2015-2022 RAM ProMaster City Problems & Issues

Certain 2015-2017 RAM ProMaster City vans were supplied with a Kidde plastic-handle or push-button 'Pindicator' fire extinguisher covered by NHTSA recall 17V824000. Kidde determined the extinguishers can clog, which either prevents the unit from discharging as expected or makes activating it take excessive force. Some Kidde models can also eject the nozzle off the valve assembly hard enough to injure the person using it, leaving the extinguisher inoperable at the same moment. This is a piece of equipment carried in the van, not a fault in the ProMaster City's own systems — commercial operators who moved the extinguisher into the cargo area or handed the van between drivers should still check it. NHTSA lists every covered extinguisher model at https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17E062-5427.pdf.

FCA recalled 2021 ProMaster City (and ProMaster) vehicles because the seat belt automatic locking retractor - the mode a belt must enter to cinch down and hold a child seat - can deactivate early. A child restraint installed with the seat belt can therefore fail to stay secured, and the caregiver has no way to see that the retractor released. The suspect retractors include the front right passenger seat and the rear left, center and right seats of the Wagon. NHTSA campaign 21V699000, FCA internal recall Y61, owner notification mailed October 28, 2021.

The ProMaster City was recalled twice for a wrong tire and loading placard. NHTSA campaign 17V601000 (11,288 vehicles, 2015-2017) covered placards showing incorrect vehicle capacity weight, incorrect total number of occupants, incorrect tire pressure, and/or "None" for the spare tire size on vans that actually shipped with a full-size spare. NHTSA campaign 18V129000 (FCA campaign U17) covered 2018 vans whose placard listed the wrong permitted occupant count. On a work van bought specifically for payload, a wrong capacity or wrong cold inflation figure leads directly to overloading and to tires run at the wrong pressure - the mechanism behind heat-driven tire failure on loaded vans.

The 2.4L Tigershark uses MultiAir II electrohydraulic intake valve actuation: a solenoid-and-oil assembly (the "brick") bolted to the cylinder head replaces a conventional intake cam lobe profile. Its oil galleries and per-cylinder solenoids are extremely intolerant of dirty or degraded oil, and on a van that is already burning oil and running long fleet intervals the galleries varnish and the solenoids stick. The result is a cylinder-specific misfire, very rough idle, hesitation and a power-limiting limp mode. Because the same 2.4L ED6 MultiAir II unit is shared with the Jeep Renegade and Cherokee, the failure pattern and the repair procedure are identical across those vehicles. This is distinct from the transmission shift complaints already documented on this van - the driveability fault here originates in the cylinder head, not the 9-speed.

The only engine offered in the ProMaster City is the 2.4L Tigershark MultiAir II (FCA engine family ED6), the same long block used in the Jeep Cherokee/Renegade/Compass, Dodge Dart and Fiat 500X. FCA attributes the problem to a combination of components with certain manufacturing variances: during deceleration fuel shut-off, low cylinder pressure pulls engine oil past the piston rings into the cylinders, where it is burned. Consumption of 1-2 quarts per 1,000 miles is routinely reported by ProMaster City owners, and because the van has no oil level gauge and the low-oil warning strategy is late, delivery and fleet vans run the sump down between service intervals and seize or spin a bearing with little warning. Forum reports include a 2016 ProMaster City needing a complete engine replacement at roughly 61,000 miles. This is NOT the 3.0L diesel or 3.6L Pentastar story from the full-size ProMaster - that van's engines are unrelated and this defect does not apply to them.

The RAM ProMaster City experiences various electrical system failures including random stalling, no-start conditions, instrument cluster blackouts, and multiple warning lights illuminating simultaneously. The Body Control Module (BCM) and Powertrain Control Module (PCM) are common failure points. Some vehicles stall while driving with no warning, creating dangerous situations. NHTSA complaints from owners describe stalling and loss of electrical power while driving. The alternator and battery drain issues compound the electrical problems. PCM replacement: $600-1,200; BCM replacement: $400-800.

ProMaster City vans built August 15, 2014 through February 1, 2016 and fitted with the factory trailer tow package carry a Trailer Tow Lighting Control Module with a software error that can prevent the trailer's brake lights from illuminating when the driver brakes. A trailer towed behind the van shows no stop lamps to following traffic. NHTSA campaign 16V253000 (with the related equipment campaign 16E039000, FCA S29, covering accessory trailer light modules sold separately), FCA internal recall S22; the remedy launched June 20, 2016. This applies only to trailer-tow-equipped vans of that build window - the van's own brake lights are not the subject of the recall.

On roughly 23,853 model year 2019-2021 ProMaster City vans, the Body Control Module software does not increase the flash rate when one or both turn signal lamps fail. The driver therefore gets no indication that a turn signal is out and keeps driving with an unsignalled turn - a non-compliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108. This is a lighting-indication software defect and is separate from the general electrical faults and stalling already documented on this van. NHTSA campaign 21V728000, FCA internal recall Y71; owner letters mailed late October / November 2021.

The RAM ProMaster City uses the ZF 9HP48 9-speed automatic transmission which is plagued with harsh shifting, delayed engagement, gear hunting, and premature failure. The transmission struggles with low-speed maneuvers, often jerking or hesitating during parking lot driving. Some owners report the transmission failing to shift out of first gear or getting stuck in gear. FCA issued TSB 21-053-15, a scan-tool Quick Learn procedure for the 948TE 9-speed used to address poor or erratic shift quality. The 9HP has been the subject of class-action lawsuits across multiple Stellantis vehicles. TCM software updates may help but many vans need valve body replacement ($1,200-2,000) or complete transmission rebuild ($3,000-5,000).

The ProMaster City uses the 948TE 9-speed automatic transmission (FCA's version of the ZF 9HP) that is shared with several Fiat Chrysler vehicles. This transmission is notorious for harsh 1-2 and 2-3 shifts, delayed downshifts, and a pronounced hesitation when accelerating from a stop. The TCM (Transmission Control Module) software struggles with the gear ratio spacing, and the transmission can feel confused in stop-and-go urban delivery driving. FCA/Stellantis has released numerous TCM software updates to address the shifting behavior.

FCA recalled a small batch of 2020-2021 ProMaster City vans (4 vans built between August 15 and October 6, 2020) because the ABS module can suffer internal damage, which can degrade braking performance and disable the autonomous/assisted braking functions that depend on the module. The failure gives no reliable advance warning to the driver, and on a loaded commercial van a loss of ABS function meaningfully lengthens stopping distance and removes stability support. NHTSA campaign 21V147000, FCA internal safety recall Y11; the remedy launched March 30, 2021. Only that small batch of vans built in late 2020 is affected.

FCA recalled 2018 ProMaster City vans because the gears inside the hydraulic rack-and-pinion steering assembly can carry a casting defect that cracks the housing and lets hydraulic steering fluid escape. Losing assist pressure means a sudden, large increase in steering effort - a serious matter in a van that is often loaded. NHTSA campaign 18V149000, FCA internal campaign U23, with the remedy launched March 13, 2018. Note this is generation-specific to the 2018 build population; it is not a defect claim against every ProMaster City year.

The single electric cooling fan module used on the ProMaster City fails in two ways: the fan control relay/circuit drops out, and the plastic fan blade separates or the motor seizes. Owners report the fan literally melting off its motor. Because the 2.4L relies entirely on this one fan at low road speed, failure shows up first in stop-and-go delivery duty as a temperature gauge climbing at idle that recovers on the highway. CarComplaints ranks cooling-fan-relay malfunction with engine overheating as the worst reported defect on the 2015 model year, with reports around 24,000-25,000 miles and repair costs near $600-650. A ProMaster City owner documented the dealer replacing the relay for a P0481 code, only to have the van overheat again about 100 miles later because the fan motor itself was the failed part. The same fan module family is used on the Jeep Renegade. Note this is a separate defect from the full-size Ram ProMaster 3.0L diesel / 3.6L gas cooling fan seizure recall - that recall does not cover the City.