Should I buy a 2022 RAM 3500 with documented electrical problems?

Depends on the price and the specific vehicle. Documented electrical issues should be priced into the purchase — if the seller is asking full retail, negotiate down by the expected repair cost. A pre-purchase inspection from an independent shop tells you whether THIS specific vehicle has already shown the symptoms or not.

2022 RAM 3500 electrical problems

severe Owners of the 2022 RAM 3500 have filed 17 NHTSA complaints about the electrical at roughly $850 to repair (U.S. federal records, as of August 2026). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. See electrical across all vehicles →

Complaints

Recalls

Avg fix

$850

electrical complaints on the RAM 3500, by model year
Model year	electrical complaints
2018 3500	124
2019 3500	15
2020 3500	7
2021 3500	14
2022 3500 (this page)	17
2023 3500	3
2024 3500	8
2025 3500	15
2026 3500	13

2fires

2injuries

What stands out

Among the 14 model years of RAM 3500 in our records for electrical problems, this one ranks #3 by owner-complaint volume.

All 2 active electrical recalls on this vehicle land at critical or severe — none classified moderate.

Related recalls

severe NHTSA 21V798000 October 14, 2021

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Ram 3500, 2500 pickup trucks, and Ram 3500, 4500, and 5500 cab chassis vehicles equipped with Cummins 6

A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.

Fix: Owners are advised to park these vehicles outside of buildings or structures, and not near other vehicles, until the vehicle has been remedied. Dealers will inspect and, if needed, replace the Solid State Intake Heater Grid Relay ("Relay"); if FCA US Recall ID Y08 (NHTSA Recall ID 21V-163) is open, then insulating material will be applied to the Relay after inspection. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Y76. This recall has been superseded by 23V060.

severe NHTSA 23V060000 February 9, 2023

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Ram 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis, and 4500, 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles equipped with a Cummins 6

An electrical short in the relay can result in an engine compartment fire with the ignition on or off, increasing the risk of injury.

Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the relay, free of charge. This will be a Phased campaign. Phase 1 will include 2023 model year vehicles. FCA US will notify dealers on or about 3/23/2023 and begin notifying owners on or about 4/5/2023. Phase 2 will include 2022 model year vehicles and Phase 3 will include 2021 model year vehicles. FCA US will notify dealers and owners on or about 4/27/2023 for Phase 2 and 5/11/2023 for Phase 3. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed March 28, 2023. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 5, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 13A. This recall is an expansion of and supersedes recall number 21V-798.

Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins

The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering electrical on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.

Service Bulletin 113070 Jun 2026

SWITCH – HEADLAMP

full bulletin at NHTSA ↗

Service Bulletin 113069 Jun 2026

SWITCH – HEADLAMP

full bulletin at NHTSA ↗

Service Bulletin S2508000025 REV.A Jun 2026

Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) and Radio Compass Display has Dashes (--)

full bulletin at NHTSA ↗

Service Bulletin S268A000014 Jun 2026

Radio/ETM is Adding Approximately 27mA Draw to Vehicle When in Logistics Mode

full bulletin at NHTSA ↗

Service Bulletin S1623000028 Rev. K Jun 2026

Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.

full bulletin at NHTSA ↗

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.

The failure pattern owners describe

Owners of 2022 RAM 3500s report two catastrophic engine fires without warning — one at 16,900 miles and another at 230 miles. The first vehicle smelled of hot electrical components, then produced white smoke and flames near the driver's windshield; the owner had passed a related recall inspection weeks earlier. The second displayed throttle and exhaust malfunction warnings before losing power and catching fire. Both became total losses.

Beyond fire, owners describe an electromagnetic frequency strong enough to cause headaches at just 10 miles, which a dealer's shielding effort could not resolve. An ABS malfunction disabled traction control, 4WD, and trailer brakes simultaneously, prompting lemon-law surrender. Chronic battery drain requires daily jump starts despite pulling the amplifier fuse. Infotainment screens occasionally fail to power up, disabling backup cameras. Loose fuses in the fuse box cause monthly ABS and traction control faults.

The most pervasive complaint involves NHTSA recall 23V060000 (electrical system): parts remain unavailable months after notification, dealerships ration to one part per week, and manufacturer refuses loaner vehicles while instructing owners the truck is unsafe to drive. One owner self-installed the recall part but was denied reimbursement because he didn't use a dealer and lacked a repair order.

Same RAM 3500 electrical reports on nearby years: 2019 · 2021

Failure modes owners describe

Engine compartment fire

Electrical fire originating under the hood, producing white smoke and flames without warning. Two owners reported total vehicle loss. One vehicle had passed NHTSA recall Y76 (engine fire risk) just weeks prior; the second produced throttle and exhaust system warnings before fire erupted.

When: 16,900 miles and 230 miles respectively; both relatively new vehicles

Symptoms owners cite: Faint odor of hot electrical components followed by white smoke under hood; Flames from under hood near driver's windshield; Dashboard warnings for throttle system malfunction and exhaust system malfunction; Engine compartment smoke and flames without prior electrical warnings

Codes mentioned: Throttle System Malfunction, Exhaust System Malfunction

Repairs/costs cited: Both vehicles became total losses and were destroyed by fire before repair was possible

Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Vehicle #1 had been inspected and passed NHTSA recall Y76 for engine fire risk (September 2022) at 14,192 miles before fire occurred at 16,900 miles

High electromagnetic frequency / EMF exposure

Vehicle produced strong electromagnetic field that caused headaches in occupants. Dealer diagnosed extremely high EMF and wrapped dash in shielding foil without resolving the issue. Manufacturer instructed owner to continue driving despite ongoing symptoms.

When: Approximately 10 miles (brand new vehicle)

Symptoms owners cite: Significant buzzing sensation while driving; Headaches in driver and passenger caused by the sensation; Extremely high electromagnetic frequency detected by dealer

Repairs/costs cited: Dealer wrapped dash in shielding foil; failure persisted. Vehicle not repaired.

Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Chrysler regional representative stated vehicle could continue to be driven as it was still performing as designed

ABS system malfunction cascading to other systems

ABS (anti-lock braking system) failures causing simultaneous failure of traction control, 4-wheel drive, and trailer brake systems. Owner reported safety concerns and surrendered vehicle under lemon law.

When: Approximately 8,000 miles

Symptoms owners cite: ABS alarm warnings; Traction control system failure; 4-wheel drive disengagement; Trailer brake system failure

Codes mentioned: ABS alarm

Repairs/costs cited: Vehicle returned to dealer multiple times; ultimately surrendered to Chrysler under lemon law

Chronic electrical drain causing battery depletion

Persistent parasitic draw on battery requiring daily jump starts from vehicle startup. Owner and dealer initially blamed amplifier; however, pulling amplifier fuse did not resolve the drain.

When: Approximately 230 miles

Symptoms owners cite: Battery depleted overnight requiring daily jump starts; Thumping noise from engine compartment at startup that disappears when engine reaches temperature and EGR opens

Repairs/costs cited: Amplifier fuse pulled but drain persisted; cause unresolved

Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dodge claimed no knowledge of cause; blamed amplifier

Infotainment screen power-on failure

Center infotainment display refused to power up on vehicle startup, disabling backup camera function despite other systems (radio, HVAC) working normally. Issue resolved spontaneously after several hours.

When: Not specified

Symptoms owners cite: Infotainment screen would not power on at startup; Backup camera inoperative due to screen being off; Radio and HVAC functions operational

Repairs/costs cited: System restarted twice and vehicle restarted; failure cleared after several hours. Video of failure documented.

Loose fuses causing intermittent ABS and traction control faults

Monthly check engine lights for ABS and traction control failures traced to loose fuses in fuse box. Reseating fuses clears the error until fuses loosen again.

When: Recurring monthly

Symptoms owners cite: Monthly check engine light for ABS failure; Monthly traction control failure warning; Loose fuses in fuse box; ABS disabled during snow storm

Codes mentioned: ABS / traction control failure

Repairs/costs cited: Reseating loose fuses temporarily clears the error; problem recurs monthly

Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealer stated HPU (hydraulic power unit) was bad; did not address root cause of loose fuses

NHTSA recall 23V060000 parts shortage and availability delay

Multiple owners notified of electrical system recall (23V060000) but unable to complete recall due to extended unavailability of necessary parts. Dealerships receiving limited parts weekly. Manufacturer failed to provide interim loaner vehicles or expedite parts. Owner unable to drive vehicle and delayed vacation plans with children.

When: Ongoing as of complaint dates in May 2023

Symptoms owners cite: Recall notification received but parts unavailable; Owner instructed not to drive vehicle due to fire hazard but no loaner vehicle provided; Dealership limited to one part per week; Manufacturer refused expedite request

Codes mentioned: NHTSA Campaign 23V060000

Repairs/costs cited: No repair completed due to parts shortage; one owner ordered parts and self-installed but was denied reimbursement by manufacturer

Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Manufacturer denied reimbursement for self-installed recall repair; stated self-installation not reimbursable per corporate policy and repair must be completed at certified RAM dealership. Owner who self-installed reported parts as ordered from RAM dealer and included invoices and photos.

Synthesized from 17 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.

What owners are reporting 3 most recent

electrical · filed 12/12/2022

The vehicle had been parked in the street for several hours. I started the vehicle in order to back it into my driveway for the night and then turned it off (total run time for the operation was most likely under a minute from the time the engine was started until it was shut down). The temperature was relatively cool and I did have to wait for the grid heater to cycle before the engine started.…

electrical · filed 11/29/2023

The contact owns a 2022 Ram 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V060000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution…

electrical · filed 11/12/2024

On 9 September, while driving, I got an emergency dashboard notice that stated Throttle System Malfunction contact dealer. It went out and then another immediately flashed that stated Exhaust System Malfunction contact dealer. The vehicle lost power within seconds after the second notice. I coasted to a stop on the side of the road. Once stopped, smoke quickly started coming out of the engine…

Had electrical trouble with your 2022 RAM 3500? File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.

Common questions

How serious is the electrical problem on the 2022 RAM 3500?

It's a meaningful issue. 17 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $850.

At what mileage does the electrical typically fail?

Mileage data is limited for this issue. Owners report failures across a wide range, suggesting cause is more about driving conditions and maintenance than mileage alone.

What does it cost to fix?

Independent shops typically charge around $850 for electrical repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.

Are there any recalls related to electrical?

Yes — 2 active recall(s) cover electrical issues on this vehicle. Recall fixes are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status. Use the VIN decoder at the top of the page to check if your specific vehicle is affected.

Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public records database. Verify the raw federal record at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2022/RAM/3500. Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.