Ram 1500 Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Ram 1500 model year from 1991 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 32,585 federal complaints, 124 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2001, 2003–2005, 2013–2016, 2019. These years top the 1500's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1994–1996 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the 1500's own worst year — full methodology.
Under investigation. Federal regulators currently have 6 open defect investigations on the Ram 1500.
Component: POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 14 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) reports and 6 EWR Death & Injury (D&I) reports describing post recall remedy failures of the brake transmission shift interlock (BTSI) system in certain Model Year (MY) 2013-2018 RAM pickup trucks.The…
Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 80 consumer complaints alleging an engine stall and loss of motive power on model year (MY) 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUV vehicles. The particular engines in the subject vehicles are equipped with the Fiat Chrysler…
Model years named: 2022
Component: STEERING
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 380 reports from consumers alleging an intermittent or complete loss of power steering assistance in certain 2013-2016 Ram 1500.The failure allegations occur at various speeds with limited detectability to the driver.On March 23, 2016 Fiat…
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE21-021 on October 14, 2021, to investigate incidents alleging a stall/loss of motive power as a result of high-pressure fuel pump failures in certain model year (MY) 2019-2020 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 heavy duty trucks equipped with 6.7L…
Model years named: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Component: AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade,…
Component: AIR BAGS
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their…
An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Electrical tops the Ram 1500 file with 4,514 complaints, concentrated in the 2006, 2011–2014, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2025 model years, most often reported around 66,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Too early to call | 99 | 5 | Electrical | 3 |
| 2025 | Too early to call | 592 | 7 | Electrical | 20 |
| 2024 | Too early to call | 126 | 6 | Electrical | 5 |
| 2023 | Typical | 331 | 11 | Electrical | 12 |
| 2022 | Below average | 1,020 | 16 | Engine | 38 |
| 2021 | Below average | 1,127 | 15 | Engine | 42 |
| 2020 | Typical | 900 | 14 | Electrical | 34 |
| 2019 | Avoid | 2,132 | 30 | Electrical | 84 |
| 2018 | Below average | 897 | 15 | Electrical | 35 |
| 2017 | Below average | 1,181 | 13 | Steering | 54 |
| 2016 | Avoid | 2,088 | 17 | Engine | 90 |
| 2015 | Avoid | 1,961 | 18 | Engine | 86 |
| 2014 | Avoid | 2,400 | 17 | Steering | 100 |
| 2013 | Avoid | 1,598 | 12 | Steering | 63 |
| 2012 | Below average | 980 | 7 | Electrical | 39 |
| 2011 | Below average | 989 | 4 | Electrical | 40 |
| 2010 | Typical | 630 | 4 | Transmission & drivetrain | 24 |
| 2009 | Below average | 931 | 4 | Transmission & drivetrain | 36 |
| 2008 | Typical | 720 | 8 | Airbags | 31 |
| 2007 | Typical | 701 | 7 | Airbags | 31 |
| 2006 | Below average | 1,080 | 12 | Electrical | 45 |
| 2005 | Avoid | 1,630 | 7 | Transmission & drivetrain | 76 |
| 2004 | Avoid | 1,369 | 8 | Airbags | 67 |
| 2003 | Avoid | 1,363 | 5 | Airbags | 62 |
| 2002 | Below average | 1,004 | 6 | Body & structure | 46 |
| 2001 | Avoid | 1,370 | 3 | Body & structure | 65 |
| 2000 | Typical | 641 | 3 | Body & structure | 30 |
| 1999 | Below average | 769 | 1 | Body & structure | 40 |
| 1998 | Below average | 645 | 1 | Body & structure | 37 |
| 1997 | Typical | 468 | 1 | Body & structure | 23 |
| 1996 | Better year | 407 | 1 | Brakes & stability | 18 |
| 1995 | Better year | 273 | 1 | Electrical | 12 |
| 1994 | Better year | 148 | 1 | Electrical | 8 |
| 1993 | Few reports | 7 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 1991 | Few reports | 8 | 0 | — | 0 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 10,822 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Ram 1500. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Ram 1500 TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Ram 1500 years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2001, 2003–2005, 2013–2016, 2019 as the Ram 1500 years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Ram 1500 problem?
Electrical tops the Ram 1500 file with 4,514 complaints, concentrated in the 2006, 2011–2014, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2025 model years, most often reported around 66,000 miles.
What are the best Ram 1500 years to buy used?
The quietest Ram 1500 years in federal records are 1994–1996 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Ram 1500 only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.