2018 Ram 1500 Electrical Problems

Which parts fail

• 12V/24V/48V battery
  2
• Alternator/generator/regulator
  1
• Horn
  1
• Instrument panel › Speedometer/odometer
  1
• Instrument cluster/panel
  1

Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  2255%
• 25k–50k
  923%
• 50k–75k
  615%
• 75k–100k
  13%
• 100k–150k
  25%
• 150k+
  00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Ram 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

Traveling on highway, heard noise coming from the engine. I was close to an off ramp and got off the highway. In the process of getting on the off ramp alarms went off. Turned on the flashers, came to a stop partially on the shoulder. Turned off the vehicle, turned it back on and it started right up. Turned to head into town to get some place safe to check the issue and all the alarms went off again. Put the car into neutral and coasted down the road to a local restaurant parking lot. Once safely parked, I opened the hood and my engine was on fire. I ran to the window of the restaurant to get a fire extinguisher and was able to put out the fire quickly. I contacted my insurance carrier and went through the process of repairing the truck. One body shop got it back up and running. Another shop fixed the cosmetic issues. …

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the U-Connect Command Center, touchscreen navigation, and settings were inoperable. The contact stated that the stereo face plate was delaminated. The contact stated that the screen experienced random phantom touches. The stereo was randomly tuning up loudly and failed to turn off. The vehicle was undrivable. The driver had to restart the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed and determined that the screen needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but informed the contact about disconnecting a fuse. The manufacturer was contacted and provided the contact with a case number, but no additional assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the "Service Air Bag" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The air bag warning light remained illuminated while driving. Additionally, the horn was inoperable while depressed, and the controls on the left side of the steering wheel failed to operate as intended; however, the right side of the steering wheel operated as intended. The dealer was contacted for recall information and informed that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure was associated with an unknown recall found online. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

The contact's father owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, an abnormal odor was detected and a loud sound was heard coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over and inspected under the hood. She noticed that the battery had exploded, with cracks on the casing and battery acid leakage. The check engine, battery, and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that no codes appeared after they replaced the battery. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. Prior to the failure, the vehicle had a jumpstart from Triple A towing company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,800.

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument cluster independently enabled the seat adjustments, made phone calls to 9-1-1, and adjusted the side-view mirrors. Additionally, the instrument cluster independently activated and deactivated the heat and air conditioning control switches. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while his vehicle was being jump started, several attempts were needed to start the vehicle. The contact stated that he noticed that the back-up camera, the radio, and cell phone connections were not functional. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at speeds above 80 MPH, the vehicle started to shake, the engine overheated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and was diagnosed with a faulty battery. The battery was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 95,000.

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

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the infotainment screen delaminated, and the HVAC system, radio, rear-view camera, or navigation system became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and it was determined that the radio needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Uconnect infotainment system intermittently failed, causing the defroster and rearview camera to become inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

Related recalls

Electrical complaints in other 1500 years