2006 Ram 2500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
903 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2006 Ram 2500, alongside 9 recall campaigns and 5 defect investigations. It scores 28/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 70,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2006 sits among all 2500 years
What owners report
“Blinkers will turn on in opposite direction of what lever is applied. Right turn signal comes on when you turn lever to left turn. Windshield wipers run intermittently when on.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 2500
“Death wobble truck will start shaking violently and uncontrollably when you hit a small bump in the road”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 2500
“Front end of dodge ram and steering wheel will shake and wobble violently after hitting small bump in road at high speeds. Shaking continues for about 12 seconds. Very dangerous when happening in interstate traffic.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 2500
“Recieved a recall notice, still waiting for follow up recall notice when parts are available. Have not recieved a notice as of yet.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 2500
“Bad tipm. Wipers and radio dont work. Had tested by dealer. $1550 for dealer to replace part.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 2500
“The gear shift can be moved from park without depressing the brake to release the shift interlock.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2006 2500
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 701 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 78,181 miles. Half of those reports fall between 48,000 and 118,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (9)
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 2006-2007 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, Dakota, and 2006 Mitsubishi Raider vehicles manufactured July 1, 2005, to July 31, 2006 with manual transmissions. The return springs in the clutch ignition…
Fix: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the clutch ignition interlock switch, free of charge. The recall began on March 27, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at…
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Dodge RAM 2500 4x4 and 3500 4x4, model year 2007-2008 Dodge RAM 3500 4x2 Cab Chassis and model year 2006-2008 Dodge RAM 1500 Mega Cab 4x4 trucks manufactured February 12, 2002, through…
Fix: Chrysler notified owners and launched its recall campaign in January 2014. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N62.
CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008-2011 DODGE RAM 2500/3500 4X4, MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 14, 2008, THROUGH MARCH 28, 2011; MODEL YEAR 2008-2011 DODGE RAM 3500 CAB CHASSIS 4X2, MANUFACTURED FROM FEBRUARY 14, 2008, THROUGH MARCH 28, 2011; AND…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TIE ROD ENDS FOR RELATIVE ORIENTATION AND REPLACE THE LEFT OUTER TIE ROD AS REQUIRED AND PERFORM A FRONT END TOE ALIGNMENT AS NEEDED. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF…
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…
CERTAIN LKI ENTERPRISES, INC., BRAND NAME SUPERLIFT SUSPENSION, PITMAN ARMS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR 2003-2007 DODGE RAM 2500 AND 3500 4X4 LIGHT TRUCKS. DUE TO INADEQUATE HEAT TREATMENT DURING PRODUCTION, THE AFFECTED PITMAN ARMS MAY DEVELOP CRACKS…
Fix: LKI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE PITMAN ARM, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 12, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT LKI AT 1-800-551-4955.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH FOUR-WHEEL ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEMS (ABS), THE ABS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) MAY CAUSE A LOSS OF FRONT TO REAR BRAKE BALANCE, AND THE REAR BRAKES COULD LOCK UP PREMATURELY DURING CERTAIN BRAKING CONDITIONS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE ABS ECU. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING THE WEEK OF JULY 17, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DAIMLERCHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.
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 13V172000.
Led to recall campaign 14V795000.
Technical service bulletins
49 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2006 Ram 2500. 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 2006 Ram 2500 reliable?
The 2006 Ram 2500 drew 903 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 28/100, scored against the model's worst year (2018).
What are the most common 2006 Ram 2500 problems?
The top reported problems for the 2006 Ram 2500 are electrical (259 complaints), steering (235), and suspension (106).
At what mileage do 2006 Ram 2500 problems show up?
Owners most often report 2006 Ram 2500 problems around 78,181 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 48,000 and 118,000 miles.
Does the 2006 Ram 2500 have recalls?
9 recall campaigns apply to the 2006 Ram 2500. 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.