2023 RAM 1500 Service Brakes Problems

22 complaints about Service Brakes

22
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Deaths

High Severity Issue

This component has been associated with crashes, fires, or deaths.

This Problem Across All Years

All Service Brakes Complaints (22)

Dec 13, 2025

While driving, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of electrical voltage. Multiple warning messages appeared, and several vehicle systems disabled while the vehicle was in motion. Power and safety features malfunctioned, and the parking brake engaged unexpectedly. The vehicle became unsafe to operate while driving. The failure required towing and a battery replacement to restore drivability. The battery failure occurred as part of an active charging system malfunction, not a no-start condition. This event created a serious safety risk to the driver and others on the roadway due to loss of vehicle control and disabled safety systems

Dec 13, 2025

Going up I-20 to get a load of wood for barns. I noticed when I got to the saw mill I could not select the trailer brake through the radio.. Trailer brakes are stuck on Light electric, I have had the trailer grounds checked and the magnets to the brakes on the trailer replaced. Again, Trailer brakes are stuck on Light electric and cannot select the heavy electric/ heavy over hydraulic/ light over hydraulic. Stellantis group finally told the dealership that they know about the problem but there is no fix for it yet. This was the purpose of purchasing this vehicle as a work truck with the trailer tow package. They have replaced everything that pertains to the trailer brakes. The BCM, the trailer brake module twice, and even the radio. The wiring has been checked it only puts out 6.5 volt at the plug. Brake type is greyed out.

Oct 31, 2025

I was moving forward about 5 mph to merge on to the main road when the emergency brake engaged, engine shut off, steering wheel locked and the 2023 Ram 1500 stopped blocking traffic. Instrument panel instructed me what to do . This was a dangerous situation especially if I was moving at a greater speed.

Sep 29, 2025

In August of this year while the truck was moving, it just shut off and the parking brake was engaged. I brought it to the dealer and they checked the truck through the computer. They could not find any issues. Just this past Saturday 9/27/2025 while i was backing up into a parking space, the vehicle shut down again in gear and the parking brake was again engaged. I call the Service dept at Gainesville Dodge in Florida and have another appt for a week from tomorrow. The first occurrence was 8/2026 I called another dealership in Starke Florida and spoke to their service dept. They informed me they have had the same issue with other Ram trucks but cannot find the cause. This unexpected shutting down is extremely dangerious! I searched the internet and found this issue is not uncommon. There were many reports of the same issue happening to other owners. Shutting down on a major highway can cause a major accident when this occurs. This needs to be looked into by your agency. Thank you.

Aug 8, 2025

Factory trailer brake controller does not work as it should. Trailer brake controller has 4 settings in owners manual they are as follows: Heavy over electric, Lite over electric, heavy over hydraulic, lite over hydraulic. My truck only has lite over electric and does not save the trailer as it should in the radio. The radio, BCM and Trailer brake control module has been replaced by Mopar under warranty to see if this fixes the problem. It has not fixed the problem. The dealership has checked all of wiring to see if this is a problem. it has not been to the dealer 8 times still has an open ticket on it. My truck is capable of carrying a load of 10,650 lbs. and needs the heavy tow brake system. I do not understand why Mopar cannot fix this issue. Dealership said that they are not going to do any more work to the vehicle for me to go get a second opinion on this problem.

May 28, 2025

On 3 separate occasions the truck has completely broken down while traveling 60-84mph. Each time, while in motion, the check engine and battery lights come on on the gauge cluster. Voltage starts rapidly draining from the battery indicator before systems start being shut down. Fiirst is entertainment, then climate, the ABS, then steering, and then all power and engine loss. I almost lost control the first time while trying to make it safely over to the soft shoulder. Each of the three times this had happened, the truck was completely dead in the side of the road and was towed to a dealership three times. The truck was towed to 2 different dealerships. The first two times to Imperial Dodge where they charged the battery the first time and did a software update the second time. Most recently the truck had been at DCH Temecula, for two weeks, where nothing has been done due to them not being able to recreate this issue. They recommended that I take video, while driving, as the issue happens live. This is a major safety issue in general but unacceptable that the manufacturer and dealerships only solution is for me to put myself and my family in jeopardy, and break California law, to diagnosis this massive unsafe vehicle.

Apr 5, 2025

3 times in the last month, my 2023 Ram with only 25000 miles has stalled while I have been driving. The situation was I was in a line of traffic and rolling forward at approximately 5-10 miles per hour when the truck died, auto shifted into park and set the emergency brake. I then immediately hit the start button again and got a low battery voltage warning. I turned the car completely off and on again, then was able to move and continue with the flow of traffic with no faults. I took the truck to the dealership to have it diagnosed and they found that the truck logged a code P032F, which is associated with vehicles stalling. However, they stated they were unable to replicate it and there wasn't a fix currently available. I have also not been able to replicate it and it seems to happen completely at random. My safety and the safety of others was definitely a factor as I was stranded in traffic without the ability to move my vehicle. If I had not responded quickly, it could have caused an accident. Prior to this there were no symptoms of failure, and the truck drives completely normal until the event occurs.

Jan 3, 2025

This is the second time I am filing a complaint in regard to this issue. I was driving on a very busy road, when my vehicle had come to a complete stop. The dashboard read: “EMERGENCY BRAKE” in red, then the emergency brake had turned on by itself. After trying to turn off the brake, the vehicle completely turned off. I had to restart the vehicle, in which case it turned on in neutral. This was extremely dangerous for myself, and the people around me in the intersection. I can only hope this problem is resolved quickly.

Dec 18, 2024

When stopped at a red light, vehicle shut off and emergency parking brake engaged. Safety was not necessarily put at risk but other cars had to pass me as I tried to figure out the issue. Dealer cannot reproduce the issue as it's happened only twice in one year. The only warning that came on the instrument cluster was "parking brake engaged".

Dec 16, 2024

While coming to a stop, the truck died and immediately set the emergency brakes. I was stopped about 300ft. from stop sign with cars stopped behind me. With the cars behind me honking, I waved them around. Released the brake and restarted the truck. Took the truck to the dealer and they could not reproduce the incident, and it threw no codes. This could be a huge safety concern if it were to happen in traffic.

Dec 11, 2024 Crash

On [XXX] at 6:15 PM approximately my brakes failed to engage and caused a rear end collision on [XXX] . This accident was caused by my brakes not responding at all when pressed fully to the ground and causing a collision and damage to two vehicles Loss of vehicle usage, property damage, and loss of work, After the collision I received an email from Dodge Fiat Chrysler at 2:01 AM on November 26th 2024 saying that there was a safety recall regarding the electronic braking system A B S module ESC system that states it can cause a vehicle crash without prior warning. This email came in after the accident, and I and the other party suffered multiple damages due to the malfunction of the braking system in my 2023 Dodge Ram. We were going approximately 10- 15 miles per hour, When the woman in front of me broke very hardly, and she claimed she was talking to her child, and I was unable to use the brake as it was not working and pressed to the floor and complete loss of control of the braking system. i was unaware of this issue prior to this email after the accident at 2:01 am the following day, In opinion Dodge Chrysler should be responsible for the damages caused to both vehicles including property damages as we are all out of a car and out of work currently. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Dec 2, 2024

I was approaching a 4 way stop when the engine lost power and shutoff. The vehicle auto shifted to park before i was able to come to a complete stop and the steering wheel locked up. I was the only passenger, all doors were closed and i was the only vehicle at the intersection. I was able to powerback on and continue on my way, but i have lost all trust in the vehicle and will be taking it in to the dealership tomorrow morning.

Nov 25, 2024

On 19 November 2024, immediately after dealer performed an oil change and accomplished recall 24V-653 and 24V729, on drive home vehicle engine shut off at a red light as normal (auto start/stop), but did not auto re-start. Had to power cycle in order to move truck. On 20 November 2024, vehicle engine shut off at a red light as normal (auto start/stop), but this time the SafeHold system engaged the parking brake and shifted the truck into park. The parking brake warning lamp illuminated. Truck would not move until the SafeHold system was manually bypassed. Surrounding traffic became impatient and took unnecessary risks to go around my truck that would not move. Immediately took truck to dealer for diagnosis and repair. On 22 November 2024, picked up truck from dealer with problem not repeatable, no repair performed. On 24 November 2024, exact same problem happened (vehicle engine shut off at a red light as normal (auto start/stop), SafeHold system engaged the parking brake and shifted the truck into park. The parking brake warning lamp illuminated. Truck would not move until the SafeHold system was manually bypassed). Surrounding traffic became impatient and took unnecessary risks to go around my truck that would not move

Nov 12, 2024

On three occasions now the engine has stalled after stopping for stop sign then attempting to accelerate and continue driving. When this occurs the emergency brake is also self deployed causing a sudden and hard stop. This could lead to a rear end collision and possible injury. Ironically this has happened at the exact same stop sign all three times. There were no warning lamps or any indication at all of any engine issues prior to or after the engine stalling. I have owned the vehicle for 16 months and it has 16k miles on it. The vehicle drives fine after each incident. I am contacting the dealer i purchased the truck from today about this issue. It will be the first time reaching out about this problem.

Nov 4, 2024

When I was driving on a very busy road, the emergency/ parking brake immediately turned on while the truck was returning back in motion, which made the car come to a complete stop. I had to manually turn off the parking brake, even though I was not the one to turn it on in the first place. This could have put the people behind me in serious danger, as they could have hit me and then been seriously injured. The problem was brought to the attention of the manufacturer, and they had just asked me if I had turned on the brake with my knee. After being met with an apology, I was asked to bring the truck into the servicer the following morning. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and they only appeared after this had happened.

Nov 2, 2024

Just before I was completely stopped at a red light, the engine died, the transmission shifted to park, and the emergency brake was set. After several minutes and several attempts, the engine started and I was able to drive it home. The only indication something was wrong was the “Check Engine” light was on. That light was off the next morning. I took it to the local Ram dealer to be checked out. The result of the computer diagnosis was “Nonplausable codes.” They said there was nothing they could do. Our fear was (and remains) is that this might happen again while driving at a higher speed in heavy traffic. That could possibly cause serious injury or death, or both. Due to that serious concern, we took it back to the dealer and ask them to keep it for a while to see if it happened with them. While they had it, different personnel drove it over 400 miles, but the problem was not reproduced. Also, no recall has been issued for this model truck. However, there has been a recall for other models with the Etorque engine because of unexpected stalling. We are concerned every time we drive it. In fact, my wife will not drive it nor take the grandkids anywhere in it.

Oct 27, 2024

Multiple issues where slowing down to a stop the truck will stall and go automatically to the parking brake. Have to restart and then turn the parking brake off. Seriously a safety issue. Seen several issues concerning this on the internet. This is a very serious issue and needs to be addressed immediately. Thank you

Oct 7, 2024 Crash

I had an single vehicle accident while visiting Oregon that I have not been able to explain. I have a 2023 Ram Eco Diesel that has a newly issued recall for the Electronic Stability Control failing. My vehicle left the road way and down an embankment after braking for some Wildlife crossing. When I applied the brakes my vehicle went off the left side of the road. The brakes never locked up. After the accident occurred my Electronic Stability Control warning light stayed on, and my Four Wheel Drive unavailable warning light came on as well. My Truck is still undecided as to weather it is totaled or not. It is sitting in a local repair shop waiting on further diagnosis. I had the accident in late August (XXX) and this new ESC recall was sent out and received in early October (03). I think my accident has now been explained. I am having some minor back pain, neck pain and dizziness from my neck stiffness but do not feel painfully injured. But this accident has caused me a whole lot of aggravation. I had to leave my travel trailer in Oregon. I had to pay storage for my travel trailer for a year. $1000. I had to pay for enough repairs to get my vehicle home. $500. I am without a vehicle for, well, nobody knows how long. I will be sending a copy of the recall to my State Farm Claims team. Can I file a lawsuit against Stallantis? (Ram)? Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Aug 27, 2024

TRUCK WILL STALL. TRUCK PARKING BRAKES INGAGE. THEN TRUCK BATTERY LIGHT COMES ON. HAVE TO RESTART TRUCK. TAKE OFF PARKING BRAKE. WHEN YOUUCAN GET OUT OF TRAFFIC MUST TURN OFF THEN ON TO REMOVE BATTERY LIGHT THAT IS ON

Aug 13, 2024

I was in downtown Atlanta traffic, moving around 10 miles per hour. The truck suddenly shut off and applied the parking brake. Once restarted the battery light was displayed on the dash. This has happened approximately 10-12 times in the last year. I was lucky this one did not result in an accident. Please help in getting Ram to realize there is a problem. Thank you!

Jul 31, 2024

Automatic Emergency Braking, Is available 2 different occasions, the emergency brakes were engaged at low speeds in traffic areas, the first time was merging into an empty center turn lane at 10 mph or less. The second was approaching a red stop light with vehicles already stopped, again was less than 10 mph when emergency brake engaged I was approximately 30' from the vehicle in front of me. Has not been looked at by dealer No warnings before emergency brake engaged to my knowledge.

Jun 4, 2024

While driving approximately 45mph electronic emergency brakes engaged almost causing wreck. At approximately 20 mph they disengaged and I was able to continue driving. No traffic I'm front of me and no debris to trigger "near miss".