P2609
6 owner reports and 6 manufacturer filings across 5 model years from Ram.
Where P2609 shows up
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints| Model year | Filed under | Bulletins | Owner reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Ram 2500 | Engine | — | 3 |
| 2016 Ram 2500 | Electrical System | 3 | — |
| 2016 Ram 3500 | Engine | 3 | — |
| 2017 Ram 3500 | Engine | — | 2 |
| 2020 Ram 2500 | Engine | — | 1 |
A model year appears here because the code is named in its record, not because every one of these vehicles sets it. Counts are mentions in the federal files, not failure rates — nobody publishes the denominator.
What it gets filed under
What owners said
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners’ own words, one per nameplate, scrubbed of anything identifying. These are unverified reports filed with NHTSA — they are what was said, not a finding that it was true.
A bolt in the 2007-2023 RAM 6.7L intake air heater can cause severe engine damage, and a warning code (P2609) may indicate this issue
The contact stated that a diagnostic scanner was used to retrieve DTC: P2609; which indicated a failure in the intake air heater system
Manufacturer filings that name it
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsService bulletins and campaigns whose filed summary names P2609. Quoting the document number at a service desk is often the fastest route to a diagnosis someone has already written down.
- 90035852017-11-29 · Electrical System
- Intake Grid Heater, Grid Heater Relay 2012 - 2016 6.7L Cummins engines with Intake Heater issues or DTC P2609 and P0542, please replace the Intake Heater Grid and Relay as a set. 68210071A$ (heater grid) and 05187880A$ (relay). Inspect electrical cable between the heater grid and relay for signs of possible overheating. Replace cable as necessary.
- 90035852017-11-29 · Electrical System
- Intake Grid Heater, Grid Heater Relay 2012 - 2016 6.7L Cummins engines with Intake Heater issues or DTC P2609 and P0542, please replace the Intake Heater Grid and Relay as a set. 68210071A$ (heater grid) and 05187880A$ (relay). Inspect electrical cable between the heater grid and relay for signs of possible overheating. Replace cable as necessary.
- 68210071A$2016-08-31 · Engine
- Intake Grid Heater Grid Heater Relay 2012 - 2016 6.7L Cummins engines with Intake Heater issues or DTC P2609 and P0542, please replace the Intake Heater Grid and Relay as a set. 68210071A$ (relay) and 05187880A$ (grid). Inspect electrical cable between the heater grid and relay for signs of possible overheating. Replace cable as necessary.
What P2609 means
Source: SAE J2012 / OBD-IIP2609 sits in the generic range of the OBD-II standard, so it means the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States — but WhichTrim does not carry a definition for it and will not invent one. What is on this page is the record: who named it and on what.
A stored code names the test that failed, never the part that caused it. It is the starting point of a diagnosis, not its conclusion — the same code has several possible causes and the cheap one is not always right.
Common questions about P2609
Source: NHTSA files and the OBD-II standardCan I keep driving with P2609 stored?
Nobody can answer that from the code alone, and a site that does is guessing. A steady light generally means the fault was logged and the vehicle is in a reduced-risk mode; a flashing light means stop soon, because a misfiring engine can destroy a catalytic converter in minutes. The safe read of this page is the mileage and the components, not permission.
Does a code mean the car is recalled?
No. Recalls are filed by campaign and matched by VIN, and none of them are triggered by a scan tool. If you want to know whether an open recall applies to one specific vehicle, check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — that is the only source that settles it.
Why do the counts here differ from other sites?
Because these are not estimates. Every number on this page is a count of documents in NHTSA's own files: manufacturer communications that name the code in their filed summary, and owner complaints that name it in the narrative. We do not model, weight or extrapolate them.
Will clearing the code fix it?
Clearing turns the light off and erases the freeze-frame data a technician would have used to work out what happened. If the condition is still there the code returns, usually within a few drive cycles, and the diagnosis now starts from less information than before.