Ram bulletin 08-205-26
What it saysFlash: Power Tailgate Module (PTGM) Updates Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs)… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ram filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated May 6, 2026, received May 13, 2026, about the electrical system — 2 documents under this number. It names 1 model year (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 communicationWhat it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
Flash: Power Tailgate Module (PTGM) Updates Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs): ● B25E3-11 - Tailgate Absolute Position Sensor-Circuit Short To Ground. ● B25E3-12 - Tailgate Absolute Position Sensor-Circuit Short To Battery. ● B25E4-92 - Tailgate Absolute Sensor Supply-Performance Or Incorrect Operation. Customers may also comment on one or more of the following: ● Tailgate won't stay down. ● Tailgate inoperative This bulletin involves reprogramming the PTGM with the latest software.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08-205-26 | Service bulletin | May 6, 2026 | 11032820 | |
| 08-205-26 | Service bulletin | May 6, 2026 | 11032643 | not found |
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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 96 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 56 of them name Electrical System, 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.
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
While driving the driver instrument cluster screen went black. After approximately 10 seconds the theft alarm arm red light went red. Then the TPMS tire warning light lit. Then the instrument cluster screen went back to normal operation
2026 Ram 1500 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Mar 7, 2026
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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group304 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ram 1500 under the same component group (electrical system), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ram list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| OTHERDOC_175 | Other | Sep 8, 2026 | Radio Over The Air Update to U43.17 R1H Software Version (FOTA) Customers may experience one or more of the following:- Navigation Stabilit… |
| 08-328-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 5, 2026 | Wrong Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Configuration Customers may comment on one or more the following: ● Oil pressure gauge and battery life… |
| S2418000012 REV. C | Service bulletin | Aug 31, 2026 | Mil On/Check Engine Lamp (CEL) On, Engine Runs Rough |
| 113855 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2026 | SWITCH AND BEZEL - FRONT DOOR |
| 113854 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2026 | SWITCH AND BEZEL - FRONT DOOR |
| 114073 | Service bulletin | Aug 17, 2026 | MOTOR - WINDOW REGULATOR |
| 114072 | Service bulletin | Aug 17, 2026 | MOTOR - WINDOW REGULATOR |
| 08-313-26 REV. A | Service bulletin | Aug 15, 2026 | Front Windows Auto-Reverse During Closing Customers may experience the following: SYMPTOM: ● Front windows travel to the closed position but… |
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 08-205-26 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 08-205-26 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.
Which vehicles does 08-205-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2026 Ram 1500. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: built on or before 31 Jul 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.