2023 Ram 1500 Reliability Report

Power steering can fail without warning, sometimes at highway speed, leaving the wheel heavy or locked. In some trucks the voltage drops first and systems shut down one by one before the steering and engine go. Dealers have replaced steering racks and electric power steering units, with long waits for parts. Many reports concern the steering column control module under recall 24V-729, with turn signals that will not cancel or stay on. Owners describe recall parts out of stock for months, and some trucks are not on the recall VIN list. One crash report ties a run off the road to the ESC recall.

Stalling at low speed is the main pattern. The engine shuts off while slowing, turning or creeping in traffic. The truck then sets the parking brake and often shifts to park. Several stalls happen in the middle of a left turn, leaving the truck rolling across oncoming lanes. Warning lights rarely come on beforehand. Dealers often cannot reproduce the problem, though code P032F turns up, and some owners link it to the PE24018 investigation. Separate reports cite fuel injector failures that cause hesitation and shaking, and a water pump belt that failed at under 10k miles.

Tailgates opening by themselves while driving lead this category. Cargo falls out, and in some cases the tailgate drops onto a towed trailer. The reports come from low-mileage trucks, under 3,000 to under 7k miles, and one owner notes that this latch was recalled on earlier model years. Driver sun visors come loose at the pivot and fall while driving, sometimes again after a warranty repair. Single reports cite mice nesting in the cabin air path and heavy sway in high winds.

Two crash reports, one with an injury, describe brakes that failed to stop the truck. Both tie the failure to the ABS module and ESC recall, and in both cases the owner learned of the recall around or after the crash. Other reports describe the electronic parking brake slamming on when the engine stalls, and automatic emergency braking engaging with nothing ahead, at speeds up to 45 mph. The factory trailer brake controller can also get stuck in a single light electric mode, even after dealers replace the radio, BCM and controller module.

The recurring defect is a left turn signal that keeps blinking after the turn is done. Some blinkers also come on at random or stop the right signal from working. Owners connect the problem to recall 23V-799 and the related steering column control module fault. In some cases the dealer does not have the part to fix it. No warning light comes on, so drivers may not notice that the signal is still blinking. Other drivers may then expect a turn that never comes.

The main complaint is the engine stalling with auto start/stop. The engine shuts off at a stop, the parking brake sets and the truck will not move, in one case at a light on a 55 mph road. A 3.6L owner reports code P032F and notes that the V8 received a software update while the 3.6L has none yet. Other reports cover a loss of power after a cold start, a fuel pump and control module failure just out of warranty that cost $1809.64, and an unshielded plastic fuel tank punctured by road debris.

Three crash reports say the air bags did not deploy, including a 45 mph impact with a semi that injured two people. In one of those crashes, the eTorque system shut off the engine and the truck then accelerated on its own into a light pole. A separate report describes airbag malfunction warnings several times a week. The dealer says the clock spring needs replacing, and the owner has waited months for the part.