2021 Ram 1500 Transmission Problems

Your truck's engine may shut down unexpectedly while you're driving due to a software problem in the powertrain control module. RAM issued a recall for 2021 models built between June 2020 and September 2021 with the 5.7-liter Hemi eTorque engine to address this issue. The fix involves updating the powertrain control module software calibration at a dealership.

I am submitting this report to alert the NHTSA of potential safety violations and undisclosed structural damage, drivetrain modifications, and possible engine replacement regarding my 2021 RAM 1500, which was purchased from Courtesy Chevrolet after being previously owned by Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

I was driving and my vehicle make a dinging sound, all the lights on the dash came on and the truck started accelerating on its own. I did not have the cruise control nor was I pressing the accelerator and the truck was accelerating by itself. If I used the brakes the truck would slow down, but when I released the brakes the truck would self accelerate again.

Truck shuddered and stalled in traffic on the highway. Was able to restart after a minute but it stalled and stopped again repeatedly leaving me vulnerable to a collision. This also occurred last summer on the interstate and the truck was towed to a dealer but they said they could not find anything wrong.

We purchased a new 2021 Dodge Ram in November of 2021 from Desert 215 Superstore in Las Vegas, NV. Nine months later the truck stalled while driving. The dealership kept the truck while they repaired the fuel pump.

Two engine/powertrain related issues: 1) Push START/STOP button does not function properly. The button must be pushed multiple times in order to turn the engine on or off. This is was reported to my local RAM dealership, however they were unable to resolve.

When driving at speeds above 45mph the truck loses acceleration out of no where. It will make grinding/shifting/stuck noises and rapidly going to unsafe speeds. I have been in HIGH traffic EVERY time this has occurred to me.

The transmission in this vehicle will stick into 3rd gear. I have to pull off the road. Turn it off and then it shifts.

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.

Cause of the incident is UNKNOWN at this time. The vehicle is currently with a Ram dealership for identification of the issue and repair. The incident occurred shortly after I exited an interstate with traveling speed at 70 MPH or faster.

Five minutes into my commute while making a low speed right turn from a stop, my vehicle stalled and shutoff in the middle of the road nearly causing an accident. Once stopped it automatically applied the emergency brake. This is apparently a known issue with the e-torque system.

Unknown Failure causing issue. Vehicle's Engine Shutoff while traveling down the road with no warning messages. Then message says to apply breaks and push "start", but it was in the "Run" and still coasting in Drive on the road.

At approximately 9,000 miles I was turning left from a residential area traveling at 15-25 MPH. During the turn, and without warning, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle shifted to park, the electronic parking brake engaged and the engine shut off.

Engine died while driving. There could have been a collision if the oncoming vehicle would have failed to stop in time. The problem has not been reproduced.

I turned left from the center lane into the driveway of my bank. After crossing the driveway apron, the truck engine died leaving me rolling through the parking lot. The vehicle sounded an alarm stating that it needed to be placed into Park to start the engine.

While driving at 60 mph with cruise control on, your truck's engine suddenly stalled without any warning lights or check engine light appearing. The electronic shifter became stuck in drive and wouldn't move to neutral, though the truck automatically shifted to park once it slowed to 2-3 mph. When you tried to restart the engine, it cranked but wouldn't start, and the same problem occurred after waiting 20-30 minutes. The truck had full electrical power and no warning lights during this time. The fuel pump engaged when you turned on the ignition, and oil level was normal. A fuel system diagnostic or fuel pump replacement may be needed to restore engine starting capability.

Your truck's 4WD system intermittently displays an "Overheated Performance Temporarily Reduced" warning message, causing it to lose traction in snow—even just 1-2 inches prevents forward movement and causes the rear end to fishtail. The dealer replaced the differential and transfer case fluid, but the problem continues and they couldn't reproduce it during a follow-up visit. The issue may involve the transfer case or transfer case motor, though the exact cause hasn't been confirmed yet.

While towing, my truck threw P00AF-00 Turbocharger Boost Control Module "A" Performance and ABS C121C-00 Torque Request Signal Denied codes and I lost power due to turbocharger not engaging. Alarms that were lit included CEL, Service Electronic Throttle Control, and the Stabilizer system. The safety aspect is the loss of power while towing on a highway.

In April 2025 I reported a whining noise coming from the truck (under the hood), less than 50,000 miles. Dealer determined that the problem was a failing bearing in the Motor Generator Unit (MGU). They informed me that the truck was still under warranty and would be replaced...

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to pull out of the driveway at 5 MPH, the transmission unexpectedly shifted into park and the parking brake independently activated, with the message "Auto-correct Shifter" displayed. There was no warning light illuminated.

My vehicle is only 4 years old, and the torque generator has gone out in the vehicle. I haven't towed anything in my vehicle. It has 90,XXX miles on it.

I am reporting a recurring safety issue involving exhaust fumes entering the cabin of my 2021 Ram 1500 Big Horn, particularly during cold starts or remote starts while idling. Despite multiple attempts to have this issue repaired through authorized dealerships, the problem has not been resolved.

While I was driving on the freeway, my check engine light came on and my battery voltage dropped rapidly (within 5 minutes I had a dead battery). My transmission, power train and electrical components all stopped working. Luckily I was pulling over before this happened so I didn’t get in a wreck on the freeway.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V754000 (VISIBILITY). The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started to lose power.

The Alternator/MGU has failed. There was a mild whuring noise at first. Within a few days, the truck died at a stop light and would no longer start or go into neutral.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to coast the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle regained motive power independently.

The truck stalled at a intersection and applied the emergency brake. This seems like a common problem with the torque engine.

After completing a left hand turn, the vehicle stalled while moving. The emergency brake activated. The car would restart but not immediately engage leaving me stuck in traffic.

I was making a right hand turn at about 5-10 MPH and the truck stalled. All dash lights were still on. Truck was in Run position, engine just stalled, it put itself in park and emergency brake was engaged.

This vehicle has an issue where it will stall. While making a right hand turn about 5 to 8 miles an hour onto a side street near my home the vehicle just shut off and rolled to a stop. It put itself in park and the auto e-brake engaged.

My truck has stalled multiple times upon the first 5 minutes of driving. It has always been at low speeds of less than 15mph. Once the emergency braking system came on which required me to put vehicle in park to restart while in the middle of the road in traffic.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle operated for a second and then stalled while the shift to desired gear warning error illuminated. The contact mentioned the brakes were applied independently.

While traveling over a speed bump at approximately 5 MPH, truck will stall, "autocorrect shift" and apply emergency brake. Vehicle is a 2021 eTorque.

After coming to a complete stop where the auto stop engages and then trying to start and move again, the truck will stall, put itself into park and apply the emergency brake. The only way to resolve from here is to turn off/on the truck and release the parking brake. A big hazard when in heavy truck and people are expecting the truck to be moving.

I slowed down to take a right turn into a drive through when the engine shut off out of nowhere. I had to stop to try to start again. When I slowed down, the truck put itself into park and applied the parking brake, coming to a sudden stop.

2021 5.7L HEMI e-Torque with 5000mi. While traveling at approximately 25mph I slowed down to stop at a stop sign and the truck start shifting down as it should. At around 5/7mph the rpms drop below 500, no feedback when applying the gas pedal and the engine stops or sometimes is able to recover.

While slowing down to make a right turn and then trying to accelerate the vehicle stalled, turned itself off, put itself in park and applied the parking brake. This has happened twice now. The first time at approximately 4,000 miles and the second time just over 6,000 miles.

While traveling at approximately 15 MPH I slowed to make a right hand turn. Truck was moving slowly enough, maybe 5-8 MPH through the turn that I did not apply the accelerator, nor did I have any brake pressure applied to complete the turn. Before I could straighten the truck out of the turn, it stalled.

My 2021 Dodge Ram 1500 has stalled 8 times since purchasing the vehicle. The first occurrence was the day after purchasing the vehicle. In each instance, the circumstances have been identical: The vehicle speed is reduced to a near stop.

Truck stalls while making hard turns, usually at slower speeds. Truck has also cut off while making a turn into traffic. I've read about a number of consumers having the same issue with the etorque Hemi engines.

Tl* the contact owns a 2021 ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and shifted to park inadvertently. The contact restarted the vehicle however, the vehicle would not move because the automatic emergency braking had engaged inadvertently.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle began to vibrate. An independent mechanic was contacted.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH or slower, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the engine compartment. While attempting to accelerate, the vehicle intermittently hesitated and slightly surged forward before accelerating.

I was driving on the highway going the speed limit and the car suddenly slowed to 35 and all sorts of lights (check engine light and others) came on and messages went across the screen about the throttle control and stability control. This is the 4th time this has happened to me.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart.

2021 Ram 1500 Laramie. 2 Occasions of unexpected engine Revving. 1) Pulled up to a stop, waiting for cross traffic, when fully stopped, the Engine began to rev up by ~500 RPM, up then back down, about 3 times in a row.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front end of the vehicle shuddered abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated.

On May 16 2025 I started my truck and all the lights started flashing on my cluster( I took pictures) I drove down the street in my vehicle and it put itself into park. I drove back to my shop and called the dealership to make an appointment along with enterprise Rent-A-Car. I had the rental vehicle from May 16 through May 22.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon driving from a complete stop, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power and independently shifted to park(P). After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence.

Since purchase of the vehicle, I have experienced transmission surges and low power and fuel economy. When decelerating to a stop or U turn and the vehicle is in ECO, right before full stop, the RPMs will drop to 300-500 and surge back up to 1500-1800 causing a lunge forward. Vehicle has been in 6 times for a persistent transmission surge paired with low power and fuel economy.

Engine tick/knocking noise @ idle speed increases with RPM. 110k miles. No warning lamps or signals.

Ice and snow packs in the underbody of the truck. Specifically, over the exposed cable that moves a few inches to transition the truck to park (for ram trucks with rotary knob for shifter) Ice builds up on exposed cable and prevents truck from safely shifting into park causing error messages and rolling concerns.

Oil pan is rusted out and leaking.

vehicle lost acceleration power while RPM's went up to 7. I put into neutral and then back into drive and problem corrected itself. This is second time this year.

Check engine light turned on, I checked with two different code check device readers and both came up with code "P26FB" Powertrain System, Update Powertrain Control Module (PCM).

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence.

ON 9 separate occasions, the truck has issued the same warning light for "Powertrain Malfunction Indicator Light". We have written records and emails of specific days each time the truck lights issued this warning. On 2 of these 9 alerts, the truck completely shut down and was unable to start for approximately 30 minutes.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, and the vehicle was able to be restarted.

2nd Time it has been taken to the shop for Timing cover oil leak, Environmental hazard and Oil on my Garage floor caused me to Fall while taking out the Trash. This was after I cleaned the Garage Floor after the first Leak. I did some research online and see that this is a CONTINUIOS PROBLEM with many other EcoDiesel Trucks.

Engine gaskets blow up just after the 60000 miles warranty..no warning light on dashboard... battery fails before the 2 year warranty...starter failed when engine replaced it...no warning light....rear sensors fail since I bought it..never fixed... with exception of the rear sensors...

On 11/23/23 my check engine light came on suddenly with the code P020E upon reviewing information online I determined there was a recall on my truck for the HPFP (Manufacturer Recall NumberZ96 NHTSA Recall Number22V-767).

Exhaust Concern. In July 2023, the left exhaust manifold cracked down whole manifold, mileage was 51,369. This was repaired under 60,000 miles Powertrain Warranty.

Radiator having to be replaced on a vehicle that is only 2 years old.

Multiple exhaust leaks

The contact's son owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V265000 (Power Train). The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle began to lose motive power.

There is clunk coming from the rear of the vehicle when I put into Drive or Reverse. The noise is also present when I deaccelerate and it is very present when I am towing my boat which is I the legal towing capacity of this vehicle. It also has developed a vibration since this has started and has steadily gotten worse over time.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle started to vibrate abnormally. Additionally, the contact stated that there was a loud pop coming from the rear of the vehicle.

After 4 days of ownership with less than 15,000 miles on it the truck died in intersection. No warning lights came on. Truck would not restart and is currently at the dealership.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to hesitate. The check engine warning light illuminated.

Vehicle would not shift from 1st gear when starting off. Had to pull of to the shoulder to turn off the vehicle and restart. Said "service transmission" and check engine light lit.

I was driving to work and made a right turn (I did not come to a complete stop). As I finished the turn, maybe going 5-7 MPH, I pressed on the gas pedal to accelerate and the truck did not respond. A second later the truck turned off and the parking brake automatically engaged, so I came to a complete stop in the middle of a road with other vehicles around me.

MY RAM TRANSMISSION FAILED TO SHIFT GEARS OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THE RPMS WENT TO 3000 TO REACH ONLY 16 MPH. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS.

The parking brake started displaying not available on the heads up display. It did this several times within 5 minutes. When I was coming to a stop at around 5 MPH the vehicle shifted into Park and set the parking brake and stopped.

Purchased truck with 4WD last November. Live in a snowy ice region. Truck randomly displays 4WD serv light and error message.

While driving about 5mph approaching an intersection my ram shut off without warning, said “apply brake to start vehicle” and as I rolled through the intersection with zero control at about 2mph it set its parking brake by itself. I had to move my shifter to park, apply the brake, restart the truck, and turn off the parking brake IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION.

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH, the engine suddenly shut off and the message "Put in Park" was displayed on the dashboard. The vehicle continued to roll away before automatically switching to the park position causing the vehicle to abruptly stop.

Was backing out of a parking spot truck shut off when restarted it was limited power and check engine light. 1920 miles.

My bearings in my rear assembly has failed before 100K miles. In addition, I had to replace the eTorque generator before 100K miles.

I put the car in drive and heard a loud bang. When I went to move it sounded like metal scraping. It turns out the front differential cracked and came loose making the truck inoperable.

Upon starting the vehicle, shifting into drive from park, and depressing the gas pedal, the vehicle would not shift out of first gear into higher gears. The engine began to whine and the RPM gauge registered much higher than when the vehicle typically shifts into higher gears during acceleration. Upon realizing, I pulled over and shifted from Drive to Park.

Gas mile sensor goes from 250miles to 60miles left in tank. It jumps up and down on the miles. It said I had 175 miles till tank to be empty.

After accelerating onto a 30 MPH road, from a dead spot, engine RPMS spiked while Ecodiesel engine/ ZF transmission dropped into 1st gear with no warning. AFTER taking foot of accelerator and turning on warning flashers I noticed (HUD)heads up display that I was in 1st gear. I advanced gear shifter on steering wheel to 8th gear ASAP.

Was making a left had turn from a stop sign and my truck just shut off. I was going roughly 5 MPH or less when this happened. I was able to coast for a second until the emergency brakes came on for some reason while the truck was still in drive.

On two separate occasions while within 5 minutes of starting the truck while moving forward on a city street both times it initiated on a turn the truck turns off and tells you put the vehicle in park to restart. The emergency brake is also illuminated. The truck has less then 200 miles on it.

I parked my truck, shut off the engine, and exited and went inside. I was walking my dog several minutes later and seemed to notice my truck moving backwards. I saw the fresh tracks in the snow in front of my truck and realized that it was rolling backward on my driveway.