Ram 1500 Complaints

11,877 consumer complaints on file.

#11700982November 22, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2016 Ram 1500. Abs system malfunction. Brakes lock up randomly. Abs, brake light, traction control light come on randomly causing brake issues. Very dangerous. Called multiple dealerships. No control module available. No date for part to be available. This is huge safety issue and Ram/fiat are not seeming to care. No sense of urgency from any of the dealerships or manufacturer. Lawsuit could be happening sense this is huge safety problem. Code c2200-49
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700971November 22, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On 11/20/25 I rented a 2026 Dodge Ram truck from Thrifty at the Wilmington, NC airport. My 17 year old daughter was with me. As I was sitting at a red light, I tapped the “comfort” button on the center screen to try to adjust the air conditioner. When I did, the audio system, which had been off, suddenly blasted a radio station to the maximum volume of the speakers. No warning. It was horribly painful and jolting. I tried turning down the volume using the volume dial. It didn’t work. Nothing would turn it down. The volume setting showed it was already at zero on the screen. It continued to blast us until I saw I could push the volume button to power off the screen. That stopped it but my daughter and I were both very shaken and upset. It was the loudest sound we’ve ever heard and it went on for at least 5-6 seconds. She was able to cover her ears, I was not because I was desperately trying to find a way to turn it off. I am thankful it happened at a red light or I’m afraid it would have caused an accident. I reported it to the rental agency immediately upon getting to our hotel. I was scared it would happen again and cause an accident, so I tried to do what they suggested, which was to try the volume controls behind the steering wheel. It did not work. We were exposed to this horrible volume at least 3 more times for closer to 10 seconds each before we were able to figure out how to turn off surround sound, which stopped the noise but enabled us to still use the screen. I returned the rental truck on 11/22/25 and reported it again to another agent. He confirmed the note was still in the system from when I first reported it and assured me they would look into it. My ears still hurt and my hearing is still muffled. I keep having to ask my daughter to repeat herself. Loud sounds, like announcements in the airport or on the plane are painful. I plan to get my ears checked when I get back home.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700963November 22, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
My driver sun visor support broke when I tried to pull down the sun visor. It is supported by a plastic piece. If it wasn’t supported on the left side it could have fell down completely blocking my visibility of the road. I looked up this issue online and there are many other videos with the same issue with these trucks. This issue is so persistent that some third party companies have already come out with plastic support pieces to screw in to fix this. I took the truck to the dealer but they said they won’t fix it since my truck is out of warranty. There was no warnings, messages, or symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700954November 22, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was stopped at a light and my dash light started beeping and flashing at random and the truck just shut off. My parking break got randomly engaged and the truck went back to P mode even though it was in drive prior. I turned the truck back on and the break wouldn’t release and I couldn’t turn the knob to drive. Had to turn it off again and after about 2 minute it left me drive again. Second time and I just bought this truck.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700715November 21, 2025
AIR BAGS
The service airbag system keeps alerting me. Some vehicles have been recalled but my vehicle has not been recalled and I would like that to be taken care of.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700796November 21, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Car shut off while driving without warnings.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700857November 21, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
After hearing a grinding noise coming from the engine, I took the vehicle (2020 RAM 1500 w/5.7L eTorque) to the dealer. It's been waiting for a replacement MGU (Motor Generator Unit) for over 3 weeks but I'm told it might take months to get a replacement part. Fortunately, I discovered this before having a breakdown on a busy highway or up in the mountains. Had that occured, I most certainly would have lost the ability to steer the truck and braking would have been diminished. I'm hoping this manufacturing defect is elevated to safety recall status in the hope of preventing future loss of life.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700912November 21, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
While driving on the highway at 70 MPH on cruise control the ABS and Traction Control lights came on and the cruise control stopped working. There was a warning message to have the ABS system serviced. This happened again two days later. The lights did not come on after restarting the truck. I took it into the dealer and the codes were C0020-1C and C0020-16. The shop said the ABS pump and ABS control module need to be replaced. The control module has been out of stock for 3 years according to the parts department. Reconditioning is an option but the chip to fix the module is no longer available. This one dealer has close to 20 trucks waiting for this part. The 2017 and 2018 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 were recalled for the ABS, but not the 1500. From my research it seems like the same parts were involved in that recall. I have been in contact with Ram Customer Service and they are attempting to find a part, which I appreciate, but they admit that many are looking for the part and some have been waiting years. They tell me there was an issue with the original manufacturer and they had to redesign and remanufacture the part. It seems to me that this was a defective part and similar parts to this were involved in a recall of other models by the same manufacturer. I am willing to pay for the repair just to have a reliable and safe vehicle, but I would think a defective brake part should be involved in a recall. The other problem is the lack of available parts for multiple years.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700927November 21, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
The abs system is bad. I have 150000 on the truck. They are doing recalls on this system. But don't go back to 2014. There are other people having same issue. It's ashame that Dodge don't want to fix it. I'm on disability and it's a shame that a company can do this when you pay so much for a vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700726November 21, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The pinion and carrier bearings failed on a less than 3 year old truck with 66k miles. This is way to early for this type of repair and was just out of warranty. This could have caused the truck to lock up while driving possibly injuring myself and other drivers. The noise caused from this was heard months before but was believed to be tire related.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700724November 21, 2025
POWER TRAIN
At approximately 66k and even thousands of miles before this the rear axle bearings failed and needed to be replaced. This is much sooner than a component like this should fail and oddly just outside of the warranty period. Although no safety incident happened, it very well could have locked up the rear axle putting myself and others in danger.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700543November 20, 2025
SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 55-60 MPH, the ABS warning light was illuminated, and the contact decelerated to 40 MPH and drove a mile. The contact stated that the passenger's side front end made an abnormal sound and collapsed, and the contact was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact then noticed that the front passenger's side tire had detached, the brake lines were leaking, and the front axle was fractured. And there was fire underneath the passenger's side front end of the vehicle. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. It was unknown whether a fire department report was filed. The police officers arrived at the scene, but it was unknown whether a report was filed. The vehicle was pulled to James Towing mechanic shop, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side wheel bearing had failed and caused the wheel to detach. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700590November 20, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear window of ram truck leaks and ram will not authorize proper window replacements. Caulk is not the answer as they’ve suggested
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700626November 20, 2025
STEERING
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The Power Steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence, and the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700655November 20, 2025
STEERING
I was attempting to make a left hand turn when my power steering failed. Continued to be out for several more minutes of driving and then it restored itself. Has not been a problem while driving the vehicle today.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700659November 20, 2025
STEERING
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The red steering warning light was illuminated. The contact used force to maneuver the steering wheel. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact was later able to drive to the residence, but added effort was needed to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact parked the vehicle and no longer drove the vehicle due to safety concerns. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700683November 20, 2025
ENGINE
Sudden engine failure
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700661November 20, 2025
ENGINE
The contact owned a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving, the engine compartment caught fire. The contact also stated that the vehicle lost motive power, and multiple warning lights illuminated. The contact reported that the entire vehicle became engulfed in flames, and the fire was extinguished by the local fire department. A police report was not filed. The contact did not sustain any physical injuries but experienced smoke inhalation and a nosebleed; however, no medical attention was provided. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 82,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700658November 20, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Component: Electrical System Summary of Problem: Repeated electrical failures causing dead batteries, parasitic drain, and unsafe driving conditions. Details of Incident: July 2025: Purchased truck with 33k miles. Sept 2025: Battery completely failed; AAA confirmed cells were gone. Battery replaced. Two weeks later: Battery dead again; AAA jump-started. Vacation trip: Battery failed 3 more times, requiring jumps. Cross-country trip (MD → Vegas → Utah → Missouri): Multiple battery failures. Observed truck’s interior lights cycling on/off overnight. Diagnostic scan revealed 40 electrical codes. Chicago Dodge Dealer (Oct 2025): Technicians replicated issue and confirmed electrical faults. Chrysler refused to authorize parts, claiming 12V battery at fault. Vehicle has been at dealer over one month. Consumer threaten to be charged for diagnostics, technician time, and rental car. Safety Risk: Vehicle repeatedly fails to start, leaving driver stranded in unsafe locations. Electrical system unpredictably powers on/off, risking fire hazard or system failure while driving. Items such as UConnect, alerts, and lights fail randomly. Owner forced to drive long distances without shutting off engine to avoid being stranded. Attempts to Remedy: Multiple AAA service calls and battery replacements. Dealer diagnostics confirmed electrical defect. Chrysler refuses to authorize repair, blaming battery despite evidence. Consumer Impact: Financial burden: diagnostic fees, rental car costs, repeated AAA calls. Consumer already spent > $6k on improvements Displacement from home in Maryland; stranded in Chicago for over 30 days. Severe inconvenience and safety risk during cross-country travel. Requested Action: Chrysler to acknowledge systemic electrical defect. Immediate repair at no cost to consumer. Reimbursement for diagnostic, rental, and related expenses. NHTSA investigation into widespread RAM 1500 electrical failures (2024–2025 models).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700552November 20, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Driver's side headlight shines excessively to the left. Blinding oncoming traffic and not illuminating the forward path of travel the way the passenger headlight does. Not able to adjust the headlight and dealer is not able to do anything about it either.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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