Ram bulletin 21-017-26
What it saysFlash: Transmission Control Module (TCM) Updates Customers may comment on the following: SYMPTOM: Hesitation or delay when accelerating. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ram filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Feb 19, 2026, received Mar 5, 2026, about the electrical system. It names 4 model years (2026). 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: Transmission Control Module (TCM) Updates Customers may comment on the following: SYMPTOM: ● Hesitation or delay when accelerating. Customer may state that this occurs when driving at speeds between 5 kph (5 mph) and 20 kph (12 mph) after having previously accelerated from a very low speed and having backed off of the accelerator pedal for a short time. This bulletin involves reprogramming the TCM with the latest available software.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21-017-26 | Service bulletin | Feb 19, 2026 | 11029681 |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 18-19-05-TJ | Module, Transmission Control (TCM) - Reprogram | 0.2 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 themAlso filed against model years this site has no page for: 2026 Ram 4500; 2026 Ram 5500.
A 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 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 53 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.
I own a Ram 2500 (VIN: ) that has experienced a persistent and worsening rough idle. The engine shakes violently at idle, RPMs fluctuate unpredictably, and the vehicle feels as if it may stall. This occurs at stoplights, in traffic, and after warm-up. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership multiple times for this issue.
2026 Ram 2500 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Feb 8, 2026
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Rear Axle Failure - Dealership has the truck currently How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? - It was not Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?
2026 Ram 3500 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Aug 4, 2026
Stellantis issued a STAR service order regarding the digital rearview mirror not operating. I bought my truck in April of 2026 and the mirror was inoperable. Ram dealers have had the truck in the shop for over 10 weeks and cannot fix this safety issue. A STAR number and two claims numbers have been assigned.
2026 Ram 2500 · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 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 electrical system
Source: same model, same component group242 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ram models 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 08-339-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 24, 2026 | Max Tow Right and Left Rear Wheel Speed Sensors Inoperable Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and 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… |
| 08-331-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 11, 2026 | Flash: Vehicle System Interface Module (VSIM) Updates Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehic… |
| OTHERDOC_176 | 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… |
| 113855 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2026 | SWITCH AND BEZEL - FRONT DOOR |
| 113854 | Service bulletin | Aug 18, 2026 | SWITCH AND BEZEL - FRONT DOOR |
| 113991 | Service bulletin | Aug 10, 2026 | SENSOR - WHEEL SPEED |
| 113989 | Service bulletin | Aug 10, 2026 | SENSOR - WHEEL SPEED |
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 21-017-26 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 21-017-26 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 21-017-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years: 2026 Ram 2500, 2026 Ram 3500, 2026 Ram 4500, 2026 Ram 5500. 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 19 Oct 2025 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.