2019 1500 Bighorn Wild Electrical Issues.

[egodfrey1]

Hello everyone.
I bought a new to me 2019 1500 Bighorn, it was a great deal and CPO with plenty of remaining factory warranty so I figured I would be safe. Well about 2 months into owning the truck i get a wild electrical issue. As I am turning into my driveway I start to get warning lights like it's the 4th of July. It started with traction control but then literally everything that could come up did. I lost power steering, and most of my acceleration, my engine fan went wild, and all the lights started to flash and windshield wipers were going off. The dash did display "No Bus" where your mileage normally is. This continued for a few more hours that night as I checked all connections that I could as well as fuses.

I take it to the dealer the next day and lo and behold it no longer has an issue. Check engine light was on but she drove just fine. I describe everything to the dealer and show them a video. Dealer keeps the truck for a week, they drive it a total of 22 miles and clear ~108 codes. They tell me since the issue did not present itself to them that there is nothing they can really do, so I ask for the truck back as I need a vehicle to drive to work and they do not have any rentals.

Now I come to a week ago and the same exact issue comes up. I call the dealer and they tell me they are extremely busy and that they can see in a week or so, but that they will hook the truck up to a scanner to see if they can get anything else from it. I have the truck towed to the shop while I drive an hour from work. I meet the truck at the shop and go figure there is no problem. I start her up and drive it a bit and still no issue. I let it run while I go talk to the service tech. They tell me they will open a case with Ram to get some help with this, but again they can not see the issue so it will be hard to diagnose. I tell them that will be fine, I go to turn the truck off and give them the keys and wouldn't you know it the truck is off. I start it back up and there it goes again, dash going wild, wipers going off, no power anything and engine fan going crazy. I run over to the tech and tell them it is doing it now, they drive it into the bay and it decides to act up in front of them. They tell me they have 2 active codes, No Bus and Bus communication error. Now I'm not a mechanic, but I do know that this was exactly what I told them last time.

It is now another week with no information. Last time they said they had an electrician out and he found nothing wrong. They say that they have not been able to dedicate much time to this issue as they are swamped with other work. I can not get a rental because they have given them all out. I did call Ram Care and they should be setting me up with a rental in the next day or so. At least this issue is under warranty so there is some peace of mind there, but boy oh boy should things like this not be happening to a 2 year old truck.

I love the truck. It moves a family of 5 in comfort vs my Chrysler 300C, but this is becoming frustrating. I guess this is part venting and part wondering if anyone has seen this on a 5th gen? I have seen one video of the same issue on YouTube, but searching online generates results for No Bus on much older trucks. Here are a few preemptive answers. Link to the video of my truck that I gave to the dealer as well

-There are no aftermarket electrical parts. I do have a bed cover.
-Truck has never been in an accident and it does not have damage to it.
-This has happened on a 106F day as well as a 52F day.
-Dealer says the ~108 codes are likely due to loss of communication to the dash and not an actual error as far as they can tell.

Any Ideas would be greatly appreciated. I know electrical issues can be a complete pain to figure out and trace down, but again the truck is not that old for it to have issues like this. What do you do when no one has answers. Do I push for Lemon Law, do I just sit for several weeks to be told we don't know and just take it back? Dealer is reluctant to provide any information, but at what point do I demand that Ram looks into this as well? Thanks in advance fellas. I really don't want this to be an end to my Ram truck relationship.

 

[cgresback]

I've been searching far and wide for somebody with similar issues to mine...looks like I found it.

2020 Ram Bighorn / 15k miles / 5.7l

Reading your post it was like I wrote it myself. Issues first occurred in June of this year where, like you the 'Service Electronic Stability Control' error would come on. At that time nothing else would happen, that was it. It progressively got worse to the point I couldn't start the vehicle. Having push start doesn't leave you many options. The gauges would light up, flash 20 error codes and wipers would start going off. Sometimes it would start in 5 minutes after that, sometimes not for days.

I've been to the dealer several times. They've done many continuity tests and checked connections all over the full length of the vehicle without finding root cause. Here is what they've done to date:

1. Updated software (didn't work)
2. Replaced RF Hub (didn't work)
3. Put dialectic grease on RF Hub connection (seriously? didn't work)
4. Replaced key fob for bad communication (didn't work)

The dealership has now been partnering with Chrysler engineers to figure it out. I talk to Chrysler Care at least every week. Neither of them have any idea and they'll admit it. When I took it in they found over 30 codes and didn't know where to start. They said they would drive it every day for over a week and could not replicate the error. To move forward and have my truck back I said I'd drive it and when it happened again I'd drive it straight there and leave it running. It was never a question of 'if', just 'when.'

Today, 80 miles from home with my two children driving 70+ mph it happened worse than ever. Mind you it hasn't acted up in over two weeks. It was a dry sunny day about 65 degrees.

For a moment the steering seemed to lock up, all gauges and lights came on (service shift knob, ABS, stability control, airbag system, AutoPark Disabled, Speed Control Messaging Unavailable), wipers automatically turned on, my tach and speedometer were bouncing all over the place, the truck got stuck in high gear, then stuck in low gear after I came to a stop, fans revved to the moon, I lost all power steering, and for the first time the engine cut in and out where I couldn't accelerate or maintain speed. Other things to note is that there was no gear (PRND) displaying on the shift knob and the dash was showing the parking brake was on.

Like the original post, this has happened in temps in the 50s to 90s. I can't find any similarities in when it happens.

Interestingly when I shut the truck off and checked voltage it was 12.2 volts which feels low after driving it all day on the highway. Could this be a bad battery or sudden drop in voltage that causes system wide failures like this? I'm going to float this to the dealership and see if they'll elect to test out a new battery or at a minimum stress test mine. While driving I'm up at 14.4 volts.

This is turning from an inconvenience to a major safety and reliability issue. The dealership and Chrysler are both scratching their heads. If car prices weren't outrageous right now I would have said goodbye to this truck months ago, but to get the same exact truck it'd be $10k more in today's market. Lemon law is a possibility or you can try to settle with FCA, but you're going to suffer a loss financially because they're going to depreciate your vehicle based on age and mileage - or so I've been told.

I don't have answers and the truck is back at the dealership. Losing hope, so figured it was time to post on here and maybe find a cure. If I ever find out what's cursing my rig I'll make sure to reply back and hopefully save somebody else hours of agony.

 

[TVANVA]

Two things I've seen that cause a wide variety of random and seeming unconnected gremlins, and those are bad grounds and low (but not dead) battery voltage while running.

Many 2019 trucks were worked on by dealerships for bad grounds. Not sure if there was an official recall. Would you be lucky enough to have service records to see if that was done or not?

I had a Caravan that acted pretty crazy (gauges going wild or dead) and the dealership never was able to fix it. It ended up being a bad battery that wouldn't charge right and held the battery voltage just low enough to drive the electronics nuts.

 

[cgresback]

Just posting an update.

The dealership found a code with a faulty ESM (electronic shift module). They replaced the shift knob and I haven't had the problem since which has been about four weeks. Fingers crossed.

 

[Rukus7665]

Just posting an update.

The dealership found a code with a faulty ESM (electronic shift module). They replaced the shift knob and I haven't had the problem since which has been about four weeks. Fingers crossed.

Have you had any more problems? I've posted here also under "Service Electronic Throttle" but We had same problem that got extreme in our 2020 & resulted in a brand NEW engine... So after 3 months, we picked up our truck and drove 40 miles from the dealership before I got "Start/Stop not available" & "service electronic stability control messages.

 

[bigdodge]

some have reported here to re-set all of the trucks fuses both under the hood and under the dash.

 

[egodfrey1]

I've been searching far and wide for somebody with similar issues to mine...looks like I found it.

2020 Ram Bighorn / 15k miles / 5.7l

Reading your post it was like I wrote it myself. Issues first occurred in June of this year where, like you the 'Service Electronic Stability Control' error would come on. At that time nothing else would happen, that was it. It progressively got worse to the point I couldn't start the vehicle. Having push start doesn't leave you many options. The gauges would light up, flash 20 error codes and wipers would start going off. Sometimes it would start in 5 minutes after that, sometimes not for days.

I've been to the dealer several times. They've done many continuity tests and checked connections all over the full length of the vehicle without finding root cause. Here is what they've done to date:

1. Updated software (didn't work)
2. Replaced RF Hub (didn't work)
3. Put dialectic grease on RF Hub connection (seriously? didn't work)
4. Replaced key fob for bad communication (didn't work)

The dealership has now been partnering with Chrysler engineers to figure it out. I talk to Chrysler Care at least every week. Neither of them have any idea and they'll admit it. When I took it in they found over 30 codes and didn't know where to start. They said they would drive it every day for over a week and could not replicate the error. To move forward and have my truck back I said I'd drive it and when it happened again I'd drive it straight there and leave it running. It was never a question of 'if', just 'when.'

Today, 80 miles from home with my two children driving 70+ mph it happened worse than ever. Mind you it hasn't acted up in over two weeks. It was a dry sunny day about 65 degrees.

For a moment the steering seemed to lock up, all gauges and lights came on (service shift knob, ABS, stability control, airbag system, AutoPark Disabled, Speed Control Messaging Unavailable), wipers automatically turned on, my tach and speedometer were bouncing all over the place, the truck got stuck in high gear, then stuck in low gear after I came to a stop, fans revved to the moon, I lost all power steering, and for the first time the engine cut in and out where I couldn't accelerate or maintain speed. Other things to note is that there was no gear (PRND) displaying on the shift knob and the dash was showing the parking brake was on.

Like the original post, this has happened in temps in the 50s to 90s. I can't find any similarities in when it happens.

Interestingly when I shut the truck off and checked voltage it was 12.2 volts which feels low after driving it all day on the highway. Could this be a bad battery or sudden drop in voltage that causes system wide failures like this? I'm going to float this to the dealership and see if they'll elect to test out a new battery or at a minimum stress test mine. While driving I'm up at 14.4 volts.

This is turning from an inconvenience to a major safety and reliability issue. The dealership and Chrysler are both scratching their heads. If car prices weren't outrageous right now I would have said goodbye to this truck months ago, but to get the same exact truck it'd be $10k more in today's market. Lemon law is a possibility or you can try to settle with FCA, but you're going to suffer a loss financially because they're going to depreciate your vehicle based on age and mileage - or so I've been told.

I don't have answers and the truck is back at the dealership. Losing hope, so figured it was time to post on here and maybe find a cure. If I ever find out what's cursing my rig I'll make sure to reply back and hopefully save somebody else hours of agony.

Wow so I never received an email that I had a reply to this port, and I figured it died in new. Buckle up this is a bit of a long update with no resolve at all at this point.

After the second incident and the dealership close to me keeping it for 3 weeks, working on it with the Chrysler Engineers, testing connection on every star plug and ground cable, and finally driving it ~180 miles (and leaving the tank on empty for me) the issue did not return. Dealer and Chrysler engineers said issue was not replicated so must be fixed. Well 2 days after getting it back I have the same exact thing happen as I always do. 1st dealer told me to go somewhere else and get a second opinion as they have no idea what to do. I talked to Chrysler Care team again and all they can do is suggest a dealership in my area that I can take it to. Every dealership in 60 miles of me is slammed for weeks and can not get me in. I refuse to drive the truck as it is a safety issue at this point, and Chrysler tells me they can not approve a rental unless the truck is being worked on.

Quick note on Chrysler Care, I have been assigned 2 different case workers. 1st one was an absolute joy to work with and kept me updated on everything. She unexplainably was moved and I was never notified. I was assigned a new case worker and as of this writing it has been 5 weeks and I have never heard from her. For about 2 weeks I called Chrysler every day to ask if my case worker was there and I was always told no but that I was on the list to be called that day which never happened. I am pretty sure I have spoken with everyone that works for Chrysler Care at this point except for the mysterious person that was assigned to me.

I was able to find a dealership 45 miles away from me that has an electrician that has been there for 40 years and knows his stuff. Long story short after 4 weeks they are nowhere with this issue. It will not replicate for them, but even when it has in the past it does not provide any insight into what can be the issue. I am in the same exact boat as @cgresback I am looking at new vehicles but they are even more expensive now than even 4 months ago. I am 4 weeks into paying for a rental on top of my truck payment, and all I get out of Chrysler is once everything is figured out I will be allowed to submit a request for reimbursement for the rental and they will see what they can do. This Friday will be week 5 of a rental and around ~$900 just to be told we will see what we can do. I even reached out to a Lemon Law lawyer but 2 of them have so many cases that they can not take on a new case at this time. to say I am frustrated is putting it lightly. I guess when this happens in the middle of a snow storm this winter and I end up shutting down I 70 then maybe Chrysler will take it a bit more serious.

 

[Hasti17]

Just posting an update.

The dealership found a code with a faulty ESM (electronic shift module). They replaced the shift knob and I haven't had the problem since which has been about four weeks. Fingers crossed.

Actually i had a coworker with a jeep compass that had the SAME thing, warning soup and it threw the car in Cripple mode, i reset it for her and looked it up, ESM was also the culprit there, too

 

[Rukus7665]

Wow so I never received an email that I had a reply to this port, and I figured it died in new. Buckle up this is a bit of a long update with no resolve at all at this point.

After the second incident and the dealership close to me keeping it for 3 weeks, working on it with the Chrysler Engineers, testing connection on every star plug and ground cable, and finally driving it ~180 miles (and leaving the tank on empty for me) the issue did not return. Dealer and Chrysler engineers said issue was not replicated so must be fixed. Well 2 days after getting it back I have the same exact thing happen as I always do. 1st dealer told me to go somewhere else and get a second opinion as they have no idea what to do. I talked to Chrysler Care team again and all they can do is suggest a dealership in my area that I can take it to. Every dealership in 60 miles of me is slammed for weeks and can not get me in. I refuse to drive the truck as it is a safety issue at this point, and Chrysler tells me they can not approve a rental unless the truck is being worked on.

Quick note on Chrysler Care, I have been assigned 2 different case workers. 1st one was an absolute joy to work with and kept me updated on everything. She unexplainably was moved and I was never notified. I was assigned a new case worker and as of this writing it has been 5 weeks and I have never heard from her. For about 2 weeks I called Chrysler every day to ask if my case worker was there and I was always told no but that I was on the list to be called that day which never happened. I am pretty sure I have spoken with everyone that works for Chrysler Care at this point except for the mysterious person that was assigned to me.

I was able to find a dealership 45 miles away from me that has an electrician that has been there for 40 years and knows his stuff. Long story short after 4 weeks they are nowhere with this issue. It will not replicate for them, but even when it has in the past it does not provide any insight into what can be the issue. I am in the same exact boat as @cgresback I am looking at new vehicles but they are even more expensive now than even 4 months ago. I am 4 weeks into paying for a rental on top of my truck payment, and all I get out of Chrysler is once everything is figured out I will be allowed to submit a request for reimbursement for the rental and they will see what they can do. This Friday will be week 5 of a rental and around ~$900 just to be told we will see what we can do. I even reached out to a Lemon Law lawyer but 2 of them have so many cases that they can not take on a new case at this time. to say I am frustrated is putting it lightly. I guess when this happens in the middle of a snow storm this winter and I end up shutting down I 70 then maybe Chrysler will take it a bit more serious.

Any update? I had a similar nightmare and was VERY disappointed in FCA. They didn't take care of us near like they should have

 

[BradPow]

I have exactly the same issues on a 2019 dodge ram limited. It started 3 years ago. Multiple trips and months at the dealership have resulted in wiring harness install, new computer and more efforts but the issue continues to return. Multiple error messages, the gas gauges and others fluctuate wildly. At times it brakes on its own, it also downshifts to neutral making it a significant safety hazard. Then it will go a few weeks with no problems. I’m about to take it back to the same dealer for another try but my faith in their ability to fix it is near zero. Any recommendations??

 

[Kczaro21]

Hi friends, has the same problems with the car as you . In my case it started with a dead battery . I bought a new one and it is only worse . The car while standing loses the can connection and the radio , display , start button and much more does not work ... do you have any idea where to look ??

 

[Ellisstrong]

Hi friends, has the same problems with the car as you . In my case it started with a dead battery . I bought a new one and it is only worse . The car while standing loses the can connection and the radio , display , start button and much more does not work ... do you have any idea where to look ??

I’m not sure the rhyme or reason but I pulled, checked and reinstalled fuse f53 in the interior fuse panel and my issues went away. This was recommended as a potential solve for some electrical issue someone was having on one of the posts on this page. My truck was not doing the braking on its on and windshield wipers going on their on and such that some are dealing with on this thread. I was getting a no bus error and loss of power

 

[roikenne]

My 2019 Big Horn 5.7 was dead one moring with no power at all. I used a jump pack and it started with all the lights on, including traction, abs, etc , and in limp mode. No matter what I did I couldnt get it out of first gear.

Battery being 5 years old, I pulled battery put in a new AGM battery in. Truck came out of limp mode but stil had check engine light faults . I reset all codes and fine since.

Found it strange vehicle died overnight without previous issue, weather was still in the 60s at night.

I think that possible battery voltage can be some of the previous post issues. back to basics, clean terminals, ensure all is tight., Pull and reset all fuses.