What 136 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Ram 3500

THE TRANSMISSION IS SEVERELY LIMITED BY TORQUE MANAGEMENT. IF YOU STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL THE TRUCK BARELY MOVES. IT MOVES AT ITS OWN PACE INSTEAD OF BEING UNDER YOUR CONTROL. THIS CAN CREATES SOME VERY DANGEROUS MERGING SITUATIONS WHERE YOU ARE TRYING TO MERGE WITH TRAFFIC AND THE TRUCK DECIDES IT WON'T MOVE. YOU END UP HALF WAY COMMITTED AND HALF WAY NOT.

NHTSA ODI 10789751

EXCESSIVE DRIVELINE VIBRATION AT SPEEDS FROM 55MPH - 75MPH.

NHTSA ODI 10781208

EXCESSIVE DRIVELINE VIBRATION AT SPEEDS FROM 55MPH - 70MPH.

NHTSA ODI 10781210

WHEN TOWING MY 13000 POUND TRAILER, I NOTICED THAT THE ELECTRONIC TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER IN MY TRUCK WILL PROVIDE SUFFICIENT BRAKING POWER TO STOP AT SLOWER SPEEDS. HOWEVER, WHEN A HARDER/FASTER STOP, SUCH AS WHEN I WAS TRAVELING AT 45-50 MPH IS REQUIRED THERE IS NOT SUFFICIENT BRAKING TO THE TRAILER. I WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP AS QUICKLY AS I SHOULD HAVE. I TESTED THE VOLTAGE ON THE CONTROLLER WITH THE SETTINGS TO MAXIMUM (GAIN AT 10 AND MANUAL SLIDER TO 100%) AND WAS ONLY GETTING 7.5 VOLTS. THE READING SHOULD BE CLOSER TO 12 VOLTS. THE BRAKES ON MY TRAILER WERE INSPECTED AND ARE WORKING CORRECTLY. THE DEALER SAID THE CONTROLLER WAS WORKING AS DESIGNED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT THE DEALER IS OVERLOOKING AND CAN LEAD TO ACCIDENTS/FATALITIES. THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE 2015 VEHICLES AND THE FACTORY BRAKE CONTROLLER.

NHTSA ODI 10766411

I HAVE THE INTEGRAL TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER ON MY TRUCK AND I HOOKED UP TO MY CAMPER FOR THE FIRST TIME WITH THE NEW TRUCK, [THE TRAILER BRAKES WORKED FINE WITH THE TRUCK THAT I REPLACED] I HAD VERY LIMITED BRAKING POWER ON TRAILER BRAKES, I DID SOME TESTS ON THE TRAILER BRAKES FIRST AND FOUND THAT THEY ARE WORKING PROPERLY, THEN I DID A TEST ON THE BRAKE CONTROLLER AND FOUND OUT THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER IS ONLY PUTTING OUT AROUND 9 VOLTS WHEN SET TO MAXIMUM GAIN AND FULLY APPLIED, IT SHOULD BE 12 VOLTS OR HIGHER, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL MODULE, THE BRAKES ARE NO BETTER AND IM AFRAID TO TOW NOW AND CAN'T EVEN USE THIS TRUCK FOR WHAT I BOUGHT IT FOR, THE DEALER SAYS THAT'S HOW THE CONTROLLERS WORK NOW WHICH IS UNSAFE AND UNACCEPTABLE.

NHTSA ODI 10763019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 DODGE RAM 3500. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH AND HAULING A TRAILER, THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO TURN INDEPENDENTLY COUNTER CLOCKWISE AND BLOCKED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER, LOOKED UNDERNEATH, AND NOTICED SOME BOLTS WERE LOOSE FROM THE STEERING CABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BOLTS WERE TIGHTENED MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT DUPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,779....UPDATED 12/29/15 *BF THE CONSUMER LOOKED AT THE FRONT END AND SAW WHERE ONE OF THE NUTS HAD DETACHED FROM THE COUPLING AND THE OTHER NUT WAS LOOSE WHEN HE TOUCHED IT. UPDATED 12/31/15.*JB

NHTSA ODI 10762090

MOTOR GONE AND DON'T HAVE KNOW REPLACEMENT.

NHTSA ODI 10760347

THE INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL IN THE 2015 RAM TRUCKS DOES NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE BRAKE CONTROL TO THE TRAILER BRAKES. I TRADED IN A 2013 RAM 3500 AND THE INTEGRATED CONTROLLER ALLOWED ME TO SET UP THE BRAKES SO I COULD LOCK THE TIRES UP, THEN I WOULD BACK THE VOLTAGE DOWN SLIGHTLY FROM THERE TO GET MAXIMUM BRAKING PERFORMANCE FROM THE TRAILER. WITH THE NEW TRUCK, THERE WASN'T THE ABILITY TO GET MUCH BRAKING AT ALL. DEALERS ARE TELLING THOSE WITH THE SAME TRUCKS, THAT IT IS WORKING AS DESIGNED AND THERE ISN'T A PROBLEM. MONDAY, AUGUST 17TH, I WAS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN, AND BEGAN BRAKING. THE TRAILER BRAKES WERE INEFFECTIVE DUE TO THE CONTROLLER AND I COULDN'T STOP IN TIME. I ENDED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION BEFORE I COULD STOP. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO CROSS TRAFFIC SO THERE WAS NO CRASH. THE TRAILER WEIGHS 2020 POUNDS EMPTY, AND IT WAS HAULING APPROXIMATELY 1400 POUNDS. THE TRAILER CONTROLLER WAS SET AT LIGHT ELECTRIC, 7.5. ( L LATER TESTED HEAVY ELECTRIC AND IT STILL DOESN'T PROVIDE ADEQUATE BRAKING). AFTER, I TESTED THE TRAILER BRAKES (THAT I ALREADY KNEW WERE GOOD) ON ANOTHER TRUCK, AND THEY WORKED PERFECTLY. AGAIN, THE INTEGRATED CONTROLLER ON MY 2013 RAM WORKED GREAT, BUT THE NEW ONES SIMPLY DO NOT ALLOW THE TRAILER BRAKES TO WORK PROPERLY REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH YOU TURN UP THE VOLTAGE. I CAN NOT ADJUST IT TO GET THE BRAKES TO PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT BRAKING FROM THE TRAILER. RAM IS SAYING THAT THERE ISN'T A PROBLEM, BUT A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH WOULD SAY THAT THERE IS CERTAINLY A SAFETY ISSUE, THAT IF LEFT UNRESOLVED WILL ABSOLUTELY LEAD TO INJURIES OR FATALITIES.

NHTSA ODI 10749880

THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE THERE IS NO METHOD TO KNOW, IN ADVANCE, THE FACTORY INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE MODULE (ITBM) WILL FAIL TO PROVIDE FULL VOLTAGE TO THE ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES I ATTACHED MY 13,000 POUND FIFTH WHEEL TRAILER TO MY TRUCK AND FOLLOWING THE ITBM SETUP STEPS IN THE OWNERS' MANUAL, THE RESULTS WERE AS EXPECTED. THERE WERE NO WARNINGS OR INDICATORS SIGNALING AN ISSUE WITH THE ITBM'S ABILITY TO APPLY THE TRAILER'S ELECTRIC BRAKES. ON TYPICAL CITY/URBAN DRIVING THE BRAKING EFFORT FROM THE TRAILER WAS AS EXPECTED. ONCE I ENTERED A MORE RURAL SETTING AND ROADWAY SPEEDS INCREASED TO 50 MPH I DISCOVERED, AS I APPROACH A FAST CHANGING TRAFFIC LIGHT, HARD BRAKING THE TRUCK DID NOT SEND ENOUGH BRAKING SIGNAL TO THE TRAILER AND AS A RESULT I WAS PUSHED WELL INTO THE INTERSECTION. FORTUNATELY THE INTERSECTION WAS CLEAR AND NO INJURY OR ACCIDENT RESULTED..I VERIFIED WITH DEXTER AXLES, THE AXLES USED ON MY TRAILER, THE MAXIMUM BRAKING EFFORT FROM THEIR ELECTRIC BRAKES IS 12 VOLTS AT 3 AMPS PER WHEEL. I MEASURE THE VOLTAGE GOING INTO MY TRAILER BRAKES WITH THE ITBM SET TO MAXIMUM GAIN, HEAVY ELECTRIC AT 6.8 VOLTS, THE EXPECTED VOLTAGE WAS 11.9 VOLTS. I DID AN AB TEST USING ANOTHER RAM TRUCK WITH THE ITBM AND MEASURED THE EXPECTED VOLTAGE ON THE TRAILER BRAKE LINE...IT IS IMPORTANT TO REALIZE THERE ARE NO INTERNAL ITBM MECHANISMS TO DETECT THIS CONDITION SINCE THERE WERE NO DTCS SET WHEN I TOOK MY TRUCK TO THE DEALER....UPDATED 09/28/15 *BF *CN

NHTSA ODI 10746286

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 DODGE RAM 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RADIO FAILED IN THE VEHICLE. THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME TO HAVE THE PART AVAILABLE FOR THE REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,000.

NHTSA ODI 10734315

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 DODGE RAM 3500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THERE WAS AN STRONG ODOR OF DIESEL FUEL PRESENT INSIDE THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE OCCUPANTS IN THE VEHICLE WOULD BECOME ILL DUE TO THE STRONG ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DETERMINED. THE CONTACT THEN HAD AN AIR QUALITY TESTING FIRM EXAMINE THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CARBON MONOXIDE LEVELS WERE MORE THEN 9 PARTS PER MILLION INSIDE THE CABIN WHEN OPERATING THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 590.

NHTSA ODI 10704471