I have been submitting reports to you for several months with no resolution. The truck yet again experienced the same problem, twice, within 1 week. It would start but then claim that it couldn't detect what gear it was in and said "can't shut off until transmission is in park". After cutting electrical power to get it to shut off, it would not start. After getting it started, it would not go into gear. Once I got the engine running and transmission to go into gear, it no longer had ABS.
Ram 3500 won't start problems
12 of the 2,369 owner complaints about the Ram 3500 describe won't start, most of them for the 2019 model year.
- owner complaints
- 12
- worst model year
- 2019
- typical mileage
- 27,000
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
- 20251
- 20222
- 20201
- 20193
- 20181
- 20171
- 20151
- 20141
- 20131
Often reported together
Key fob 2ABS 2Transmission failure 1Won't shift 1Stalling 1Loss of power 1Fuel pump 1Engine failure 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P0731 1
What owners say
Tip start would not start the vehicle on multiple occasions. Truck starter would engage but truck would not start. Please help.
The engine stopped while driving with no warning and provided no opportunity to exit the travel lane of the road. No warning lights were illuminated on the dashboard and all gauges appeared normal leading up to the event. This event is extremely frustrating, but I am thankful that it didn't happen on the interstate as there is no telling what the outcome may have been......... Leading up to the event, I had been driving on the interstate around 70mph for about 180 miles since the last restart. I exited the interstate and made it about 3/4 miles on a secondary road and the engine died without warning and the truck came to a quick stop in the lane of travel. No abnormal sounds were observed, just a sudden unwelcome deacceleration that did not provide enough time to exit the lane of travel. It was like stepping on the brakes. I attempted to restart the truck and the starter would not crank the engine and briefly pulled enough voltage to kill all the electronics. I attempted starting it again with a jump box attached and met the same result. The computers freaking out from the low voltage during the starting attempts wouldn't allow me to put the truck in neutral to move it out of the lane of travel. A police officer called for the tow truck on rotation since I was stuck in a live travel lane. The truck was towed to the Dealer on 8/19/2024 after the service department had closed and still would not turn over when removed from the tow truck. There were no signs of any fluids leaking from the truck after the event........ The next day the Service Advisor called and advised there were only 3 codes stored related to low voltage. Truck is waiting for a tech to become available to further investigate.
abs trac control going crazy dealer repaired under warranty about 15k drove approx 2k and same issue no longer under warranty tried to buy parts none available. truck doesn't start correctly when the lights are on and when driving there is a dinging as lights flash on and off.
The contact owns a 2022 Ram 3500. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally would not start as needed. The fault code: P0731 (Gear 1 Incorrect Ratio) was retrieved. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.
Complete engine stall while driving at highway speeds while towing a trailer. I was able to get to the shoulder before losing all forward momentum. There were no errors or warnings before stall. Truck would not crank after stopping and was towed to the dealership. Dealership blamed the issue on an aftermarket fuel tank, but repaired fuel pump under warranty.
For thanksgiving I was driving home from a trip to california about 800 miles away from home, on a merging lane I stepped on the gas to clear lane for a emerging semi trailer I was traveling around 65 MPH as I did that I got a warning message on my dashboard to service exhaust system then lost all power from my vehicle from 65 to 35 on interstate 5 a drastically slowdown causing the cars behind me to crash. I pull to the shoulder and my truck just died would not start had it towed to closest dealer next morning. Had to sleep with my new born in the cold truck. Once at dealer I was told the cp4 or high flow pressure pump had fail and the complete fuel system needed replaced. The estimate was for $20,000 but my insurance cover $13,000 of the bill the rest I had to borrow from friends and family. Service advisor said this is a very common problem on all new rams. If it's so common why not fix the issue my whole family was out in danger that night and also was expensive. The issue is fix for now but is a matter of time before it happens again
I was towing my 5th wheel trailer from rancho cucamonga to san diego. When I was driving on I-15, almost nearby exit 15. Suddenly there is a error on the screen , said 'exhaust brake system failed , ask me go to dealer'. Then I found there is no power anymore . I tried to press the pedal again , still no power. Then I rolled over to the side of the freeway. When the speed came down to about 15mph, the engine stopped. Then I pooled over , and tried to restart it . Nothing happened. I can hear it trying to start, but no start anymore. Then I called roadside department to tow my truck and trailer away . It took 6 hours to find the tow company, but still didn't come. Then I paid the tow company, then they came to save me and tow my truck to the dealer.
2 weeks ago my brand new ram 3500 with only 15000 on board didn't start, it didn't start in the morning on parking lot. Called a mechanic to have it fixed but they were not able. Same day called roadside assistance for towing and ram customer service. Results: -ram roadside assistance didn't cover the cost to dealer: reason: too close to the dealer. -ram customer service took all the information, gave me a case id and said somebody will call you in 1-2 days. As of today I keep calling customer service once in 2 days, they keep issuing new case id's because old once are incorrect, and keep telling me will call you in 1-2 days. Nobody from ram called so far. Dealer said: fuel pomp failed and they'll get the parts in november, (august 21 now) and I can't tell them anything cause they will fix me even tomorrow if would have parts from ram question: why a brand new ram has to sit 3 month in dealers shop, who is going to cover the payments and why I keep getting promises that somebody will call?
In the last year and half, the vehicle will not start after driving someplace, seems it does this every few months, the only way to get it started is to either rock the truck or push it about 15 feet. I've had it into the dodge dealership several times, they can't find the problem nor will it not start for them. This has become very frustrating! I tow a 39 foot trailer and this has happened twice with it not starting! Help please.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: engine: engine control module (ecu/ECM)
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2022 Ram 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis, Ram 2500, and 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles equipped with Cummins 6.7L turbo diesel engines. The engine control module (ECM) may have been built with a misaligned capacitor that can short-circuit, resulting in an internal loss of communication.
- Risk
- An internal loss of communication can result in a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the ECM, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 20, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Z87.
Recall number 22V642000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: engine: oil/lubrication
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ram 3500, 4500, and 5500 cab chassis vehicles equipped with a Cummins 6.7L High Output engine. The engine calibration software may not warn about low oil volume.
- Risk
- Low oil can damage the engine, causing an oil leak or a punctured engine block, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the engine calibration software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 25, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US LLC customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA US LLC's number for this recall is Y21.
Recall number 21V439000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: engine: oil/lubrication
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 cab chassis built with a Cummins 6.7L High Output engine. Inadequate warmup protection can cause a lack of oil film on the engine connecting rod bearings while the engine is reaching operating temperature. This can result in engine damage and connecting rod failure, which could potentially puncture the engine block.
- Risk
- A damaged engine block may leak oil, which can contact hot engine or exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will flash the engine calibration software to enhance the engine warm up protection, free of charge. The recall began September 10, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is W57.
Recall number 20V511000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: engine: diesel
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2013-2017 RAM 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis, 4500 Cab Chassis, and 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles, equipped with Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel engines that have Concentric-brand water pumps without a vent hole. These water pumps may leak coolant.
- Risk
- The leaking water pump can increase the risk of an engine compartment fire.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the water pumps, free of charge. The recall began February 26, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T51.
Recall number 17V562000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2013 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks manufactured January 7, 2013, through March 6, 2013. The engine cover may trap an excessive amount of heat under the cover.
- Risk
- The excessive heat under the engine cover may result in an under hood fire.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the existing engine cover with one that is a different design, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed on May 31, 2013. A second letter was mailed to owners with instructions on how to obtain the free remedy on August 15, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N19.
Recall number 13V122000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ram 3500 won't start
Which Ram 3500 years have won't start problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2019 (3 complaints), 2022 (2 complaints) and 2013 (1 complaints).
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