general problems of the 2013 Dodge Ram 1500

Has occurred 3 times within 30 days. At low speeds between 15mph and 35mph, engine stops, gauges go dead and aprox 6 seconds later the transmission slams into park. 1st time it happened I was lightly breaking & coasting for a stop light; 2nd time I was cruising about 35mph; and 3rd time I was accelerating from a dead stop across 4 lanes of traffic. The transmission going into park after the engine and electrical system went dead reminds me of when you turn the ignition off without first putting it into park - when this happens, a few seconds later, the transmission automatically shifts into the park position. I had at least 1/2 tank of gas each occurrence. I notified the dealership on 1/14/15, dealership says there are no recalls and that I would have to wait 2 weeks before they can check out the problem, which I consider serious. Additional electrical info that may or may not be related: the infotainment system frequently malfunctions - the play list for songs duplicates in the listing, songs repeat two to three times, sd card selection stops working, sd card selection all of a sudden stops recognizing the sd card. The infotainment center has also completely restarted as if it was rebooting.

I had problems prior to April 2014 but I am just using a time frame when Chrysler got involved. In 2013 and 2014 my Dodge ram would have the cluster panel come on with air bag service needed first and then the remaining lights would come on to include engine light while simultaneously the windshield wipers would come on. When I took it in to the dealer they tried to repair the problem to include resetting the computer. Over time I would lose my power steering and power brakes. Fortunately I was going into a parking area when I lost the power brakes otherwise I'm sure I would have crashed since I did not expect the change. As of late the truck will not start or the radio won't go off. Chrysler has really done nothing to resolve this problem and maybe I will need to crash first before something is done or run over someone when I lose my brakes. This is a problem since I purchased the truck. The truck is dangerous to drive since I never know when the electronics will quit on me. Over the last 10 days the truck wouldn't start at all two (2) times and all the lights and windshield wipers have come on at least three (3) times. I have not lost my brakes lately, but that is just a matter of time. I want to make this public because I know I will be held responsible if something happens, and it will. I have never had a vehicle do this and I'm just afraid someone will be killed if I should lose my brakes and steering while on the highway. Chrysler can be proactive or reactive. I think that I have been paying for a truck that will ultimately kill someone. I've tried to contact NHTSA by phone but the only thing there is that you leave a message and hope they will call back. Since the problems iterated above seem to have increased it's probably time to park the truck.

Found a hole in my stock muffler. It appears that a spot weld broke or the muffler rusted through. As a result of the hole CO will leak out under my vehicle bed then will eventually fill my cab up if the vehicle is running in the parked position.

Driving truck in town approx 35 - 40 mph. Can give exact detail / location. Vehicle transmission in "drive". Vehicle has center consul. As vehicle was climbing gradual hill, transmission automatically downshifted. Vehicle immediately went to full throttle uncontrollably. Engine rpm jumped to 6k - 7k. Vehicle speed still increasing. Stepped on gas pedal several times thinking it was stuck with no effect - rpm remained constant. Then put both feet on brake pedal - rpm remained constant. Then shifted transmission into neutral position. Check etc / red lightning bolt message now on in message center located between tach & speedometer. Rpm's now at a constant 4k with vehicle in neutral and coasting. No place to turn off without blocking traffic. Stopped at lighted intersection - vehicle still at 4k rpm. Shifted back into "drive", tires chirped and truck lunged forward still at 4k rpm. Parked vehicle in safe place adjacent to gas station and shut off - transmission still either in gear or neutral. Engine off - shifted into "park". Waited 3-4 minutes and attempted to restart vehicle. Engine icon, ect icon and red steering wheel with explanation point icon where all on. Vehicle cranked, but acted like no fuel / spark and would not start. Vehicle towed to dealership on flatbed. No word back from dealer yet. Mileage 5,443 - mostly highway. Note: no floor mats just factory rug and cruise control was not "on" or in use in any way. Only modifications to vehicle are the addition of a spray bed-liner and topper. I was born and raised around cars and have good mechanical ability including ground-up restorations of pre 1970 vehicles. This is a real and tangible example of a 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 bighorn with unintended acceleration. This is unacceptable for any vehicle, but especially for a new, $46,000 vehicle. I am lucky that I did not hurt anyone or end up dead.

On a steep grade (boat ramp with an empty 700 lb trailer in tow) while backing in 2 wheel drive with the vehicle front facing up hill I placed the torqueflite 8 speed electronic dial transmission on my 4x4 truck into park, set the parking brake, turned off the ignition, let my foot off the brake, and the truck started slow rolling (creeping) down the steep grade. I then started the truck and pulled up the grade 2 feet and performed the same operation again with the same results. I then switched from 2 wheel drive to 4 wheel lock, put the dial to park, set the parking brake, turned off the ignition and after about 45 seconds the truck once again starting slow rolling down the hill and would have rolled into the river had I not jumped in and hit the foot brake. The last time it was rolling I could see both the front and rear wheels rolling and not sliding. It appears that the transmission never actually shifted to the park position even though the dial and dash light indicated that the transmission was in park.

Ever since I have had the truck it has jerked when coming to a stop. Sometimes one to three jerks, if I was not braking it would still be engaged and move foreword. Not sure if this is the recall about the transmission. Took it to the local dealer three times. First they said it needed to be reprogrammed. Second they said everything was ok, they said the service manager test drove it and it was fine. Third time they wouldn't take it, told me the it was "normal" for a Dodge truck! service person told me she had a Dodge and it does the same. Explained to her I have driven several one-ton Dodge trucks and none of them had a similar problem. Fear that it will jump foreword at a stop and hit something and that when it finally does go out, I will be charged with replacing everything involved. Could not locate work orders but have them. Wrote you several months ago with no response, not this form.

Tl- the contact owns a 2013 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 10 mph, the vehicle stopped accelerating. The contact shifted into reverse, then back into drive and the vehicle resumed normally. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the transmission module would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure recurred within 1,000 miles. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 5,300. Kmj.

The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while making a left turn to exit highway traffic, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle resumed normally after being restarted. In addition, the headlights and panic alarm would activate independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed a diagnostic but was unable to locate a failure code. The vehicle was also test driven, but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 3,000 and the approximate current mileage was 5,000.

It has snowed hard enough here in virginia this year to leave snow on the roads. Three times now since buying my 2013 Ram 1500 with pentastar engine in December 2012 I have been unable to put the transmission into park and remove the key. The dealer says they cannot help me. It sounds ridicules to say that "when it snows I can?t drive my full size Ram 1500 that should be fully capable in all weather conditions". As I understand it when driving in snow or slush snow is thrown at the transmission, this results in snow packing around the shift linkage. The result is very clear, you can?t put your truck in park and remove the key. If you don?t have the equipment or ability to crawl under your truck and melt the snow then the only other choice is to sit there with the engine running until the snow melts. Unfortunately if you drive through mud, well mud does not melt.

This is a new vehicle. Four times I encountered the display of the message vehicle not in park while driving on the road. This is a very confusing and dangerous message since it appears to be related to a door not being fully closed. I reported it to the dealer on March 11th. The manager appeared to be aware of a problem with this message and said he will report it to an engineer when he visits the dealership. The reason for reporting this is I am not sure this problem will be corrected for my vehicle.

After driving on snow and slushy roads I couldn't get the vehicle to shift into the reverse or park position. I couldn't even move the selector into those positions.

I purchased a new 2013 Ram 1500 in November of 2013. After approximately 2,500 miles I started experiencing a strong (propane / petroleum type of smell) odor coming through the vents and outside the front of the truck. This has caused me (and my family) to experience headaches and nausea after driving / riding in the vehicle. My dealership contacted star for a solution, but star did not respond. Finally the dealership instructed me to bring it in to investigate further. The dealership flushed the coolant system numerous times and informed me that they had never seen / smelled anything like that before, and that two of their technicians acquired headaches from the smell. The dealership informed me that the smell was definitely coming from the cooling system, but didn’t not what it was or what was causing it. Unfortunately it doesn’t appear that the coolant flush resolved the issue as it still smells. Subsequently, I contacted ram customer support and explained the problem to them. They contacted the dealership to confirm and provided me with a case number. They informed me that someone would contact me within a couple of days. My main concern is related to the toxicity of this smell. What is causing it and are the vapors harmful? if this smell is causing headaches and nausea, what type of short or potentially long-term health effects does this present? meanwhile, I’m still driving the truck because I have nothing else to drive. My secondary concern is related to the disposition of the truck. Can ram fix it satisfactorily and when will it be resolved. Again, I’m still driving the truck.