Ram bulletin 18-011-26
What it saysFlash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) 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 Jan 31, 2026, received Feb 4, 2026, about the electrical system. 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.
Get the next Ram 3500 bulletin by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
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: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) 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): ● P0072-00 - Ambient Air Temperature Sensor Circuit "A" Low. ● P0087-00 - Fuel Rail Pressure Too Low. ● P2540-00 - Low Pressure Fuel System Sensor Circuit Range/Performance. ● P2543-00 - Low Pressure Fuel System Sensor Circuit Intermittent. ● P20EE-00 - SCR Nox Catalyst Efficiency Below Threshold - Bank 1 Catalyst 1. ● P203F-00 - Reductant Level Too Low. ● P2698-00 - Exhaust Aftertreatment Fuel Injector "A" Performance. ● P06B9-00 - Cylinder 1 Glow Plug Circuit Performance. ● P06BA-00 - Cylinder 2 Glow Plug Circuit Performance. ● P06BB-00 - Cylinder 3 Glow Plug Circuit Performance. ● P06BC-00 - Cylinder 4 Glow Plug Circuit Performance. ● P06BD-00 - Cylinder 5 Glow Plug Circuit Performance. ● P06BE-00 - Cylinder 6 Glow Plug Circuit Performance. Customers may also comment on one or more of the following: ● Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) level gauge inaccuracy. ● Poor cold start performance. ● Unable to initiate manual Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) regen through Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC). ● While using the remote Power Take-Off (PTO) feature, the PTO may not engage or resume operation properly, after disengaging: 1. Engine is running with PTO engaged. 2. Operator is using the equipment, for example a bucket attachment. 3. Operator gets in position, then uses remote start/stop button to turn truck off while they perform a task. 4. The task is completed, then operator is ready to move the bucket so they use remote start/stop to start the engine. 5. The engine starts, but PTO does not automatically re-engage so their equipment doesn’t operate. This bulletin involves inspecting and possibly reprogramming the PCM with the latest available software.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-011-26 | Service bulletin | Jan 31, 2026 | 11028238 |
What the document itself lists
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 18-19-04-P6 | Module, Engine Control (ECM) - Inspect | 0.2 hrs |
| 18-19-04-P7 | Module, Engine Control (ECM) - Inspect and Reprogram | 0.3 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (3 pages), read Sep 29, 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.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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.
Email me new Ram bulletins for the 3500
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Ram files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 27 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 17 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.
The contact owns a 2026 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The message that the trailer was not connected was displayed.
2026 Ram 3500 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Aug 20, 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 group216 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ram 3500 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08-339-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 24, 2026 | Max Tow Right and Left Rear Wheel Speed Sensors Inoperable Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the… |
| 9100923 | Service bulletin | Sep 21, 2026 | AIR CLEANER - NONE Instruction to Dealers while ordering the PN# 68137142AD. 1. If the Air Cleaner Assembly is functional and only the MAF S… |
| 08-331-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 11, 2026 | Flash: Vehicle System Interface Module (VSIM) Updates Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehic… |
| OTHERDOC_176 | 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… |
| 113855 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2026 | SWITCH AND BEZEL - FRONT DOOR |
| 113854 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2026 | SWITCH AND BEZEL - FRONT DOOR |
| 113991 | Service bulletin | Aug 10, 2026 | SENSOR - WHEEL SPEED |
| 113989 | Service bulletin | Aug 10, 2026 | SENSOR - WHEEL SPEED |
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 18-011-26 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 18-011-26 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 18-011-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2026 Ram 3500. 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 1 Dec 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.