Ram bulletin 21-031-25
What it says"Oil Leak In Transfer Case Rear Output Shaft Seal Customers may experience the following: Oil leak from transfer case rear output shaft seal. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ram filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 23, 2025, about the engine. It names 2 model years (2024). 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.
Get the next Ram bulletin for your model by email Weekly, only when something new is filed. Nothing else; one-click unsubscribe.
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.
"Oil Leak In Transfer Case Rear Output Shaft Seal Customers may experience the following: ● Oil leak from transfer case rear output shaft seal. This bulletin involves inspecting and possibly replacing the rear transfer case rear output shaft seal."
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21-031-25 | Service bulletin | Apr 23, 2025 | 11017155 | PDF, 146 KB |
What the document itself lists
Part the bulletin names
| Part number | Description | Qty | Find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 68718876AA | Seal | — | eBay Motors → |
Labour operations and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 21-03-20-92 | Inspect - Transfer Case Seal (2 - Skilled) 03 - Differential and Driveline | 0.2 hrs |
| 21-03-20-93 | Inspect and Replace Transfer Case Seal (2 - Skilled) 03 - Differential and Driveline | 0.7 hrs |
Read by machine from the document NHTSA serves (2 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.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.
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.
Email me new Ram bulletins for one of these models
A weekly email, sent only in a week when Ram files something new with NHTSA for the model you pick — service bulletins, campaigns, warranty extensions, over-the-air notices, every model year. Nothing else is sent; one-click unsubscribe in every message. Separate from recall alerts.
What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 2 model years this bulletin names have filed 104 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 15 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.
I got this 2024 vehicle brand new with 15 miles on it in August of 2025 . It is now January of 2026 by check engine light had came on 7 times since November of 2025. I had to shut down work because of this . It came on the 8th time today and I was told by the delearship that they didn’t know what to do .
2024 Ram 3500 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Jan 27, 2026 · ODI 11713787
The truck is currently exhibiting a loud metal tapping/ slapping/ ticking noise when driving from the engine. It is loud enough it can be heard over road/ wind noise, it can also be heard in high idle situations.
2024 Ram 2500 · Engine · filed with NHTSA Sep 21, 2025 · ODI 11688757
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 group57 other manufacturer communications filed against these Ram models 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09-025-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 13, 2026 | Starter Terminal Nut Under Torqued Customers may comment on one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: ● Starter clicking but not starting. ● No… |
| 07-006-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 1, 2026 | Engine Overheat Customers may comment on the following: SYMPTOM: ● Vehicle overheating. ● Temperature gauge is reading hot. ● Overheat symbo… |
| 114255 | Service bulletin | Aug 26, 2026 | RADIATOR - ENGINE COOLING |
| 114254 | Service bulletin | Aug 26, 2026 | RADIATOR - ENGINE COOLING |
| 9100882 | Service bulletin | Aug 17, 2026 | PULLEY Fan If replacing 68209745AA, also replace 68723388AA, 05086958AB, and 68000833AD. Retain bolts, mark each with its original location… |
| 18-038-26 REV. A | Service bulletin | Jul 29, 2026 | Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle exh… |
| 113754 | Service bulletin | Jul 29, 2026 | SENSOR - EXHAUST TEMPERATURE |
| 113293 | Service bulletin | Jul 8, 2026 | INJECTOR - FUEL |
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 21-031-25 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 21-031-25 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 21-031-25 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 2 model years: 2024 Ram 2500, 2024 Ram 3500. 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 1 May 2024 – 18 Nov 2024 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.