What 63 owners told NHTSA about the 2026 Ram Ram 1500 Quad Cab

On multiple occasions with outside temperatures below 30-degree F the rear drivers side door would not open or unlock. The door lock knob was in the unlocked position but the door would not open using either the outside or the inside door handles. The handles moved but did not do anything. The door handle was not frozen and it only happened to that door. I believe this had something to do with the door lock actuator or electronics and it may be related to the outside temperatures. Once I turned off the vehicle and restarted the vehicle the door would open and work. This issue is hard to replicate and I am concerned that it will happen again and I will not be able to get my child out of the vehicle in case of an accident or fire.

NHTSA ODI 11709445

2026 Ram 1500 Big Horn - 1500 miles - At temperatures just below freezing, fan speed set to highest level and HVAC temperature set very high, the defroster was not able to prevent precipitation from freezing on the upper half of the windshield. This obscured my visibility and presented a safety risk while travelling down the freeway. It was only mitigated by near continuous use of de-icer windshield washer fluid. Very little air was coming out of the defroster duct and the majority was coming out by my feet. Cycling the HVAC system through all the different modes produced expected behaviors in all cases, except there is no perceptible difference between full defrost and defrost/feet mode. The temperature of the air is as expected; there is just insufficient flow from the central duct at the base of the windshield. The vehicle is scheduled to be serviced by the dealership. No warnings, OBD codes, or other indicators are present.

NHTSA ODI 11708713

I've owned the truck for only a short period of time. Sometimes when I park it, the truck will not allow me to rengage drive or reverse. Its stuck, as if the parking break is on or some safety feature is locking it from moving. One time it cleared by pulling the parking break after I turned it on an off, the other by turning on an off the lane safety/assit button on top of the instrument panel.

NHTSA ODI 11708728

Cluster in my dash went completely blank while driving. When looking at Navigation, information displayed was wrong, speed limit showed 104 mph in 60 mph zone

NHTSA ODI 11707953

My vehicle is subject to an active safety recall involving the instrument cluster. I contacted the dealership to schedule the recall repair and was advised that the recall software update carries a risk of bricking the instrument cluster, potentially rendering the vehicle inoperable and requiring full instrument cluster replacement. Because of the risk, the dealership stated they are delaying performing the recall until a rental vehicle becomes available. I was advised that this may take approximately two weeks before the recall can be addressed. This recall affects the same instrument cluster system that previously failed early in ownership and prompted prior service and safety concerns. In addition, I have experienced intermittent infotainment screen glitches and harsh downshifting at low speeds after my initial repair, which may be related to vehicle electronic systems. I am concerned about continued operation of the vehicle with an unresolved safety recall and the lack of a timely remedy due to the risk of vehicle disablement and repair delays.

NHTSA ODI 11706623

Purchased a brand new 2026 Ram 1500 RHO on 11/28/25 and it has been back at the dealership since 12/2/25 the vehicle had brake lines leaking as well as miss aligned body panels and scratches they need to replace the brake line assembly at one of the wheels they are replacing a fender realigning the hood and vender painting the new fender touching up paint on the rear fender and hood this vehicle has both mechanical and cosmetic defects from the factory, i have asked Ram customer service to replace the vehicle with one free of any defects and they have denied my request

NHTSA ODI 11704395

On 11/20/25 I rented a 2026 Dodge Ram truck from Thrifty at the Wilmington, NC airport. My 17 year old daughter was with me. As I was sitting at a red light, I tapped the “comfort” button on the center screen to try to adjust the air conditioner. When I did, the audio system, which had been off, suddenly blasted a radio station to the maximum volume of the speakers. No warning. It was horribly painful and jolting. I tried turning down the volume using the volume dial. It didn’t work. Nothing would turn it down. The volume setting showed it was already at zero on the screen. It continued to blast us until I saw I could push the volume button to power off the screen. That stopped it but my daughter and I were both very shaken and upset. It was the loudest sound we’ve ever heard and it went on for at least 5-6 seconds. She was able to cover her ears, I was not because I was desperately trying to find a way to turn it off. I am thankful it happened at a red light or I’m afraid it would have caused an accident. I reported it to the rental agency immediately upon getting to our hotel. I was scared it would happen again and cause an accident, so I tried to do what they suggested, which was to try the volume controls behind the steering wheel. It did not work. We were exposed to this horrible volume at least 3 more times for closer to 10 seconds each before we were able to figure out how to turn off surround sound, which stopped the noise but enabled us to still use the screen. I returned the rental truck on 11/22/25 and reported it again to another agent. He confirmed the note was still in the system from when I first reported it and assured me they would look into it. My ears still hurt and my hearing is still muffled. I keep having to ask my daughter to repeat herself. Loud sounds, like announcements in the airport or on the plane are painful. I plan to get my ears checked when I get back home.

NHTSA ODI 11700971

My 2026 Ram 1500 has experienced multiple serious electrical system failures that affect vehicle safety and reliability. The truck has had repeated warning messages including “Illumination Unavailable — Service Required,” instrument cluster malfunctions, and unpredictable interior/exterior lighting behavior. In addition to these issues, the vehicle has experienced a no-start event, leaving it unable to power on, and the power tailgate has failed, refusing to open or close electronically. After diagnostics, the dealership determined that two electronic control modules had failed, one of which has no estimated replacement date from the manufacturer, and the other is on backorder for 7–10 days. These failures impact critical systems including vehicle startup, lighting, diagnostics, and rear cargo access. The truck is currently marked out of service because it cannot be safely or reliably operated until both modules are replaced and reprogrammed. These failures occurred during normal use and indicate a potential electrical defect that may affect additional vehicles of this model year. Dealer indicated that many 2026 Rams are experiencing the same issues.

NHTSA ODI 11700170

Just bought a new truck. 92 miles on it. I was under the truck and saw a serious crack in the body where it rests on the frame. The crack is approximately between the front and rear passenger doors.

NHTSA ODI 11696962

One day into ownership of the vehicle, A warning popped up on the digital dash cluster saying that the "Warning Light Illumination Unavailable Service Required". I was able to acknowledge the error and then two days later it came back with the same message. I dont even have 200 miles on this car.

NHTSA ODI 11694599

Warning light ILLUMINATION unavailable required service

NHTSA ODI 11692915

September 18 my vehicle had 948 mikes on it. After driving 17 gps miles vehicle Milage had advanced to 965. After returning to vehicle the Milage had changed to 950. Also Trip A changed from 102 to 89. I’ve been noticing my gas Milage don’t make sense as the vehicle only would show 7-8 mpg while the vehicle computer would show 17-18 mpg. Therefore this problem has existed since I bought it. There is a definite problem with the center electronic cluster and apparently ram has a backlog of months to replace them. There needs to be a recall for this problem.

NHTSA ODI 11688183

Parasitic draw that causes batteries to die over night. This also affects manager features like air bag sensors, parking sensors, and dash display.

NHTSA ODI 11687740