MyCarTSB

2021 Ram 2500 Electrical Problems

20 owner-reported electrical complaints from NHTSA data

20
Complaints
3
Recalls
4
Fires
Feb 2023Dec 2021
Date Range

Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.

Electrical Recalls (3)

RECALLCampaign #21V798000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:RELAYS/SOLENOIDS

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Ram 3500, 2500 pickup trucks, and Ram 3500, 4500, and 5500 cab chassis vehicles equipped with Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel engines. An electrical short in the relay may cause a vehicle fire with the ignition on or off.

Fix: Owners are advised to park these vehicles outside of buildings or structures, and not near other vehicles, until the vehicle has been remedied. Dealers will inspect and, if needed, replace the Solid State Intake Heater Grid Relay ("Relay"); if FCA US Recall ID Y08 (NHTSA Recall ID 21V-163) is open, then insulating material will be applied to the Relay after inspection. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Y76. This recall has been superseded by 23V060.

RECALLCampaign #21V163000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Ram 2500, 3500, and 3500, 4500, and 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles equipped with a Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel engine. An electrical short may occur in the Solid State Intake Heater Grid Relay, which could result in a vehicle fire.

Fix: Dealers will inspect and, if needed, replace the Solid State Intake Heater Grid Relay ("Relay"); if FCA US Recall ID Y08 (NHTSA Recall ID 21V-163) is open, then insulating material will be applied to the Relay after inspection. Customers are advised to not park these vehicles inside of buildings or structures, or near other vehicles until the vehicle has the final repair completed. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Y76. Owners may contact FCA US LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US LLC's number for this recall is Y08. This recall has been superseded by recall number 21V-798.

RECALLCampaign #23V060000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:RELAYS/SOLENOIDS

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Ram 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis, and 4500, 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles equipped with a Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel engine. An electrical short may occur in the heater grid relay with the ignition on or off.

Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the relay, free of charge. This will be a Phased campaign. Phase 1 will include 2023 model year vehicles. FCA US will notify dealers on or about 3/23/2023 and begin notifying owners on or about 4/5/2023. Phase 2 will include 2022 model year vehicles and Phase 3 will include 2021 model year vehicles. FCA US will notify dealers and owners on or about 4/27/2023 for Phase 2 and 5/11/2023 for Phase 3. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed March 28, 2023. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 5, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 13A. This recall is an expansion of and supersedes recall number 21V-798.

Owner Complaints (20)

criticalELECTRICAL SYSTEM
FireFiled: Feb 2025

Your 2021 Ram 2500 caught fire while parked and plugged in for charging, with no warning lights beforehand. Smoke emerged from the vehicle, and the fire spread to your home before the fire department extinguished it. Your truck had been scheduled for a dealer recall related to the electrical system but had not yet been serviced when this occurred. The vehicle will need a complete electrical system inspection and repair to identify and fix the fire hazard.

NHTSA #: 11644856
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Filed: Jun 2025

Your backup camera doesn't turn on when you shift into reverse gear. This means you won't see the camera feed on your display when backing up, which could make it harder to see obstacles behind your vehicle. The repair will likely involve checking the camera wiring, the reverse light circuit, or replacing the camera unit itself.

NHTSA #: 11664192
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
FireFiled: Apr 2024

My 2021 Ram 2500 6.7 truck quit on me driving down the road. When I raised the hood I could smell burned wires and see smoke. Luckily, it was raining or I think my truck would have burned up. I noticed melted plastic and burned wires on the drivers side of the truck. This particular truck had an Electrical system recall and shows to have been completed. (Safety Recall 13A/NHTSA 23V-060) If this recall was completed, maybe something else needs to be checked out. The truck is currently at a dealership to be repaired, but I will still be scared of it catching on fire because the dealership cannot tell me why or how the fire started. 03

NHTSA #: 11580670
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Filed: Sep 2023

ABS and traction control is not working intermittently Blinkers are not working Windshield wipers are not working Cruise control is not working Gear electronic (+/-) is not working -Service electronic stability control light is on intermittently -Service trailer brake system light is on intermittently -When towing heavy load I see a leak under hood. I'm extremely worried about driving my truck. Please advise. Called multiple dealers, conflicting what has to be done. Is it covered under warranty/recall?

NHTSA #: 11546950
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Filed: Sep 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V060000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA #: 11543864
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Filed: Aug 2023

On February 9 2023 Ram issued a recall on my vehicle Ram 2500. In that recall it was noted “ An electrical short in the relay can potentially lead to a vehicle fire with the ignition on or off” further owners were advised to park their vehicles outside and away from buildings. This requirement is a burden on vehicle owners and subjects the vehicle to additional risks including weather (hail, extreme heat, and paint oxidization) and other risks such as vandalism and theft. You would think stellantis would have a sense of urgency to complete these recalls, they obviously do not. I have contacted the dealer Waxahachie Ram multiple times to only receive the same answer… we don’t have the part, we only get one every two weeks, we’ll call ya. Reading consumer complaints on NHTSA, multiple consumers have had the same experience. A manufacturer issuing a recall is meaningless if they don’t repair the vehicles. Stellantis has demonstrated they have total disregard for the consumers who owns these affected vehicles by exceeding a reasonable amount of time to perform these repairs and keeping consumers in unsafe vehicles. Unlike your other complaints, I ask NHTSA to not just contact the manufacture and fall for their “parts distribution disconnect” response. This is clearly a failure on Stellantis to repair a recall on a reportedly 306k vehicles recall. I ask the NHTSA not to just call Stellantis but to investigate the actions and inactions they have taken to timely complete these repairs. Investigate if there is a financial benefit to Stellantis to delay these repairs. Investigate if the replacement part is identical to the ones used on newly manufactured rams and if so investigate why those units would have an available part or get priority at the dealership (vehicle sale?)vs essentially no parts available for the already sold units. Is Stellantis allocating these parts to timely repair the affected vehicles? A real investigation needs to find out!

NHTSA #: 11541283
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Jun 2023

I was at a stop light. When I went to go, Truck Stalled for No reason and I lost All control. No steering, No brakes, and it would NOT start until I came to a full stop after almost getting side swiped by oncoming cars in opposite lane, of which I rolled into

NHTSA #: 11527847
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Filed: Jun 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V060000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA #: 11526114
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE
Filed: Jun 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 2500. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that the remote start was inoperable. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V060000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA #: 11525880
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Filed: Jun 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V060000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA #: 11525370
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Filed: Jun 2023

Chrysler is sending this recall every month but the dealers claime the part is not available!!!!

NHTSA #: 11525126
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE
Filed: May 2023

My local Ram Dealership in Del Rio, Texas (Ram Country), has refused to repair my open recalls on my 2021 Ram 2500 Diesel. This includes the heater relay recall and the transmission dipstick recall. I have visited the dealership on at least 5 occassions and each time I am put on a new "waiting list". Ram Country has informed me that they get parts weekly and will call me to schedule needed repairs, however they never do. What can I do to get my recalls fixed, and finally closed. I get FCA recall notifications warning me to get my recalls completed, however again, my local Ram Dealer refuses to schedule a repair, and continues putting my on a waiting list, and has recommended that maybe I should get a new vehicle. For your information........I paid $75,000.00 for my truck 22 months ago, and I cant buy a new truck everytime the manufacturer refuses to make a diligent effort for recall remediation. I need help please..........

NHTSA #: 11524720
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Filed: May 2023

This recall has been open, and my local dealership has the part available. However RAM will not allow them to "complete" the recall, stating that parts are not available from the manufacturer. If the parts are available for sale today from the parts department, that statement cannot be true,. Furthermore, according to the NHTSA website, the "Phase 3" remedy, was to begin on 5/11/2023, and has not begun yet. This is unacceptable to have my children and family at risk of injury or death from vehicle fire because the manufacturer is slow to remedy this known problem.

NHTSA #: 11523241
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Filed: Apr 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V060000 (Electrical System); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA #: 11518036
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Filed: Mar 2023

******* DELETE VOQ ******* THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING MARKED FOR DELETION BECAUSE IT IS AN INADVERTENT DUPLICATE OF ODI# 11511259*DJR ******* DELETE VOQ *******

NHTSA #: 11511261
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE
Filed: Feb 2023

A high percentage of Ram owners with the 6.7 Cummins Engine are removing the Grid Heater due to a weak bolt that, over time becomes weak and falls down into the intake of the engine. The bolt will go directly into the engine block and cause catastrophic damage. There is an aftermarket fix which is a heater element installed into the intake horn itself instead of directly on top of the flat intake surface.

NHTSA #: 11506551
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Filed: Dec 2021

Driving highway speed and truck shut off completely. Took to dealer, no issues found. 800 miles later driving highway speed truck shut off again. Took to dealer, no issues found so far. Complete loss of power, power steering, power brakes, etc. Display read, "Press brake and push button to start" while coasting in neutral both times.

NHTSA #: 11442452
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Filed: Nov 2021

My vehicle has a 12" screen in the dash. While Operating the Vehicle, weather notifications keep popping up. I've looked for ways to disable this "feature", even gone as far as cancelling the Sirius connected feature(by calling Sirius).These Pop-ups still persist and are distracting me from paying attention to the road. There is not way to turn these off.

NHTSA #: 11441336
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM
FireFiled: Nov 2021

The contact owned a 2021 Ram 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V798000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle with a fob key from inside his residence, he did not hear the engine start. The contact looked outside when he noticed there were flames coming from underneath the hood. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire department report was filed. The vehicle remained in the contact's driveway, not yet deemed totaled by the insurance company. Prior to the failure, the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall however, the dealer did not perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer informed the contact that they would be in touch via email. The failure mileage was approximately 10,200.

NHTSA #: 11441016
mediumELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE
FireFiled: Aug 2021

At a stop light after 10 min of normal driving on country and city roads my truck started smoking from front passenger wheel well. Smoke intensified and quickly turned black. Immediately pulled over and found flames burning through front passenger wheel liner and from around passenger side battery and intake filter. Fire was put out with fire extinguisher and engine bay sprayed down by fire truck when they arrived on scene. Fire melted through battery case leaking battery acid, parts of the intake filter housing, all surrounding electrical wiring and completely through wheel well. Was building in intensity until put out with fire extinguisher. Truck was purchased in June 2021 and had 0 active recalls. Truck was completely stock.

NHTSA #: 11429824

Other 2021 Ram 2500 Issues