Ram bulletin 03-008-25
What it saysRear Axle Vibration Shudder Or Chatter Customers may experience the following: A chatter, shudder, or vibration from the rear axle during turns. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ram filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Sep 18, 2025, received Sep 24, 2025, about the power train. It names 7 model years (2020–2026). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationRear Axle Vibration Shudder Or Chatter Customers may experience the following: ● A chatter, shudder, or vibration from the rear axle during turns. NOTE: This may happen more as the vehicle ages, especially if the vehicle is used extensively for towing or hauling heavy loads. The cause of the concern may be due to degradation of the rear axle fluid. It is very important to follow the routine maintenance schedules on these vehicles when it comes to changing the rear axle fluid if the vehicle is used primarily for towing or hauling heavy loads. If you experience a vehicle with the above condition, please perform the proper maintenance procedures for the rear axle and replace the fluid first before replacing any hardware components. NOTE: This service bulletin is only applicable to vehicles that have no history of an axle fluid replacement. If the vehicle usage includes police, taxi, fleet, off-road or frequent trailer towing, regular axle fluid changes are required every 3 years or 30,000 miles (whichever comes first) per the Maintenance Schedule in the vehicle Owner's Manual. This bulletin involves changing the rear axle lube to possibly address a chatter, shudder or vibration.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03-008-25 | Service bulletin | Sep 18, 2025 | 11023321 |
What the document itself lists
Parts the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 68218657AB | SAE 75W-140 (MS-8985) | — | eBay Motors → |
| 68340460AA | SAE 75W-90 (MS-A0160) | — | eBay Motors → |
| 04318060AD | Limited Slip | — | eBay Motors → |
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 68340460AA | SAE 75W-90 (MS-A0160) - Synthetic Gear Lubricant ( | 3.21 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (3 pages), read Sep 30, 2026. A part number is shown only where it matches Ram’s own catalogue shape, an operation only with its code and time, and a description only where the reader got it whole; anything it could not settle is left out, and the PDF is the record. Times are the manufacturer’s warranty allowances, not a quote. Listings and prices on eBay Motors are the seller’s.
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The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 7 model years this bulletin names have filed 2,724 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 314 of them name Power Train — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2020 Ram 1500, the 24 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 22,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The contact owns a 2026 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the tow module independently switched from automatic drive to tow. The contact stated that the trailer tow module switched as if a trailer was being towed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer.
2026 Ram 1500 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Mar 4, 2026 · ODI 11721975
Was sitting at a light (auto engine shut-off was on). When the light turned green, lifted off the break to push the gas to go. Truck shut off, all lights on the dashboard lit up and truck was automatically shifted into park with emergency brake on. Attempted to restart the truck several times. Truck finally started after 8th attempt.
2022 Ram 1500 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA May 25, 2022 · ODI 11466039
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and shifted to park inadvertently. The contact restarted the vehicle however, the vehicle would not move because the automatic emergency braking had engaged inadvertently. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired.
2021 Ram 1500 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Apr 19, 2021 · ODI 11412814
In depth: 2025 Ram 1500 transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2022 Ram 1500 transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2021 Ram 1500 transmission and drivetrain problems → · 2020 Ram 1500 transmission and drivetrain problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the power train
Source: same model, same component group76 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ram 1500 under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ram list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-071-26 REV. B | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle may… |
| 18-075-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 3, 2026 | Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle mus… |
| 115032 | Service campaign | Oct 3, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Notification A0D – Electronic Shift Module - Dealer Notification The Electronic Shift Module (ESM) software on about 2… |
| S2621000004 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2026 | The Customer May Complain About a Popping Noise, Grinding Noise, or an Intermittent No Reverse or Forward Transmission Engagement. The Tec… |
| 21-062-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 25, 2026 | Transmission Rattle Customers may comment on the following: SYMPTOM: ● Rattle noise coming from the transmission. This bulletin involves ins… |
| 08-308-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 6, 2026 | Flash: Electronic Shift Module (ESM) Updates Customers may comment on one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: ● Shifter is unresponsive. ● Un… |
| 21-057-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 9, 2026 | Flash: Transmission Control Module (TCM) Updates Customers may comment on one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: ● Harsh or slipping feeling… |
| 21-056-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 9, 2026 | Flash: Transmission Control Module (TCM) Updates Customers may comment on one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: ● **Harsh or slipping feeli… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Ram, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Ram 03-008-25 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the 03-008-25 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Stellantis warranty extension on file lists the ones Stellantis has filed.
Which vehicles does 03-008-25 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 7 model years: 2026 Ram 1500, 2025 Ram 1500, 2024 Ram 1500, 2023 Ram 1500, 2022 Ram 1500, 2021 Ram 1500 and more. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.