Dodge Ram Complaints (2012)

1,397 consumer complaints on file.

#11770439October 11, 2026
SUSPENSION
**Subject: URGENT VEHICLE SAFETY CONCERN — Steering Failure, Track Bar Bracket/Frame Damage, and Risk to Family Safety — 2012 Ram 2500** To Ram Customer Care and the Vehicle Safety Team, I am requesting immediate attention to a serious safety concern involving my 2012 Ram 2500 4×4 with the 6.7L Cummins diesel engine. This is not simply a complaint about suspension performance or the cost of repairing an older truck. My concern is the history of steering and suspension failures that could put the driver, passengers, children, and other road users at risk. The factory drag link broke in half while I was driving down a steep hill. That was a frightening and dangerous experience. The truck also had problems while it was still at stock suspension height. I believed the stock suspension was responsible, which is why I later installed an aftermarket lift. The lift was an attempt to address the problem, not the beginning of the problem, based on my experience. The truck now experiences severe wobbling under braking, and the front track bar bracket appears to be pulling away from or tearing out of the frame. I am concerned about the integrity of the steering and front suspension mounting points and the possibility of losing control of the vehicle. **My family’s safety is a major concern. Children ride in this truck.** I cannot treat a possible steering or structural failure as an ordinary maintenance issue when the consequences of a failure could be catastrophic. I am aware of FCA Safety Recall R46 / NHTSA campaign 15V-541, which addressed track bar frame bracket welding concerns on certain Ram trucks. I understand that my 2012 model year may not be included in the recall population. Nevertheless, I am asking Ram to examine the actual condition of my vehicle and determine whether the failures warrant further technical investigation. I respectfully request: 1. A formal safety case and a case reference number. 2. Escalation to the appropriate Ram technical, engineerin
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763314September 10, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Hello I have a 2012 Dodge ram 1500 and fuel tank bracket holder rusted off there is a recall x75 code that they're now telling me expired 2024, I've had to strap it up with bungee cords, but this is a safety hazard how do I go about getting a Goodwill warranty extension? It's the same issue detailed in TSB 14-002-18 REV. A. Bought in [XXX] and I live in [XXX] the salt state is on the list. This is a safety hazard recall how do I go about getting this done they don't seem to want to honor this or help me. Thank you for your help. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11763137September 9, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Dodge Ram 1500 2012 model, vehicle randomly turns off without warning while driving. It is as if someone turns off the key no warning lights before , no check engine lights , after is shuts down no codes shown, so far able to coast out of the way and restart vehicle with key fob once in neutral. this is a safety issue and according to my research others have had the same issue. but no diffident resolve. Dealership is currently attempting to diagnose the issue. You need to check into this before someone is killed. I am sure by now Ram dodge is aware of the problem but not doing anything about it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11762214September 4, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL
The contact owned a 2012 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, a fire started under the hood. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The hood was completely consumed by the fire. The fire department declared the vehicle a total loss. The contact stated that inspection by the fire department declared that the fire was an electrical fire that started on the driver's side under the hood. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V635000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Fuel System, Diesel); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was contacted by phone and was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 259,500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11755251August 6, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
While the vehicle was sitting in the driveway not running, the back of the headlight caught on fire. There wasn't any incedents (e.i. any collision, repairs) prior to the indecent. It is available for inspection. No dealership report yet, but have an appointment with local dealership Tuesday to get an itemized estimate for the repairs.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11753537July 29, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The switch to start the vehicle has to be pushed down and turned at the same time. Vehicle starts but shuts the engine down when the key returns sometimes. On one occasion vehicle shut down while driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11744333June 15, 2026
ENGINE
Unknown The engine is bad. Costing me $2500 that I don't have. The lifter needs fixing and probably other things as well. I need help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740399May 27, 2026
ENGINE
We purchased our 2012 Dodge Ram heavy duty with tow package new. At just over 152000 miles, the engine started knocking while on vacation. We were not towing at the time. We put in injector cleaner to try and help the knocking. During our vacation, we were on the freeway when we suddenly lost power, the service engine light popped on, and the engine died. We were literally driving one minute and the next were trying to get out of the traffic lane with no control. We restarted the engine, the knocking had stopped and power was restored. Two days later, another episode of power decrease but with no engine service light. We used premium gas, injector cleaner and listened for the knocking that came and went, to drive home. We were told by our local dealership it is a lifter failure and the truck needs a replacement engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11734962April 30, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Driving my 2012 dodge ram 3500, just as I was crossing one of the busiest intersections in my town my truck lost all power and dropped from 35mph to 5 mph. Barley made it acrossed and pulled over. As soon as I pulled over the engine light comes on, checked code, and U010C lost coms with turbo actuator comes up. Turned truck off and rest code and everything back to normal. About a week later it happened again, luckily not as busy of a spot. Called dealer and soonest appointment was in April. Meanwhile I look up code and see hundreds of post for same issue, bad actuator replace. 28 years as a diesel mechanic for the military, so I found the part online and ordered. Replaced the actuator, drove about 50 miles, light comes back on. Finally get my appointment with dealer and they say my turbo is bad, they want $8k to fix. I ordered the turbo and replaced it myself along with another actuator, test drove. Light still comes on but have not lost power yet?? Dealer is not helping. This is a major issue that is all over the internet! The truck just goes to limp and your in the middle of traffic. If this has not caused an accident it’s only a matter of time before it does. The dealer ship just wants to replace big parts for lots of money. I’m already $2500 into this and still having an issue
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733543April 24, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH and hauling a camper, the rear wheels locked up, and the contact lost control of the vehicle and the vehicle spun out. The camper jackknifed during the failure. The rear axle and wheels locked without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 146,000
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731758April 17, 2026
ENGINE
My 2012 Dodge developed an engine issue at 129,000 miles. The issue was rough idling and no acceleration. I took it to a Dodge dealer. They diagnosed it as a chronic cam issue with this generation Chrysler hemi engine. I had the cam and replaced at Waldorf Dodge. The cost was at $3400. I believe this is a known problem and Dodge is aware of exactly why it happens. Lack of oil pressure to two of the cylinders that are dropped while driving for fuel economy. This should be Dodge problem not the consumer. I take excellent care of my vehicles. I also have a 2004 Dodge truck but that’s over 450,000 miles on it same engine same transmission.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11730792April 13, 2026
STEERING
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the steering wheel was loose. The contact pulled over and discovered that the steering shaft had detached. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who repaired the steering shaft. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729012April 3, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The contact's ex-wife owns a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while his ex-wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver shifted into park(P) and then restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the starter and key fob were replaced twice. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V265000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 165,353.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11727697March 28, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Fuel tank strap corroded due to environmental exposure to water and salt in West Virginia.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11725787March 20, 2026
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light was flashing, and the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was shaking and continued decelerating. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. A certified mechanic was contacted and advised the contact to drive the vehicle approximately 45 MPH with the hazard lights flashing to the repair shop. The mechanic diagnosed a misfire in cylinder #2, lifters failure, causing the camshaft failure, which allowed metal debris to enter the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11722768March 8, 2026
POWER TRAIN
My 2012 ram1500 st 4.7 liter has the 9.25 rear differential that was in fact common for that year model too have the loose pinion nut recall my trucks vin is [XXX] for confirmation after doing some research on the symptoms that could potentially be causing this problem include but are not limited to a whining sound coming from my trucks rear end that gets louder when accelerating and noticeably changes when decelerating and vibration that is noticeable as well which is commonly caused by this defect my information was coming from reputable sources i came to the conclusion that they matched up perfectly with this recall however when I called the dealership to schedule an appointment to get the repairs done they told me the vin did not line up with the dates when it was manufactured to be considered apart of the recall I was surprised by this so i dug deeper into this issue only to find there was conflicting results some saying the vin did in fact match eligibility for this recall and not eligible to recieve repairs they the customer support rep also explained that in order to determine if it would be covered I would have to go to them in order for the technicians to diagnose and verify the cause for the issues followed up by saying they would not know if my truck did infact qualify for the manufacturer to cover repair costs if it did not qualify i would have to pay for the diagnostic analysis which amounted to the tune of 300-400 dollars which i found to be unreasonable and due to my financial position due to the fact that I am being medically discharged from the army and will be out in no later than 2 months from now 3-4 hundred is alot of money givin my situation however the main take aways from my complaint are 1. Everything points to the symptoms my truck is having points to the issue lining up with the recall2. My trucks year make model and rear axle that was directly effected by this issue3.my conversation with them seemed like I hat to go to the INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11722822March 8, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The truck will just shut off driving down the road at highway speeds. This has occurred multiple times.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11720578February 25, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
i CALLED MY LOCAL DODGE DEALER, BROWN MOTORS IN PETOSKEY MI., A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO TO HAVE A COUPLE OF UNCOMPLETED RECALLS PERFORMED. I TOOK MY TRUCK IN TO THE DEALER TODAY AND WAS NOTIFIED LATER THAT THEY COULD NOT PERFORM THE RECALL AND IT WOULD COST ME NEARLY $1700 TO PERFORM THE RECALL, MOSTLY PERTAINING TO THE FUEL BRACKET RECALL. I FIND THIS VERY ODD AS IT WOULD MAKE SENSE THAT ALL RELATED PARTS THAT HAVE TO BE REMOVED TO PERFORM THIS SAFETY RECALL SHOULD BE PART OF THE RECALL INCLUDING ANY SAID LABOR COSTS. MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE CURRENT HAS ONE OF THE FUEL TANK STRAPS THAT HAS COME LOOSE AND NOW I AM FORCE TO DRIVE THAT WAY UNTIL I CAN GET THIS VERY HAZARDOUS OSSUE RESOLVED.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715559February 4, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and stalled. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was turned off; however, while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. After several attempts, the vehicle restarted and was driven to the residence. The contact stated that after parking and turning off the vehicle, the fuel pump was still running. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a fuel pump relay failure. The contact was informed that the TIPM needed to be replaced. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that it was a known failure with the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,300.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11708616January 4, 2026
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
My passenger headlights keeps going in and out. The wiring harness has been replaced twice and it still does it. My check engine light keeps coming on for the evap system even though its been replaced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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