545RFE Automatic Transmission Shift Cable, Dodge Ram

This is the gearshift control cable that runs from the shifter to the manual lever on the side of the transmission on 2003-2006 Dodge Ram 1500, 2005-2009 Ram 2500 and 2006-2009 Ram 3500 trucks. It replaces Mopar part numbers 52107846AJ, 52107846AH, 52107846AG, 52107846AF and 52107846AB, so it covers the whole run of supersessions on that cable.

These trucks run 45RFE and 545RFE automatics behind the gas engines and the 48RE behind the 5.9L Cummins, and the shift cable is the same part across them. When the cable stretches or the plastic ends wear out, the gear you select at the shifter stops matching the gear the manual valve actually lands on. The usual symptoms are a truck that will not start in Park but starts in Neutral, a Reverse light that comes on in the wrong detent, a shifter that feels vague between detents, or a truck that rolls in Park because the pawl never fully engaged.

Before you condemn the transmission for that, pull the cable off the manual lever and move the lever through its detents by hand. If the transmission indexes correctly by hand but not from the shifter, the cable is the problem. Replacement is straightforward: unclip the cable from the shifter base and the transmission bracket, pop the ball socket off the manual lever, route the new cable the same way, and set the adjuster with the transmission and the shifter both in Park before you lock it down.

Adjust it once installed. Do not skip the adjustment step - an unadjusted cable will put the manual valve between detents and cause the same complaints you just replaced the cable to fix.