What 19 owners told NHTSA about the 2026 Ram Ram 2500 Regular Cab

I was towing my 21-foot boat on a trailer equipped with surge brakes while driving down a slight downhill grade. As I approached a stop sign and applied the brakes, the brake pedal felt extremely spongy. I had to press the pedal all the way to the floor, and the truck still would not stop as expected. After that incident, I noticed the brake pedal remains spongy even when I’m not towing anything. I took my 2026 RAM 2500 to the RAM dealership in [XXX] today (XXX), to have the braking system inspected. The dealership told me they could not find anything wrong with the brakes. Their recommendation was to pump the brake pedal twice to build up brake pressure. My concern is that this is not an acceptable solution. In an emergency braking situation, there may not be enough time to pump the brakes before needing to stop. I need to be able to rely on the brakes to provide full stopping power with a single application of the pedal. This experience has raised serious safety concerns about the braking system on my 2026 RAM 2500. If the dealership is unable to identify or correct the problem, I would appreciate your assistance in investigating this issue and helping me find a proper resolution before it leads to a potentially dangerous situation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11750181

The brake pedal is soft and travels all the way to the floor before it engages. It has done it from the day I purchased the truck. The dealership stated it is normal for that truck. I had previously owned a 2014 RAM 2500 w/6.4L Gas engine, 2017 RAM 2500 w/6.7L Diesel engine, 2021 RAM 3500 w/6.7L Diesel engine, all had firm normal operating brakes as you would expect for a truck. The brake pedal will physically bottom out to the floor causing the vehicle to creep and/or move forward when in gear if you even slightly lift off the brakes, requiring immediate action to pump the brake pedal to obtain a firm pedal, however the feel is only momentary and you can feel the pedal bleed off until the pedal bottoms out again. This issue is extremely problematic when towing a trailer equipped with electric trailer brakes due to the fact that the trailer brakes are engaging far sooner then the trucks braking system due to the long brake pedal travel before engaging causing the trailer to aggressively yank on the truck. This causes a jerky, uncomfortable stop and puts excessive strain on the hitch, making it difficult to maintain control and further leading to rapid wear on the trailer brake pads. I have pretty much stop driving the truck due to the braking system, hence the low mileage (current miles is 1,203 miles since purchased on 27 January 2026).

NHTSA ODI 11749025

VERY POOR BRAKES ON THIS NEW TRUCK. COMPLAINED TO DEALER ABOUT POOR BRAKING AND TECH VERIFIED THIS. HAVE REPAIR ORDER STATING THIS. DEALER WORKED ON IT THEN AND TWICE MORE AND IT STILL IS NOT FIXED. TRUCK IS AT ANOTHER DEALER NOW AND THEY ARE TRYING TO FIND DEFECT. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH RAM 2500 TRUCKS

NHTSA ODI 11746846

brakes are soft and half way down.they always need to be pumped before stopping.if you set at a red light they will slowly go to the floor. this is a 3/4 ton truck for towing.has been back to dealership.they say normal.suggested maybe ram will do a soft wear change.tested a new one on the lot and just as bad.they need to stop especially if towing.

NHTSA ODI 11745663

Brakes and lights on trailer don’t work.Truck thinks it has a trailer connected to it all the time ,even when no trailer is not attached. Not sure I can trust this vehicle. It’s been looked at by dealer, they say part is back order no date for it to be fixed. IS THIS SAFE !!!

NHTSA ODI 11742776

Truck has 170 miles and it suddenly slammed on the breaks on the highway stating that the EBS failed. A loud humming sound came from the transmission and now the truck is saying service transmission and service brakes. The truck will need to be towed to a dealer to review as it is not drivable at this time .

NHTSA ODI 11739741

Open safety recall on brake controller, parts unavailable for nearly 2 months, vehicle actively used for towing a 7,800 lb travel trailer

NHTSA ODI 11736943

The contact owns a 2026 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH and attempting to slow down, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the brake pedal felt abnormally soft, and the vehicle hesitated before coming to a complete stop. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result had not yet been reviewed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer to be repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 1,486.

NHTSA ODI 11734392

Purchased my 2026 Ram 2500 Power Wagon. The first thing I noticed after driving off the lot, I had to push down halfway to stop. My other cars engaged about 6-8 inches to start slowing down. When I took back to the dealership and asked a service Tech supervisor, he said that's how they are. My own personal opinion is, I think it's a safety issue because you've already wasted half of the braking.

NHTSA ODI 11732747

Brand new ram 2500 has way too much travel in the brake pedal. I've researched it online and supposedly this has been an issue for years. Hopefully ram recalls it and fixes the issue. As of now I feel like if I had a load or towing something without brakes in a trailer I would be scared

NHTSA ODI 11719551

While towing my boat trailer the dash lights up with AEB, ESC, ABS lights as well as messages saying service needed for several other systems like cruise control and adaptive cruise control. This happened on a busy street while in motion causing a loss of all safety subsystems related to braking. The dealer diagnosed as a failed ABS/HCU and required replacement. My truck had 1350 miles at time of incident.

NHTSA ODI 11696032