Ram bulletin 08-388-26
What it saysR1H Radio U43.17 Software Update - Dealer Option Customers may experience one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: Screen freeze or radio reset. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ram filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 20, 2026, received Oct 29, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 2 model years (2026–2027). 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.
R1H Radio U43.17 Software Update - Dealer Option Customers may experience one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: ● Screen freeze or radio reset. ● Projection will not reconnect. ● Audio or music skipping and/or cutting out during playback. ● Apple CarPlay®/Android Auto® improvements: fixes for disconnections, freezes, screen distortion, and pairing issues. ● "Service Air Suspension System" message displayed when the up or down button becomes stuck. ● Trailer Surround Camera dimensions not retained after an ignition cycle. ● Distorted radio startup animation. ● Home screen media widget does not display the artist name. ● Turn signal blind spot view does not turn off after the turn is completed. ● Vehicle Settings page becomes frozen and unresponsive to touch input. ● "AUTO" drive mode takes several seconds to update after the mode is changed. ● Screen display size changes from normal to small without user input. ● Radio text displays in English when Portuguese is selected. ● Screen flickers, resets, or goes blank while driving. ● Steering wheel volume adjustment causes screen distortion. ● Surround Camera View guidelines remain visible when the setting is turned off in the radio. ● User is able to add a device to the head unit while the vehicle is in motion. ● Radio bluetooth is unable to discover a phone even when the phone is directly in front of the radio. ● Fam Cam softkey requires multiple attempts before launching. ● App screen turns completely black while driving. ● Phantom chimes occur without any warning messages or notifications. ● Left-side blind spot turn signal camera has a longer activation delay than the right-side camera. ● Radio switches to Android Auto® unexpectedly and displays a black screen. ● Phone cannot be reconnected to bluetooth after being deleted. ● "Glovebox and Apps" text overlap on the MyCar or Performance Pages screen when the glovebox button is pressed. In addition, the following software enhancement is included: This bulletin involves inspecting and if required, updating the radio software level to U43.17.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08-388-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 20, 2026 | 11038756 |
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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 103 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 51 of them name Electrical System — 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.
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 · ODI 11722680
In depth: 2026 Ram 1500 electrical 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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group296 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| S2608000041 | Service bulletin | Oct 22, 2026 | MIL-On After a Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Replacement |
| S2608000040 | Service bulletin | Oct 21, 2026 | The Customer States There Is a Blinking Odometer. Firmware Over-The-Air (FOTA) Fails With Message To Visit The Dealer. |
| 08-386-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 20, 2026 | Flash: Trailer Tow Module (TTM) Update Customers may experience the following: SYMPTOM: ● 'Check Trailer Turn Lamp' message is displayed in… |
| S2608000039 | Service bulletin | Oct 16, 2026 | Trailer Reverse Steering Control Radio Soft Button Blinks Even Without a User-Initiated Calibration |
| 08-280-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 16, 2026 | Flash: Integrated Trailer Control Module (ITCM) Update Customers may experience the following: SYMPTOM: ● "Check Trailer Turn Lamp" message… |
| 08-376-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 15, 2026 | Blindspot Alert Unavailable Service Required Warning Message Customers must experience on one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: ● “Blindspo… |
| 9100933 Rev 1 | Service bulletin | Oct 14, 2026 | FUSE BLOCK UNDERHOOD - PWR DIS A/C Blowing hot air or not working. A/C relay clutch not operating, dealers unnecessary replacing PDCs. Batte… |
| 9100647 | Service bulletin | Oct 14, 2026 | 68488364AC: FUSE BLOCK UNDERHO 1) False fails on PCR, DBSM and PDCs Stuck Closed or open diagnostics, DTC P2AF5 or P2AF6, leading to NTF and… |
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 08-388-26 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 08-388-26 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. Every Stellantis warranty extension on file lists the ones Stellantis has filed.
Which vehicles does 08-388-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2027 Ram 1500, 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 15 Aug 2026 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.