2019 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
My 2019 ram 1500 started showing an intermittent warning light on the dash that said check check trailer brake, although I was not towing anything. I continued on my 20 minute commute and parked the vehicle to which point I noticed smoke towards the back of the vehicle. I inspected to see a small fire that apparently had started at the trailer tow module that had shorted and ignited the insulation and surrounding plastics. I was able to extinguish the fire with minimal damage to the truck, mainly the plastic paneling and the wiring and associated components were damaged. I'm reporting this because a vehicle fire is a significant safety concern and I'm probably not the first to have had this happen. I have made no aftermarket adjustments to my towing system and I've only owned the vehicle approximately over a year. The vehicle has about 83,000 miles on it currently.
The etorque alternator bearing failure locked it up causing the vehicle to die in traffic while attempting to make a left turn. This alternator had been replaced 13 months earlier due to a bearing failure. I have now been waiting 2.5 months for replacement and was told today by Ram dealer that orders are blocked until the end of feb. The last time it failed I found the only one in the state to make the repair but not as lucky this time. 5000 on backorder nationwide with no delivery date. Truck is now useless
December 26, 2025, while driving, the vehicle shut down, and it went into park. After researching the cause of the issue, the RF module had water in it. Additional research indicates the third brake light leaks into the cabin causing water to enter the module causing corrosion and a short. Vehicle was towed to the dealer for repair. Dealer indicated the RF module did fail. They also stated it may be caused by a leaking rear window. The service writer stated they would cover the brake light issue but not the rear window if it caused the problem. Water into the cabin by either area is obviously an electrical problem but also a fire hazard. Any water into a wire harness or component has the potential to short and cause a fire. Before the shutdown, the right front and left rear tire pressure sensors were coming on and off at times. The remote start became non-functional at times.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the instrument cluster was black. The contact stated that the failure was initially intermittent but had become a permanent failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
I was driving and my power steering went out .I took it to the dealership to find i had a alternator generator issue.
Purchased vehicle used in 2024 and purchased a 3 year extended bumper to bumper warranty. The center screen was restarting every 3 minutes and was draining my battery down to being completely dead when it was not running. On 12/15/2025 I brought the truck to a Ram dealer with the problem and it was diagnosed by the dealer (Sansone Auto Mall) as needing to replace the entire radio/HVAC center stack, and it was the cause of the parasitic drain on the battery. The work was approved by my warranty and the parts were ordered. It has been 11 weeks and the parts have not arrived and Stellantis has been unable to provide a timeframe of when the parts will arrive at the dealer to do the repairs. The truck has no defroster or heat rendering it unsafe to be driven on roads. I have had an open case with Stellantis for several weeks and call them frequently to attempt to locate the parts for my vehicle in which they are unable to provide me a delivery date and a repair timeframe.
While driving a 2019 Ram I heard a winding noise then a rattling noise. I went immediately to the mechanic. He said it was my E-torque generator. He said I was lucky to get there because I could have had a complete loss of power or could have damaged other parts of the vehicle. A loss of power could be very dangerous on the highway possibly causing an accident or leaving me on the side of the highway exposing me to traffic driving by at 70mph+. The mechanic cannot get the replacement from RAM. Ram is not making them right now. There are over 5000 on back order. That means there are over 5000 people making payments on a work truck they can't use. Some people have been waiting for nearly a year.
Mopar Part # 68623194AB Generator on a national backorder. There is a problem with this part and MOPAR cannot fix the issue - ETA is non existent - Truck has been parked since July 4. Making payments on a truck that is not functioning. The vehicle shut down completely on I-95. Had to have it towed to my home.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the roadway and turned off the vehicle. While attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to immediately restart, and several attempts were needed to start the vehicle. The vehicle then returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact was informed that the failure had been referred to an engineer with the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000.
At about 77k miles, I started hearing a humming noise from the engine when I would accelerate and then decelerate. Upon inspection and confirmation from Ram dealership, the Engine Generator Kit (alternator) appeared to have a bad bearing and needed to be replaced. I initially agreed to the replacement until I was told that the part needed is on backorder and that there were roughly 4k orders placed ahead of mine nationally. This means I have no way of fixing this issue using an original MOPAR part. I was told I can agree to pay for the item to get the order placed and then wait until it comes in with no timeframe given other than it could be weeks or months. I am now having to drive around in a vehicle that could potentially breakdown at any time and thus leaving me with no vehicle. I do not have any warning lights on the dash but it seems like I am driving a ticking timebomb.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated when the vehicle was started, the infotainment screen was blank. The vehicle was restarted but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the digital cluster needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact believed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V556000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.
Start stop/ Battery/ Engine lights all came on and warning messages said, stop start unavailable and some electrical power loss. Vehicle was taken to dealership for repairs. MGU was defective (Motor Generator Unit). Was informed parts were not available back ordered. 5000 units on order no available parts.
The RFH module is defective for the year and has already been replaced by a new model. When the module goes bad it can leave you stranded because it runs the security section of the computer. The computer will not recognize the key fobs, and the car can shut off and not restart leaving you stranded. Mechanic also informed me that it could also cause issues during driving not just when you stopped. The main warning lamp is the check engine light will illuminate and will throw a code for ECU not initializing.
On [XXX}, the alternator went out on me 4 hours north of my home. I had it towed 30 miles to Canon Ram in Greenwood, MS. The check engine light came on about 20 miles before the issue escalated to the point where I had to pull over in a rest area and then completely died. The GPU alternator was not in stock and is reportedly on backorder; however, a recall was issued for the same item in previous model year Ram trucks. It's been 4 weeks with no date in sight for this being fixed. The order number is [XXX] for part 68623194AC made on [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I bought a new battery from the Chrysler dealership in February of 2023 that started going bad in May of 2025. It is under warranty until February 2026. On May 28th 2025, I was attending a canine seminar out of town. At the end of the day, I went to start the truck & the battery was dead. I was able to get a jump start & immediately took it to a local retailer to have the starter, alternator & battery checked.The battery had Indications of going bad, the alternator & starter passed the tests. I purchased a mobile jump starter to make sure I wouldn't be left stranded somewhere. When I returned home, I scheduled an appointment at the dealership to have them replace it. The dealership kept it overnight & said their diagnostic machines did not give the code that allowed them to replace the battery under warranty. I was getting ready drive to Indiana from Florida & wanted to make sure it would be safe.I then drove to Texas after that, then back home, about 1200 miles each leg. When I went to leave to Maine a couple weeks later, the truck would not start. I was able to use a jump starter to get it going. When I got to Maine, I scheduled an appointment at the local dealership to have them check it. They ran the same tests & said they could not get the code to replace the battery under warranty. It became increasingly difficult to start the truck & even got to the point where I couldn't use a mobile jump starter to start it. When I returned from Maine, I made an appointment with a reliable mechanic who said the battery was swollen & leaking acid. He said it was ready to explode, potentially catching the engine compartment on fire. At that point I contacted the dealer again, and they said that yes, with acid leaking & the battery swollen, they could replace the battery under warranty. It should never have gotten to the point where the battery had to be leaking acid to get it changed out under warranty, the testing the dealerships do does not properly identify bad batteries. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving the truck completely lost all power and crashed into a side wall. Dealership stated it was an electrical issue related to steering brake rack.
I have a 2019 dodge ram and the alternator been out since December 2024 and it's on back order I can't get to work and can't pay on the truck something need to be done about this I need help
LCD screen in instrument cluster does not power on, stays black, and does not show relevant driving, safety, or error messages.
The MGU (motor generator Unit) is failing. Appears to be a known issue with Chrysler. Problem is that this part is not available. Was told that there are over 3,000 backordered parts with no eta. The dealer said that they had several on backorder from May. This is a 2019 product and there is no reason that this part should not be available.
MY 2019 RAM 1500 CLASSIC SLT CREW CAB, has a serious safety DEFECT of a Remote Frequency (RF) hub, a critical component responsible for recognizing the key fob and enabling the vehicle to start which won't allow fob to work or remote start. This is caused by the rear light back window has a recurring leak that has resulted in water intrusion into the vehicle. This water damage led to the failure of the Remote Frequency (RF) hub, a critical component. The issue has also resulted in corrosion to wiring harnesses and electrical components. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This issue has put mine and my wife's safety at risk on multiple occasions. The vehicle has repeatedly failed to recognize the key fob, rendering it completely inoperable as well as the remote starter. I've been left stranded multiple times due to this defect causing keyfob to not work not allowing me to enter the vehicle either when needed especially when my wife is alone at night in this vehicle. Additionally, electrical failures pose a fire hazard and could potentially affect other critical systems while the vehicle is in operation. There are thousands of ram truck owners also complaining of the exact same issue. I have incurred expenses such as tow fee's and shop fee's when we can't enter the vehicle when posing only the fob on our person and diagnostics of this issue. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AS THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN
The "Generator Kit" which houses the vehicles alternator went bad. I have been waiting for more than 4 weeks for the repair to be done and the shop has no idea when the part will arrive. It is Generator Kit #68623194AB. I reached directly out to 12 dealers and none of them give me any idea of when they can get the part and have a waiting list themselves. The web is lighting up with thousands of complaints about this single issue. One dealer said they have no idea when the part will show up and they've already been waiting for "6" MONTHS. They said it could honestly be another 6 months. For an alternator??? RAM Trucks has a major issue here and they have known about it for a while.
When using reverse, the image stays on the screen in reverse for sometime. also, screen stays a solid color in black or blue at times not allowing any controls on the screen when attempting. Screen will sometimes freeze and reset sometime after driving. radio and or screen stays on for an extended period of time after turning vehicle off leaving vehicle and locking doors still allowing radio/screen to continue in operation.
My name is [XXX] this truck have múltiples eléctricas problems I talk white the dealers but do not have any rescues INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The alternator failed suddenly and without warning, leaving me stranded on a road with no shoulder during 91°F heat. The vehicle lost electrical power and required a tow. This is not just a standard alternator,it’s a component of the eTorque mild hybrid system and requires both a specific part and a dealer reprogramming (flash) to function. After the incident, I learned that the part is on national backorder with more than 4,000 vehicles waiting, according to multiple dealers and service centers I’ve contacted. Ram has provided no reliable ETA, loaner, or support option. This is a critical failure that completely disables the vehicle and creates a dangerous safety situation, especially in high temperatures or in areas where pulling over safely is not an option. I was without air conditioning or any form of engine power while exposed to traffic and heat, and had to wait a prolonged time for a tow. This appears to be a widespread issue with Ram eTorque vehicles, particularly the alternator/starter-generator assembly. The required flash must be performed by a dealer, so no aftermarket or independent fix is currently viable. Ram has not issued a recall or taken accountability for this dangerous and increasingly common failure. I am filing this report to request investigation into the failure rate of these eTorque alternators, the supply chain delays that make timely repairs impossible, and the complete lack of contingency support or guidance for affected customers.
I was at a stop light and I got a warning light and a check engine light that said service shifter. After that, it wouldn’t shift gears and I was stuck in 1st gear. I pulled over and got a service tire pressure light, 4WD temporary unavailable light, service airbag light, ESC light, parking light. The vehicle was also sputtering and the cooling fan came on full force.
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The 2019 Ram 1500 has 119 Electrical System complaints on file. 2 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.