Ram bulletin 18-020-26
What it saysFlash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates **Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle may SYMPTOM: exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ram filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 14, 2026, received Feb 19, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 1 model year (2021). 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 SYMPTOM: 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.** ● P0335 - Crankshaft Position Sensor Circuit. ● P0339 - Crankshaft Position Sensor Intermittent. **Customers may comment on one or more of the following: ● Vehicle has a rough idle. ● Engine has a miss. ● Noisy valvetrain.** Other software enhancement included with this update: ● Idle stability improvements during Electronic Stability Control (ESC) events. , Claims Data and Special Tools sections, updated LOP number, Repair Procedure and new Repair Procedure notes. **REPAIR SUMMARY:
Trouble codes it names: P0335 P0339
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-020-26 | Service bulletin | Feb 14, 2026 | 11028881 |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 18-19-06-CC | 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 679 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 477 of them name Engine, 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.
On the 2021 Ram 1500, the 36 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 27,803 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Making a right hand turn into school parking lot at 7:11 am this morning the engine died, steering went stiff and emergence parking break set. Almost caused a very serious accident with injury's to multiple minors. Was moving 11 MPH with my foot on the brake into the right turn, when I let off the brake the engine died.
2021 Ram 1500 · Engine · filed with NHTSA May 24, 2021
Driving vehicle about 2 MPH, taking a right turn - vehicle stalled out and emergency brake light came on. Was able to restart pts ignition without issue, then drive again. Truck has 600+ miles current. Found other Ram owners on 5thgenrams. Com forums stating they are experiencing same issue, so I AM concerned.
2021 Ram 1500 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA May 13, 2021
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 18-020-26 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 18-020-26 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 18-020-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2021 Ram 1500. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.