2018 Ram 2500 Powertrain & Transmission Problems

Transmission failure at 125,000 miles. Vehicle has been used minimally for towing. Mainly highway driving. Looking at a $10,000 repair bill.

ABS TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT HAS BEEN ON/OFF SINCE 2020. Can't drive on snow ice due to traction control abs 4-wheel drive doesn't work correct. I almost hit the divider/wall on Interstate 30 on 01/28/26 due from poor braking.

The transmission is slipping and making clunking noises and I'm worried it fails while driving it could be a safety issue. I noticed other people online mention the same problem. This should be a manufacture recall to get repaired not a consumer.

Component or system that failed or malfunctioned The issue involves a safety recall‑related system on my Ram truck that remains open with no available remedy for over one year. The vehicle is now experiencing traction loss while pulling and during normal driving, along with multiple failure/warning lights activating on the dashboard. How my safety or the safety of others was put at risk While driving and when pulling/accelerating, the vehicle unexpectedly loses traction, which creates a risk of loss of control, especially during traffic, turns, or acceleration from a stop. The appearance of failure lights combined with traction loss presents a serious safety risk to myself, my passengers, and other motorists, increasing the likelihood of a crash. Whether the problem has been reproduced or confirmed The safety defect is confirmed by the open NHTSA recall associated with my VIN. The traction loss and failure lights have occurred during normal vehicle operation and continue to reappear. The issue has not been repaired due to the manufacturer stating that no recall remedy is currently available. Inspections by dealer, manufacturer, or others Authorized Ram/Dodge dealers have confirmed that the recall remains open with no repair solution available from the manufacturer. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by police or insurance representatives, but it remains available for inspection. Warning lamps, messages, or prior symptoms Failure and warning indicator lights have appeared on the dashboard and remain present. These symptoms began while the recall was still unresolved and now occur in conjunction with traction loss during driving and pulling, indicating the defect may be actively affecting vehicle safety.

On the highway towing a horse and the transmission stopped working right. Couldn’t keep up to traffic only had one gear.

unknown my brakes had a recall on it for the hydraulic system my transmission gave signs of going out while i was driving it would rev up and then would go when i would increase speeds

While driving the truck seems to jolt when trying to get into the next gear or it seems to be slipping a gear. At times the truck will stay in a gear too long and not switch over in a timely manner or it it will switch gears too quickly. The dealership and another quote says it seems it could be the transmission valve plate and solenoid all the way up to a new transmission is needed. The truck has only 53,000 miles and maintained routine oil Changes and maintenance. I would like to see if there is a recall or one needed because I have never owned vehicle that needed a transmission at 53,000. That’s insane.

Towing my camper with my family in the mountains during Memorial Day weekend. It was rainy. My brakes failed me SEVERAL times as well as my traction control. To say it was scary is an understatement. I don’t even want to use the truck anymore. I have had several chats with ramcare as well as a call to my dealership with zero resolutions. Someone is going to get hurt or worse. The HCU no longer works.

Truck will not shift and drops out of drive leaving you helpless

If I hit a bump it sets off the lights for the abs and the traction control and I have to run my truck with the traction control off if not my truck won’t shift right if I’m going 60 or above also had to get the transmission replaced

Constant cycling of ABS and Traction Control lights with tones. Causes ABS, Traction Control and cruise control failures with persistent tones and lights. Parts not available after 12 months of open recall.

CB4 Recall Some (2017-2018 MY Ram xxx) vehicles may have been built with a brake hydraulic control unit ("HCU") that is susceptible to failure or malfunction which may result in a reduction or change of Anti-Lock Brake System ("ABS")/Electronic Stability Control ("ESC") /Traction Control performance. A failing HCU will initially result in the intermittent loss of ABS/Traction control progressing to permanent loss. Been dealing with this issue since the recall got initiated back in November 2024. I call Mopar every month to check on the status and still no parts available. I haven't had any brake failures in my truck or scares, but whoever has this issue has to understand how annoying the constant chime is. Can't use cruise control and worst thing is if you are considering selling your truck outside of a Ram dealer, they won't take it in because of the open recall and privately, who would really consider buying a truck with this issue. My fear is that Mopar (Stellantis) is just putting this in the backburner with no plans on fixing it.

Timely as my 2018 2500 seems affected. I've performed no troubleshooting but it is extremely intermittent, either the Service the ABS or Service the Electronic Braking System(s). Usually, a bump in the road makes it come and another turns it off. Sometimes it happens so quickly, only the message and traction control disabled light comes on, sometimes only the chime comes in. Sometimes the message stays up and the brake warning and traction control light comes on, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes a couple of seconds. Always goes away with an ignition cycle. If it's on long enough. For some period of time, it came in when I turned the truck on and off when I released the parking brake. Annoying.

I purchased this truck new in 2018. I soon started having problems with very hard shifting and slamming into gear. It has been to the shop and diagnosed and continues to do it. They cant seem to fix it. My ABS lights and alarm are sounding non stop. This happened within 5 miles of my warranty being up. I did diagnostics and they wont cover it and want to charge me 1500 plus i have to wait 8 months for the part. This is an ABS issue and a safety issue! I also get the DEF failure notice telling me its going into limp mode. This has happened multiple times. I still only have 36k miles on it. I was told this ABS issue was now covered and the factory is doing extended warranties based on these problems. But the dealership says they know noting about it and that i have to bring it back in AGAIN to diagnose which i have to pay for AGAIN. I hate this truck and i have had nothing but problems and no one will help.

The issue with the Electronic Braking System and ABS has worsened. The two warning lamps are almost constantly on, or rapidly come on and go off rapidly. If I'm towing a trailer, all braking is lost momentarily - brake pedal to the floor - including the trailer brakes. The trailer brakes do not return until an ignition cycle, if the warning lamps stay off, that is. The dealer says no parts are available, but won't even take it in for troubleshooting or attempted repair. This truck scares me. This has been an issue for about two years and 20,000 miles.

Traction control light and ABS light come on and go off intermittently will cancel my cruise control.A warning ding accompanies this.It does this frequently while driving.Electronic braking warning comes on the dash.

ABS and traction control lights came on. Brought to my mechanic and they spoke with Dodge who started they put a freeze on selling the parts and currently have no fix.

The truck would not go above 40 mph, then the transmission began slipping, slowing the truck down to 20 mph. This happened while pulling my camper. This put us at risk of collision. The truck is going to the dealer on Weds, Aug 14. The vehicle has yet to be inspected, but will be at the dealer on Aug 14. No warning lights.

For the second time since the vehicle's purchase in 2019, the Antilock Braking System is flashing an intermittent error stating that the Antilock Braking System needs to be serviced. When the system flashes the error, the antilock brakes, cruise control, and stability control become disabled. The error sometimes will clear itself, and then immediately return a minute or two later. Three years ago I had this same issue repaired once before under the vehicle warranty. At that time, I was told the Hydraulic Control Unit for the ABS system had failed. Now, without warning or reason the system is failing once again and RAM refuses to replace this defective part. Through an online investigation, I have discovered that thousands of Ram owners are experiencing the same defective part and circumstances. Without proper functioning brakes, antilocking brakes and stability control, the vehicle cannot be driven without great risk to the vehicle's operator and occupants, and additionally other motorists.

The contact’s husband owns a 2018 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on several occasions, the vehicle started shaking and lost motive power. The contact stated that the message "Transmission Hot" was displayed and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 79,790.