45RFE Valve Body 1999, remanufactured and ready to install. Fits the 45RFE. Ships fast from the USA.
The 1999 model year was the first year Chrysler installed the all-new 45RFE, and when a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500, Durango or Dakota, or Jeep Grand Cherokee loses drive right after a shift into reverse, bangs or flares between gears, or will not engage promptly, the valve body on this earliest-production unit is the most common point of failure. This is a remanufactured 45RFE valve body built for the 1999 model year, bench-tested and backed by a 1-year warranty.
The 45RFE routes line pressure through a set of precision spool valves to each clutch and band, and the first-generation 1999 casting uses an early solenoid switch valve design that Chrysler revised more than once over the following production years. Our valve body testing guide covers that solenoid switch valve in detail, including why it is the single most common failure point on the earliest units in this family.
A worn solenoid switch valve on a first-generation 45RFE can cause a loss of forward drive immediately after shifting into reverse and back - the truck sits there with no drive at all until it is shut off and restarted - which is a dramatically different complaint from the harsh-shift and slipping symptoms a later, more refined valve body usually produces. If a 1999 45RFE has done this even once, treat it as the valve body until proven otherwise.
This valve body is built for the 1999 model year 45RFE as installed in the Dodge Ram 1500, Durango and Dakota and the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Chrysler revised the solenoid switch valve design more than once over the life of this transmission, so a later-year valve body is not a guaranteed match for a 1999 unit even though both are called a 45RFE. See the 45RFE/545RFE parts collection for the listing built for your specific year if your truck is outside 1999.
Replace the fluid and filter with the valve body - ATF+4 is the correct spec - and torque the bolts to factory sequence rather than corner to corner. Clear stored codes and run the adaptive relearn after installation; on an early unit like this, skipping the relearn is one of the more common reasons a correctly installed valve body still shifts roughly for the first several miles. If the complaint included a bang on reverse engagement, pair this with a 45RFE clutch drum inspection, since clutch wear on these early units often accompanies a worn valve body, or firm up the shift feel across the board with a 45RFE shift kit. For a transmission needing a broader rebuild, our 45RFE master rebuild kit covers the rest of the internals.
| Fits | 45RFE 1999 |
| Part type | Valve Body |
| Condition | Remanufactured |
| Brand | OEM |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
No - it is built for the 1999 model year specifically. Chrysler revised the solenoid switch valve design more than once during this transmission's production run, so a 1999 unit is not a guaranteed match for a later casting.
Yes, that is the signature failure on a first-generation 45RFE: a worn solenoid switch valve can cause a momentary loss of forward drive right after a shift into reverse and back, clearing only after the engine is shut off and restarted.
ATF+4, changed at the same time as the valve body.
It is a remanufactured 45RFE valve body, bench-tested before shipping and backed by a 1-year warranty.
Clear stored codes and run the adaptive relearn. On an early unit like this, skipping the relearn is a common reason a correctly installed valve body still shifts roughly for the first several miles.
If the complaint included a bang on reverse engagement, inspect the clutch drum - wear there often accompanies a worn valve body on these early units. A shift kit can also firm up shift feel overall.
