Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Ram 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle was slow to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently started to decelerate while the contact was attempting to accelerate. The contact stated that after several minutes the vehicle returned to normal driving. The dealer was contacted and notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.
I was driving and my high beams went out dash lights went out and windshield wipers went on on there own . I then came to a stop light and applied the break and all of the sudden the truck red lined and took off at full speed . I then turned the truck off to kill power to the motor due to it having electrical knob shifter and electrical transfer case This accident has caused my 3 hospital stays and 2 surgery's
Cruise control on 65mph going down hill. Transmission dropped into a lower gear. Vehicle immediately slowed down immediately by probably 20-30 mph. Everything in vehicle was thrown forward. I struggled to keep control and thought I was going to roll and crash off of roadway, or hit another vehicle. This was not a problem for two years, until June of this year. Driven the same stretch of highway a dozen times without incident. 21,000 on vehicle now. I took the RAM tech for a ride to reproduce the incident. Did it on a small hill at 25-30mph and reproduced the problem several times at the same location of the hill. Transmission drops into lower gear, makes a kind of grinding or similar noise. Then it stays in this lower gear straining until the brake is pushed to turn cruise off. Told him of losing control on big hill and nearly crashing. No warning lights or warning of any kind. …
System involved: The vehicle experienced a sudden electronic/network failure consistent with loss of ECU/BCM/CAN bus communication. The instrument cluster, throttle control, and HVAC system became inoperative simultaneously. Safety risk: While driving, the vehicle abruptly lost throttle response and critical driver information with no warning, followed by an uncommanded engine shutdown after coming to a stop. This created a serious risk of collision due to loss of propulsion, inability to react to traffic conditions, and lack of situational awareness. Confirmation of issue: The vehicle was evaluated by an dodge service center, which identified an ECU software mismatch and performed a system update. The failure has not been intentionally reproduced due to safety concerns, but the incident is documented. Inspections conducted: The vehicle has been inspected by an dodge service center. …
Prior to paying cash for this vehicle, I had the dealership connect it to an obd-11 scanner to ensure that there weren't any codes. (I wasn't aware at the time that if the codes were cleared prior to the test drive and before the vehicle was drove a certain amount of miles nothing would show up ) The truck seemed to be in ok condition. Before even making it 10 miles off the lot to my home the salesman who was to follow me in my new vehicle had issues and upon return to the dealership the truck had several "stored" and "active" codes which the salesman again cleared and told me to drive home and come back Monday with the truck the truck went into catastrophic failure and has been sitting since. …
I have a 2018 RAM 1500 Tradesman 2WD truck that the the ABS warning ligh as well as check engine, brakes warning light keeps staying on. I am very concerned about this as it may cause me to NOT be able to brake in time to. Also the cruise control does not work. I've taken it to several different mechanics as well as Autozone and I'm told the error code is C2200-49 which is the Anti-lock Brake Module Internal- Internal Electronic Failure. My mechanic has told me there is NO PART available and has been on back order for the past year. My only recourse is to locate one from a junk yard and hope that it will work. I've done an exhaustive on-line search and haven't been able to locate the module for my year and model truck through any RAM 'MOPAR' dealership. I've been on several different message boards and have been told there are thousands of trucks out there with this issues. …
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. …
The problem is with the whole DEF System in the truck. for the last 6 months I can't go a week or less without getting some kind of code. Every time it effects the electronic throttle control and the truck goes into limp mode, I can be going 70 mph and it drops down to 30-40 mph no matter where I am at. I have almost been rear ended several times. I fix that code and a week later another code pops up and we do it all over again. I think I may have gone 2 weeks without a problem in the last 6 months. This time it is the DPF and DEF system, and here we go back into limp mode. I have had it to the dealer last week for issues which they couldn't figure out but thought that reprogramming would fix. So I leave to go out of state to work and here we go again less than 100 miles from home. Exhaust filter is full with no regen for over 400 miles. Now I'm stuck out of state with this problem. …
The electronic trailer brake system, anti-lock braking system, and electronics traction control system lights activate upon driving the vehicle. The cruise control is disabled when these warning lights come on as well. I've been informed by an ASE certified mechanic that the abs control module needs replacement. I've learned this is a known issue for my and similar Ram trucks and that Stellantis has the part on back order while it is in "engineering review". If my traction control, anti-lock brake system, and electronic trailer braking system is affected by a failed abs control module and it is a known issue across many vehicles and the part is in "engineering review" I belief this should be covered by Ram under a recall.
Acceleration complaints in other 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2018 Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2018 Ram 1500, 5% of the model year's 665 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2018 Ram 1500 acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2018 Ram 1500, though it has 15 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2018 Ram 1500 acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 23,000 miles, and 64% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.