2018 Ram Promaster problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (6) · Visibility/Wiper (4) · Power Train (4)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ram Promaster model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (10)
Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System:radiator Assembly 2025-10-23 · campaign 25V720000 · 300,691 vehicles
Defect: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2026 Ram ProMaster vehicles. The electrical circuit for the radiator fan may overheat.
Risk: Electrical circuits that overheat increase the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the cooling fan module and fuse. In addition dealers will provide an addendum for the manual and label for the power distribution center. Some interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed December 11, 2025. Some owner notification letters were mailed beginning December 11, 2025. Additional owner notification letters were mailed in January, March, and June 2026. Remaining owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 2026. Owners
Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:column Shift 2020-10-15 · campaign 20V582000 · 20 vehicles
Defect: Prime-Time Specialty Vehicles (Prime-Time) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Paratransit vehicles equipped with 3.6L engines. The transmission shifter cable may separate and disconnect from the transmission, causing the vehicle to not perform shifts intended by the driver and the gear shift lever position not matching the actual transmission gear.
Risk: The driver may be unaware of the actual gear position and unintended vehicle movement can occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Prime-Time will notify owners instructing them to take their vehicles to Ram dealers for the necessary repairs, free of charge. Owners may contact Prime-Time customer service at 1-574-293-9191. Prime-Time's number for this recall is W00.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:column Shift 2020-01-23 · campaign 20V036000 · 222,207 vehicles
Defect: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Ram ProMaster vehicles equipped 3.6L engines. The transmission shifter cable may separate and disconnect from the transmission, causing the vehicle to not perform shifts intended by the driver and the gear shift lever position not matching the actual transmission gear.
Risk: The driver may be unaware of the actual gear position and unintended vehicle movement can occur, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the transmission shift cable, free of charge. The recall began May 26, 2020. Owners may contact Ram Trucks at 1-866-726-4636. Chrysler's number for this recall is W00.
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2019-11-15 · campaign 19V818000 · 99,128 vehicles
Defect: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Ram ProMaster vehicles equipped with 3.0L diesel or 3.6L gasoline engines and air conditioning (A/C). The engine cooling fan may seize which can cause the cooling fan motor to overheat.
Risk: An overheated fan motor increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Chrysler will inform owners, and dealers will replace the engine cooling fan module, free of charge. Interim owner notifications informing owners of the safety risk were mailed December 10, 2019. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available. The recall began July 7, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is VB2.
Equipment 2019-06-11 · campaign 19V428000 · 325 vehicles
Defect: Unicell Body Company Inc. (Unicell) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Chevrolet Express and GMC Savanna, 2018-2019 Hino 155, Ford Econoline and Transit and Isuzu NPR, and 2018 Ram ProMaster-based vehicles equipped with ASA Electronics Voyager monitors used to display the back-up camera image. The affected monitors may revert back to the factory default settings which may cause the camera image to be reversed.
Risk: The driver may inadvertently turn the wrong direction to avoid an object behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Unicell will work with ASA Electronics to notify owners and offer a remedy, free of charge. The recall began May 9, 2019. Owners may contact ASA Electronics customer service 1-800-384-4400 or Unicell at 1-716-853-8628.
Seats 2019-04-29 · campaign 19V333000 · 544 vehicles
Defect: New England Wheels (New England) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ford Transit and 2014-2019 Ram Promaster 2500 and 3500 vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman Go-ES Foldaway seats. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
Fix: New England has notified owners, directing them to contact Freedman for repairs to the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall began May 27, 2019. Owners may contact Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540 or New England at 1-800-886-9247.
Seats 2019-04-18 · campaign 19V313000 · 2,080 vehicles
Defect: Mobility Transportation Services (MobilityTrans) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ford Transit and Ram Promaster vehicles and 2014-2015 Ford Econoline vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats, part numbers 43705, 45467, 48923, and 75719. When the back seat cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
Fix: MobilityTrans will notify owners and Freedman Seating dealers will inspect and repair the foldaway seat, free of charge. The recall began May 19, 2019. Owners may contact Mobility Transportation Services customer service at 1-734-453-6452.
Seats 2019-03-01 · campaign 19V332000 · 90 vehicles
Defect: Prime-Time Specialty Vehicles (Prime-Time) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Ram ProMaster and Ford Transit vehicles modified to be equipped with Freedman GO-ES Foldaway Seats. When the seat back cushion is rotated from the stowed position to the upright position, the seat cushion may not remain locked into place when under load, such as in a crash or a sudden stop.
Risk: In the event of a crash, if the seat back moves, the seat occupant has an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Prime-Time Specialty Vehicles has notified owners, and Freedman dealers have inspected and repaired the foldaway seats, free of charge. The recall began November 16, 2018. Owners may contact Freedman customer service at 1-800-443-4540 or Prime-Time Specialty Vehicles at 1-574-293-9191.
Electrical System:wiring:front Underhood 2018-08-09 · campaign 18V524000 · 12,779 vehicles
Defect: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country vehicles and 2018-2019 Jeep Cherokee and 2018 Chrysler Pacifica and Pacifica Hybrid vehicles. The powertrain control module may be equipped with a voltage regulator chip in the circuit board that may fail, causing a stall o
Risk: A vehicle stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U87.
Air Bags:side/Window 2017-11-14 · campaign 17V712000 · 3,514 vehicles
Defect: Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Ram ProMaster vehicles. An incorrect rivet may have been used to attach the front door impact sensor which can cause the sensor housing to fracture.
Risk: A fractured sensor could affect the deployment of the standard supplemental side airbags during certain side impact crashes, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace both front door impact pressure sensors, securing them with the correct rivets, free of charge. The recall began January 11 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T64.
Service bulletins (327)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Power Train 2026-07-22 · 18-073-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
flash: powertrain control module (pcm) updates customers must experience a malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illumination and the vehicle exhibit/set symptom: one or more of the following diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs): ● p0420 - catalyst system efficiency below threshold bank 1. ● p0430 - catalyst
Structure:body 2026-06-12 · S1623000028 Rev. K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
outside power fold rearview mirror noise or loose at pivot. mirror contacts door window glass in the folded position.
Structure:body 2026-06-05 · S1623000028 REV.J · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
outside power fold rearview mirror noise or loose at pivot. mirror contacts door window glass in the folded position.
Structure:body 2026-05-29 · S1623000028 REV.I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
outside power fold rearview mirror noise or loose at pivot. mirror contacts door window glass in the folded position.
Structure:body 2026-04-01 · S1623000028 REV.H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
outside power fold rearview mirror noise or loose at pivot. mirror contacts door window glass in the folded position.
Engine 2026-01-21 · 109727 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
water pump & chain case cover
Showing the 6 most recent of 327 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-09-21 · Fuel/Propulsion System“ gas tank connection from fill tube to gas tank has a bust on plastic gasket. leaks gas near the muffler. no replacement part, only option is a new $1,300 gas tank that is back ordered probably due to this issue. i have two vehicles of the same year that are doing the same thing.…”
2026-04-26 · Unknown Or Other“my vehicle is subject to open safety recall 67c involving the cooling fan module and related fuse protection in the engine compartment. the recall has been open since october 2025. the manufacturer and dealer have confirmed that the remedy/parts are still not available and that there is no eta for repair. at this time, i have not experienced an o…”
2026-03-18 · Steering“my power steering locked up and almost caused an accident. the dealer said they are having trouble with this component (corrosion in plug). i have a fleet of trucks, and i just had the same issue with a 2023 model which i also almost lost control of the vehicle. this is a defect or poor design that needs to be recalled before someone get seriously …”
2026-02-20 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 32,584 mi“the contact owns a 2018 ram promaster 2500. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 25v720000 (engine and engine cooling). the vehicle was started, and there was smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. the contact was unsure if any warning lights were illuminated. the contact took the vehicle to an aaa location and was informed to t…”
2026-02-03 · Tires“see attached document for complaint.…”
2025-09-05 · Service Brakes“the rear parking brake pivot point gets stuck in the on position. after some research, this is very common on these vans and is going to cause wrecks or deaths. the pivot point where the parking brake connects to the rear parking brake linkage rusts and gets stuck very easily. my van only has 60,000 miles on it. there is no sensor in this pivot poi…”
2025-07-18 · Engine“hello, my 2018 ram promaster is exhibiting the same symptoms as recall 44a: metal debris in the transmission, which could possibly impact the parking pawl i believe. i have experienced transmission issues for the past 12 months and the ram dealer in carson city has identified the same metal debris as seen in recall 44a for 2019-2021 vehicles. i res…”
2025-03-06 · Power Train“i was driving down the highway at 45-50 mph when the truck suddenly the engine started to rev very high approximately 5000-5500 rpm and the truck lost all drive gears. i immediately put it in neutral and tried again to put it in drive and nothing happened. i immediately pulled over to the shoulder and shut the truck off. i waited and restarted the …”
2024-10-29 · Electrical System:ignition · 96,500 mi“the contact owns a 2018 ram promaster 2500. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it failed to start. the contact attempted to remove the key from the ignition; however, the key was stuck for several minutes before the contact was able to remove the key. no warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was towed to an independent mecha…”
2024-10-15 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:fluid/Lubricant · 85,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 ram promaster 1500. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the service hill holder, electronic stability control and check engine warning lights illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with codes haf, dtc, p0740, tcc clutch performance, and metal debris found in the…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.