2018 Ram 1500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
897 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2018 Ram 1500, alongside 15 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 35/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 21,364 miles.
Below average
Where 2018 sits among all 1500 years
What owners report
“Touchscreen entertainment system is malfunctioning, changing on it's own. It has called 911 on multiple occasions and the rear camera comes on while driving.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 1500
“The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 1500
“The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 1500
“My radio screen started delaminating.My radio keeps switching by itself without touching screen.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 1500
“Electric Power Steering failure with no cause. Power steering failed while driving on the highway.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 1500
“Magnetic tone wheel. Driving on the interstate and the truck stalled and would not restart. Had to get it towed.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2018 1500
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 260 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 32,500 miles. Half of those reports fall between 13,000 and 69,625 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (15)
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Ram 1500, Ram 2500, and Ram 3500 vehicles. The right and left side curtain air bag inflators may rupture due to a manufacturing defect.
Fix: Dealers will replace one or both side curtain air bags, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 25, 2025. Owners may contact FCA customer service at…
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Ram 3500, Ram 1500, 2016-2020 Ram 2500, and 2016 Ram 3500 Cab Chassis vehicles. The right and left side curtain air bag inflators may rupture due to a manufacturing defect.
Fix: Dealers will replace one or both side curtain air bags, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 13, 2025. Owners may contact FCA customer service at…
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Ram 1500 and 2014-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with 3.0L Diesel engines. The crankshaft position sensor tone wheel may delaminate, causing the engine to lose its ability to synchronize the…
Fix: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software to maintain vehicle propulsion, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed August 3,…
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and 2014-2019 Ram 1500 vehicles equipped with 3.0L diesel engines. A high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) failure may introduce internal debris into the fuel system, potentially resulting…
Fix: Dealers will replace the HPFP, and inspect and replace, if necessary, additional fuel system components, free of charge. Interim notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed…
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Ram 1500 Classic, 2015-2016 Ram 3500, and Ram 2500 vehicles, and 2016 Ram 3500 Cab Chassis with a gross vehicle weight rating less than 10,000 lbs. The side air bag inflatable curtain (SABIC) inflator end…
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace as necessary, the SABIC assemblies, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on October 4, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on May…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ram 1500 and 2014-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with 3.0L diesel engines. The crankshaft position sensor tone wheel may delaminate causing the engine to lose its ability to synchronize the…
Fix: FCA US will notify owners, and dealers will update the powertrain control module software to maintain vehicle propulsion by reading the camshaft position signal in the event that the crankshaft…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Ram 1500 and 1500 Classic Pickup trucks equipped with 3.0L Eco Diesel engines. The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cooler may crack and allow pre-heated vaporized coolant to enter the EGR system. This…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EGR cooler, free of charge. Dealers will also inspect and, as necessary, replace the intake manifold. The recall began April 16, 2020.…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks equipped with an 8 foot bed and a power locking tailgate. Chrysler is also recalling all 2013-2014 and 2018 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks built before April 1,…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will repair the tailgate latch, free of charge. The recall began May 23, 2019. Chrysler is expected to notify owners of the expanded population on October…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Ram 1500 pickup trucks. The rear driveshaft may have an incomplete weld fusion between the tube and tube yoke, which may lead to weld cracking or the driveshaft fracturing.
Fix: FCA US will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear driveshaft, free of charge. The recall began June 13, 2019. Owners may contact FCA US customer service at 1-800-853-1403. The FCA US…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2019 RAM 1500 trucks. The rear differential may have been insufficiently filled, possibly resulting in its failure.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear axle oil level. Rear axles with an insufficient amount of oil will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began September 26, 2018.…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Jeep Renegade, Compass and Grand Cherokee, RAM 1500 and Promaster, Fiat 500x, Dodge Journey, Challenger, Charger and Durango and Chrysler 300x vehicles, 2017-2018 Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began October 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Dodge Journey and RAM 1500, 2500, and 3500 vehicles. The backup camera may experience a loss of image display while backing up. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rearview mirror, free of charge. The recall began August 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Dodge Journey, Charger and Durango, RAM 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis (more than 10,000lb), 4500 Cab Chassis and 5500 Cab Chassis, Jeep Cherokee and Grand Cherokee and Chrysler 300, 2014-2019 RAM 1500,…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the software, and perform a software flash on the engine or powertrain control module, free of charge. The recall began June 4, 2018. Owners…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Dodge Charger, Durango and Challenger, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler, Chrysler 300, and RAM 1500 vehicles. An incorrect transmission park lock rod may have been installed in the transmission.
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install the correct park lock rod, free of charge. The recall began June 28, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2018 RAM 1500, 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis, 4500 Cab Chassis, and 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles, all equipped with a column shifter. Pushing the brake pedal for prolonged periods when the vehicle is running and in…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners and dealers will update the Body Control Module software. Dealers will also test the BTSI operation, replacing the solenoid as necessary. The recall began February 26,…
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: 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: 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
Technical service bulletins
497 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2018 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 2018 Ram 1500 reliable?
The 2018 Ram 1500 drew 897 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 35/100, scored against the model's worst year (2014).
What are the most common 2018 Ram 1500 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2018 Ram 1500 are electrical (167 complaints), engine (153), and fuel system (138).
At what mileage do 2018 Ram 1500 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2018 Ram 1500 problems around 32,500 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 13,000 and 69,625 miles.
Does the 2018 Ram 1500 have recalls?
15 recall campaigns apply to the 2018 Ram 1500. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
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.