2022 Ram 1500: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Oct 1, 2026 · Electrical, Visibility · GA

Approximately 10 mins into my drive there was a burning smell in my cab, then within a few seconds there was a loud popping/exploding sound. I pulled into a parking lot within 100 feet and exited vehicle. I went to front of vehicle to see if there was smoke and after finding none I leaned back inside my truck’s cab and realized not only was the burning smell stronger but there was visible smoke lingering. At that point I saw that one of the back stationary windows was shattered. Looking closer I saw that below the window the glass was charred and the plastic trim had melted slightly. I stayed out of the vehicle and started researching the possible cause. I read several reports of issues with 5th generation Ram trucks, like mine, experienced issues like mine caused from faulty rear defrosters. After consulting with someone over the phone, I pulled the fuse for the rear defrosters to be certain there would no longer be any type of electric current flowing to the defrosters.

Filed Jun 29, 2026 · Brakes · KY · fire

Traveling down I64 Eastbound towing a 24' enclosed trailer loaded with 2 RZRs in my 2022 Ram 1500 Limited, a check engine light came on. I decided I'd get off at the next exit to have it looked at as we're one hour into a 3.5 hr drive. Within one or two mins of the check engine light dinging, another dash light came on in the form of a red battery with a lightning bolt. I had no idea what that was, but immediately after that light coming on, every light on the dash started blinking and the burnt electric smell flooded the cabin. I immediately put on the hazard lights and started to pull onto the shoulder and slow it down...but the brake pedal went to the floor and I had no brakes. I then steered the truck off the shoulder and into the grass and the soft ground (it was raining) helped slow it down, but we had to jump out of the truck before it had stopped as the overwhelming white smoke was about to asphyxiate us. The truck was down to about 5 mph when we had to jump out. The truck was completely engulfed in flames within just a few mins.

Filed Nov 24, 2025 · Electrical · FL

Rear Defroster overheated which caused it to burn my rear window in my truck and shattered my rear window. The window was directly behind my son’s car seat, thank goodness he wasn’t in the vehicle when it blew. I’ve found multiple instances of this issue happening across social media pages Ram looked at it today and said it isn’t their issue. The only warning I got was the smell of burning electrical 5 minutes before it blew.

Filed Nov 20, 2025 · Engine · 82,000 miles · GA · fire

The contact owned a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving, the engine compartment caught fire. The contact also stated that the vehicle lost motive power, and multiple warning lights illuminated. The contact reported that the entire vehicle became engulfed in flames, and the fire was extinguished by the local fire department. A police report was not filed. The contact did not sustain any physical injuries but experienced smoke inhalation and a nosebleed; however, no medical attention was provided. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000.

Filed Sep 18, 2025 · Fuel system · 45,350 miles · TX · fire

The contact's mother owned a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that her mother had noticed that there was an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times. The dealer could not duplicate the failure on some occasions, and the dealer replaced the fuel injectors on other occasions; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that while her mother was driving 60-65 MPH, the abnormal burning odor was stronger. The driver pulled into a gas station. The contact's father was occupying the front passenger seat, and the contact and her child were occupying the rear seats. The contact noticed that there was smoke coming out between the bed and the cabin of the trunk. The contact's parents exited the vehicle, and the contact ran into the gas station with her child and asked for a fire extinguisher. The gas station worker went out to extinguish the fire with the fire extinguisher while the contact called 911. The contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire, and the fire originated underneath the vehicle, between the bed and the cabin of the trunk. The contact stated that the vehicle burned from the front side of the front doors to the rear end of the trunk. The front end of the vehicle did not burn, and the engine was in good condition. The fire was extinguished by two fire department trucks. There was no injury sustained. There was no property damage. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,350.

Filed Feb 24, 2025 · Engine · 20,970 miles · CA · fire

The contact owned a 2022 RAM 1500. The contact stated that after leaving the dealer from completing the recall remedy for an unknown recall related to the fuel pump and while driving at 20 MPH, half a mile from leaving the dealer, the vehicle started to smoke and an abnormal sound came from the vehicle as the front windshield cracked. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact then tried to make a U-turn and return to the dealer. The vehicle suddenly stopped and shut off. Other drivers started to honk in an effort to alert the contact that there were flames coming from the vehicle. The contact then saw smoke coming out of the front part of the vehicle and exited the vehicle. The Fire Department was on scene and extinguished the fire. The origin of the fire was unknown. The fire took place at the intersection of [XXX] . The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was consumed by the fire. The contact was the only occupant in the vehicle and sustained emotional distress that did not require medical attention. The failure mileage was approximately 20,970. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jun 5, 2023 · Brakes, Engine · CO

The engine has a mind of its own and decides not to do engine breaking even if the driver downshifts. I first noticed this at low mileage when slightly tapping on the breaks would sometimes cause engine breaking as long as I kept my foot off the accelerator. However if I down shifted for additional engine breaking on the same slope the engine would scream revving up to 6000 RPM without slowing the truck at all, NO ENGINE BREAKING! So last week this problem nearly cost my life. I was going down a mountain pass with my 4500 lb RV which is well within the advertised 7000 lb allowed towing capacity but if I let my foot off the gas, no breaking. This is normal and the driver just downshifts to introduce some breaking. So i down shifted from 5th and the engine responded with a self destructive scream reving up to 6000 RPM and yes NO ENGINE BREAKING. I did not think much of it after all I still have the breaks right? So feathered the breaks for about 10 minutes or so thinking nothing of it. Even tapping the break to tell the onboard computer I need engine breaking is not working even though it was working when minimal engine breaking was needed. Out of pure luck I decided to stop at a mountain spring to get some fresh spring water and that is when I notice wait a minute, this car is barely stopping!! I got out of the car just short of the end of the pullover spot and was greeted with the smell of burning break pads! THE FRONT BREAK PADS WERE SMOKING! What is sad is that the same RV on the same pass on my 20 year old 12 passenger van easily manages this when I down shift to second gear with some minor feathering of the breaks and never in 10 years had issue with the slightest heating of the break pads. BY DISABLING ENGINE BREAKING CHRYSLER HAS CREATED A SERIOUS INJURY HAZARD.

Filed Mar 9, 2023 · Brakes, Engine · TX

My 2022 Ram 5.7 with etorque (25k miles) decided to park itself in the middle of a state Highway. I was coming to a stop at a light and heard some beeping noises from the truck, I looked down and it was trying to put the truck into park while my wheels were still turning. Once I was around 2-3 mph it jammed into park and applied the parking brake. I couldn’t move the knob to drive, and my battery light lit up on the dash. I had to turn the truck off and back on again to get it out of park. The truck almost didn’t seem to want to turn back on and when I put it in drive, the engine started sputtering and the battery light remained on. I gassed it and barely managed to make my turn without stalling into oncoming traffic because the engine kept acting like it was going to die. I stopped in a parking lot for a few minutes, kept the truck running and started back home. While the engine stopped sputtering it still didn’t seem to drive quite right- the truck was surging a little when it shifted and it still had the battery light on. Once I got home (like a mile away) I turned it off and back on a few times with no further issues. Possibly unrelated but I have also been to 3 Ram dealers to try and fix my engine tapping/knocking noise (and sometimes rough idle - maybe lifter related). It’s so loud I can hear knocking from inside my truck and from 15-20 feet away in a parking lot. All three dealers stated it was normal, which (obviously) it is not. I’ve also had issues with electrical burning smells coming from my engine bay, as well as a leaky rear window (probably over the battery pack). Ram needs to acknowledge the safety issues and mechanical failures and fix them immediately before someone gets hurt, or worse. I have read dozens of reports from this site of trucks parking themselves in the middle of the road and so far nothing seems to be done about it. I have footage on my dash-cam, if they would like to reach out and see what exactly happened.

Filed Jan 22, 2023 · Electrical · MN

The wiring harness on the vehicle is fastened to the frame poorly. I had to reattach it with plastic wire/zip ties in 3 different locations. I brought the truck home from being serviced at a RAM dealership and it had a very strong smell of burning plastic when I brought it home. This was not the smell of residual oil but a very definite smell of burning plastic. I brought it to the a different RAM dealership the next day to have the oil change corrected in Buffalo, MN and they didn’t visually see anything from underneath the truck. Since this incident I noticed an oil leak on the front of the engine, another failed plastic wire tie in the engine bay and two others that look as if they will pull from their fastened location.