We were pulling camper to Nashville TN. We pulled off I24 toward I65 North. I noticed the engine was raving and it felt like I was missing gears on the transmission. I was roughly 4 miles from my destination when I noticed smoke coming from under the hood on passenger side and flames coming from under hood on passenger side of the hood. I stopped the truck/ camper. Three of us had extinguishers trying to put fire out. The entire engingine compartment burned and fire intruded into driver compartment.
Ram 3500 fire or smoke problems
48 of the 2,369 owner complaints about the Ram 3500 describe fire, smoke or burning smell, most of them for the 2013 model year.
- owner complaints
- 48
- worst model year
- 2013
- typical mileage
- 64,900
Is there a fix? There are 10 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Check engine light 3ABS 3Overheating 2Loss of power 2Engine failure 2Wipers 1Transmission failure 1Won't shift 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P2459 1
What owners say
On the morning of August 29th around 8:10am the Ram truck caught fire under the hood with the engine/ignition off, after it was driven around the yard lot and shut off. The fire seems to have originated in the center of the engine on the drivers side of the cylinder head. Mimicking the same patterns as the recall #13A in regards to the heated grid recall that was performed in March of 2025, @121338 miles. The truck now has 157032 miles. The driver was able to extinguish the fire before the fire spread beyond the engine bay. the truck is currently locked up on site at our facility.
The contact owned a 2017 Ram Promaster 3500. The contact stated that an employee parked the vehicle in front of an apartment complex, went inside the building to finish working; when the employee returned outside the building, the vehicle was on fire. No warning lights illuminated prior to the fire. The employee saw smoke and flames coming from the engine compartment. The Fire Department was contacted, arrived on scene, and extinguished the fire. No injuries were sustained. A Police report was not filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was towed to an undisclosed location. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.
The contact owns a 2018 RAM 3500. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the contact noticed an abnormal cracking sound and smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact inspected and used a fire extinguisher to slow the smoke and electrical sparks down. The contact did not notice any fire. The fire department arrived and disconnected the electrical cables to prevent further damage. The contact stated that the vehicle was inoperable. In addition, the contact stated that the failure occurred while the contact was traveling on vacation. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The contact was informed that the failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was later towed to an RV service center. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.
Norcold N641.3FL refrigerator (serial #XXX) installed in an Arctic Fox truck camper caught fire on June 2, 2026 due to cooling unit failure. This model is subject to a known Norcold fire risk recall. The unit had not been repaired under the recall. I extinguished the fire myself. I have photographic evidence and have reported the incident to Thetford/Norcold at [XXX] . Norcold LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2025 with over 10,500 similar fire-related claims. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owned a 2019 Dodge Ram 3500 towing an empty container. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being driven uphill at unknown speeds, it unexpectedly caught fire. No warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment, or police report. The fire department was on the scene, extinguished the fire, and provided a fire report. The fire chief was unable to determine the cause of the fire due to the extensive damage. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company.
The contact owns a 2024 Ram 3500. The contact stated that upon purchasing and driving the vehicle, the contact noticed an abnormal odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The dealer was notified and informed the contact that it was a new vehicle odor. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the contact noticed clear smoke coming from the vents. Additionally, the contact stated that the rearview was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the cab heater had experienced an internal short circuit, causing the wiring and grid heater to melt. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred while driving. The contact sustained extreme fatigue, sore throat, nausea, headaches, ringing ears, and vomiting. The contact had not received medical assistance but had taken a 3-day leave from work. The dealer was contacted via email and informed the contact that the heater assembly might not be the cause of the failure. The contact was concerned that the vehicle failure could cause a fire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20.
After normal operation, I shut off the vehicle, and within seconds it caught fire without any external cause. Our insurance company and Look Larson Dodge investigated the incident over approximately 3½ weeks but could not determine a definitive cause of the fire.
The contact filed the complaint on behalf of the customer, who was the owner of a 2021 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while the owner was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle caught on fire. No warning lights were illuminated. The owner informed the contact that the fire came from the engine bay. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to a local tow yard. The vehicle was later towed to the independent mechanic. No injuries were sustained. In addition, the contact stated that the transmission was replaced by an independent mechanic. The failure occurred the following day after the vehicle was released by the independent mechanic. In addition, the owner of the vehicle had received a recall notification the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V060000 (Electrical System). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
I have a complaint that needs to be addressed. On Sept. 11 2025 I had a fire in the cab of my 2016 Ram 3500 truck while it was sitting in my drive way. It was not even running. The fire was not very big and it could have been repaired. So I called FCA and opened a case with them. They informed me that I needed to bring my truck into the closest dealership so that it could be inspected. So I then called and set up and appt for Sept. 12, 2025. I had my truck towed to the dealership and upon arrival my husband who took the truck was told to take it off the trailer. So they took it off the trailer. They informed me that a woman went to the truck, opened the door and stated “ well that’s a gonna be a total loss,” closed the door and had told them to move it to the fence line. She then stated that there was nothing that y’all could do for us and that it would cost me $350.00 to be diagnosed. At this time she already knew that I had an open case with FCA and that I was told to take it in. Upon walking to the truck when my husband opened the door and it had caught fire again. So he went and told some employees in the service dept and they ran out to the truck and disconnected the batteries. Then we were told that we needed to take it off the lot if we weren’t going to pay. So they reconnected the batteries and we put the truck back on the trailer and brought it home. The next day my truck was completely engulfed in flames along with my husbands welder which is used for our business. I called FCA back on Monday and spoke with my case manager/inspector and let them know about the two fires after the first and he stated he would be going to inspect the following day. He then asked if the truck was at the dealership and if the batteries had been disconnected by your employees. I stated no the truck is here at my home and the batteries were reconnected so that we could tow it out of the dealership since that’s what we were told to do. I have told the dealership and no response
Related recalls
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, Ram 4500 Cab Chassis, and Ram 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles. A software error may cause the instrument panel display to fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards numbers 102, "Transmission Shift Position Sequence," 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems," 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment," 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems for Light Vehicles," 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems," 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System," and/or 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
- Risk
- An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as gear selection and warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the instrument panel software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 5, 2026. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA's number for this recall is 35D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on beginning April 16, 2026.
Recall number 26V225000 · Recall details
Electrical system: integrated trailer brake control
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Jeep Wagoneer S, 2025-2026 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, Ram 4500 Cab Chassis, Ram 5500 Cab Chassis, and 2026 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. Due to an improperly designed trailer tow module, the trailer lights may fail to illuminate and the trailer brakes may fail.
- Risk
- Trailer brake lights and turn signals that do not illuminate reduce visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, trailer brakes that fail increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the trailer tow module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning March 17, 2026. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 03D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on on February 10, 2026.
Recall number 26V059000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, 4500 Ram Cab Chassis, and Ram 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles. A software error may cause the instrument panel cluster display to be blank. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems," 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems," and 102, "Transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect."
- Risk
- An instrument panel display that does not show critical information, such as warning lights or gear selection, increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and update the instrument panel software or replace the instrument panel cluster, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 18, 2025. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's numbers for this recall are B4C and B8C. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on beginning December 4, 2025.
Recall number 25V826000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 vehicles equipped with a 3.5" cluster and column shifter. A software error may cause the gear selection display to be inaccurate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Control and Displays."
- Risk
- An inaccurate gear selection display may mislead the driver as to what gear is actually selected, leading to unexpected vehicle movement and increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 22, 2025. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 36C.
Recall number 25V297000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: relays/solenoids
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Ram 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis, and 4500, 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles equipped with a Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel engine. An electrical short may occur in the heater grid relay with the ignition on or off.
- Risk
- An electrical short in the relay can result in an engine compartment fire with the ignition on or off, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the relay, free of charge. This will be a Phased campaign. Phase 1 will include 2023 model year vehicles. FCA US will notify dealers on or about 3/23/2023 and begin notifying owners on or about 4/5/2023. Phase 2 will include 2022 model year vehicles and Phase 3 will include 2021 model year vehicles. FCA US will notify dealers and owners on or about 4/27/2023 for Phase 2 and 5/11/2023 for Phase 3. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed March 28, 2023. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 5, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 13A. This recall is an expansion of and supersedes recall number 21V‑798.
Recall number 23V060000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring: relays/solenoids
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Ram 3500, 2500 pickup trucks, and Ram 3500, 4500, and 5500 cab chassis vehicles equipped with Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel engines. An electrical short in the relay may cause a vehicle fire with the ignition on or off.
- Risk
- A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised to park these vehicles outside of buildings or structures, and not near other vehicles, until the vehicle has been remedied. Dealers will inspect and, if needed, replace the Solid State Intake Heater Grid Relay ("Relay"); if FCA US Recall ID Y08 (the federal safety agency Recall ID 21V‑163) is open, then insulating material will be applied to the Relay after inspection. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Y76. This recall has been superseded by 23V060.
Recall number 21V798000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Ram 2500, 3500, and 3500, 4500, and 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles equipped with a Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel engine. An electrical short may occur in the Solid State Intake Heater Grid Relay, which could result in a vehicle fire.
- Risk
- A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and, if needed, replace the Solid State Intake Heater Grid Relay ("Relay"); if FCA US Recall ID Y08 (the federal safety agency Recall ID 21V‑163) is open, then insulating material will be applied to the Relay after inspection. Customers are advised to not park these vehicles inside of buildings or structures, or near other vehicles until the vehicle has the final repair completed. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Y76. Owners may contact FCA US LLC customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA US LLC's number for this recall is Y08. This recall has been superseded by recall number 21V‑798.
Recall number 21V163000 · Recall details
Electrical system: wiring
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Dodge Journey, Charger and Durango, RAM 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis (more than 10,000lb), 4500 Cab Chassis and 5500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300, 2014-2019 RAM 1500, 2015-2018 Dodge Challenger, 2015-2017 Chrysler 200, 2016-2018 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis (less than 10,000 lb), 2017-2018 Chrysler Pacifica and 2018 Jeep Wrangler vehicles. These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging. If, when using cruise control, there is a short circuit within the vehicle's wiring, the driver may not be able to shut off the cruise control either by depressing the brake pedal or manually turning the system off once it has been engaged, resulting in either the vehicle maintaining its current speed or possibly accelerating.
- Risk
- If the vehicle maintains its speed or accelerates despite attempts to deactivate the cruise control, there would be an increased risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Note: Owners are advised to stop using cruise control until the software update has been performed. In the event that cruise control cannot be disengaged while driving, owners should firmly and steadily apply the brakes and shift the transmission to neutral, placing the vehicle in park once it has stopped.
Recall number 18V332000 · Recall details
Electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Dodge Charger Police vehicles, 2007-2013 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2013 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis, and 2013 RAM 2500 and 3500 vehicles. The affected vehicles have a 220 amp alternator that may suddenly fail.
- Risk
- If the alternator fails, the vehicle may stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash. There is also the possibility that the alternator may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the alternator with a revised alternator, free of charge. The recall began on December 23, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S68.
Recall number 16V739000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2014 RAM 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks manufactured July 1, 2013, through August 22, 2013. Randomly, the warning lights in the instrument cluster may fail to illuminate as designed.
- Risk
- Inoperative warning lights may not properly warn the driver of vehicle problems, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall began on November 25, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1‑800‑247‑9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N59.
Recall number 13V486000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ram 3500 fire or smoke
Which Ram 3500 years have fire, smoke or burning smell problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2013 (7 complaints), 2020 (7 complaints) and 2014 (6 complaints).
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