Uncontrolled acceleration

[HarryCarey64]

After approximately 3 seconds of full throttle with brake application, does the engine go back to idle on its own?

 

[Smogman]

This happened to my wife today in our 2025 Ram 1500 with the Hurricane engine. Sadly, it caused an accident but no injuries. Like OP, my wife was sitting at a red light behind two other cars when the truck surged forward, plowing over the car in front of her. Witnesses agree she was stopped in traffic when the truck launched forward.

Interesting enough, not 20 minutes before this, she was in a parking lot and noticed a mandatory update flashed on the display panel stating the vehicle needed to update or it would be disabled. She pushed the OK for update and went inside the store. When she came back out, the truck would not start for 10 minutes. When it finally started, she drove it down the road, stopped in traffic at a red light and the truck took off. It happened fast but not so fast that she wasn't able to put both feet on the brake trying to crush it down. Nothing. Police didn't write her a ticket because they thought it was suspect as well, but she is still listed as at fault in the collision.

Edit: We have molded in floor mats. That was definitely NOT the issue here.

WOW! I'm experiencing the same issues. First time I was backing up and almost went through my buddy's neighbor's fence. The second time it happened I was facing down hill and I had a much harder time stopping it! It goes to about 4000 RPM. I bought this truck used in July and it had about 32,000 miles on it with about 2 months of factory warranty on it. I called and made a appointment and the dealer told me that the earliest they could get me in was the 19th of September so I took the appointment. When I got there the service writer said to me "Oh...your warranty expired on the 18th!!!" I was totally blindsided and I was pissed. So told them I had the extended Mopar warranty, his response was "Well, if we don't find anything wrong (and you KNOW they won't as it doesn't happen all of the time) we'll have to charge you a $186.00 diagnostic fee ARGHHH. I would have assumed that they would have wanted to address this as it's a dangerous situation and could possibly kill someone. The next thing that happened is I came to a stop sign and the truck put itself in park, shut off the engine and set the parking brake! I was able to restart it without issue and it hasn't happened in the last few weeks. I am getting ready to take this to my local dealer (not the one I bought it from) and suck it up and pay the deductible or $186.00 diagnostic fee to get this documented. I'll let you know what happens.

 

[RamDiver]

WOW! I'm experiencing the same issues. First time I was backing up and almost went through my buddy's neighbor's fence. The second time it happened I was facing down hill and I had a much harder time stopping it! It goes to about 4000 RPM. I bought this truck used in July and it had about 32,000 miles on it with about 2 months of factory warranty on it. I called and made a appointment and the dealer told me that the earliest they could get me in was the 19th of September so I took the appointment. When I got there the service writer said to me "Oh...your warranty expired on the 18th!!!" I was totally blindsided and I was pissed. So told them I had the extended Mopar warranty, his response was "Well, if we don't find anything wrong (and you KNOW they won't as it doesn't happen all of the time) we'll have to charge you a $186.00 diagnostic fee ARGHHH. I would have assumed that they would have wanted to address this as it's a dangerous situation and could possibly kill someone. The next thing that happened is I came to a stop sign and the truck put itself in park, shut off the engine and set the parking brake! I was able to restart it without issue and it hasn't happened in the last few weeks. I am getting ready to take this to my local dealer (not the one I bought it from) and suck it up and pay the deductible or $186.00 diagnostic fee to get this documented. I'll let you know what happens.

Could you confirm your truck is a 2022, as listed in your avatar?
Most of these bizarre incidents seem to be with '25s & '26s.

.

 

[tap4154]

WOW! I'm experiencing the same issues. First time I was backing up and almost went through my buddy's neighbor's fence. The second time it happened I was facing down hill and I had a much harder time stopping it! It goes to about 4000 RPM. I bought this truck used in July and it had about 32,000 miles on it with about 2 months of factory warranty on it. I called and made a appointment and the dealer told me that the earliest they could get me in was the 19th of September so I took the appointment. When I got there the service writer said to me "Oh...your warranty expired on the 18th!!!" I was totally blindsided and I was pissed. So told them I had the extended Mopar warranty, his response was "Well, if we don't find anything wrong (and you KNOW they won't as it doesn't happen all of the time) we'll have to charge you a $186.00 diagnostic fee ARGHHH. I would have assumed that they would have wanted to address this as it's a dangerous situation and could possibly kill someone. The next thing that happened is I came to a stop sign and the truck put itself in park, shut off the engine and set the parking brake! I was able to restart it without issue and it hasn't happened in the last few weeks. I am getting ready to take this to my local dealer (not the one I bought it from) and suck it up and pay the deductible or $186.00 diagnostic fee to get this documented. I'll let you know what happens.

Dealers were playing dumb about the defective gas filler issue as well (2015 to 2018/19 classic). I finally got one service writer to admit they had to send people out to pull gas nozzles out of trucks, and it happened on his. Then they repaired mine with the updated part. However this is very serious, and if they know they have a safety issue and are downplaying it, it could lead to civil and perhaps criminal consequences.

 

[Smogman]

Could you confirm your truck is a 2022, as listed in your avatar?
Most of these bizarre incidents seem to be with '25s & '26s.

.

Yes my truck is a 2022 Bighorn Hemi E-Torque

 

[Docwagon1776]

WOW! I'm experiencing the same issues. First time I was backing up and almost went through my buddy's neighbor's fence. The second time it happened I was facing down hill and I had a much harder time stopping it! It goes to about 4000 RPM. I bought this truck used in July and it had about 32,000 miles on it with about 2 months of factory warranty on it. I called and made a appointment and the dealer told me that the earliest they could get me in was the 19th of September so I took the appointment. When I got there the service writer said to me "Oh...your warranty expired on the 18th!!!" I was totally blindsided and I was pissed. So told them I had the extended Mopar warranty, his response was "Well, if we don't find anything wrong (and you KNOW they won't as it doesn't happen all of the time) we'll have to charge you a $186.00 diagnostic fee ARGHHH. I would have assumed that they would have wanted to address this as it's a dangerous situation and could possibly kill someone. The next thing that happened is I came to a stop sign and the truck put itself in park, shut off the engine and set the parking brake! I was able to restart it without issue and it hasn't happened in the last few weeks. I am getting ready to take this to my local dealer (not the one I bought it from) and suck it up and pay the deductible or $186.00 diagnostic fee to get this documented. I'll let you know what happens.

Do the 5th gen 1500s set their own parking brake normally when it goes into park?

That whole things is nuts. Any aftermarket doodads attached? No codes?

 

[PA Ram]

See Post #64.

Okay, I did miss that,but it still doesn't say she uses two feet.

Do the 5th gen 1500s set their own parking brake normally when it goes into park?

That whole things is nuts. Any aftermarket doodads attached? No codes?

My truck is a 2017 so no electronic e brake,but my wife's 2020 GMC Terrain does and I'm not q fan. Only auto engages in certain scenarios, not sure what triggers it. Just don't like that if electronics fail how do you release it?

 

[Smogman]

Do the 5th gen 1500s set their own parking brake normally when it goes into park?

That whole things is nuts. Any aftermarket doodads attached? No codes?

You can set it to apply the parking brake but I have it shut off in the radio. As far as I know there are no aftermarket devices attached to my truck. I'm not saying that it couldn't be there because I bought the truck used but it was a lease vehicle and it was just off lease. I doubt anyone would add aftermarket devices to at lease vehicle. But I guess anything is possible LOL

 

[Intrepid Corsair]

WOW! I'm experiencing the same issues. First time I was backing up and almost went through my buddy's neighbor's fence. The second time it happened I was facing down hill and I had a much harder time stopping it! It goes to about 4000 RPM. I bought this truck used in July and it had about 32,000 miles on it with about 2 months of factory warranty on it. I called and made a appointment and the dealer told me that the earliest they could get me in was the 19th of September so I took the appointment. When I got there the service writer said to me "Oh...your warranty expired on the 18th!!!" I was totally blindsided and I was pissed. So told them I had the extended Mopar warranty, his response was "Well, if we don't find anything wrong (and you KNOW they won't as it doesn't happen all of the time) we'll have to charge you a $186.00 diagnostic fee ARGHHH. I would have assumed that they would have wanted to address this as it's a dangerous situation and could possibly kill someone. The next thing that happened is I came to a stop sign and the truck put itself in park, shut off the engine and set the parking brake! I was able to restart it without issue and it hasn't happened in the last few weeks. I am getting ready to take this to my local dealer (not the one I bought it from) and suck it up and pay the deductible or $186.00 diagnostic fee to get this documented. I'll let you know what happens.

That suck the dealer did that to you but you called about the issue prior to your warranty expiring, so I would stick to your guns on that, provided you can get documentation you reported it two months before expiration. Call a lawyer if needed.

Also, now that you mention it, my wife complained that the truck involuntarily shifted into park and set the parking brake twice on her several months ago. I assumed she opened the door before shifting to park. It will do that but not turn off the engine. I will add that to the report.

 

[Intrepid Corsair]

Hey all, I appreciate those that provided helpful insight and suggestions. I am in contact with Ram and have the vehicle at another Ram dealer for more thorough testing. They’ve had nearly a week.
(It’s not the floor mats, boots, 2 foot driving or operator error. I’ve been sitting dead stopped and the throttle just redlines. And if I just “trade it in”, I get Pennie’s on the dollar for a very expensive truck - and it will be resold to some unsuspecting buyer. I’m going to see this through.

My mind is going over the same scenario you just described. My wife told me she will NEVER get in this truck again and is done with all new vehicles that have this type of computer system in them. This truck is now worthless to me. I can't sell it because I will lose money and then face the moral problem of pawning it off on another unsuspecting person who might get in a worse situation. If Bosch can't find a problem in the EDR, I have a second company who is willing to look at it. If that produces nothing, I am not sure what I can do with the truck.

 

[Docwagon1776]

You can set it to apply the parking brake but I have it shut off in the radio.

That's interesting. Do you think it has something to do with it thinking the door opened? If you intentionally open the door with it idling in drive or reverse, does it act the same?

I've had a few rental cars that automatically set the parking brake, but I don't recall what they were any more. Maybe a Grand Cherokee, but I wouldn't swear to it, they kind of run together. Whatever it was did it ever time I shut it off and then took it off every time I started it.

 

[Grams]

Timing

Sort-of. Basic Timing is a set matter (TDC). But the left grip is “spark advance” …and so as the rt-grip/throttle is increased (rpm increase) … the spark should also be advanced equally.
When starting (using the kick-starter) the spark must be at the fully-retarded position or the kick-starter-pedal can “kick-back” against the riders’ foot, possibly causing injury.

 

[DanAR]

While I don't doubt it for Ram, I do doubt it's universal.

It requires a waiver from the Government but they have been providing them for over 15 years now to an ever increasing number of manufacturers. Some have incorporated an electronic lock in the electric steering but that seems to be phasing out too.

 

[ppine]

Terrifying. I had the throttle on an old C2 Corvette get stuck once. I was on a windy road lined with live oak trees. I shut off the ignition and key. In those days there was no ignition lock on the steering wheel. I could still steer or I might not be here today.

Please get this fixed or do not drive it. Too dangerous for words.

 

[Marshall]

WOW! I'm experiencing the same issues. First time I was backing up and almost went through my buddy's neighbor's fence. The second time it happened I was facing down hill and I had a much harder time stopping it! It goes to about 4000 RPM. I bought this truck used in July and it had about 32,000 miles on it with about 2 months of factory warranty on it. I called and made a appointment and the dealer told me that the earliest they could get me in was the 19th of September so I took the appointment. When I got there the service writer said to me "Oh...your warranty expired on the 18th!!!" I was totally blindsided and I was pissed. So told them I had the extended Mopar warranty, his response was "Well, if we don't find anything wrong (and you KNOW they won't as it doesn't happen all of the time) we'll have to charge you a $186.00 diagnostic fee ARGHHH. I would have assumed that they would have wanted to address this as it's a dangerous situation and could possibly kill someone. The next thing that happened is I came to a stop sign and the truck put itself in park, shut off the engine and set the parking brake! I was able to restart it without issue and it hasn't happened in the last few weeks. I am getting ready to take this to my local dealer (not the one I bought it from) and suck it up and pay the deductible or $186.00 diagnostic fee to get this documented. I'll let you know what happens.

You need to find a dealer with people with a brain in there damn head, or that give a damn.

 

[tap4154]

At least this thread has gotten a lot of people to think about what to do if this does happen. Simply reach for the shift knob and turn it one click to the left to neutral. Then turn off the key AFTER you safely steer (while coasting) to the side of the road. Or just gradually stop in the lane you're in, if you're not able to move over.

 

[RamDiver]

At least this thread has gotten a lot of people to think about what to do if this does happen. Simply reach for the shift knob and turn it one click to the left to neutral. Then turn off the key AFTER you safely steer (while coasting) to the side of the road. Or just gradually stop in the lane you're in, if you're not able to move over.

Now, if those at risk would make an effort to generate some muscle memory response...

.

 

[tap4154]

Now, if those at risk would make an effort to generate some muscle memory response...

.

I actually have been doing that a little bit. Driving along or at a stop light, I reach down and switch it to neutral quickly. It's something I often do when I'm in a drive-thru anyway. I'm not really worried that my 2018 is going to do this, but it doesn't hurt to develop a little bit of muscle memory for it. Bought one of those nice AJ T Design shift knobs shortly after I got the truck,, so I don't have the cheap plastic OEM one. It's the aluminum color so it stands out. The original black one looked like a radio volume knob.

 

[Skydog73]

Do the 5th gen 1500s set their own parking brake normally when it goes into park?

That whole things is nuts. Any aftermarket doodads attached? No codes?

on that note .. my 2025 1500 (Tungsten) bricked this week during a software update. had to have it towed to dealer. one of the things that made this difficult was that the electronic parking brake was on and could not be turned off. zero way to manually turn it off. tow truck driver was a rock star, tight spot, but he wedged the flat bed ramp under the rear tires, lifted just enough so he could hook to it and drag it on (front wheels moved freely) he managed to load and not tear the hell out of the nice gravel next to my house.

also, i just started trying to read thru this thread and OMG.

 

[RamDiver]

on that note .. my 2025 1500 (Tungsten) bricked this week during a software update. had to have it towed to dealer. one of the things that made this difficult was that the electronic parking brake was on and could not be turned off. zero way to manually turn it off. tow truck driver was a rock star, tight spot, but he wedged the flat bed ramp under the rear tires, lifted just enough so he could hook to it and drag it on (front wheels moved freely) he managed to load and not tear the hell out of the nice gravel next to my house.

also, i just started trying to read thru this thread and OMG.

Welcome to Ram Forum and the nightmare known as Atlantis High.

I hope your ride gets sorted out quickly and permanently.

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