Ram bulletin 18-016-26
What it saysFlash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle may 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 Feb 4, 2026, received Feb 12, 2026, about the engine. It names 1 model year (2023). 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 communicationFlash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle may exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs): ● P0300-00 - Multiple Cylinder Misfire - in Active or Stored status set during cold start catalyst heating. ● P0301-00 - Cylinder 1 Misfire - in Active or Stored status set during cold start catalyst heating. ● P0302-00 - Cylinder 2 Misfire - in Active or Stored status set during cold start catalyst heating. ● P0303-00 - Cylinder 3 Misfire - in Active or Stored status set during cold start catalyst heating. ● P0304-00 - Cylinder 4 Misfire - in Active or Stored status set during cold start catalyst heating. ● P0305-00 - Cylinder 5 Misfire - in Active or Stored status set during cold start catalyst heating. ● P0306-00 - Cylinder 6 Misfire - in Active or Stored status set during cold start catalyst heating. Customers may comment on one or more of the following: ● Vehicle has a rough idle. ● Engine has a miss. ● Noisy valvetrain. This bulletin involves reprogramming the PCM with the latest available software.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-016-26 | Service bulletin | Feb 4, 2026 | 11028769 |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 18-19-06-CA | Module, Powertrain Control (PCM) - Reprogram | 0.3 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (2 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.
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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 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 201 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 115 of them name Electrical System, Engine — 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 and slowing for a traffic light, my 2023 Ram 1500 Limited 4X4 began to immediately slow, and I observed the gear selector engage from drive to park, back to drive and back to park, and engaging the emergency brake. The vehicle ceased operating. I was able to engage the emergency flashers and restart the vehicle.
2023 Ram 1500 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Mar 23, 2024
There is a loud humming/tumbling sound when decelerating at lower roms. It is very loud, obnoxious, and distracting. It was so loud that I couldn’t hear an emergency vehicle coming up behind me to get over. I have found 100’s of complaints on forums with the same issue with the 5th gen rams.
2023 Ram 1500 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Oct 8, 2023
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 engine
Source: same model, same component group84 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ram 1500 under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ram list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-078-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 26, 2026 | Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle mus… |
| 9100898 | Service bulletin | Sep 8, 2026 | Engine PNs: MY 24-26 WD/DT (5.7L) Code P00B is being misdiagnosed and incorrect parts are being installed causing over repair. Refer to SOL… |
| 18-077-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 19, 2026 | Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle may… |
| 9100861 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2026 | PUMP, Auxiliary Coolant Before replacing the Auxiliary Coolant Pump, please perform the following steps: 1) Key ON/OFF and let the after-run… |
| 18-075-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 24, 2026 | Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle mus… |
| 18-072-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 22, 2026 | GMET6 SO MIL Changes At Elevation Above 1,000 FT Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle m… |
| 09-012-26 | Service bulletin | Jun 18, 2026 | Oil Pan Leak Customers may experience the following: SYMPTOM: ● 'Low Oil Level' message on in the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC). ● Oil Leak… |
| S2609000009 | Service bulletin | Jun 15, 2026 | Check Engine Light (CEL) Illuminated with Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P0106 Manifold Absolute Pressure Sensor Performance Setting In The P… |
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 18-016-26 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 18-016-26 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 18-016-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Ram 1500. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.