Problems with 2013 RAM 1500 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My 2013 ram will lock the doors randomly, with no one in it or near it. its happened many times, now i have to leave a window down if im just unloading the back, or carry a spare key. i've been working in the yard, keys not even on me, and i hear "click" and all the doors are locked. this is a safety hazard as i could get locked out somewhere. i live in deep woods, there are no neighbors to have a conflicting key, so to speak. i have almost been locked out several times, but have either had a spare key, or left the window down while pumping gas, etc. this happens with the motor off, no one in the car, key fob may be in my pocket or 100 yards away in the house in a drawer. happened again yesterday, truck hadnt even been driven, i was out shoveling snow and i hear "click", all locked up again.

None of controls on steering column are working. first the cruise control stopped.. replaced the fuse it looked burnt out. did not solve. then radio controls quit along with left side dash controls. while driving the cruise was not working. the radio while driving and the left side dash controls worked while sitting g i. driveway but when i moved they froze.

My truck was backed into my driveway, parked overnight, and would not respond to key fob. i tried second fob, also had no response. i manually opened door and truck would not respond in any way. i call road side assistance. tow truck jumped battery, which allowed truck to start, but promptly died once cables were removed. tow truck towed vehicle to dodge dealership for assessment. initial diagnoses was failed alternator. however, once alternator was replaced, several other issues arose, immediately. the pdc and cable, battery as well as wiper motor, among other items in line, were also damaged. smoke instantly filled engine compartment. the mechanic stated that it appeared that voltage had been backfed thus causing extensive damage not noted earlier. the dealership thinks that if they submitt additional repair requests to mopar, beyond alternator failure, that this will result in non payment by my extended, lifetime warranty package i purchased with vehicle. i have the damaged pdc but was not allowed to keep other items. i also have photos of items replaced. my insurance company stated that this pdc issue to be a known issue with this make and model. i've had electrical problems since august, beginning with transmission celanoid as well as failure to recognize key fob. other issues since, which also appear to be electrical issues, have resulted in numerous days off work, $100 deductibles being paid, and frustrating hours on the phone with insurance companies, both mine and the tow truck.

My vehicle has been giving trouble for the past 3 months, with the electrical panel going off while driving on streets and highways, not being able to control speed or brakes, windshield wipers coming on randomly, signals not working, false alarms for washer fluid, radio and bluetooth shutting down and car shutting down and not starting altogether. i've taken it to 3 different shops and mechanics, who all had a hard time diagnosing and fixing the problems. i've had to spent a lot of money on tow trucks and repairs, and am not convinced the issues are adequately repaired. i also firmly believe this is and should be a recall issue. the previous section would not let me choose all the issues but i've had problems with air bag, brakes, elec. stability control, electrical, engine, fuel/propulsion system, lighting, power train, speed control, steering, suspension, visibility/wiper and wheels.

Interior door lock/unlock button located on interior drivers door panel will not function, i.e. will not lock, unlock the doors. key fob will lock/unlock doors, but not door panel buttons at any time, moving or stationary. window function buttons were not working, but have started working on their own. but the inability to lock or unlock the doors seems like a huge safety factor. they did work initially, suddenly stopped working recently.

Instrument cluster flickers and causes driver to be distracted posing a risk for accident and/or injury. this started out as a sporadic issue, but now seems to be a constant situation. when i get into my vehicle, even before starting the vehicle, the instrument cluster flickers. it used to resolve itself rather quickly once the vehicle was turned on, but now it is not uncommon to drive the vehicle for several miles before the issue stops. there are a significant number of threads online about the issue and appears this is a defect in the manufacturing or design of the instrument cluster that should warrant a recall. i have video of the issue, but unfortunately can't upload the video to this site.

Child door looks and auto door locks not working. either by in interior switches or key fob. some or all door will not lock without manually pressing down the manual door locks. common problem found when searched on ram forums dealer replaced body control module and new key fobs.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. the contact stated that the push button start function failed to work properly. as a result, the vehicle was unable to start due to the intermittent failure. the alternator and battery were checked by an independent mechanic and the contact. steve landers chrysler dodge jeep ram (501-404-2738, located at 401 colonel glenn plaza loop, little rock, ar 72210) diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. the manufacturer informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for repairs. the approximate failure mileage was 87,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. the contact stated that the vehicle's doors began to lock and unlock independently and the engine started independently. the contact took the vehicle to elder chrysler dodge jeep ram (1798 tx-31 bus, athens, tx 75751, (903) 677-2292) and paid $300 to have the key fob replaced and programmed. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 120,000. *bf*jb

As i was driving to work this morning i had my cruse control set at 65mph. i reached the normal point in which i turn the cruse control off every morning due to an approaching intersection and the cruse control buttons on the steering wheel would not function. i hit the brake peddle and the cruse still would not shut off. i was able to get out of the turn lane and proceed through the intersection, which was luckily green, and shifted the vehicle into neutral and shut if off. upon starting the vehicle back up the cruse control buttons will not function. i tried again this afternoon and they are working just fine. ever since the wire harness was replaced a few years ago there have been issues with the volume controls for the radio but this is the first time i have had any issue with the cruse control. what if this would have happened at a busy intersection with a red light?

First experienced malfunction of the rear driver's side automatic door lock not cycling with the other locks. i had to manually operate the lock by reaching around from the front door. this went on for about a month, then the drivers door lock started doing the same thing. doing some research online in ram forums, there were several other people with the same complaint and issues. other people had went through the painstaking process of paying the dealer to trouble shoot and replace various other parts until the issue was traced to the body control module (bcm, part number 68200252af for my model). when i called my local service department, they explained that part was on back order with no eta. vehicle was stationary, happens whether using the key fob, or door handle controls, or inside console buttons.

As of yet, there has not been an accident happen. however, i just finished a 15 mile drive and my airbag light and the message "service airbag system" has come on and off 6 times at random. in doing my own research, if the clockspring in the wheel which connects the airbag loses connection it will cause that fault possibly leading to an airbag failure to deploy in the event of an accident. this happened both while moving and also while stationary.

The fob key will not go to the off position. the farthest left it goes is to accesory.the key is stuck in the ignition i can still start it and drive it but have to disconnect the battery at night so as to not drain the battery.

Dash goes blank then comes back on.. now is ticking when it does.. happens when driving normally

When parking i get error 'vehicle not in park' and engine will not shut off. seems stuck and until you put it in reverse, then drive, then park multiple times it will allow you to shut the engine off. everytime i try and park and i am stationary for the past month.

Keyfob does not work properly. it opens the truck on its own and keeps trying to open all time when keyfob is near.

Cruse control stop working also driver door master switch stop working except the 2 back windows

As i was parking my vehicle i heard a click sound. immediately after the airbag light illuminated also horn/radio/cruise control stopped working. very unsafe. not fare for a defect like this to happen. after reading forums online this is a known problem that fca has not looked into.

Controls (cruise, gear up/down) on steering wheel non-operable. dealer diagnostics say clockspring (pn 68110740ae) is bad.

Driving on hwy 45 mph, engine shut down no warnings. towed to shop. wiring harness laying on engine, melted the wirers causing it to short out.

All 4 door locks on my truck do not work properly when using the key fob as well the power locks inside the vehicle . they either do not lock or unlock. it rotates locking one door and other is open, sometimes 3 doors lock and 1 open, and it changes every time it's used . there are public forums where many other people experience the same issue until they replace the bcm module. ive experienced great difficultly with the dealerships ability to properly diagnose the issue. they advised me to replace all 4 actuators, never addressing the public forums that discusssed this exact issue. seems like the dealers are making money on these problems and not correcting the issue. the truck had only 24,000 miles on it when the issue started. this should not be happening. this is a major safety issue many others have complained of the same issue.

Dashboard from time to time will go completely out for a few seconds and reboot while driving. during this time no dashboard information is available. it is hard to reproduce because it happens randomly.

Periodically when turning my steering wheel the dash and radio screen turn off and re-boot. when making a turn, left or right, every display and gauge on the dash and the radio/ back up camera screen all shut off and re-boot as if you have just put the key in and turned the ignition to the on position. i have no information for roughly 15 to 30 seconds.

There is a electrical connector under the dash that comes loose.. the truck shuts down with no control. will not start cant get out of park to be towed.. total lockout. dealer charged 150 bucks to "fix it" happened again a month later .*bf *tr

My instrument cluster in my truck will shut off and restart 1 to 2 times while driving all the gauges go down and can't tell anything till it turns back on also it will intermittently flicker from the backlighting making gage visibility hard

On 3 separate occasions, while driving and attempting to stop, the engine stalls. a message displays to "put the vehicle in park, to start", but lost power to everything else. twice it allowed me to start from park, the 3rd time it would not start. i put it in park, had my foot on the brake, but it did nothing. i shut if off completely, then turned it back on and it started. additionally, while parked, the driver's side door would not unlock with the keyfob. all other doors unlocked, not the driver's door. i tried several times locking/unlocking, i had to open the rear door and manually pull the lock knob. one other time, while sitting still, the driver's door unlocked itself, when my roommate pulled on the door handle, the door opened and the alarm went off. on another occasion, i was trying to back into my parking space, i went to pull up to straighten out, and the vehicle would not go into drive. i had to shift into park, then back to drive to make it work.

Randomly instrument cluster will go blank. sometimes check abs system, sometimes check transmission shifter , service trailer brake . this has happened for the last4 months. i can not figure any pattern when it happens.speedometer and rpm guages will sometimes stop[ working and the other guages will work

Eps failure - an indicator light that is not in the manual mind you, suddenly appeared and the power steering completely stopped working. occasionally the light will cut off and it will work again for a short time then cut back on. this is very dangerous so the truck is undrivable. there was a recall for this on some 2015 and 16 models but not 2013. i ask that mine be included. to service this will cost $2300.

All steering wheel electrical function not working,including horn,air can not deploy, vehicle had this issue when new and clock spring and wiring was replaced 3 years ago, then recall was done for air bag and now the same problem. last week almost involved in accident and could not use horn to alert other driver. cruise control functions also do not operate, i am afraid to let wife drive with kids since air bag will not function if accident happens.

While driving the vehicle at any speed the instrument cluster and radio goes completely out. the systems reboots (instrument cluster) itself as if its is being started up for. this problem is an reoccurring problem and will happen at any time without warning causing everything to go blank.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. while driving approximately 25 mph, the caution indicator illuminated and, after driving for a while, the esc warning indicator also illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dallas dodge chrysler jeep dealer (located at 11550 lyndon b johnson fwy, dallas, tx 75238) where diagnostic testing was recommended, but the contact declined. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. the failure was not diagnosed and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 85,000....updated 10/11/17 *bf *tr

Just out of "dodge warranty" my 3rd brake light took in water. this resulted in a blown 3rd brake light bulb and now leaking of water into my back window and down into the side behind the cover in my truck. this is while stationary and in motion. risk of mold and 3rd brake light now not working. the back window is solid never damaged or replaced. the third brake light cover was never taken off or replaced. all manufacturer responsibly and they will not take responsibility for it due to out of dodge warranty. this truck is a 2013 dodge ram with 41,000 miles on it. never in a accident or any problems except dodge recalls.

Non of the gauges work in the steering column including gas rpm and speed. the wipers run non stop and can't be turned off. blinkers don't which is dangerous to drive. we have had it into the mechanic and the could not find what was wrong. huge bill no answers useless van. the gage says no bus. this happens all the time.

As i'm driving, all of the electrical components on my dash shut down and then come back on one at a time within a minute. my understanding is that the problem is related to the gauge cluster and after a little searching on the internet, it is a well-known issue with the 2013 rams. the problem has been happening randomly since i bought the truck in 2015 and can not be replicated on command. sometimes i can go a couple of months with no problem; at other times, it occurs 2-3 times a week. so far, it hasn't affected the operation of my truck, but this is a huge safety risk should they decide not to come back on at some point.

I first noticed that, while in drive, the transmission would shift to 4th gear and could not be changed. i could shift from park to reverse but when i tried to go to drive it would go to 4th gear. then, 2 days ago, i began to notice other problems that appeared to be computer related. when i turned the ruck off there would be a ticking noise in the engine. i checked and it appeared to be the a/c/ compressor. then it stopped when i unlocked the truck doors. then i noticed what seemed to be the fuel pump ticking as if calling for fuel. once again, the engine was off and, once again, it stopped. the next morning my battery was dead. i tried to jump it with no luck so i purchased e new battery. now when i try to start it, the starter makes all kind of crazy noises and it won't start.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. while parked in the driveway, the vehicle experienced electrical system failure and caught fire. the dealer diagnosed that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. the ignition switch was replaced. the manufacturer was notified. the vehicle's warranty ended on october 15, 2016. the failure mileage was 20,000.

2013 dodge ram 1500 tradesman caught on fire when i was driving it. *tr

Purchased truck certified used in oct 2015. since then, i have had approximately 9 instances of my instrument panel (or cluster) completely shutting off while i am driving. when it shuts off, the screen in the middle completely goes black, the rpms and speedometer, and other gauges go to zero. after a second or 2, everything turns back on as if i had just started the vehicle (ram logo pops up, check engine light is on, oil temp light is on, gas light is light on, seatbelt light is on, ect). all gauges then get back to their previous readings, as far as i know, just before the reset. each time this has occurred, i have been traveling anywhere from 35-55 mph on a straight road. i have taken it to 2 dealerships to have them look at it with each time telling me if they can't duplicate the problem, there is nothing they can do. on a recent incident (9/27/16), it happened on the way to work, so i brought it in that day, as the last dealership instructed me to. once again, they couldn't pin point the problem, but had contacted chrysler to see what they wanted them to do. chrysler had them do a software update, and a week later i had it happen again at night (10/4/16), and once again the next morning (10/5/16). i am hoping that this issue doesn't cause a problem with the power steering and i just haven't experienced that yet. please help!

Similar to nhtsa id number: 10898441 i have also experienced an interior dome light flickering and also the drivers power window door lock switches stopped working. i was locked out of the vehicle and it was running with all doors locked (by itself) and windows were rolled up. i had to call roadside assistance to get into the vehicle. the switch continued to attempt locking of the door by constantly clicking. which i found out the next morning when the battery was dead. i found out this vehicle was made for and first sold in canada which if that was disclosed to me i never would have purchased it. the digital speedometer and the mechanical speedometer are not showing the same speeds. at 30mph the digital one shows 32mph but at 70mph the digital shows 75mph. repairs attempted at lithia chrysler jeep reno nv unsuccessful. when the door locks failed to work the truck was stationary and this locking also occurred while the vehicle was in motion at slow and fast speeds, city and highway.

Uconnect unit went out, no error codes it was dead no radio no a/c controls. chrysler replaced it in august 2016. within weeks ( sept. 17th) i was on i-59 headed out of town the entire dash went out, instruments reset came back on, 30 minutes later dash went out again and reset, 20 minutes later dash went out again. i turned around and headed back home it went out 2 more times. speed seemed to not affect it as i was at different speeds and also in park when it went out. i have owned the vehicle for 3.5 years and never had problems until the uconnect unit went out nor did the a/c drip water on my foot and gas pedal which it has now been doing since uconnect unit was repaired now gas pedal is slick with water. i took it to the dealership on sept.19 after calling chrysler. dealership first said bcm was bad waited to see what chrysler was going to do. then i get told by dealership a week later that it is instrument cluster. i talked to chrysler and told them my concern something is making the electrical act up and doing research it makes sense that it could be bcm since both uconnect and instrument panel are connected to it. i now see by reading this site i am not the only one with this dangerous problem. chrysler needs to find and fix the problem. parts changing i.e. the uconnect unit and now the instrument panel (at my expense), does not solve the problem and now i am leery about traveling long distances because no one has 'found' the issue causing all the electrical problems. water (condensation) dripping all over my gas pedal is dangerous and dealership is not concerned, gave me a lecture on using recirculate on my a/c (which i do). my truck only has 23,000 miles on it there should not be all these electrical problems.

At startup, horn and all electrical buttons on the left side of the steering wheel and back of the steering wheel were inoperative. unable to make hands free calls, blow horn, or change drivers display screens. will the steering wheel airbag work? truck was sent to dealer for repairs and returned not repaired. it's gaong back again. milage 21,112, owned 36 months and 3 weeks.

Service airbag system. service electronic braking system. service pwer steering. service electronic trottle conteol. service power steering. these came up wore throng it on to leave for the day. that happened 2 times. truck had to be towed. upload to software was done. 2 days later the a/c fan went out. it was replaced but still turned off antway. dealer stayed radio need to be replaced. 5 wks latter - it's beyond installed. dealer stayed software upload had nothing to do with radio mess up. i beg to differ. radio controls alot of stuff critical to the function of the truck. it's happened several times for over 8 months. it's been in the shop more than i've driven.

Today while driving on the highway at 65 mph, my instrument panel went completely black and speedometer went down to zero. my truck stayed running and driving, but i could not read the speedometer or gauges or operate any turn signals. this happened 5 times on my 45 minute trip. it was very scary as i was in the center lane in houston, tx on 610.

When driving my radio will turn off and reset it self along with my speedometer cluster it will all turn off while driving so you don't know how fast you are going until it resets and turns back on. *tr

Dash panel flickers on and off when running and driving. contacted ram directly and said no recalls for my truck. there is recalls for 2013 rams with the same issue but for trucks built 2 months later. this is a safety problem that could lead to a crash.

On july 22nd when leaving work, the vehicle was driven out of the parking lot and took two left hand turns and a right hand turn onto a busy road. the turn signals were working intermittingly the last time they were used. once the right hand turn was completed, and began driving down the road, the drivers steering wheel airbag deployed. once the vehicle control was regained it was pulled over to the side of the road and shut off. the airbag looked to have burn hole in it and there was the smell similar to plastic melting. the key was turned back on and at that time no turn signals would work and the wipers would not stop operating. although the airbag deployed and diverted attention when it went off, it did not fully inflate either. the dealership was contacted and they recommended filing a complaint with chrysler. since the dealer was only a couple miles away, the vehicle was driven to them. i contacted chrysler and filed a complaint. they advised that the dealer is not to touch it until an investigator contacts them, and that i will be provided an alternate source of transportation. i contacted chrysler and was advised there was nothing they could do and it was in the hands of a different department that i was not allowed to contact. after numerous requests to speak with a supervisor and the alternate department, i was finally contacted by mr. kon of special investigations on august 15th. he advised that there will be no transportation provided unless chrysler determines that they are at fault for this. he was also unable to provide any timeline as to when someone would be able look at the vehicle. the dealership is also taking the approach that they will not offer a source of transportation until it is approved by chrysler. the r36 recall related to this same symptom was reportedly done by the dealer in the spring of 2016.

Shortly after buying this pickup it would stall, the dash had an red electrical indicator exposed. the power steering shut down, the brakes were no longer power brakes.. this happened at speeds up to 45 miles an hour. never happened at high speeds. i live & drive on mountain highways, and at times it took my breath. i would apply the gas pedal, it would eventually begin running again. no matter the time of year. it wasn't every day, maybe go along 2-3 months not happens, but it might happen every day for a couple of days. i took the pickup to town & country dealer in alamosa co. twice, they would drive it. the explained to fix it, they would need to see it happen. i decided to drive it. however, today i have to rely on other people to drive it, and i worry now about there safety. i decided to take a trip in september of this year, and i have a friend driving for me. so i decided to research the web on this problem , finding there were several cases of this happening to doge pickups. one fellow was driving 80 miles an hour in the "fast lane", his stalled. he recommended that if you've had this happen to notify your state attorney general. i did, they ask i file it with you. i'm not angry with my dealer, other than the fact they ask me to notify chrysler, and i told the they should represent me as their customer with the company. i'm 77 years old, been driving over 60 years. i've never hurt another person in a wreck, but this pickup is dangerous. i could trade it in, but that isn't a christian type thing to do to another party. it's a dilemma that i have no answer for. if it were only this pickup it would be different. it's the only mode of transportation that i currently have. my driving is generally over these mountain roads, to pueblo, colorado springs, maybe denver. chrysler corporation needs to understand the threat this pickup is over these highways. help me

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. while driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle stalled and the service electronic error message illuminated. the vehicle was able to be restarted minutes later. the failure recurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure was undetermined. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact mentioned that the dome light flickered intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer, but no failure was found. in addition, the doors failed to unlock and lock. the contact had to use the key to function the doors. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 37,000. ...updated 12/06/16 *bf the consumer stated the gauges were acting up again, but didn't lose power. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. while driving approximately 45 mph, the air conditioning, radio, and speedometer seized. the instrument panel lights remained illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 53,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. while driving approximately 75 mph, the check engine, abs, and esc warning indicators illuminated. in addition, the speedometer and cruise control seized and the vehicle lost acceleration. the dealer diagnosed the abs module failed. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 64,000.