2005 Ram 1500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,630 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2005 Ram 1500, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 5 defect investigations. It scores 76/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 111,081 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2005 Ram 1500 sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1994–1996.
Avoid
Where 2005 sits among all 1500 years
What owners report
“I have a 2005 ram 1500 with a rear pinion recall. The pinion came loose while driving. When the pinion came loose it ruined the housing. They want to charge me $917.00 for the housing. The housing was damaged when the pinion came loose.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 1500
“Takata recall no available replacement parts and loss of value to trade in to purchase new vehicle. Safety of family and myself.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 1500
“The vehicle stalls at low speed turns or slowing down, the vehicle has trouble starting.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 1500
“When i turn on my left turn signal my right turn signal blinks. Some times my wipers won't come on or stop running. I am told that the multifunction switch needs to be replaced. This is definitely a safety issue.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 1500
“Pinion separated from front drivers' side of truck while driving, almost causing accident.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 1500
“I was driving about 45-50 mph and pushed on my breaks. When i pushed on my breaks, i had no power steering and was unable to accelerate. No warning lights. I pulled over and restarted the vehicle and it was fine. Was just purchased used and driving home from dealer.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2005 1500
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 907 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 87,541 miles. Half of those reports fall between 51,900 and 131,001 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango, 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C, 300S, and SRT8,…
Fix: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler and Dodge owners and Mitsubishi will notify the affected Raider owners.…
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 trucks manufactured January 28, 2004, to August 3, 2005. In the affected vehicles, the rear axle pinion nut may loosen due to an undersized spline on the pinion gear.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a retention feature to the pinion nut, free of charge. The recall began on June 26, 2015, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at…
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500, 2004-2005 Dodge Durango, 2005 Dodge Dakota, 2005 Dodge Magnum and 2005 Chrysler 300, 300C and 300 SRT8 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. For vehicles that were sold, or are currently registered, in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii,…
FEDERAL-MOGUL IS RECALLING CERTAIN CARQUEST, NATIONAL, AND PERCISION BRAND WHEEL HUB ASSEMBLIES, P/NOS 515073 AND 515073, SOLD FOR USE AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT ON MODEL YEAR 2002 THROUGH 2008 DODGE RAM 1500 PICKUP TRUCKS. THE INBOARD ROLL FORM USED TO…
Fix: FEDERAL-MOGUL WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND TECHNICIANS WILL REPLACE THE AFFECTED HUB ASSEMBLIES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 15, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FEDERAL-MOGUL…
FABTECH IS RECALLING CERTAIN AFTERMARKET REPLACEMENT PITMAN ARMS, P/NOS. FTS93001 AND FT44039, INSTALLED FOR USE ON CERTAIN 2003 THROUGH 2008 DODGE 2500 4WD, 3500 4WD, AND 1500 4WD MEGA CAB VEHICLES. THE PITMAN ARM CAN FRACTURE AND BREAK AWAY FROM THE…
Fix: FABTECH WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND AUTHORIZED INSTALLERS WILL INSPECT FOR DEFECTIVE PITMAN ARM AND REPLACE IF NECESSARY FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 24, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT…
CERTAIN CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF…
Fix: SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE GLASS FREE OF CHARGE. RETAIL CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE TOLL FREE AT 1-888-843-2906. SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS AND…
Federal defect investigations
Still open as of the last data refresh. An investigation is not a recall; it may close with no action. All open investigations →
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…
Led to recall campaign 14V796000.
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Technical service bulletins
37 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and body & structure — are on file for the 2005 Ram 1500. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2005 Ram 1500 reliable?
The 2005 Ram 1500 drew 1,630 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 76/100, scored against the model's worst year (2014).
What are the most common 2005 Ram 1500 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2005 Ram 1500 are transmission & drivetrain (597 complaints), airbags (374), and engine (155).
At what mileage do 2005 Ram 1500 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2005 Ram 1500 problems around 87,541 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 51,900 and 131,001 miles.
Does the 2005 Ram 1500 have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2005 Ram 1500. At least one carries a do-not-drive or park-outside warning — check your VIN before driving.
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. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.