Ram bulletin 18-079-26
What it saysFlash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Update Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination, and the vehicle may exhibit SYMPTOM: or set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes… NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ram filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Oct 7, 2026, received Oct 16, 2026, about the engine — 2 documents under this number. 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 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) Update Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination, and the vehicle may exhibit SYMPTOM: or 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 also comment on one or more of the following: ● Vehicle has a rough idle. ● Engine has a miss. ● Noisy valvetrain. This bulletin involves inspecting the PCM software level and, if necessary, reprogramming the PCM with the latest available software.
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-079-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 7, 2026 | 11038536 | |
| 18-079-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 7, 2026 | 11038499 |
What the document itself lists
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 18-19-06-9Y | Module, Powertrain Control (PCM) - Inspect | 0.2 hrs |
| 18-19-06-9Z | Module, Powertrain Control (PCM) - Inspect And Reprogram | 0.3 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (3 pages), read Oct 18, 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 365 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 82 of them name 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.
Secondary water pump failure with coolant line leak causing engine to rapidly run out of coolant
2025 Ram 1500 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jan 28, 2025 · ODI 11639071
In depth: 2025 Ram 1500 engine 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 engine
Source: same model, same component group82 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-015-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 7, 2026 | Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle may… |
| S2609000006 | Service bulletin | Sep 29, 2026 | P000B Bank 1 Cam 2 Position Slow Response - Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) - Check Engine Light (CEL) |
| 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… |
| 18-072-26 | 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… |
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 18-079-26 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 18-079-26 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 18-079-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2025 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 14 Nov 2024 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.