2018 Ram 1500 Electrical System
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
THE U CONNECT SCREEN KEEPS ASKING TO UPDATE THE CLOCK WHEN THE CLOCK IS ACCURATE, LOCKS OUT ALL OTHER FUNCTIONS UNTIL I HIT THE X, THEN ALL GOES AWAY, THEN THE MESSAGE RETURNS.
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Uconnect infotainment system intermittently failed, causing the defroster and rearview camera to become inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.
The backup camera randomly gets a distorted picture or just goes black. The wiring harness at the tailgate is the issue. I can wiggle the harness and close the tailgate and it works again. I replaced the harness myself once and now it’s doing it again. There was a little kid on a bike behind me that I could not see from my mirrors and turning my head and I almost ran into him but luckily the parents were right there and yelled to him and I
Dash mounted control screen malfunctions, and the heater will switch back and forth randomly the radio doesn't function properly, can't control heater or defrosters. If using navigation, it will malfunction and flicker on and off.
Unconnect / head unit malfuctions in a way that makes driving unsafe. Climate control is unusable, gps malfuctions, radio stations change, phone calls people, mutes/unmutes, hangs up. AC/Heat alternates and turns on and off on it's own. It's incredibly distracting.
Rear backup camera freezes the display or displays blue screen while backing up. Open recall on the year of vehicle but not under this VIN. Vehicle has been doing this for a long time and seems just recently the recall was started. A possibly unrelated issue is happening where the uconnect does “ghost button pressing” cuts heat, turns on ac, changes clock, settings etc. very unsafe as youre forced to turn heat or ac back on while driving multiple times in a short session of driving
The HVAC controls are part of the radio unit. The radio unit locks up, requiring the battery to be pulled to reset most of the time. When you dont have the radio working you cannot control the HVAC controls including Defrost which can cause a dangerous driving situation or not be able to drive due to fogged up windows. Also many of the vehicle functions such as the auto dim mirror are inoperative when the radio locks up or doesnt not work (black screen) causing a dangerous night situation. lastly, the reversing camera will not work with a non functioning radio display causing a hazard with a full size pickup backing up to others.
Due to screen delamination - While operating the vehicle, the central monitor cycles repeatedly through different functions, and actions, including but not limited to: calling multiple people using phone connected to vehicle by Bluetooth, changing the directions/stopping navigation, showing the back up camera, changing radio stations, change environmental controls. This is a significant safety issue as it is very distracting to the driver of the vehicle. Solutions like turning off the screen are not effective due to screen delamination - it prevents the screen from fully turning off as the trips the touch screen function restarting the screen. When the issue was raised with the delearship and noted as a significant safety issue - the dealership advised that it was not a safety issue and identified it as "the radio needing to be replaced". This is a known and documented issue with this year, make and model of vehicle. This is an ongoing issue.
The vehicle turns on and off by itself and the radio and ac also started to turn on and switched between hi and low and the radio stations kept switching stations the power lock window buttons in times worked other times it would be stuck and didn't work. The key fob was switched to a new key fob however the problem persist the vehicle came to a sudden stop and shut off in the middle of the highway while driving causing all the electrical system in the vehicle to activate the alarm going off the anti lock brake on and the vehicle lights and vehicle turning on and off. I am concern with my safety and the public safety as this vehicle shut off while I was driving this could have cause a major accident if I were driving at regular high speed in the highway this could have caused total lost of control of the vehicle I had to get it towed to the dealer for service. The dealer fails to conduct a proper electrical diagnosis on the vehicle stating the issue is the key fob which was switch for a new one however this happen same day the key fob was switched which means the key fob was not the issue there is a major electrical issue that needs investigation this vehicle should be off the road or salvage no warning lights prior or after the incident the date it started which was on March 13,2024 the car was brought to service and released on April 3, 2024 and after changing key fob the problem continues and on April 4th the vehicle shut off while driving without warning. The dealer who sold the vehicle can not figure out the issue as a proper diagnosis has not be made by them and they continue to fail to fix the issue.
The UCONNECT touch screen began de-laminating several years ago and was reported to the local dealership that services my vehicle, but they discarded due to warranty status. However now it is randomly detecting a 'touch' on the screen. While this is somewhat just an annoyance when using the radio, nav or apple car play, this is also used to control the vehicle settings including many of the safety features making this a critical component of the safety system of the vehicle. A malfunctioning touch screen should be considered a critical defect in terms of safety in most modern vehicles. I have noticed there are other complaints about this as well in public forums and on the NHTSA site.
8.4 in touchscreen is delaminating. The screen delamination causes the vehicle to register button pushes that aren't occurring, causing unintentional settings changes or making phone calls. Safety equipment (parking sensors) will intermittently be toggled off. This puts my safety at risk because it is a distraction while driving, essential safety devices can and are turned off randomly. This appears to be a common failure with multiple Dodge/Ram/FCA vehicles that have the 8.4 touchscreen.
Radio Delamination, safety issue, loss of control features, backup camera turns on, making unwanted phone calls
Uconnect screen is delaminating and causing phone calls and radio channel spontaneous changing as well as affecting maps while driving.
I have an ongoing issue with my Ram pick up, granted it's not a safety issue but an known issue by Chrysler. My issue is with the radio delaminating. Again it's a known issue so well know that when I described the issue the tech behind the desk called out a diagnosis without even going into the vehicle. My truck was purchased used in Michigan but was originally purchased new in Canada so when I went to address the issue the US FCA Chrysler stated it's not their problem it needs to be addressed with FCA Canada. I contacted FCA Canada and was told it's not their responsibility I need to contact the US FCA Chrysler because I am not a Canadian resident. Again, I contacted US FCA Chrysler and was told they could not help me. This is a known issue, I don't care where the vehicle was first sold I just want my vehicle fixed. This issue has been proven to be in both markets, why will nobody take responsibility and do whats right for the customer.
GPS / Navigation system failure while vehicle was in use. System failure resulted in faulty position location on the moving map. When checked against the "HOME" location...the position error was 13 miles to the SouthEast. This failure is accompanied by erroneous Compass indication and a loss of Radio audio.
When driving, the vehicle jerked and stopped working, could not drive and would not respond. I had to coast to the curb as best as possible. Vehicle was towed to preferred independent service center. I had just gotten off the freeway and if this had happened about 2 minutes prior we could have been stopped completely on the freeway. Major safety risk to me and my family. The problem, recall 66A, is currently being repaired, and has been confirmed, by our independent service center. No warnings prior to failure.
2018 Ram 8.4 Uconnect infotainment screen is delaminating. The system places calls and changes settings frequently and randomly with out warning. The changes are more than an annoyance and cause the driver to be distracted. the volume must be muted to stop from allowing the radio to turn up the volume and be even more distracting, but an audible beep can be heard with every change and its distraction cannot be ignored. The changes are very distracting and make it impossible to use hands free navigation. The system interrupts calls made using paired cell phone and Calls are ended irrelevant of nature. The system also places unrequested calls if the system is left on that particular screen. The Uconnect screen delaminating is very common and know issue. It was inspected by the dealership and they said the system must be replaced. what’s seem to have not been accepted is that it is a hazardous distraction and potentially stops the user from accessing help when needed until it can be replaced. Many drivers cannot park their car for days/weeks until the u it is replaced even if you ignore the $1200 proposed cost of replacement.
Uconnect 8.4 which controls a number of functions in the vehicle has a screen delamination problem which is causing functions to be selected turned on or off at random, including; radio stations changing, navigation points altered, keyless entry to be turned off/changed, auto headlight settings to be changed, heated seats and steering wheel turned on in July, windshield wiper settings to be changed. When traveling on the highway at posted speeds this is extremely distracting and dangerous because the focus of the driver is on the screen. What is most annoying is that the system cannot be turned off!!! I can't begin to imagine what might happen in an electric vehicle that has even more functions controlled via an input screen. Service technician at RAM looked at the vehicle and immediately identified the problem as screen delamination implying this was not a rare occurrence. RAM has informed me that the repair (replace the unit with a remanufactured one) will be approximately $2,500. Many people will simply not have this dangerous situation corrected. Every time I encounter a Chrysler vehicle I am concerned the driver may be distracted with a similar problem in their car and endangering other drivers. The internet is full of people experiencing the delamination problem in the Uconnect 8.4 system across vehicles in the Chrysler/Stellantis line up.
Touchscreen entertainment system is malfunctioning, changing on it's own. It has called 911 on multiple occasions and the rear camera comes on while driving.
The top third of the U Connect 8.4 screen is delaminating causing distracting information to appear on screen. Keeps asking if I want to adjust the clock. Also makes random radio station changes and picks random GPS points while driving.
The touchscreen for the UConnect and all on board systems (ac/heat, audio controls, back up camera, clock, phone and device interface, etc.) is delaminating. This began at about 53,000 miles and has worsened (currently at about 56,000) to the point that it creates phantom button pushes. This presents a safety hazard as it can change radio and volume settings, cause repetitive, unpredictable menus to populate(clock settings), make unintended phone calls, and change other settings that present a distraction to the driver. Once the problem begins, it cannot be stopped without powering the vehicle off and the monitor cannot be powered off as the phantom commands rewake the screen. This is a well known, well documented problem that is due to a design and manufacture defect that is expensive to replace. Please issue a recall!
The Uconnect control panel randomly changes settings for the radio, climate, phone. rear view camera and other systems controlled by the Uconnect system. It even attempted to place an SOS call for emergency help. This causes a significant distraction for the driver and systems are randomly and continuously turned on, off and have settings changed. The cause of this malfunction is a delamination/failure of the touch screen controls. This is a defect well known to FCA on many RAM and Dodge vehicles.
The infotainment system randomly starts changing stations rapidly. After resetting the system by disconnecting the battery, it now has the "would you like to change your clock settings" dialogue box pop up and no matter what you do, it pops right back up and you cannot control anything. I believe this is dangerous as it is distracting, and more importantly, there are many systems in this vehicle controlled by the touch screen. The HVAC control buttons are limited and when the touch screen is acting up, you only have limited choices which can be distracting in cool and damp weather when you need to keep you windows clear.
2018 Ram 1500 8.5 inch U-Connect center screen that shows the back-up camera video is delaminating. This causes the back-up camera to become non-functional when the delamination progresses to the point of rendering the screen unusable.
Battery drained. Code p1df3 ecu not transmitting. No issues leading to failure. Left stranded.
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Quick Summary
The 2018 Ram 1500 has 65 Electrical System complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.