Ram bulletin 18-021-25
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 Oct 8, 2025, received Apr 23, 2025, about the power train — 3 documents under this number: 18-021-25 REV. B, 18-021-25 REV. A and 1 more. It names 1 model year (2025). 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 must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs): ● 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. ● P214D-00 - SCR NOX Catalyst Outlet Temperature Too High During Particulate Filter Regeneration. ● P242B-00 - Exhaust Gas Temperature Sensor Circuit Performance - Bank 1 Sensor 3. ● P24DA-00 - Particulate Matter Sensor Exhaust Sample Error Bank 1. ● P20EE-00 - SCR Nox Catalyst Efficiency Below Threshold - Bank 1 Catalyst 1. ● P226C-00 - Turbocharger Boost Control "A" Slow Response. ● P2281-00 - Air Leak Between MAF And Throttle Body. ● P229F-00 - NOX Sensor Circuit Range/performance - Bank 1. ● P0100-00 - Mass Or Volume Air Flow Sensor "A" Circuit. ● P203F-00 - Reductant Level Too Low. ● P0423-00 - Heated Catalyst Efficiency Below Threshold Bank 1. ● P0263-00 - Cylinder 1 Contribution-Balance. ● P0266-00 - Cylinder 2 Contribution-Balance. ● P0269-00 - Cylinder 3 Contribution-Balance. ● P0272-00 - Cylinder 4 Contribution-Balance. ● P0275-00 - Cylinder 5 Contribution-Balance. ● P0278-00 - Cylinder 6 Contribution/Balance. ● P026B-00 - Injection Timing Performance. ● P020A-00 - Cylinder 1 Injection Timing. ● P020B-00 - Cylinder 2 Injection Timing. ● P020C-00 - Cylinder 3 Injection Timing. ● P020D-00 - Cylinder 4 Injection Timing. ● P020E-00 - Cylinder 5 Injection Timing. ● P020F-00 - Cylinder 6 Injection Timing. ● 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: ● **Inverter drops out when shifting from P to D gears. ● Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) level gauge slow to update after a refill. ● Poor cold start performance.** ● Cruise control drops out/cancels on its own. ● Engine stumble, runs rough, or a slight lack of power. The following software enhancements are also available: ● **Improved troubleshooting and repair accuracy for air handli
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-021-25 REV. B | Service bulletin | Oct 8, 2025 | 11024298 | |
| 18-021-25 REV. A | Service bulletin | May 15, 2025 | 11018487 | PDF, 137 KB |
| 18-021-25 | Service bulletin | Apr 17, 2025 | 11017153 | PDF, 132 KB |
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 Software Level (0 - Introduction) 10 - Diesel | 0.2 hrs |
| 18-19-04-P5 | Module, Engine Control (ECM) - Inspect and Reprogram (0 - Introduction) 10 - Diesel | 0.3 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (4 pages), read Sep 30, 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 42 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 35 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 2025 Ram 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V826000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM); and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the instrument panel software update was completed; however, the instrument panel became inoperable after the update was completed.
2025 Ram 3500 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Apr 28, 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 power train
Source: same model, same component group57 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ram 3500 under the same component group (power train), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Ram list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 114739 | Service bulletin | Sep 24, 2026 | TRANSMISSION KIT - WITH TORQUE CONVERTER |
| 08-302-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 1, 2026 | Flash: Electronic Shift Module (ESM) Updates Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must… |
| 18-067-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 14, 2026 | Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle mus… |
| 18-066-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 8, 2026 | Seed Request Denied During Technicians may experience the following: SYMPTOM: ● The scan tool displays the message "Seed Request denied" whe… |
| 9100841 | Service bulletin | Jun 25, 2026 | HD Front and Rear Prop Shafts Increase U-Joint Usage If customer concern diagnosis leads to suspect u-joint issue or failure with the prop s… |
| 18-002-26 REV. B | Service bulletin | Jun 24, 2026 | Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle may… |
| 21-039-26 | Service bulletin | May 8, 2026 | Replace K1 Clutch / Input Shaft Assembly Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must exhi… |
| 21-029-26 REV. A | Service bulletin | May 1, 2026 | Flash: Transmission Control Module (TCM) Updates Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle m… |
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 18-021-25 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 18-021-25 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 18-021-25 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 Ram 3500. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.