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One "ghost in the machine" glitch nearly turned this new $70,000 Ram pickup into a lethal runaway wreck.
In my ongoing research into 6th Gen Ram reliability, I uncovered a harrowing report from a 2025 Ram 1500 Facebook community in which owner Juanita Mikkola detailed failures that turned her new Hurricane-powered pickup into a "runaway train." Her experience underscores growing fears about Stellantis’ new electronic throttle system and the high risks of being an early adopter of the twin-turbo I6.
From My View
Most truck owners worry about fuel economy or towing capacity, but Juanita Mikkola is just worried about stopping. Imagine shifting your brand-new $70,000 pickup into gear and having it take off like a dragster without your foot even touching the pedal. This is exactly what Juanita experienced when her 2025 Ram 1500 surged to 40 MPH in her own driveway.
She noted the gravity of the situation, saying, “We bought my 2025 Ram 1500 last summer and have had issues with it since. When I put it in drive or reverse, I nearly hit the wall the second I shift. When it idles like this, I can make it down my driveway without touching the gas, going 40mph. Granted, it's a longer driveway.”
As a Senior Reporter who has covered dozens of vehicle launches, I see a massive red flag waving over the 6th-gen Ram lineup. We were promised that the transition from the legendary Hemi V8 to the high-tech, twin-turbocharged 3.0L Hurricane Straight-Six (SST) would be a seamless evolution. Instead, for many early adopters, it feels more like an expensive, dangerous experiment.
My Take
The "Information Gain" here is impossible to ignore. A truck accelerating to highway speeds on its own is a "Pattern Interrupt" that signals a deep-seated disconnect between the engine software and the physical throttle. Juanita’s first issue wasn't just a nuisance; it was a systemic failure. She recalls, “1st issue: I was taking a left-hand turn onto a highway when the vehicle went into limp mode, and the dashboard indicated to put it in park and then drive. This occurred multiple times until the dealership performed a computer update.”
In my three decades of auto reporting, I have seen "limp mode" issues before, but a high-idle surge this aggressive points to a terrifying lack of calibration in the "Atlantis" electronic architecture. Juanita continued, “2nd issue: this Thursday, they are resetting the torque converter because it idles too high, to the point you have to have your foot ready to brake for these moments. It idles super high intermittently. Until Thursday, they gave me instructions to use caution when putting the truck into reverse or drive.”
Imagine paying a premium price for a luxury workhorse only to be told by a technician to "use caution" before backing out of your garage. This financial vs. safety friction is why owners are starting to question their loyalty.
The "Hurricane" Complexity Tax
The "why" behind the drama is simple: complexity. The Hurricane engine is an engineering marvel on paper, but the plumbing required to keep those twin turbos cool and the software required to manage the throttle-by-wire is a nightmare of plastic connectors and electronic sensors. Juanita's report gets even more concerning when you look at the physical hardware: “3rd, all the lights turn off and on while driving. 4th, the turbo is leaking. This is unsafe and frustrating.”
When you combine electrical "gremlins" that flick the lights on and off with a turbo that is already leaking oil on a truck less than a year old, you are looking at a quality control crisis. The fact that the dealer had to "message the engineer at Stellantis" tells me that local technicians are out of their depth. This is a corporate-level calibration failure.
Community Technical Feedback
The debate is currently exploding on social media, where owners are echoing the same concerns I am seeing in my research. One user on Reddit noted the severity of the electrical glitches, stating, "The check engine light is throwing bogus readings on these trucks, and so they will swap out the 'bad' part with a new one from what the reading is, and that doesn't change anything. Stellantis needs to really figure out this Atlantis electrical architecture and get the bugs fixed," which you can read in the full discussion here.
Another owner highlighted the dangerous lunging behavior during cold starts, mentioning, "When you start the 3.0, you have to let it sit forever before putting it in gear or the thing lunges when you put it in drive. The thing lunges so hard it feels like it's going to rip the tranny out," found in this Reddit thread.
Key Takeaways
- Software Mismatch: The electronic throttle-by-wire system is struggling to manage the Hurricane’s high-idle warm-up cycle.
- Early Adopter Risk: The transition from the Hemi V8 to the Twin-Turbo I6 has introduced more failure points (turbos, intercoolers, vacuum lines).
- Dealer Escalation: Dealerships are increasingly requiring "engineer intervention," suggesting that current repair manuals aren't sufficient to address these 6th-gen bugs.
- Safety Priority: If your truck experiences a high-idle surge, do not wait for a "reset." Demand a full diagnostic of the throttle body and turbo seals.
Recommendations For Ram Owners
Juanita provided an update that every owner should hear: “Update: Faulty throttle cable and turbo. Turbo is a week out, and the throttle cable is fixed.” If you own a 2025 or 2026 Ram, I recommend a "pre-emptive" check of your turbo housing for any signs of oil weeping. Furthermore, if your truck feels like it is "pulling" against the brakes during a cold start, do not put it in gear until the RPMs drop below 1,000. I have seen automakers rise and fall on the strength of a single powertrain, and right now, Stellantis is at a crossroads with the Hurricane.
A High Stakes Gamble?
We are witnessing a "complexity tax" being paid by the very people who keep the brand alive. While the Hurricane I6 offers intoxicating horsepower, the raw numbers are currently losing out to real-world reliability. Until Stellantis can quietly patch these "runaway" idle issues, the 6th-gen Ram remains a high-stakes gamble for the American truck buyer.
How About You?
Have you experienced "Limp Mode" or a terrifying high-idle surge in your new 6th-gen Ram? Leave a comment in the red "Add new comment" link below, and let’s get this conversation started.
Denis Flierl is a 14-year Senior Reporter at Torque News and a member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press (RMAP) with 30+ years of industry experience. Based in Parker, Colorado, Denis leverages the Rockies' high-altitude terrain as a rigorous testing ground to provide "boots-on-the-ground" analysis for readers across the Rocky Mountain region, California EV corridors, the Northeast, Texas truck markets, and Midwest agricultural zones.
A former professional test driver and consultant for Ford, GM, Ram, Toyota, and Tesla, he delivers data-backed insights on reliability and market shifts. Denis cuts through the noise to provide national audiences with the real-world reporting today’s landscape demands.
Connect with Denis: Find him on LinkedIn, X @DenisFlierl, @WorldsCoolestRides, Facebook, and Instagram.
Photo credit: Denis Flierl via Juanita Mikkola
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