The door locking system does not work as intended. When locking the doors via the key fob, door mounted button, or putting the vehicle into drive, only the drivers door and tailgate lock. The passengers door, and both rear doors do not lock. This problem has been reproduced numerous times [XXX] ). There seems to be no detection or indicators showing that this issue is occurring. The only way to find out is by visually noticing that the door locks have not engaged, or by physically trying to open the doors. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
2013 Ram 1500: doors won't lock, open or latch
18 of the 1,283 complaints about the 2013 Ram 1500 describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 18
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 52,840
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 3 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
Revision "N" of the Body Control Module (BCM) is defective and causes the door auto door locks to not lock correctly by either either the key fob or the interior lock buttons. This results in the doors not locking and children can open the doors while driving at any speed. Many other reports of this are on the Ram Forums here: https://www.ramforum.com/threads/automatic-door-locks-will-unlock-but-wont-lock.79219/
Bcm module that controls automatic door locks only locks the drivers door and the tailgate. Pushing the key fob will unlock all doors but will only lock the drivers door and tailgate. Many people on the ram forum report the same issue. It's a problem because I can't lock the doors and keep my kids inside with the child safety locks on. Unless I get out of the car or reach over and behind me to lock them manually. Pressing the door switch on either side of the vehicle will not lock the other three passenger doors or tailgate. This is also a safety issue for us if someone were to try and carjack us because the doors won't lock.
Electric door locks work intermittently on the four door of the cab. It is not a door actuator issue as the doors lock and unlock in an unusual pattern. It appears to be related to a control module. This door lock and unlock issue could interfere with child safety locks as I see it. There are multiple reports of this issue with other owners as evidenced with online searches.
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.
Door locks won't close with key fob or inside switch. Locks stay open while driving. Door looks only lock manually. Stationary and while moving.
According to the ramforum.com posting thread, this is a major issue with these trucks. The driver's door and tailgate only will lock with remote, inside door lock button or the sensor switch on front door handles. The other 3 doors (passenger front and two read doors do not lock. They all unlock just fine. This is intermittent and according to a lot of people with this issue, only a bcm replacement will solve it. When these locks are not working properly, the child safety locks and the speed sensing locking system do not function. This is a safety issue.
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.
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.
Automatic door locks will all unlock, but only the driver door and the tailgate will lock. I press unlock on either the key fob, the exterior key fob, or on the interior switches (driver & passenger) and all doors (driver, passenger, two rear, and tailgate) will all unlock. I press lock on either the key fob or on the interior switches (driver and passenger) and only the driver and tailgate will lock. At first, it was intermittent. Maybe the passenger doors would lock, maybe they wouldn't. Then it goes away for a little while. Then it comes back for awhile, the three passenger doors won't lock.
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.
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.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Latches/locks/linkages: tailgate: latch
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks equipped with an 8 foot bed and a power locking tailgate. Chrysler is also recalling all 2013-2014 and 2018 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks built before April 1, 2018 with a 6 or 8 foot bed and a power locking tailgate. On August 29, 2019 Chrysler expanded the recall to include an additional 693,128 model year 2013-2014 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks. The tailgate actuator limiter tab may fracture and cause the tailgate to unlatch and open while driving.
- Risk
- If the tailgate opens while the vehicle is being driven, cargo may fall out the vehicle and create a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will repair the tailgate latch, free of charge. The recall began May 23, 2019. Chrysler is expected to notify owners of the expanded population on October 18, 2019. Owners may contact FCA US customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA US's number for this recall is V44. Note: 2015-2017 MY Ram 1500 pickup trucks with truck beds other than 8 foot, are currently covered under the federal safety agency recall 18V‑486 for this issue.
Recall number 19V347000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2013 Ram 1500 door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 2013 Ram 1500?
18 of 1,283 owner complaints about the 2013 Ram 1500 (1%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 Ram 1500?
There is 1 recall and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2013 Ram 1500
Power steering loss 272Loss of power 119Steering lock-up 63ABS 53Check engine light 46Engine failure 42Stalling 30Knocking 28Jerking 28Adaptive cruise 27Airbag light 27Headlights 26Key fob 24Won't start 19No deployment 16Ball joint 13Wipers 13Misfire 11Overheating 10Brake failure 9Fire or smoke 8Grinding brakes 7Won't shift 7Backup camera 6Fuel smell 5Rollaway 5Tire blowout 5Warning lights 5
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