Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Ram 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I drove in to park, I pulled more to the right to give way to pulling out going car I did not notice 3-short protective steel pole that caused damage to running board & scratches on front passenger door. Had the early warning device sensor of side bumper sounded,Icould have avoided it. I Tested, even the front sensors were not working not even warning lights in the instrument screen. The following day I reported to Dealer's Service Mgr. & I kept testing it for several days & The Customer Care of Ram denied responsibility that it driver' negligence. My truck has several history of failed electronics devices the dealer corrected except this one because it's back sounding again. This Early Warning Device Sensors is accident preventive. It comes on & off like the backing camera & others. …
Using the self parking feature, the vehicle had controlled itself, with my intervention when prompted. It had backed up perpendicular into the parking space, miscalculated the parking job and smashed the side mirror into a nearby trucks mirror. It had then began to speed up to what felt like about 15 or 20 mph, with no time to react or brake, and smashed into the concrete pole behind us. The automatic braking failed to react, the vehicle failed to recognize the objects behind us, and miscalculated the parking distance from other vehicles. After the rear of the truck has been severely damaged, it did not throw any errors or codes. It simply acts as if nothing happened. It never prompted me to stop, or switch gears. It had sped up on its own to a dangerous speed. It had a mind of its own. Dangerous and unsafe.
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that an Over-the-Air update was been performed on the vehicle overnight and the following day the battery was drained and needed to be replaced. The contact drove another vehicle to an independent mechanic and purchased a new battery. After replacing the battery, an error code for a firmware failure was displayed on the instrument panel. As a result of the message, the radio module became defective, and the back over prevention system failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
I had issues with the electrical systems on various occasions. There were times when the vehicle shut down in middle of driving while other times some functions such as keyless entry or auto braking didn't work. I took the vehicle to the dealership on 3 separate occasions and they said that they could not recreate the issues but rewired the system. I still had issues and was told that as long as the engine light is not blinking it is safe to drive. On 4/11/2023 while driving full speed on the highway, the electrical system stopped and i lost brakes and steering. This caused me to crash into the car in front of me. In addition, the auto braking did not engage and the airbags did not deploy
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated when the vehicle was shifted into reverse(R), the image from the rear-view camera was blurry or blank. The contact stated that the failure had been occurring for over 2 years. The contact stated that he researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V059000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the VIN was not included. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving or making a turn, the vehicle stalled. The contact had to shift into neutral(N) or park(P) and restart the vehicle. Additionally, while driving, the parking brake engaged without warning. The contact had to manually release the parking brake. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH, she drove over a speed bump and the vehicle stopped. The automatic emergency braking engaged. The warning message "Place Vehicle in Park and Restart" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had reoccurred while driving. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 34,000.
When starting to accelerate after turning at low speed, my 2021 RAM 1500 with the E-Torque engine will shut-off and the emergency brake will engage. A message will appear that says "Park brake engaged, press brake and push to release." Truck has 5150 miles on it. This has occurred two different times while entering highway traffic. Very alarming as I'm sure you can imagine. The first time it happened I was on a lightly traveled road and was alone. Then today (1/9/22), It happened again, but this time on a much busier highway and my family was with me and we were almost rear ended. Not a fun experience and potentially deadly. After researching online, particularly on RAM owner's website and forums I have found this to be a common complaint among RAM owners. …
On two separate occasions while backing out of my driveway, my truck automatically jumped from 2WD, to 4WD Low/High both simultaneously and also locked the park brake. In both of these cases, I was able to place the vehicle in park, turn the vehicle off, let it set a minute or two and once restarted, the vehicle was in 2WD again and performed as it should. It was just concerning as to why it would do this. But on May 5th, I left home and was traveling down the road at approximately 20 mph, when the vehicle jumped into 4WD Low/High once again and the park brake engaged automatically. I always wear a seatbelt, but had I not had it fastened yet, I would have immediately been slammed into the steering wheel. It was towed to the dealership as it would never release from 4WD or the park break would not release either. …
Rear Tail light assembly is faulty and allows water intrusion which affects the blind spot alert to send alert that service is needed. When this happens it causes the entire infotainment area and dash to begin flashing and going haywire. Nothing works. Windows will not respond or go up or down. Speedometer is not present at all. This happened to us while on a highway which was quite alarming. The blind spot alert is tied to the whole computer system for the truck so when this fails it affects everything else. Upon taking to dealership we were told Ram is aware of this issue and has changed the design of the newer tail light assemblies including better weather stripping to keep water out. So they admit there is an issue but will not cover replacement of the faulty part and instead quotes almost $2000 to fix this. …
Related recalls
Back over prevention › Display function
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Ram 1500 and 2023 Ram 2500 vehicles. The trailer reverse steering control module (TRSCM) may prevent the rearview image from displaying when the vehicle is placed in reverse.
Remedy: Dealers will update the TRSCM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 1, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Back over prevention › Display function
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Jeep Wrangler, RAM 1500 and 2021 Jeep Gladiator vehicles. A radio software error may prevent the rearview image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 6, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA, LLC's number for this recall is Z86.
Back over prevention › Display function
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Ram 1500 vehicles equipped with a trailer reverse steering module (TRSCM). The rearview camera image may not display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Dealers will update the TRSCM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 24, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Collision Avoidance complaints in other 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are collision avoidance problems on the 2021 Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 69 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2021 Ram 1500, 10% of the model year's 683 complaints. The component named most often is automatic emergency braking (46 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2021 Ram 1500 collision avoidance problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 23V-059 (display function, Feb 9, 2023); NHTSA recall 22V-638 (display function, Aug 25, 2022); NHTSA recall 21V-438 (display function, Jun 10, 2021). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2021 Ram 1500 collision avoidance problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 26,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to driver assistance 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.