Don’t Buy a RAM
I purchased this truck in 2025 when I changed jobs and did not want to rely on a company vehicle. I was leaning towards a Ford Ranger with the towing package to get the capacity I needed, but I was enticed by RAM's 0% financing compared to Ford's 7.9%. Getting a full-size truck for similar monthly payments made sense.
The truck has a lot of great features, some hampered by generally terrible software (it becomes evident that this is a common theme with Stellantis / RAM). Overall, the Hurricane engine and the transmission combine to make the smoothest truck I've ever driven. Especially coming from the Ford 10-speed transmission that can never make up its mind and is always clunking.
I give you this preamble to explain why RAM has been such a letdown - I need a reliable truck so I bought new with an extended warranty. The financing made sense, but the unfinished product RAM has sold has been very disappointing.
Below you can see the series of events that have led to this site being created. Very short summary - I do not believe RAM has designed this truck to be serviceable, nor are they providing the information needed to service it to the mechanics, or they are not providing the correct training. Whatever the cause is, there are systematic issues in obtaining satisfactory service.
It has been a series of blind guesses, throwing parts at the truck, and refusing to take any responsibility for following the symptoms to the root cause.
The truck was purchased in April 2025, and it's now November 2026. I have put a fair bit of kilometers on it - approximately 84,000 km as of November.
What worries me is that none of the truck diagnostics or the mechanics' ability to troubleshoot leads me to believe this truck is designed to be serviceable in the long term.
What do I mean by that? A truck stalling without throwing a single code for the mechanic is clearly a design flaw that prevents proper diagnosis and repair. Never mind having a service department that tells me they can't chart things like RPM vs Throttle Position Command vs Throttle Position Actual. How exactly are they going to fix the root issue?
This is a big issue for a truck that cost over CAD $80,000 out the door. Modules, wiring, software, whatever we eventually find the root cause to be will not be something that can be explained by mileage. Whatever the root cause turns out to be, the inability to identify it after repeated service visits raises serious questions about the engineering and diagnostic support behind this truck.
Stalling and Bad Idle
What started as a weird issue that happened a few times on my morning commute became something I worked to quantify so that the service department could fix it.
The first symptom was during my morning commute using the adaptive cruise control, where the truck would surge under breaking and unexpectedly stall at idle. I thought at first the auto start-stop had an issue, but the truck required a full reset (Brake + Stop Button) to get moving again.
After the first service failure I paid more attention and found that an idle that was engine hunting preceded the stalling events.
Despite repeatedly reporting the hunting idle, the truck kept coming back without that symptom being resolved. They continued to throw parts like O2 sensors and order throttle bodies without installing them, leaving the root cause unresolved.
I have had the issue in with the service department multiple times, but each visit ended with it being clear the mechanic never listened to the idle or just ignored the issue, leaving the underlying problem unresolved.
I've now resolved to gather my own data and present it here so that the service department can no longer ignore the issue.
Service timeline
Chronological visits at Erin Dodge, plus evening emails when the stall returned. Open each page of the service order as its own evidence image.
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First Visit! Let's hope for the best.
Rough start as I was ignored by the service writer when I said the main issue that it was in for was the stalling issue. I was also given a hard time about the RAM extended warranty coverage.
The truck was also in for the trailer module that was defective and recall for some rear seat attachments. I told them because I was sick I didn't end up cleaning the tools from the back seat, but I don't care about the rear seats at the moment.
So, they took the whole day to deal with the truck and they didn't fix the trailer module or the stalling issue because it turns out the trailer module was under the rear seats. "We haven't seen many of these yet" (looks like 50k+ vehicles affected in Canada by the way)
Why do I relay this story? It points to systematic issues with the service of this RAM. First - the service department didn't know where the trailer module was, and didn't tell me at check-in that they couldn't do the trailer module without the seat cleared. Second - instead of when finding this out earlier in the day letting me know I had to come clear the seat, they thought it was better to just call and tell me nothing was fixed at the end of the day.
Lack of knowledge, poor communication, and inefficient service processes become the theme. -
Let's go - booked in for the recalls again, this time I did do my part and clear the back seat fully.
They did some fresh software upgrades, and decided it was a throttle body issue. They ordered a new throttle body and planned to install it on the next visit.
Great. Maybe we can just get this fixed. -
Ok, let's get this throttle body replaced and get back to enjoying the truck!
They decided that a PENDING misfire, not an active misfire means they should replace the O2 sensor instead of the throttle body.
Now might be a good time to mention that I'm a Master Electrician who's spent the better part of two decades working with motor controls, automation, and occasionally teaching the subject. I have a reasonable grasp of control theory, and more importantly, the difference between diagnosing a problem and throwing parts at it.
So, O2 sensors didn't pass my the gut test, they seem like something that might be on a longer time scale. However that was my initial take, and I hoping to be proven wrong.
Well, as you can guess by the length of the page and the fact that it exists, this did not fix the issue. Not only did it not fix the issue, they then didn't install the throttle body as originally planned.
And once again, as the truck settles in the low (under 1k RPM) idle it hunts. The hunting idle is unmistakable. How a mechanic could release the truck without noticing it is beyond me.
Side note - this is the first time I was offered a rental vehicle. -
Guess what? Truck stalls that evening while running errands. Starting to get a little pissed off now. Send frustrated email detailing the issues and asking for a plan to fix the issue.
Well, never received a written reply - instead a phone call that they will absolutely fix it on the next visit. -
This service ticket spans two visits. The first visit they had the truck for several days to diagnose and they decided it was an ignition module - but that module was 5 days out.
I took the truck back as I had a wedding which needed me to tow a trailer, and I had to move my race car around so that I could do a timing belt and other service before the season started.
Ok, got the call - bring the truck back, and let them have it for a couple days to replace the ignition module and test.
During the call to pick up the truck:
Me: "Idle is fixed?"
Service: "We tested and it doesn't stall"
Me: "Idle is fixed?"
Service: "Yes, it's fixed"
SPOILER - it is not.
So... this is where we are currently at. I'll update this if RAM and its representatives can actually fix an issue with something they designed and are gatekeeping the knowledge of. -
I got fed up earlier this evening and started asking for a response
Similar Issues? Media Inquiries?
Media inquiries: james@jcraig.ca