2019 Ram 1500 Power Train
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
October 10, 2024, approximately 6:10AM PST. While accelerating on freeway on-ramp to merge into traffic that was also accelerating, the truck shifted the transmission into neutral. Vehicles behind truck had to swerve around my truck, while I stepped on brake pedal in the middle of accelerating traffic to be able to shift truck back into drive to continue onto freeway. This is not the first arbitrary shift into neutral from this truck. About a year and a half ago, it was happening regularly, until I cleaned the throttle body, then the arbitrary shifts into neutral stopped.
Exhaust manifold bolts broke off on my 2019 Ram 1500. Dealership said it’s a known problem affecting all models.
Every Ram 1500 around 30K miles cast iron exhaust manifold failure bolts brakes and/ or manifold cracks causing exhaust leak higher toxins in the air without going through the Cadillac converter. Ram been scamming people for decades, costing over $1,000 to resurface and/or replaced manifold gasket and bolts have to extract the broken bolts since the nut broke off the bolts
My [XXX] son was driving his Ram 1500 on a country road and the he started hearing a clunking noise and his tires locked up. Luckily he is experienced in driving bigger vehicles and was able to control the vehicle to not wreck it. We had his vehicle towed to repair shop. Less than a day later the repair shop called to tell us that the vehicles transmission needed to be replaced as well as the rear differential. He said the rear diff issue is what caused the transmission to go out. Ive contacted multiple dealerships in hopes to have this replaced for free of charge since Ram had a recall with this same issue. But since the trucks Vin number isn't under the recall they denied the claim. I feel its unfair of a owner of a vehicle that literally has the same issues as a recall within the same year of the recall but can't get compensation for the repairs. Both repairs ended up totaling over $10,000. This truck only had 69,000 miles. NHTSA Campaign ID : 18V556000 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I own a 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie quad cab 4x2. In two different instances while accelerating from a stop or near stop the transmission dropped completely out of gear. The message "Return shifter to park(P) then shift to desired gear" has come up. On one of those occasions I was pulling out onto a main road. Luckily for me there was no traffic at that moment as I made it into the lane before the transmission dropped out. My truck just rolled 80K miles. This is a major life safety issue and has taken away my confidence in my vehicle.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the transmission became stuck in third gear with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, while driving the vehicle there was a loud clunking sound coming from the transmission while shifting gear. Additionally, the vehicle failed to operate when shifted into reverse. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 56,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while decelerating to come to a stop or to make a turn, the transmission shifted out of gear unexpectedly. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while at a complete stop. A message advising to shift to park(P) and to shift back into gear was displayed on the infotainment system screen display. Additionally, the gear shift indicator light was flickering. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that an unknown transmission sensor had failed. The dealer replaced the transmission; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where unknown repairs were performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Central Florida Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (8675 Commodity Cir, Orlando, FL 32819), where the transmission, the gear shift cluster, the fuel vaporizer, and the catalytic converter were replaced. Additionally, an unknown software update was performed; however, the failure persisted. The dealer informed the contact that the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure several times and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.
I just bought my 2019 Ram 1500 Rebel mileage with 47,832 miles. My truck was stuck in park and it took me several minutes shutting my truck on and off and messing with the knob changing gears before I was finally able to get my truck in gear. Fast forward three days now I am getting a warning light to "service shifter". In doing research trying to find more information I have discovered several Ram truck owners are or have experienced the same issue. This is a safety issue for many reasons. As a female I am worried about getting stuck somewhere and being put in a unsafe situation. From all the complaints I read on line I feel strongly that this needs to be looked into.
On 1/13/2024 driving at around 35 mph truck stalls with no waring light displayed on dash and no indication of anything being wrong prior to stalling. I was able to pull off safely to which truck auto shifted into park when I came to complete stop. The truck restarted fine but when I went to put in gear truck would stall. After around 5-10 I was able to to get truck in gear and drive for awhile. Stopped for lunch that day and when returned started truck and when I put in gear truck would stall again. This occurred multiple times until it allowed me to put in gear. I was able to go about 40 miles until issue occurred again this time I was on a highway when it stalled luckily I was able to pull off road and at this point I called a tow truck and had it towed to a dealership. Dealership is stating that they cannot reproduce the problem.
Vehicle 4WD functionality. Vehicle fails to engage 4wd system. If 4wd does get engaged and used, it will say “4wd overheated” and “service 4wd system” and no longer engage 4wd. Working on getting this to the dealer but seems to be a fairly common issue with these trucks. Multiple individuals complaining of the same issues.
The truck with provide warnings "front/rear sensors temporarily disabled" and "service shifter" before starting to shift itself back and forth between 1st and 3rd gear. When it does this it will often stay in whatever gear it is in when accelerating and not shift with no regard for speed.
Recall 44A I contacted Promaster Case Management Case # [XXX] Their reply was that I go to Wilson Motors 425 N W Buchanan Corvallis, OR 97330, a 5 hour, 14 minute round trip, of 246 miles. I live in a population of approximately 26,000+ people. This is wholly unacceptable when there are 5 dealerships who sell Ram vehicles (2 much closer) closer to my location. A major auto manufacturer should not be selling vehicle for which they don't provide reasonable service for in a populated area such as the ORegon coast. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
On December 30, 2023, my 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie edition suddenly and unexpectedly popped out of gear into neutral while driving approx. 35 mph. The vehicle engine was on, however, no power was being applied to the drive train as the vehicle was in Neutral. The engine revved fine, just no power to the drive train. The gear selector flashed “D” and a message appeared on the center console information center instructing me to shift into Park. I had to stop the truck in traffic, shift to Park, then back into Drive to get the truck moving again. This was a very serious and potentially dangerous situation requiring me to stop on the roadway before I could effectuate shifting into Park and then back to Drive to get the truck moving again. I contacted the Ram dealer that same day and was able to obtain an appointment for the truck on Jan. 2, 2024 for an inspection and repairs due to this very serious and potentially life-threatening matter. Respectfully submitted, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle independently shifted into neutral(N) with a message to park the vehicle was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The contact stated while driving 10-15 MPH and making a turn, the failure recurred, nearly causing oncoming vehicles to crash into the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed; however, the dealer informed the contact that there was no fix for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that it was a known failure. A case was opened, and the manufacturer provided rental assistance. The manufacturer later informed the contact to drive or trade the vehicle because there was no current fix for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the vehicle slipped out of gear and slipped into neutral(N). While making a turn, the engine revved and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that the vehicle was uncontrollable. The contact was able to coast off the roadway. The gear selector indicator light was blinking. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
I believe it is related to the mild-Hybrid (eTorque) setup as this appears to only occur on those models of pickup trucks. Steps to reproduce: - Car sits all day outside my office in Virginia summer heat - Turn on car without A/C so the Start/Stop can engage. - Approach stop light and Start/Stop engages for the duration of the stop - After waiting ~4 minutes for the light to turn, when I release my foot from the brake there is a sharp jolt/lurch and the truck appears to stall or fall out of gear. There are times, where it will not fall completely out of gear, but will jolt violently from a stop as the engine restarts. - The instrument clusters displays "Shift to P and then desired gear" - After applying the break and following the above direction, the truck will resume normal operation Safety Concerns: While this happens to me at a stop light while turning onto a main road, there is nothing stopping this from happening when I attempt to accelerate into traffic or across a busy intersection without a light. Dealer Reproduction: The dealer is aware and has seen the truck many times, but has been unable to reproduce the issue. They have tried various PCM and TCM updates, but, so far, none have resolved the issue. Inspection: The dealer has inspected the vehicle and has found no trouble codes Other notes: - No warning messages or indications prior to this happening. I first noticed this at 34K miles and am now at 46K miles. - I am curious if this is related to: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2023/RCLRPT-23V265-2735.PDF but slightly less severe in that it doesn't happen while moving. Reports have indicated that cleaning the throttle body may offer some relief which would support this hypothesis. - I have and can provide video of my truck exhibiting these symptoms
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at slower speeds and attempting to accelerate, the transmission would erroneously shift to neutral with the message "Shift to park(P) and back to drive(D)" was displayed. After shifting to the park and back to the drive, the vehicle operated normally. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while making a turn from a complete stop, he heard abnormal grinding sounds coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to the local dealer for an oil change, the dealer informed the contact that the rear axle was leaking fluid. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rear driveshaft needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 18V556000 (Power train) and 19V324000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,500.
Truck shifts into park “ lost power “ Sometimes it shifts into neutral. Always on its own, while I was driving.
I had my oil changed and my OIL Pan is rusting out which would be critical when driving and could cause engine harm. I was told that my Warranty just ran out on 8/30/23. However i only have 42,500 miles on the truck. I Have owned over 20 vehicles in my lifetime and i have never had any issue with an oil pan rusting out.... I thought it was aluminum but obviously not.
The transmission shifts extremely rough mainly when in traffic. There are times that you try to accelerate but the truck doesn’t shift fast enough or correctly. The dealership said it was a software update but it didn’t fix the problem.
Wheel bearings
The truck intermittently comes out of gear when braking. A bell rings and a message is displayed on the dash instructing the driver to shift the truck into park and then select desired gear. The dealership cannot replicate the problem and has not been able to fix the problem. The truck has been in and out of the dealership for the past year and the problem still exists. I have an active lemon law claim with Ram. They denied the claim stating it is a warrantee matter, but they cannot fix it. I have a call into the Department of Consumer Affairs to initiate the arbitration process. My family and I are afraid to drive the truck due to the safety issue.
While decelerating and still in motion, the vehicle drops out of drive, unable to accelerate, and a warning appears on the display cluster to shift the vehicle into park and then back to drive.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while stopped in traffic, the vehicle inadvertently shifted into park and turned off without warning. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 108,818.
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Quick Summary
The 2019 Ram 1500 has 97 Power Train complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.