2013 Ram 2500 Electrical Problems

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  1338%
• 25k–50k
  412%
• 50k–75k
  618%
• 75k–100k
  618%
• 100k–150k
  412%
• 150k+
  13%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ram 2500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

Front passenger door and both rear door locks operate intermittently. . Doors will unlock with key fob or either front door buttons or front door handles; but they will intermittently lock with key fob or front door buttons or while in drive. Doors not locking keep child safety locks from engaging and children being able to exit vehicle without being in park. Also, prevents vehicle from being securely locked and protecting from theft of items. Truck been to dealership and told of problem they checked but could only get it to replicate issue 2 times and found nothing causing the problem. I have also found multiple Ram forums with a lot of people with same issue. There haven't been any warning lamps or messages before or during issues. The problem is intermittently and has last anywhere from a couple of days to several months at a time.

Hi, I own a 2013 Dodge Ram 2500 and the door locks do not lock all the time. The concern here is that when I have children in the truck the child safety locks do not lock and to me this is a concern. I had the door lock actuators replaced and that still didnt fix the problem. After doing research, there is a body control module that controls all electrical functions to the interior of the truck. If you use a scan tool and clear any codes in the module the door locks work perfectly for about 5-6 start cycles. The part #68200252AG is not available through mopar and has no replacement part number that supersedes the old one. Other item to note is this part number is the 6th updated revision. There is something wrong here and Mopar doesnt seem to care.

DTC C0020-01 appeared after hitting a speed bump along with service TCS and ABS system. This message is displayed sometimes at random but mostly during common bumps in the road. Any wheel spin during wet weather also creates the message. Contacted the local Chrysler deal and was informed this was common and to report it. I have yet to spend money to fix the issue since finding that the wrong part is often replaced and I am no longer under warranty.

My alternator randomly for the past couple of years randomly surges voltage and the dealership has tried contacting for the recall but told me I have to make a report for s68 campaign for alternator fix

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a front end collision. In addition, the air bags did not deploy, the electrical system did not shut down, and the seat belts did not retract. Prior to the accident, the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 15V459000 (air bags). The vehicle was taken to the dealer however a determination had not been established whether the vehicle was destroyed or not. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. A police report was filed. There was one injury that required medical attention. The contact suffered from pain in the shoulder, knee, ankle, and neck. The failure mileage was 29,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ram 2500. The contact stated that the vehicle had a rapid alternator failure due to diode thermal fatigue. In addition, the vehicle shut off due to an underhood electrical fire. A police report was not filed. The contact extinguished the fire. The vehicle was previously repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 16V739000 (electrical system) for the same failure. The dealer diagnosed that the alternator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000.

While driving alternator started smelling and rapid changes in voltage. When stopped and opened hood alternator was smoking and starting to catch on fire. Truck was being driven on city street as well as a highway. I have taken the truck to dealership in July to correct all recalls. The dealership did all other recalls other then alternator they said they did not have the parts and would call me when they could get the parts. It is now December 23rd and no call when the issue happened.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ram 2500. While driving 35 MPH, the alternator caught fire. The fire department was not called and no reports were filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 16V739000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,300.

2 months after recall was performed for the scr catalyst failure in the Ram 2500 2013 truck, the def system has undergone a complete failure and no longer functions. The truck in currently in a mileage count down that can not be stopped until repaired by the dealer. The vehicle will be undrivable once the countdown reaches zero. The system underwent complete failure while driving at highway speeds in the rain. The fuse for the scr feed has been replaced twice since the issue first appeared and each time it has happened during wet conditions. No standing bodies of water were crossed and no rivers were forded. The vehicle did not have any of these problems prior to the recall and could be driven in wet weather without worry. The vehicle is now a major safety hazard and continues to have recalls made to it that have no solution. …

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V739000 (electrical system). The recall was repaired by westbury Jeep Chrysler Dodge Ram [phone], located at 111 bond st, westbury, ny 11590) in February of 2018. In October of 2019, while driving approximately 15 MPH, an odor of smoke was detected. The vehicle was pulled over and the contact saw smoke underneath the hood. The battery indicator was also illuminated. The contact disconnected the battery and the vehicle stopped smoking. The vehicle was towed to the same dealer where it was diagnosed that the alternator burned. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that they would send an investigator. The contact was not called back. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

Related recalls

NHTSA investigations

Electrical complaints in other 2500 years