently has 26k yes I know high but that's no reason for this to be happening. I have videos of these things happening.
I drove in to park, I pulled more to the right to give way to pulling out going car I did not notice 3-short protective steel pole that caused damage to running board & scratches on front passenger door. Had the early warning device sensor of side bumper sounded,Icould have avoided it. I Tested, even the front sensors were not working not even warning lights in the instrument screen. The following day I reported to Dealer's Service Mgr. & I kept testing it for several days & The Customer Care of Ram denied responsibility that it driver' negligence. My truck has several history of failed electronics devices the dealer corrected except this one because it's back sounding again. This Early Warning Device Sensors is accident preventive. It comes on & off like the backing camera & others. It normally sounding loud as I park but prior to incident, I don't remember it's sounding I parked but rear bumper sensors are good I always hear it loudly. I advised them of my intention to file claim for the damage. I can forward emails from dealer & Ram Cutomer Care
- Started the truck after sitting overnight. - Drove about .5 miles to a stop sign, started to accelerate and the truck stalled. It automatically applied the Peking break. - After turning knob to Park and manually engaging/disengaging parking break a few time, truck finally started back up.
While performing left hand turn, braked to make turn, truck slowed down and engine cut off and display indicated put in park, emergency brake engaged. Had to come to complete stop and put in park to start back up. Had to manually disengage parking brake.
Brand new under 2k miles. After being at a stop sign took a right turn, under 30mph car just trucknjust turned off. All warnings flashed, immediately stopped the engine and almost caused a multiple vehicle accident. After about a minute was able to restart and go. Has happened a few times. Dealer doesn't see anything wrong with it.
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while making a left turn, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the parking brake applied independently. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drive to his destination. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,915.