Ram bulletin 18-081-25
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 Aug 23, 2025, received Aug 27, 2025, about the electrical system. 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 must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle must exhibit/set one or more of the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs): ● P245D-00 - EGR Cooler Bypass Control Circuit High. ● P02E3-00 - Diesel Intake Air Flow Control Circuit High. ● P0490-00 - EGR Control Circuit High. ● P229F-00 - Aftertreatment NOX Sensor Circuit Performance - Bank 1 Sensor 2. ● P0299-00 - Turbocharger Underboost. ● P242F-00 - Diesel Particulate Filter Restriction - Ash Accumulation. ● P0128-00 - Thermostat Rationality. ● P0234-00 - Turbocharger Overboost Condition.** Customers may also comment on one or more of the following: ● **Engine speed unstable when vehicle is stationary, not in gear and running on high speed governor (max engine speed).** ● Longer crank time than normal. ● Transmission overheat conditions with a message displayed in the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) stating "Transmission oil temperature is too hot" This bulletin involves reprogramming the Engine Control Module (ECM/PCM) with the latest available software.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18-081-25 | Service bulletin | Aug 23, 2025 | 11022175 |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 18-19-04-TS | Module, Engine Control (ECM) - Reprogram (0 - Introduction) 10 - Diesel | 0.4 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (3 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 49 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 10 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 2023 Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving approximately 74 MPH, the EGR valve de-energized seizing the turbo, causing the vehicle do decelerate to 30 MPH in less than a quarter mile. The check engine warning light was illuminated.
2023 Ram 2500 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 11, 2024 · ODI 11601186
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 group205 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ram 2500 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08-385-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 20, 2026 | Flash: Trailer Tow Module (TTM) Update Customers may experience the following: SYMPTOM: ● 'Check Trailer Turn Lamp' message is displayed in… |
| S2608000039 | Service bulletin | Oct 16, 2026 | Trailer Reverse Steering Control Radio Soft Button Blinks Even Without a User-Initiated Calibration |
| 9100945 | Service bulletin | Oct 15, 2026 | FUSE BLOCK - PWR DISTRIBUTION A/C Blowing hot air or not working. A/C relay clutch not operating, dealers are unnecessary replacing PDCs. Ba… |
| 9100938 | Service bulletin | Oct 15, 2026 | FUSE BLOCK - PWR DISTRIBUTION |
| 08-375-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 14, 2026 | Tow Nav Menu Option Unavailable - UBQ/UBW Customers may comment on the following: SYMPTOM: ● Tow Nav menu option is grayed out and cannot be… |
| 9100926 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2026 | WIRELESS CHARGER Welcome GREEN LED not turning ON after multiple IGN ON/OFF without sleep cycle and no phone on the charging pads. Part numb… |
| 25-004-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 23, 2026 | Exhaust Gas Temperature (EGT) Sensor Water Intrusion ’s VIN MUST be listed in VIP or your RSU VIN list. NOTE: This bulletin applies to ● 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… |
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 18-081-25 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 18-081-25 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. Every Stellantis warranty extension on file lists the ones Stellantis has filed.
Which vehicles does 18-081-25 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2023 Ram 2500. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.