FaultScore

2011 Dodge RAM 1500 engine problems

156 of the 989 complaints about the 2011 Dodge RAM 1500 are about the engine — 16% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 100,000 miles.

C

156

Complaints

2

Crashes

4

Fires

0

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Engine 151 96.8%
Engine AND Engine Cooling 3 1.9%
Manifold/Header/Muffler/Tail Pipe 1 0.6%
Belts AND Associated Pulleys 1 0.6%

Engine & Cooling across every Dodge RAM 1500 year

1995 14 1.0%
1996 39 2.8%
1997 23 1.7%
1998 39 2.8%
1999 46 3.3%
2000 36 2.6%
2001 70 5.1%
2002 81 5.9%
2003 77 5.6%
2004 191 13.8%
2005 155 11.2%
2006 56 4.1%
2007 49 3.5%
2008 43 3.1%
2009 61 4.4%
2010 74 5.4%
2011 156 11.3%
2012 171 12.4%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

at 134,000 miles Seattle, WA

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced by an independent mechanic, the contact was informed that the motor mounts were old and fractured. The independent mechanic suggested that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the repair. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed that the motor mounts were fractured and that the vehicle backfired due to piston failure. The dealer replaced the motor mounts. The contact stated that the motor mounts were replaced under an unknown recall. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the vehicle was at a specialty shop for the engine to be replaced. While at the specialty shop, the contact was informed that the motor mounts were not replaced. The vehicle remained at the specialty shop unrepaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

NHTSA complaint #11728126 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Spring Valley, CA

ENGINE

There are multiple electrical issues I’ve had to trouble shoot over the past 4 months. As I’ve researched other people with the same issues online, I’ve bee seeing a lot about some recalls pertaing to electrical issues and fuel issues and so I am wondering if there are prior recalls that I might need to have taken care of which I feel could fix my vehicle issues

NHTSA complaint #11710109 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Niles, MI

ENGINE

my 2011 RAM 1500 5.7L has a Faulty TIPM. Fuel Pump cuts out, causing stalling and intermittent operation, starting vehicle becomes problematic while commuting. vehicle will sometimes not start at all and will remain stuck in an ignition loop. Continues to throw random check engine codes. I have had several near miss collisions while driving due to its unsafe condition I took the vehicle in to have a diagnostic done and a licensed Chrysler dealer deduced the vehicle has a faulty TIPM, which correlates to the mass recall on the 2011 RAM 1500 models However my VIN does not show its associated with the many models of 2011 RAM 1500 when I cross referenced this.

NHTSA complaint #11676064 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Stockton, CA

ENGINE

My truck first started having trouble starting .when driving engine it would shut-off at anytime making it dangerous to steer and breakdown in traffic. There was no fault codes or warning lights on dash . After doing testing I found that the fuel pump relay was shut-off. Tipm is faulty and all Chrysler that have this style of tipm should be added to recall . I purchased a external fuel pump relay harness to repair tipm.

NHTSA complaint #11621059 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Knoxville, IA

ENGINE

5.7 Liter Hemi Lifter/Camshaft failure. Camshaft lobe has been completely ground down. Always been well maintained and taken care of also. Apparently this is a Major recurring issue with this year Ram 1500 with the 5.7L. Didn’t have any warning lights pop up on the dash either. I believe this is a safety hazard to myself and other drivers because it happens without warning and I lost 75% power of my truck on a major interstate and was almost rear ended by a semi truck hauling a heavy load. Luckily was able to swerve off onto the shoulder and save myself from a disaster.

NHTSA complaint #11590756 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Melbourne, FL

ENGINE

This issue has been experienced more than 5 times and only occurs while turning. While making both left and right hand turns, the steering wheel locks mid turn and the engine completely shuts off resulting in the inability to turn in any direction. The first time this happened, I almost went into a ditch and today as I turned to cross an intersection, I lost all steering control and the truck shut down mid turn in the middle of the intersection. This left the truck immobilized in the intersection and facing into oncoming traffic. Following each incident, I put the truck in park and restart it as if there was no issue. There are no warning lights that appear prior to any of the incidents that would indicate an issue and the instrument panel goes dark each time the issue occurs. This is going to get me and/or my family killed one of these days. I have researched this online and there are countless reports from other 2011 Ram owners experiencing the same exact issue. How has a safety recall not been issued for this?

NHTSA complaint #11560553 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Jasper, AL

ENGINE

Cranks but don’t start at times. After doing lots of research I think the tipm is going out and will leave me stranded. Repair shop cannot find a problem

NHTSA complaint #11557290 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sacramento, CA Fire

ENGINE

Engine compartment caught fire while driving. Could not put out fire vehicle was total loss.

NHTSA complaint #11552154 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Glendale, AZ

ENGINE

DODGE RAM EXHUST MANIFOLD BOLTS HAVE BROKEN AND NOW ITS COSTING ME ALMOST $3000 DOLLARS TO GET FIXED WHEN DODGE SHOULD OF KNOWN THAT YOU CAN NOT PUT STEEL AND ALUMINUM TOGETHER

NHTSA complaint #11548250 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Saginaw, MI

ENGINE

Exhaust manifold bolts breaking and leaking due to exhaust manifold is warping under high heat. Company will not repair this problem. As it is a recurring issue known as the hemi tick. With exhaust gas leaking at the manifold causing carbon monoxide to enter cab or vehicle. Before exiting the rear of the vehicle as designed.

NHTSA complaint #11530587 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Mount Calm, TX

ENGINE

My truck has the same Fuse box assembly that several other dodge jeep vehicles have that the fuel pump relay shorts out while driving yet none of yalls recalls include my specific vehicle so that I can get my truck fixed under the multiple recalls yall have issued for this exact problem, dodge should be held liable for their mistakes not the consumers who are having to pay to fix the issue out of pocket simply because y'all didn't include our vehicles in the recall, my vehicle has shorted out many times almost causing us to nearly have multiple wrecks

NHTSA complaint #11530360 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Burnet, TX

ENGINE

The exhaust manifold cracked, the electrical system, supplying gas to the engine, is built into the fuse box, which is unfixable without replacing the entire fuse box. Valve on engine became extremely noisy and I’ve had to be replaced

NHTSA complaint #11528801 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Provo, UT

ENGINE

There was complete Cam and Lifter failure and it can be inspected. I was driving on the freeway and suddenly all power was lost and the truck started shaking. Once we got off the freeway, the truck started shaking horribly when we hit 3k RPM. We became an obstruction in the road and driving was dangerous. It is reproduced and confirmed by the dealer. It has been inspected. The check engine went on the same time the truck started shaking.

NHTSA complaint #11514220 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Innisfil, Ontario, L9S1T8, CA

ENGINE

With no warning the TIPM malfunctioned leaving my truck in a crank with no start scenario and stranded. Then my starter died trying to resolve. Starter replaced and mechanic found the TIPM fuel relay corroded and malfunctioning. Chrysler dealers tell me no new TIPM is available as far as they can search across Canada and they have no ETA when they expect availability of the part. So now I can’t even repair the truck? Every other 2011 Chrysler / Jeep / Dodge had been recalled for the EXACT same part back in 2014-2015 investigation. Why was the 2011 Ram truck excluded from this recall??? A few searches online and it’s evident the majority of 2011 ram owners have run into this issue, and lots of reporting of it. So now I have a vehicle that has 0 parts available to fix (straight from multiple Chrysler dealers parts dept) and is pretty much only good to be used as a paper weight now and I have to look at buying another vehicle because this part isn’t even available? A Recall should be issued for the TIPM is 2011 ram and/or if this part is not available, fair market value buy back from Chrysler/FCA should be mandated, and they can buy back this paperweight of a truck I am now stuck with no solution to even get it repaired with new OEM parts.

NHTSA complaint #11504154 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Provo, UT

ENGINE

The camshaft has balded on one of the cylinders. I first said I had a check engine light with a P0303 code. I replaced the spark plugs, the ignition coils, the fuel injector, and even the PCM. None of that fixed it. I was driving on the freeway when it started flashing the check engine light and the car lost all power so the RPMs don't like to go over 3k. The check engine light still flashes like crazy every time I turn it on and even touch the gas. I checked the vacuum lines and sensors and air lines. They are all perfect. Then I checked the compression and it is less than half of what it is supposed to be on just one cylinder. I looked at the camshaft and found that it was bald and not creating compression that way. I did some research on some forums and found this is really common for this year of Ram. This made it undrivable and unsafe without power. I haven't taken it to a dealership yet because I don't think I should pay for something that is a car malfunction across the board. https://www.ramforumz.com/threads/ram-hemi-cam-lifter-failure-thread.188978/

NHTSA complaint #11501523 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Marine City, MI

ENGINE

engine ticking,lifter and cam failure had it checked, engine stalled while driving in traffic almost had an accident,they used defective parts and fiat knew this and did nothing about it,this is a common problem in all these engines from 2009 to 2014

NHTSA complaint #11496987 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

St.maries, ID Crash

ENGINE

The timing chain and timing tensioner are loose when the economy is on. Have to drive it in tow mode for it to stop. Then the truck jumped forward an hit another vehicle. Now, I have to pay 1600 to get it fixed.. If dodge would've put good quality parts in we wouldn't be having this discussion.

NHTSA complaint #11487704 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Olathe, KS

ENGINE

I was driving at highway speed. The vehicle suddenly lost power and began to shutter. It was difficult to control and the vehicle behind me had to swerve to the inside lane to avoid a rear end collision. Upon receipt and diagnosis from Olathe DCJ, they indicated there is a misfire in cylinder 5. Through a Google review, I discovered this is very common know issue. It costs anywhere from $3500-$15000 to resolve let alone the risk to life. In discussion with my service advisor (Mike), they perform this repair a couple of times a month. This is in one location in the Kansas City area. I can only imagine how widespread this issue is.

NHTSA complaint #11476438 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 183,000 miles Fleetwood, PA

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2011 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact initially received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V635000 (Engine and Engine Cooling, Fuel System, Diesel). The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the recall was serviced. Recently, the contact stated that he noticed a fuel leak coming from the fuel heater. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that a plug on the connector had melted due to a defective O-ring. The mechanic linked the failure to the recall. The dealer was contacted by both the mechanic and the contact and both were informed that the recall was a one-time free repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 183,000.

NHTSA complaint #11467150 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

San Antonio, TX

ENGINE

Wireless ignition node and key . Cave in will not work ,can not move truck stuck in park gear

NHTSA complaint #11453328 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 145,600 miles Kalispell, MT

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2011 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 25 mph, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle began to shake forcefully. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated a week after the incident happened. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the camshaft and lifters needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact called and made the local dealer aware of the failure. The contact was unable to reach a representative with the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 145,600.

NHTSA complaint #11423250 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Vail, AZ

ENGINE

Engine is giving a code that a lifter is bad. With only 170000 miles this should never be a problem unless there is a defect with the parts used to make the engine.

NHTSA complaint #11421303 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Vail, AZ

ENGINE

If I am driving and a lifter gives out and the vehicle shuts down then ANYTHING can happen at any speed. SO wtf are ya'll talking about this is not a safety concern? So if u want to get into how many people are in harms way if this fails we are talking about Thousands to Millions. AS THESE CARS GET OLDER WE WILL ONLY SEE THIS HAPPEN MORE OFTEN. Build a terrible product u need to get called out for the terrible design because u wee trying to screw people out of repair money by the terrible design. These companies should be sued out of existence. They dont care about the longevity of their product and should not be allowed to sell to AMERICANS.

NHTSA complaint #11421304 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Oregon, OH

ENGINE

The lifters are knocking and there's a tick in the engine. I've done some research and there's a whole forum regarding complaints for the Hemi's 5.7L engines in this specific year of my vehicle and other FCA vehicles, stating the notorious "Hemi tick" and the lifters going bad. Yes my vehicle is available for inspection because I can't afford the amount shops are trying to charge. If multiple vehicle's, made by FCA with the Hemi engine for models 2011, are having the same issue I would think it had to do with a manufacturing defect. The vehicle has caused a major vibration and jerking when I try to drive which could in turn cause me to wreck! My vehicle has been inspected at a shop. My check engine light is on and came on after hearing the tick in the engine for awhile previous to the light coming on. The lifters knocking started about a month ago.

NHTSA complaint #11420284 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Trout Creek, MT

ENGINE

Fuel Pump Relay inside the TPIM failed as did in the same unit that has been previously recalled in other vehicles.Chrysler Recall P54. Without warning the relay failed while hiking in the desert. I returned to a dead battery and a 17 mile hike back out to cell signal to get help. If this failure happened while driving down the road the results could have been a very deadly crash. Why is this part under recall on other vehicles and not this one? It is the same part!

NHTSA complaint #11418757 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 180,000 miles Sheboygan, WI

ENGINE

TRUCK WAS DRIVING NORMALLY UNTIL GETTING ON THE HIGHWAY. AS TRUCK WAS DRIVING ON THE ON RAMP TO HIGHWAY AND TRYING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC IT HIT 60MPH AND STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND ENGINE BOGGED DOWN, SLOWING THE TRUCK DOWN TO UNDER 60 MPH. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, FLASHING. SLOWED DOWN AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF AND TRUCK DROVE FIND. AFTER PULLING OVER TO SIDE OF THE ROAD ENGINE SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED. NO ISSUES. ATTEMPTED TO MERGE BACK INTO HIGHWAY TRAFFIC BUT AGAIN TRUCK SHOOK AND BOGGED DOWN ONCE REACHING 55MPH. TOOK INTO DEALERSHIP AND PLUGS AND COIL PACK WERE REPLACED. THIS DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE. CATALYTIC CONVERTERS WAS CHECKED AND IT WAS NOT PLUGGED AND FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS WAS ANOTHER RAM WITH A BAD LIFTER THAT CAUSE THE CAM SHAFT TO WEAR OUT. ENGINE WAS REPLACED. AFTER ENGINE WAS REPLACED THIS LED TO ISSUES WITH THE SEAL BETWEEN THE OIL PAN SEAL AND THE ENGINE. THE SEAL FAILED AND WAS LEAKING OIL. TOOK RIGHT BACK TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY NOW HAVE HAD TO PUT TWO OIL SEALS ON. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE AS THIS IS THE 4TH RAM I'VE HEARD OF LISTED IN THE LAST MONTH WITH THIS ISSUE. THERE ARE SIMILAR ISSUES NOTED RECENTLY ON THIS WEBSITE.

NHTSA complaint #11405194 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 79,000 miles Council Bluffs, IA

ENGINE

ENGINE CODE READING MISFIRE ON CYLINDER 3 WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE. VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 80K MILES. VEHICLE STARTS TO SHAKE AND IS HARDER TO CONTROL, AND LOSES ACCELERATION, IS RANDOM, ALMOST CAUSING A MULTI-CAR PILEUP. ISSUE IS THE CAMSHAFT AND LIFTERS. IT IS DESCIBED IN THIS COMMUNICATION HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/TSBS/2021/MC-10187058-9999.PDF THIS IS APPARENTLY A KNOWN ISSUE WITH ANYTHING WITH A 5.7, 6.0 OR 6.4 HEMI MOTOR. SPARK PLUGS AND PLUG WIRES WERE REPLACED 3/21/21, DRIVEN AGAIN ON 3/22/21, SAME ISSUE, ALMOST CAUSING ANOTHER CRASH DUE TO LOSS OF POWER ON THE INTERSTATE WHEN MERGING, AND THEN SHAKING ALMOST SENDING THE VEHICLE INTO BRIDGE.

NHTSA complaint #11404765 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 118,000 miles Mesa, AZ

ENGINE

ENGINE WOULD NOT START. ONCE STARTED WHILE DRIVING MOTOR WOULD SURGE LIKE NOT GETTING GAS AND ALMOST STALL. MECHANICS REPLACED FUEL PUMP BUT WHILE DRIVING AND PARKING FOR DINNER ENGINE ONCE AGAIN WOULDNT START. MECHANICS STILL HAVENT RESOLVED ISSUE

NHTSA complaint #11397266 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 75,000 miles Marysville, CA

ENGINE

TRUCK HAS A HARD TIME STARTING FIRST TIME OF THE DAY AFTER THAT IT IS OK

NHTSA complaint #11385475 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 86,000 miles Carlsbad, CA

ENGINE

I WAS OPERATING MY VEHICLE WHEN IT PRESENTED A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I UTILIZED A CODE READER TO DETERMINE IT WAS A CYLINDER 5 MISFIRE CODE. THE CODE DISAPPEARED AFTER ROUGHLY 30 SECONDS. ABOUT AN HOUR LATER, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. THE TRUCK STARTED VIOLENTLY SHAKING, CAUSING ME TO ALMOST LOSE CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL. I HAD TO QUICKLY PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FROM THE MIDDLE LANE, ALMOST CAUSING MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS AS MY SPEED RAPIDLY DECREASED. THE SHAKING CONTINUED FOR ANOTHER TWO MINUTES AFTER WHICH IT STOPPED. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE HOME BY TRAVELING AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED AND KEEPING THE ENGINE SPEED UNDER 3000 RPM. THE ISSUE WAS DIAGNOSED AS A FAILING CAMSHAFT AND LIFTERS CAUSING A MISFIRE AND THE LOSS OF POWER. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE, AND I AM NOT ABLE TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE FOR FEAR OF THE MISFIRE OCCURRING AGAIN AND ME LOSING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE CAUSING AN ACCIDENT.

NHTSA complaint #11377226 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2011 Dodge RAM 1500 problems

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