The contact's husband owned a 2018 Ram 1500. Two years ago, the contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V757000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts for the repair were unavailable. At the time, the dealer had been notified about the recall and confirmed that parts were not yet available. A year later, the dealer called that contact to inform her and that parts slowly coming to their dealer and that she had been placed on a waiting list for the recall repair. Recently, the contact stated that while her husband was driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate upon depression of the accelerator pedal; two unknown warning lights also appeared on the instrument panel. As her husband pulled over, a white color smoke began to emit from the engine. Upon lifting up the engine's hood, her husband saw flames coming from under the engine. Her husband immediately called 911 and while on the phone with the dispatcher, the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department arrived ten minutes later and extinguished the fire. The contact was uncertain if a fire report was filed; no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to two independent mechanics where it was later deemed a total loss. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and a case was filed. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
NHTSA ODI 11457675