What 641 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Ram 1500 Classic Regular Cab

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while the vehicle was inside the garage, the contact noticed an abnormal exhaust odor. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the exhaust manifold bolts were fractured. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the manifold and bolts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

NHTSA ODI 11603849

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and turning the steering wheel to the left or the right, the power steering functionality was inoperable. The contact needed to use both hands to turn the steering wheel. The steering wheel would continuously turn in the opposite direction. The steering wheel was extremely difficult to turn. The service power steering message was displayed. The contact viewed a video regarding the lower steering shaft u joint. The contact used a tester and checked the fuses. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that a diagnostic test was needed and that the repair would be an out-of-pocket expense. Additionally, the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty and there was no recall associated with the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 99,899.

NHTSA ODI 11603320

While driving down the highway I lost my power stearing. The power stearing keep going in and out from 10 mph to 50 all speeds.

NHTSA ODI 11603221

On 07/11/2024 while driving my 2018 RAM Ecodiesel at highway speeds, a warning light came on that said "Service Power Steering" and my electronic power steering (EPS) completely stopped working. This caused an extremely unsafe situation as I was traveling at roughly 65mph in moderate traffic and had to perform an evasive maneuver to keep from colliding with the vehicle next to me and pull my vehicle to the side of the road. I have an appointment with a local RAM dealer today 07/15/2024. Vehicle available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ODI 11602154

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11597543

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the exhaust manifolds were leaking due to fractured exhaust bolts. The dealer replaced the two exhaust manifold gaskets and bolts. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

NHTSA ODI 11597561

Sudden and complete loss of the electric power steering system. As I was entering a corner the steering wheel felt like it was almost locked, Incredibly hard to steer and barely managed to stay on the road. Had I been going any faster I could have been seriously injured or crashed into other drivers. Unable to fix vehicle as well, the steering rack is unservicable and on national backorder.

NHTSA ODI 11597000

Uconnect screen is delaminating and causing phone calls and radio channel spontaneous changing as well as affecting maps while driving.

NHTSA ODI 11596555

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), he observed a loud noise emanating from the engine compartment. Additionally, the steering wheel failed to move as needed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that that the steering gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000.

NHTSA ODI 11595494

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that when the fuel pump was on the high setting, fuel was spilling. While on the lower setting, an abnormal clicking sound was detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who informed him about a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

NHTSA ODI 11595521

I have been having issues with my EGR, Dealership states there is a leak and ordered parts for repair that will cost me $2000 in repairs when parts come in. The engine light comes on almost every month and I loose power until I take it back into the dealership and they clear the code and state that they are still waiting on the parts to repair, Ordered parts should be delivered in October 2024. I have checked and this has been a recalled part previously and apparently repaired before I purchased the truck. My concern is with the loss of power when the engine light comes on and has been diagnosed that this is due to the EGR leak that it could cause an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11593862

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was turned on and while driving at various speeds, the infotainment screen randomly moved to another screen inadvertently without being touched. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the radio needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,800.

NHTSA ODI 11592817

Been trying since Feb 2024 to get my truck fixed but I call dealer and they take my name and never call bacl

NHTSA ODI 11591993

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-up camera intermittently malfunctioned and displayed a black screen, causing a visibility hazard to the driver. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V398000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 40,000.

NHTSA ODI 11591557

NA

NHTSA ODI 11590952

My EGR has failed. There was a recall for the exact part in 2020 and a new EGR was installed in April of 2020 required by the recall. My new EGR now has a fatigue crack in it and the new part needs to be replaced. When I inquired about a replacement, I was told that a replacement would have to be covered by me and not the dealership or Stallantis. I respectfully disagree. Why replace a part under suspicion of failure and potential hazard and still have the same problem with the new part. I would argue that the problem remains and it needs to be corrected.

NHTSA ODI 11590245

The uconnect/multimedia system sporadically and unpredictably goes haywire while driving; changing vehicle settings, making noises, and rapidly switching screens or even dialing 911! This is distraction and a nuisance while driving which takes a drivers attention from where it should be. Please investigate as I've heard it is a widespread problem with the 4C NAV system.

NHTSA ODI 11588990

I bought a 2018 Ram 1500 and every time I would go to the gas pump It Gets air bound and doesn't fill up it takes 20 minutes to fill up my tank they put a new gas tank a new neck and everything else and it still does it

NHTSA ODI 11588519

I choose "other" because you don't have their uconnect system listed as an option. I few years ago the radio began channel channels randomly every once in a while. This would usually stop once the vehicle was shut off and then restarted. It was so infrequent that it wasn't that big a deal. Then it started happening more frequently and I went online to the Ram forums and found that tons of people were reporting the same issue. I found out from these forums that the touch screen was delaminating. Sure enough, I could see that on my screen at the top. I had seen it before but I just thought it was a cosmetic flaw and I didn't connect it to the random radio changing. That delamination is now half way down my screen. If it was just the radio changing channels I wouldn't be contacting you. However, during the past 2 weeks the uconnect system is randomly showing my back up camera, turning my heated seats on, and randomly calling people listed in my phone contacts. More troubling is that it has called 911 on five different occasions. I have been able to cancel 2 of them, but the other 3 would not cancel even when I hit the cancel button on the screen. This is the safety issue.....my attention is being taken away from driving and trying to stop 911 calls from being randomly made. I have found no option to disable the uconnect system so I have to deal with this every time I am driving now. The vehicle has less than 50,000 miles on it. If this was a unique situation I would accept that I am out of warranty and need to fix this myself, but this is not unique. This exact same problem is happening on a ton of Ram vehicles and the manufacturer needs to step up and fix a flaw in this component. I have been in touch with Chrysler for the past week and they told me they will reach out to me on May 14th and let me know what they can do. I believe your agency should step in and require a recall for all affected owners.

NHTSA ODI 11588016

I bought this Dodge truck in 2018 from a certified Dodge Dealership in California. On March [XXX] this year around [XXX] I was driving on the freeway when experienced an engine stall, had to move the vehicle to the shoulder and almost got hit by a semi-truck. Got the car towed to the nearest Dodge dealership where the car was later inspected by a certified service advisor. He stated that the reason for the engine stall was a rod bearing failure. After looking it up on NHTSA's website, I found out that there were 2 open safety recall for this truck which Dodge has failed to notify me about and get it fixed. One of the open safety recall is: 664- LOSS OF CRANKSHAFT POS. Although a failure in the crankshaft position can usually not directly cause damage to the rod bearing, If there is a failure in the crankshaft position sensor, this can lead to synchronization problems in the engine and If these conditions are severe enough and persist for an extended period, they can eventually lead to engine damage, including damage to the rod bearings. I've contacted Dodge directly and they refused to provide any assistance for this matter and closed the case alleging that the truck is past its warranty and there is nothing they can do about it. The cost of repair is over $33k which I absolutely cannot afford to pay. Insurance company won't cover it either because it was a 'mechanical breakdown'. Upon talking to the California Department of Consumer Affairs, they advised me to contact the NHTSA regarding this matter. Thank you so much in advance, I hope you guys can help me fighting this case. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11587199

Abs and traction control lights on and stop working

NHTSA ODI 11587021

Magnetic tone wheel. Driving on the interstate and the truck stalled and would not restart. Had to get it towed.

NHTSA ODI 11587062

Occasionally after driving 15-30 minutes my dash gives me a quick "auto park brake disengaged" notification and my speedometer goes to 0 while I'm driving, then everything goes back to normal. (Event happens approximately every 3rd to 5th time I drive the vehicle) An additional event has occurred after driving a while my entire dash and screen will blackout as well. I've researched the internet and found that numerous people have the same issue or similar. I've gone to Dealerships and get no help whatsoever, they act like I'm wasting there time and basically ignore me, they said since I can't make the issue happen they can't look at it. I've read the same responses across the internet by other 2018 Ram 1500 owners, it's obvious we don't have a voice to this safety concern. Please look into this matter before someone gets hurt. I've owned the truck for approximately 2 months, I bought it from a dealership, the truck is in excellent condition with no major repairs. Definitely an electrical/computer issue.

NHTSA ODI 11587085

In June of 2023, I was driving home and the vehicle became unresponsive, but still powered on. I was able to steer it partially to the side of the road. The gas pedal was unresponsive, all electrical was unresponsive and it also would not turn off. I called my husband, when he arrived about 20 minutes later we were finally able to turn off the truck, but electrical was still unresponsive so the windows would not roll up. I had just gotten off the freeway, about a mile, and was lucky to be in a residential area or I would have been unable to drive on the freeway. This is a major safely issue and I also had my 9 year old daughter in the truck with me. No warning messages or any symptoms prior to the problem/failure. We called and had it towed to our local trusted mechanic, Gray's Tire and Auto. It took about a month for Gray's to figure out the problem. They were also in conversations with the local RAM Dealer who did not know how to fix the problem. It ended up being recall [XXX] that was the issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11583063

U connect screen delaminating, and screen has gone blank.

NHTSA ODI 11582375