Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ram 3500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On dec. 15, 2014 I received a recall on my 2013 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel. The recall was for a inline fuel heater that May catch fire, it had no apparent fix, no parts, no instructions and no timeline as to when it would or could be fixed. I called the dealership and spoke to the service manager about my concerns, he told me that it was a remote possibility next to none, that the vehicle would catch fire. I asked him if I could park it inside and he said yes, and that the recall was just being sent out as a precaution. On the evening of jan 28th 2015 at approximately 0:920 pm smoke detectors alerted my dog and he woke me up. I woke my wife up yelling (fire) I panicked I took in a deep breath covered my mouth with my forearm, opened the personal entry door and stepped inside the garage not realizing how bad it was. …
My vehicle is in the shop for a 5th time for the same issue of the engine light comes on, message said error with def system , call dealer. Then message came up and said in 200 miles truck will shut down to only 5 MPH. The dealership and now warranty is refusing to fix it again basing their case on "contaminated def" fluid as the cause. I was told this is an issue on these trucks and to fix would be $1700 out of pocket even though it is still under warranty. Once the def was called "contaminated", everyone starting calling me asking for $ to repair the system saying it was my fault the fluid got contaminated. Distance driven from def error code 3 repair at the dealer to def error code 4, less than 100 miles and no def fluid was added since it left the dealer. The problem is recurring and no one wants to fix it. …
Truck loses power when accelerating from a dead stop. As the accelerator is depressed or feathered, the engine loses all power for 2-3 seconds leaving the driver helpless. If I allow the accelerator to return to idle position and then depress the accelerator again, the engine regains power and the vehicle accelerates. This is a very unsafe situation as I was towing a 12K pound trailer and was attempting to pull onto the highway. When the vehicle lost power, I was in jeopardy of being hit by oncoming traffic. This issue has occurred several times. I took the vehicle to the dealer but they were not able to duplicate the fault. I explained that this issue happened while the vehicle was under a load. The dealer never placed the vehicle under a load during their testing.
The issue of the "dead pedal" needs to be fixed. This has left me stranded in the middle of an intersection on several occasions. This has left me on the side of the road hauling a 40" fifth wheel trailer and now today at lunch I stop at a drive through and had to park my truck there as I have a dead pedal. You give it gas and nothing happens. Google it, its a huge issue and could very easily cost someone there life.
While driving on the highway the truck starting shaking violently, the speed was reduced the shake ceased but the front driver side tire came off. When taken in a Dodge dealership to inquire about repair,was told they could not repair it. This vehicle has lost power when driving on the interstate highway due to faulty fuel system.
The new Dodge Ram equipped with cummins diesel experience a dead pedal, or pedal delay when pressing the gas pedal 3/4 to full throttle. This poses a serious risk when needing to get out of the way, or move the vehicle under emergency circumstances. This happens under all conditions: stopped, rolling, under acceleration etc. If you push the pedal too far the truck will not respond to operator commands and will take 1.5-2 seconds to start picking up speed. This is a seriously dangerous situation and someone is going to get killed or seriously injured. There is not excuse for a vehicle not responding to driver input. Manufacture claims "turbo lag", this is simply not true. You can build turbo boost, monitored on the vehicle gauge, then press the pedal to the floor, the truck will not respond for 1.5 to 2 seconds. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated that the odor of diesel fuel was present inside the vehicle. The contact indicated that the odor was present when the weather temperature was below 50 degrees. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who could not diagnose the defect. The contact also indicated that while driving and releasing the throttle, the vehicle would continue to accelerate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the transmission became stuck in 4th gear and the vehicle would not accelerate over 5 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but he was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of all failures. The failure mileage was 6000.
I was on pa turnpike attemping to merge from a service plaza, when an opening in traffic was available I applied power to merge into line . As I did this my truck did not respond !! I was pulling a 36' fifth wheel trailer at the time and my merge into traffic became very perilious! After what seemed like a very long delay ( and some braking by other motorists ) my vehicle finally started to accelerate. Once the motor responded I had plenty of power to achive speed with traffic . I have told dealer about dead pedal and was told " never heard of it " this has happened to me more that once!
My 2013 Dodge diesel consumes 1 gallon of def (diesel exhaust fluid ) every 85 miles while towing. The national average is about 1000mpg. It is using 10 times the average. It is very costly and dirty to fill the def tank. I'm adding to the environment multiple plastic 2 1/2 gallon jugs and the box they come in. The factory has no fix as of yet ,the dealer has been good with all the repairs except this. They are held back by the factory with a lack of information, I'm told. I have no idea what this is doing to my truck/engine or the environment it is supposed to help.
My truck has been plagued with a terrible delay in throttle response. When trying to merge into traffic there is a severe delay between imputing throttle and the truck actually accelerating. It's almost like the truck takes 3-6 seconds to realize throttle input. This has become very dangerous when attempting to merge or turn across traffic. I have taken my truck into the dealership but there is nothing available to rectify this. I am clearly not alone on this, many of us having been having lengthy discussions on the forums in hopes of a fix.
Related recalls
Fuel system, diesel
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2010-2014 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 trucks manufactured March 27, 2009, to September 5, 2013. In the affected vehicles, the electrical connectors of the diesel fuel heater may overheat.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the harness side connector with a silver plated beryllium copper terminal service kit, and inspect the fuel heater for leaks, replacing it as necessary, free of…
Fuel System complaints in other 3500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2013 Ram 3500?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2013 Ram 3500, 17% of the model year's 115 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2013 Ram 3500 fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-635 (fuel system, diesel, Oct 8, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2013 Ram 3500 fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 9,000 miles, and 78% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 1 injury to fuel & propulsion system 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.