Ram bulletin 21-056-26
What it saysFlash: Transmission Control Module (TCM) Updates Customers may comment on one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: **Harsh or slipping feeling during upshifts (1st - 5th). NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Ram filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Jul 9, 2026, received Jul 18, 2026, about the power train. It names 1 model year (2021). 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: Transmission Control Module (TCM) Updates Customers may comment on one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: ● **Harsh or slipping feeling during upshifts (1st - 5th). ● Harsh or slipping feeling during kickdown events under throttle. ● Transmission fluid odor (burnt smell).** ● During a 2 - 3 transmission upshift, the engine is hitting rev limit. ● Hesitation feel during a pedal tip in, while engine is warming up below 1 °C (30 °F) ambient temp. This bulletin involves reprogramming the TCM with the latest available software.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21-056-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 9, 2026 | 11035058 |
What the document itself lists
Labour operation and the time the manufacturer allows
| Operation | Description | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 18-19-05-TR | 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 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 686 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 101 of them name 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.
On the 2021 Ram 1500, the 20 owners who gave an odometer reading for Power Train reported it at a median of 28,000 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled and shifted to park inadvertently. The contact restarted the vehicle however, the vehicle would not move because the automatic emergency braking had engaged inadvertently. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired.
2021 Ram 1500 · Power Train · filed with NHTSA Apr 19, 2021 · ODI 11412814
In depth: 2021 Ram 1500 transmission and drivetrain 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 power train
Source: same model, same component group76 other manufacturer communications filed against the Ram 1500 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18-071-26 REV. B | Service bulletin | Oct 6, 2026 | Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle may… |
| 18-075-26 | Service bulletin | Oct 3, 2026 | Flash: Powertrain Control Module (PCM) Updates Customers must experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination and the vehicle mus… |
| 115032 | Service campaign | Oct 3, 2026 | Customer Satisfaction Notification A0D – Electronic Shift Module - Dealer Notification The Electronic Shift Module (ESM) software on about 2… |
| S2621000004 | Service bulletin | Sep 30, 2026 | The Customer May Complain About a Popping Noise, Grinding Noise, or an Intermittent No Reverse or Forward Transmission Engagement. The Tec… |
| 21-062-26 | Service bulletin | Sep 25, 2026 | Transmission Rattle Customers may comment on the following: SYMPTOM: ● Rattle noise coming from the transmission. This bulletin involves ins… |
| 08-308-26 | Service bulletin | Aug 6, 2026 | Flash: Electronic Shift Module (ESM) Updates Customers may comment on one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: ● Shifter is unresponsive. ● Un… |
| 21-057-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 9, 2026 | Flash: Transmission Control Module (TCM) Updates Customers may comment on one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: ● Harsh or slipping feeling… |
| 21-055-26 | Service bulletin | Jul 9, 2026 | Flash: Transmission Control Module (TCM) Updates Customers may comment on one or more of the following: SYMPTOM: ● Harsh or slipping feeling… |
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 21-056-26 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 21-056-26 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 21-056-26 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2021 Ram 1500. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.