Lemberg Law is investigating complaints about engine stalling issues in the 2022 and 2023 RAM 1500 that result in emergency braking, which is dangerous. Many vehicle owners report that they have taken vehicles to dealerships, sometimes multiple times, but the problem remains unresolved.
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It is clear from the many complaints made to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that there is a major problem with 2022 and 2023 RAM 1500 engines stalling. Dealerships aren’t able to help and commonly say that they can’t see error codes or recreate the problems that owners complain about.
The good news for 2022 RAM 1500 owners is that the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened an investigation into the engine stall on July 19, 2024. This followed 80 consumer complaints alleging an engine stall and loss of motive power on model year (MY) 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUV vehicles.
These vehicles “are equipped with the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque system. The eTorque system is a mild hybrid system that lets the vehicle partially power itself. It accomplishes this by converting the captured energy from the braking system into electricity for the battery pack, which is then used to power a variety of electrical components. ETorque engines replace the alternator with a 48-volt battery-powered belt drive and a motor generator. The motor generator provides extra torque to the crankshaft during gear changes. Simultaneously, the motor generator uses the 48-volt battery pack to increase torque.”
The bad news is that the 2023 RAM 1500 is not included in the ODI… yet.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | |
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Power Train | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Fuel System, Diesel | |
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Exterior Lighting |
The engine stalling problems that 2022 RAM 1500 owners vary, and their responses depend on circumstances. For example, some are simply frustrated because they can’t get dealerships to solve the problem. Others say they are terrified for their lives. Some of them state in NHTSA complaints that they are scared that their vehicles will stall and stop on a freeway.
A complaint from a 2022 MY owner from Pennsylvania dated July 30, 2024, describes what typically happens. “The truck will lose power, shift into park, and apply the emergency brake. This has happened around 25 times. It happened the day I got the truck. Got it started, turned around, (and) went back to the dealer, (but) they did find anything.”
It’s no different for 2023 owners. Here’s an equally succinct complaint from a Florida owner sent to the NHTSA on July 26, 2024. “Vehicle loses power, then shifts to park and applies the parking brake. This has happened several times in different driving scenarios. Once this happens, the battery fault light appears on the dashboard.”
Here are some more detailed NHTSA complaints that will help you judge for yourselves. There are many more where these came from. Lemberg Law has also received multiple complaints directly from 2022 RAM 1500 owners.
“Truck stalled 4 times in 2 months going less than 5 mph. When driving slowly around a turn or at a stop sign, the truck stalls when I give it gas. The emergency brake is automatically engaged and I have to disengage it before I can start the truck. The check engine light and battery light came on.
“I took it to the dealership (Jerry Ulm) and they could not recreate the problem or see the error codes so they gave the truck back to me. It’s happened 4 times since then. Please help, I have two small children.”
“Vehicle stalls randomly while driving and automatically applies the emergency brake. Stalling randomly and applying the emergency brake in the street/highway with traffic is dangerous and unsafe. This is our primary vehicle and the dealership has been unable to recreate the stalling.”
The owner adds that the RAM 1500 has been to the dealership twice because of the stalling issue, “but the problem is still unresolved. The stalling started randomly in March-April 2022. The dealership was notified and (the) vehicle (was) taken in for multiple services. Problem still not solved.”
“Driving at slow speed after (the) vehicle sat overnight. Truck stalled, indicating (the) place vehicle in Park before starting. I shifted to Park, additional lights and errors occurred. Disabled parking brake, and was able to start (the) vehicle after two attempts.”
“The truck has 647 miles on it and is brand new. I just bought it from the dealer. The truck had been idling in my driveway for a few minutes before I left home. I was in my neighborhood, driving 25-30 MPH maximum. I came to a stop sign, stopped and then proceeded to turn left, which takes me down a hill. Approximately 1-2 seconds into the turn, the engine shut off completely, several lights went on the dash and the truck was proceeding downhill until at some point the brakes locked up, pushing me forward into the steering wheel.”
The driver was very concerned because if anyone had been in front of the vehicle, he would not have been able to control it.
“The truck brakes were locked and I had to mess around starting it to get them to unlock, the battery indicator was lit and the check engine light was on. I was able to get the truck restarted and took it to a pool parking lot area and shut it off completely. I was able to get it started again, this time the battery indicator went out and the check engine light stayed on.”
The complaint continues: “I have been reading online and see that many, many people with the RAM 1500, most notably the etorque engine version, are having the engine shut off with no warning, some at much higher speeds.”
The owner took the vehicle to a dealer who “flashed” the computer and said they were ordering and replacing the computer which sits atop the etorque engine device
“This is VERY concerning, especially because I see this has happened to others, and has been doing so for several years. I wanted to report this as to me, it seems like a Serious Safety Concern!”
“Accelerating from a stop, turning hard right, (the) engine shut off without warning. Vehicle steering seemed unaffected, emergency brake engaged without warning, dash read ‘apply brake and push start button’ – the standard start-up message upon entering when parked and engine off. No other indicator lights.” The driver restarted the vehicle by applying the brake and pushing the start button. The vehicle lurched mildly, but he was able to continue the journey home.
“While making a slow left turn the truck stalled without warning, almost causing an accident with oncoming traffic. Once the truck stalled, I wasn’t able to accelerate, and the car slowly rolled across two lanes of oncoming traffic. Once the car came to a stop the emergency brake engaged. I was able to put the car in Park and restart and disengage the emergency brake. If the other cars hadn’t stopped in time this could easily (have) been a fatal accident for me and my family.”
“As I was slowing the vehicle down at a stop sign, the vehicle suddenly switched from drive to park, and the parking brake was activated. The motor stopped operating and the light indicating the engine was not operating was on. I was able to start the truck without further problem. The truck has a 5.7 eTorque.” The truck was at a dealership for three days, but they were unable to retrieve code errors.
“Truck stalls when slowing to a stop and continuing to drive before fully stopping. The truck shuts down and the emergency brake is activated. It needs to be switched to Park, restarted, emergency released and then switched to park. Being stalled on the road has been dangerous.”
“Twice I have pulled out into traffic and the engine lost all power and I was almost rear-ended by another vehicle. After a few seconds the engine recovered and was driving normally. I’ve taken it to the dealer where it was purchased twice for this issue, but they say they can’t duplicate the issue. No warning lamps ever came up.”
Lemberg Law is currently investigating the many complaints about the 2022 and 2023 RAM 1500’s engine stalling issues. Have you experienced engine stalling issues when driving your RAM 1500? If so, have you thought that your vehicle might be a lemon?
Maybe you have, and you are concerned that it will cost you too much in legal fees to claim against Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), the company that manufactures the 2022-2023 RAM 1500. But don’t worry. If the case goes to court, the law says that FCA must pay your legal fees.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
See more posts from Brian Jones
I traded in my 2022 Ram eTorque (no stalling problem) for a 2024 Ram eTorque in October 2023. Stalling issue like all the other complaints, began in March of 2024. Slow speed stall, emergency brake applied, sometimes the truck places the gear selector to Park other times I do it myself to be able to refire and get out of an intersection or some other dangerous circumstance. The dash gauges show the front & rear Parking sensor warning lights along with stability control, check engine light and collision emergency brake light. Sometimes a message appears “have parking sensors serviced”. Dealer thus far has no solution, can’t replicate. Ram tech will be calling the dealer for a consult.
We have a 2022 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie etorque 4×4. We purchased brand new Jan of 22. has now only 50k miles and it has randomly started to shut off completely when trying to take off at lights and when I come to a slow down to turn. The message that comes up is After stalling completely, as well as the computer system glitches, the vehicle automatically engages the emergency brake. Indicating to place vehicle in Park before starting. I shift to Park, additional lights and errors occur, Disabled parking brake, and was able to start (the) vehicle after two attempts. This is very concerning considering we travel a lot and don’t want to have a bad situation happen. Help is greatly appreciated.
I purchased my 2022 ram 1500 limited 5.7 eTorque April of 22 I have had numerous problems some still going on. I have had my truck in the shop more then on the road but the scariest is when the engine shuts off and the transmission goes into park with the E-brake engaging when driving down the road and having vehicles behind me. Thank God that I have not been hit from behind. This has happened 5 times some on the road some pulling out from a stop sign. The latest was on 1/27/24 I have had it in to the dealers I do mean multiple dealers. They say they can’t find anything or they have changed the battery or charged the battery. When the happens the truck stalls out goes into park e-brake comes on and the battery light comes on. After getting the truck started by pushing the e-brake release the battery light stays on and the gauge reads less then an 1/8 th charged. After getting the truck off three roadways, I called the dealership to let them know it has happened again. I shut the truck off and sometimes the battery light will go out after a restart. There are times that upon acceleration after a stop I feel a hesitation, I take my foot off the pedal and it comes back to normal. Good enough has become acceptable even with human lives at stake. What happen to American pride and quality.
I own a 2022 dodge ram 1500. I’m having some issues with it. . All was well until I got on the freeway unfortunately, the truck check engine light start flashing on the dashboard. Vehicle completely shut down. Fortunately, I was able to cruise to the side of the offramp, which was very scary to me not knowing that I have no brakes, and no steering to work with. It would not crank over, yet the engine was locked into drive. So I was unable to get the vehicle started. Had to wait about a half hour for the vehicle to completely shut off. And then I was able to restart it. I took the vehicle directly to the dealership, shaking the whole way, because I wasn’t sure if the vehicle would shut off on me again. I was riding on a prayer all the way to the dealership. I’m not very happy with this purchase.
2022 Ram Big Horn 1500 eTorque. In January and yesterday June 23, 2023 while accelerating from a complete stop, the engine stopped hard, emergency brake went on, went into park and died…all at once. Scared the heck out of me. I was in the middle of a busy intersection both times. Tried to start, it died quickly twice, then it resumed like nothing had happened.
2022 Ram Rebel. While using adaptive cruise control, if you try and cancel the cruise control while the car is accelerating, engine shuts down to a low idle and all the error lights come on. The car recovers after shutting down and turning back on (Is Ram owned by Microsoft – LOL). Error codes are not present in computer after 2 power cycles.
2022 RAM Big Horn crew cab 5.7L engine. Remote started the truck, when I got into it, it had warning lights on the dash board, took a screenshot and put it into drive. Through the community I live in 25 mph is the top speed, yet the truck was acting like I was hauling a heavy trailer. Coming up to the light to get on a public road the truck stalled/halted hard, went into park, the emergency brake went on and the truck turned off. Then I restarted it, took off the brake, then tried to drive the truck yet it would not do the speed limit above 20 without making weird whining noise. Then again the same stall process, restarted going slow. Got to the main road coming to a stop, same stall process, then restarted and could not go over 20 mph. Knowing the RAM dealer was about 3 miles away I put on my flashers and headed that way. Got there and it was not open yet. Decided to go back home yet got 1 block away and know the truck was barely moving. Sat in the parking lot and then looked at the website for when they opened for service and it was 5 minutes from that time. Called them and they gave me a number for a towing service that was covered under my warranty. Waited over 90 minutes for them show up. A week later they tell me that the after market oil filter was leaking, yet there are no oil spots on my driveway and I work from home so I would know. Also when an oil filter leaks you get the smell of burning oil on the engine and/or see smoke. Last conversation is that they are talking to the manufacturer to see what to do next. They say possible replacing the engine.
Got up for work at 3am to find my Ram 1500 will not crank until I shift it in drive and it throws the emergency brake on and dies. No check engine lights and no codes. It did it a week ago as well. I let it sit and drove my dads truck cause I have no free time to babysit my truck, it did crank the next day. I drove it 4 days for it to do it again. I need help.
I own a 2019 Ram 1500 Limited Edition and I am having the same issue. Truck stalled 5 or 6 times ALL in less than a 1 to 2 miles distance and about a 3 to 5 minutes time frame. Never had that issue before and after the last stall and restart it ran perfect all the way to the dealership Tuesday January 3, 2023. They show no codes and can’t cause the problem. Imaging that the problem doesn’t happen for them. This is the second Potential legal action notice that I have come across.
2022 Ram Laramie 5.7 eTorque with 12″ UConnect. In second week of ownership, at less than 5 mph after a 90deg right turn, brakes suddenly locked, engine died, warning lights lit up. Very hard stop – hurt my back. Sat a couple minutes, restarted OK, warning lights not lit, operation normal. Has not happened since.