The engine has lifters ticking when cold and a loss of power during operation. The engine hesitates during driving at different times and runs rough. There is no warning before this happens and no warning lights/sensors activated. The truck only has 76k miles on it.
2012 Dodge RAM 1500: sudden loss of power
40 of the 698 complaints about the 2012 Dodge RAM 1500 describe sudden loss of power.
- owner complaints
- 40
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 80,568
- recalls
- 0
Sudden loss of power by model year
What owners say
Warning light came on suddenly. Vehicle lost power. Smoking out of the tail pipe. Very dangerous for other drivers. Took the vehicle to a mechanic, said I have problems with the lifters, and need to replace the engine. I don’t know why Chrysler doesn’t issue a recall for this issue, it seems to happen often. Thank you very much.
Catalytic converter, sensors, knocking loss of power, bogging , hot and cold engine , was on a road trip back home passing a 18 wheeler and it starts to lose power Boggs down and then takes off , steering wheel was iffy, fumes are stong in and out of truck. Threw my suitcase and dog in floor . I have replaced sensors , knock sensor , coils, sparks plugs - no fix muffler shop said catalytic is not plugged up . Sent me to mechanic said ram / dodge designed these years messed up common problem ,one mechanic telling me new engine parts might fix won’t pass inspection so now it just sits and drys up that’s not right for what it has cost my insurance said there nothing they can help with it only has 84k miles please emission and knock common problem that is mana factory defect surely loss of power in traffic scary please help with insurance and parts , gas I have no money for deep engine problems 84 k should still run like new truck the trip there drove great then I went to start to go back home 2 days later and knocking and wouldn’t drive putting scanner said sensor . This truck was running awesome I like driving . But to malfunction no reason. The codes are not right . need my truck back on the road I live in Texas has to pass emission to get inspection sticker
2012 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 liter HEMI Completely shut down turned off losing ALL power I was 9n the freeway with my kids that was the first time my power steering doesn't work at all when this happens happens about 8 to 12 times a week and to make things better if I hit a bump truck shuts down also I t'' can be driving along and all my indicator light come on everything starts beeping and my wipers go crazy it's like my truck is possessed it's unbelievably dangerous and a major inconvenience I'm late for work kids late for school
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel made a low winding sound. The vehicle lost power steering functionality without warning. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle to regain power steering functionality. The failure occurred 3 times. The contact stated that her spouse replaced the power steering pump. The contact learned that the power steering pump was already replaced once before purchasing the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 34,000.
Intermittent fault from the TIPM module. When slowing to a stop, or slowing to make a turn, the engine dies without warning resulting in loss of power steering and operability while in traffic. The only indication that the engine has died is the tachometer reads 0 RPM, loss of power steering, and the excelerator becomes inoperable. The radio, headlights, and A/C stay on during this. Coming to a complete stop and putting the truck into park (P) and turning the ignition to OFF and then restarting the truck resolves the problem, but on the highway this is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. This has been diagnosed as an intermittent fault derived from a faulty TIPM module and involves multiple RAM 1500, 2500, 3500 owners. Various issues of similar nature reported to dealerships and on forums.
I just received this truck, 2012 RAM 1500, from my uncle. Worked great for a couple of months but then started having issues with the engine stalling and losing power while driving. Then I would have issues getting it to start again. The last time I was stranded was at a friend's house and wasn't able to get it to start again. His cousin that works on cars initially determined it was a fuel pump issue because he could get it to start by spraying ethanol in the engine but wouldn't stay started. Then another friend of his inquired about the truck and he told him the issue. He knew of the known issue with the TIPM in this year/model truck which was a fuel pump relay issue. He was able to clean some contacts and got it to start again which allowed me to get it home. I did some research and it is widely known of this issue with the TIPM. There are even bypass cables you can get for a work around. I do consider this a safety issue since at any time it will stall while driving down the road including once on a highway.
While operating the vehicle at highway speed the vehicle shut off causing total loss of power. This happened on a road with speeds at 55 mph. It also occured while pulling into my driveway at a low speed, and i have had 3 occurences of the vehicle power "surging" at varied speeds. I had the fuel pump replaced, which did not remedy the problem. After hearing my fuel pump running with the vehicle shut off, i did some further research and found that the TIPM (toatally integrated power module) is the culprit and has been found to cause several other electrical system issues. Loss of power in a low speed scenario, such as turning left from one roadway to an intersecting road can cause the vehicle to be stranded in the middle of the road and place the stranded vehicle in the line of incoming traffic posing a serious risk for injury or death from a "T-Bone" motor vehicle crash.
Engine ticking heavily and diminishes some when engine warms up. Vehicle dies randomly while driving and loss of power steering and assisted breaking. Almost had an accident while turning a corner and vehicle died.
Power windows worked wen they wanted to . While driving all warning lights would flash on in the cluster like I turned the key off then on . Truck kept running . Started getting hard to start . Once lost power while driving like it was running out of gas . Now it doesn't start at all . Had it towed to dealer they told me it was the tipm . I understand this is a common problem with the ram trucks .
Vehicle has 138,358 miles and has had regular maintenance. However, the cam shaft has worn and rocker arm has become loose and is causing cylinder 5 to misfire (p0305). This failure has caused the truck to lose power while driving on freeway or times of acceleration to cross traffic or climb steep road grades. Initial investigation by auto mechanic states that cam shaft and rocker arm need replacing. Additional investigation is needed to see if valvles are deteriorating and need replacing.
Lifters on truckand camshaft failed causing loss of power and misfire.trick has about 115,000 miles on there now. Had no power off the line on the highway.
Service bulletins that may apply
- WiTECH Small Leak Verification Test (SLVT)
- Customer complaints may include abnormal engine noise, rough idle, lack of power, misfire
- Issue involves overheating, running hot, coolant leaks and related symptoms after a Mopar replacement...
- Adapter
- Gear motor
- Sensor-nitrous oxlde
- Head-Cylinder
- Engine Oil- OW20
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2012 Dodge RAM 1500 loss of power
Is sudden loss of power a common problem on the 2012 Dodge RAM 1500?
40 of 698 owner complaints about the 2012 Dodge RAM 1500 (6%) mention sudden loss of power. The model year with the most reports is 2012.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2012 Dodge RAM 1500?
There are 0 recalls and 33 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2012 Dodge RAM 1500
Stalling 57Fuel pump 44Headlights 43Knocking 39Airbag light 34Check engine light 33Misfire 23Won't start 21Power steering loss 17Engine failure 16No deployment 13Fire or smoke 12Key fob 12ABS 11Brake failure 10Adaptive cruise 8Grinding brakes 8Hesitation 8Wipers 7Fuel smell 6Jerking 6Sudden acceleration 6Warning lights 6Door locks 5Tire blowout 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2012 Dodge RAM 1500?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history