Hello. I have a 2020 1500 with the 5.7 non e-torque, about 95,000 miles. Im sorry for the long post.
Starting around Christmas of this year, my truck had a hard time starting before work one day. For background, it was a Monday morning, I hadn’t ran the truck all weekend, and the temps for the end of the weekend were around -4f if I remember correctly. So I chocked it up to a bad battery, and replaced the battery that afternoon after work.
Move forward almost a month, middle of January 2025, another sub zero cold snap, I went to remote start the truck, It wouldn’t start. It was -9f outside as well. I figured the battery might have gotten low enough that it wouldn’t start remotely. I went out to the truck and hit the start button and it did nothing. It was acting like it normally would if you put it in start mode with out starting it (normal system check, blower fan on high, etc) however there was something new. It was now asking me for an anti-theft code, and I was getting every service warning light and notification on my dash that it could give.
Now at that point, I had owned the truck long enough and others vehicles that I knew one of two things. It was either a dead battery (service warning lights) or power control module problem (anti-theft code). So I used another vehicle to try and jump it and nothing. It would go through the motions of starting but never turn the starter. I kinda figured it needed the anti-theft code to start.
I called out of work and called the dealership when they opened becuase the code was no where to be found in the truck or manual anywhere. I had to drive to the dealership to get the code becuase they wouldn’t give it to me over the phone. By the time I had gotten the code and got back to the truck, it had been about 5 hours (6am-11am). I put the code into the radio and nothing, no start still. Tried jumping it once the code was input still nothing.
At this point I decided to check every fuse under the hood, basically out of options/ideas at this point. After checking them all, I tried once more to start it and out of a complete miracle, It started. I thought it was a potential fuse problemem since that’s all I had touched between start attempts. And the truck ran perfectlyy fine once it got started
I called the dealership and they were able to see it that day. I got it down there, and essentially paid them to tell me there wasn’t anything wrong with it at that point. They called it a fluke and told me bring it back if it happens again.
Now the next morning at 6am it’s -11f and once again, all the exact same things happen. At this point pissed off to no end, I tried pointing a blow drier at the PCM for about 5 minutes and lo and behold, it started. The PCM was apparently “too cold” to function.
So I went to work and reached back out to the dealership with this new information. They told me that “warming the PCM couldn’t have been the key and they wouldn’t replace the pcm on my warranty, without an active problem or physical damage somewhere.”
I have had to “preheat” the PCM 2 or 3 more times now since this all happened. To get my truck to start in the morning, but it will run perfectly fine after.
I guess I’m curious since I can’t find anything on google, has any one had this problem also?
EDIT: I am going to post this on the 5th Gen Ram Facebook group too.
Starting around Christmas of this year, my truck had a hard time starting before work one day. For background, it was a Monday morning, I hadn’t ran the truck all weekend, and the temps for the end of the weekend were around -4f if I remember correctly. So I chocked it up to a bad battery, and replaced the battery that afternoon after work.
Move forward almost a month, middle of January 2025, another sub zero cold snap, I went to remote start the truck, It wouldn’t start. It was -9f outside as well. I figured the battery might have gotten low enough that it wouldn’t start remotely. I went out to the truck and hit the start button and it did nothing. It was acting like it normally would if you put it in start mode with out starting it (normal system check, blower fan on high, etc) however there was something new. It was now asking me for an anti-theft code, and I was getting every service warning light and notification on my dash that it could give.
Now at that point, I had owned the truck long enough and others vehicles that I knew one of two things. It was either a dead battery (service warning lights) or power control module problem (anti-theft code). So I used another vehicle to try and jump it and nothing. It would go through the motions of starting but never turn the starter. I kinda figured it needed the anti-theft code to start.
I called out of work and called the dealership when they opened becuase the code was no where to be found in the truck or manual anywhere. I had to drive to the dealership to get the code becuase they wouldn’t give it to me over the phone. By the time I had gotten the code and got back to the truck, it had been about 5 hours (6am-11am). I put the code into the radio and nothing, no start still. Tried jumping it once the code was input still nothing.
At this point I decided to check every fuse under the hood, basically out of options/ideas at this point. After checking them all, I tried once more to start it and out of a complete miracle, It started. I thought it was a potential fuse problemem since that’s all I had touched between start attempts. And the truck ran perfectlyy fine once it got started
I called the dealership and they were able to see it that day. I got it down there, and essentially paid them to tell me there wasn’t anything wrong with it at that point. They called it a fluke and told me bring it back if it happens again.
Now the next morning at 6am it’s -11f and once again, all the exact same things happen. At this point pissed off to no end, I tried pointing a blow drier at the PCM for about 5 minutes and lo and behold, it started. The PCM was apparently “too cold” to function.
So I went to work and reached back out to the dealership with this new information. They told me that “warming the PCM couldn’t have been the key and they wouldn’t replace the pcm on my warranty, without an active problem or physical damage somewhere.”
I have had to “preheat” the PCM 2 or 3 more times now since this all happened. To get my truck to start in the morning, but it will run perfectly fine after.
I guess I’m curious since I can’t find anything on google, has any one had this problem also?
EDIT: I am going to post this on the 5th Gen Ram Facebook group too.
