Complaint 2207658
2021 RAM 1500 • ENGINE • incident Feb 3, 2026
Complaint Summary
ENGINE
Owner Narrative
[XXX] Fire occurred while driving [XXX] my Ram 2021 and it was like a mini blast with a lot of sparks as I saw in a rear-view mirror. Everything went out on the dashboard and the car stopped at the Top of Wolf Creek Pass [XXX] . I got out of the car and saw a small fire burning under the car. The fire under the car went out on its own. The very shape of the hole (perfectly round) in my muffler indicates an explosion that occurred simultaneously. Also, the fused edges of the round hole indicate a high temperature during this explosion and fire. I disagree that this fair damage [XXX] my Ram 2021 3.0 ecodiesel [XXX] is considered from Progressive insurance as simple "wear and tear." estimate only $1669,78. Garber Collision Pontiac repaired the Ram 2021 by 04.24.2026 and replaced the damaged wiring harness ($1161 self-pay) as required by Progressive. After this repair, the Ram 2021 was unable to move and was delivered to the Tucson Ram dealer on 05/04/2026. The dealer did not indicate the root cause of the damage in the estimate. The car was also returned to me by the dealer. When I asked the dealer on 05.12.2026 to indicate the root cause of the damage, the dealer replied that he was not aware of such a similar damage and indicated that the warranty on the car has expired and there are no open recalls. But The dealer's initial assessment from 05.13.2026 (estimates $9325.25) indicates the fire was caused by a failure of the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cooler, which is a known issue (similar to recall VB1/19V-757) where the cooler cracks, leaks coolant, and causes a fire in the intake manifold. This is a component failure resulting in an explosion/fire, not typical wear.  I need a diagnostic report that specifically mentions the EGR cooler failure as the source of the fire. I give my full consent for Ram Manufacturing to send an independent inspector to me for Ram 2021 3.0 Ecodisel INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.
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