FaultScore

Dodge RAM 1500 engine problems

1,388 of the 16,087 complaints filed about the Dodge RAM 1500 are about the engine — 9% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2004.

1,388

Complaints

9%

Share of all complaints

18

Crashes

74

Fires

Engine & Cooling complaints by model year

1991 RAM 1500 2 0.1%
1994 RAM 1500 5 0.4%
1995 RAM 1500 14 1.0%

Median failure at 200,000 miles

1996 RAM 1500 39 2.8%

Median failure at 106,000 miles

1997 RAM 1500 23 1.7%

Median failure at 31,000 miles

1998 RAM 1500 39 2.8%

Median failure at 79,182 miles

1999 RAM 1500 46 3.3%

Median failure at 75,011 miles

2000 RAM 1500 36 2.6%

Median failure at 74,000 miles

2001 RAM 1500 70 5.0%

Median failure at 70,000 miles

2002 RAM 1500 81 5.8%

Median failure at 73,000 miles

2003 RAM 1500 77 5.5%

Median failure at 63,000 miles

2004 RAM 1500 191 13.8%

Median failure at 65,000 miles

2005 RAM 1500 155 11.2%

Median failure at 62,500 miles

2006 RAM 1500 56 4.0%

Median failure at 60,000 miles

2007 RAM 1500 49 3.5%

Median failure at 63,000 miles

2008 RAM 1500 43 3.1%

Median failure at 72,800 miles

2009 RAM 1500 61 4.4%

Median failure at 79,000 miles

2010 RAM 1500 74 5.3%

Median failure at 85,707 miles

2011 RAM 1500 156 11.2%

Median failure at 100,000 miles

2012 RAM 1500 171 12.3%

Median failure at 83,500 miles

What owners said

2012 Dodge RAM 1500 Arlington, TX

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.

NHTSA complaint #11744333 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Dodge RAM 1500 Stevensville, MD

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.

NHTSA complaint #11731758 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 Dodge RAM 1500 at 228,510 miles Killeen, TX

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced transmission failure, and the brake lines were rusted. The contact was trapped in the desert for hours with his dog. The contact stated that two independent mechanics had determined that the idler pulley needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that six injectors and the ECM needed to be rebuilt. While driving, the vehicle went into the death wobble, and several linkages were damaged. Additionally, the front seat belts were inoperable with the seat belt warning light illuminated. The vehicle became inoperable. The vehicle was repaired under warranty previously, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 228,510.

NHTSA complaint #11728619 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 Dodge RAM 1500 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.

2002 Dodge RAM 1500 Kodak, TN

ENGINE

I bought this truck new I still own problem is the cooling system does not function properly I have put new radiator and all heat and cooling in it the heat and air does not operate properly I have talked with crysler several times and they will help with issue it’s been like this about as long as I have had it please help me and there’s a whole lot more people with same issue and it’s a very bad problem with the windshield keeps fogging up can not see the road or traffic

NHTSA complaint #11726774 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Dodge RAM 1500 at 80,000 miles Hager City, WI

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.

NHTSA complaint #11725787 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 Dodge RAM 1500 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.

2010 Dodge RAM 1500 Grundy Center, IA

ENGINE

Was just driving and the engine shut off and a check engine light came on and won’t start again believe timing chain failed

NHTSA complaint #11697784 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Dodge RAM 1500 at 140,000 miles Shadow Hills, CA

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. After several attempts, the vehicle restarted. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while starting the vehicle, after releasing the key fob, the vehicle stalled. The contact taped the key to the side of the vehicle to start. The contact stated that once the key fob was taped, the windows failed to roll up, the indicators failed to function as intended, the heater and A/C failed to operate as needed, and the hazard lights were inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA complaint #11696795 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 Dodge RAM 1500 Deltona o, FL

ENGINE

Driving on freeway , lost power Cruise control automatically shut off yellow light shape of a motor came on ; on the upper left side of the dashboard, had to pull over on side of freeway. Able to restart after a little bit. Another time sitting at traffic light shuts off , same light again . Another time had to wait from 11 pm to 3 am before it started and had called a tow truck.. THE RECALL IT FALLS UNDER IS #20V475000 CRANKSHAFT SENSOR , called and filed claim defect # is11686607 . Please Reply

NHTSA complaint #11686970 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2004 Dodge RAM 1500 at 312,000 miles Deltona, FL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal and stalled. In addition, the vehicle vibrated before losing power. The vehicle stalled at an intersection. The contact was stopped for hours, and the vehicle failed to restart. After six hours, the tow truck arrived, and the contact restarted the vehicle. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the yellow warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact's brother, a mechanic, inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the crankshaft position sensor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 312,000.

NHTSA complaint #11686607 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Dodge RAM 1500 Waldorf, MD

ENGINE

The vehicle finally became inoperable at 119,000 miles due to lifter failure. Lifter issues started when the vehicle had about 106,000 miles on it. There were multiple misfire and gas mileage became worse. There was a loud ticking noise coming from the engine as well. Vehicle has been well maintained and only 1 owner, purchased new. With the lifter failure, this caused damage to the camshaft and which led to an excess amount of metal shavings to be spread throughout the engine. The vehicle ultimately had to get a engine replacement because of the excess metal shavings in the engine.

NHTSA complaint #11677703 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 Dodge RAM 1500 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.

2006 Dodge RAM 1500 at 90,000 miles White Oak, GA

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly shut off. During the failure, the power steering and power braking system became inoperable. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the spark plugs and ignition coils however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted or notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

NHTSA complaint #11673569 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Dodge RAM 1500 Alice, TX

ENGINE

Unknown this truck was not involved in an accident however it came close with steering /brakes the Engine Faulty Wiring Harness caused major issues it wasn’t until recently I saw a video of how to fix the problem you can view these videos online I will say Dodge is Responsible they did have buybacks this too I had No Knowledge of no recalls either however I recently address it to the dealership who sold me this truck the Service Manager told me it’s my issue not theirs they took care of it years ago this is the reason I am sending my complaint I was informed your department will look into this matter to get a resolution on this serious matter thank you. I have some photos the video would not download you can see it if you put 2012 Dodge Ram Engine Faulty Wire issues . Yes I spent $3000 for a mechanic to wire it this should had been fix by Dodge Chrysler not me and it still needs to be fix.

NHTSA complaint #11663405 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Dodge RAM 1500 Cropwell, AL

ENGINE

The engine has lifters ticking when cold and a loss of power during operation. The engine hesitates during driving at different times and runs rough. There is no warning before this happens and no warning lights/sensors activated. The truck only has 76k miles on it.

NHTSA complaint #11661342 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Dodge RAM 1500 Chicago, IL

ENGINE

The engine has this ticking sound that has progressively gotten louder and now the engine shakes. My truck has turned off multiple times in traffic at a random and I would presume it’s from a failing engine.

NHTSA complaint #11657088 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2012 Dodge RAM 1500 at 160,000 miles Akron, OH

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2012 Ram 1500. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary at a red light, upon starting to drive and attempting to make a right turn, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to immediately restart the vehicle. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 160,000.

NHTSA complaint #11653447 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2011 Dodge RAM 1500 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.

2012 Dodge RAM 1500 Hockley, TX

ENGINE

Warning light came on suddenly. Vehicle lost power. Smoking out of the tail pipe. Very dangerous for other drivers. Took the vehicle to a mechanic, said I have problems with the lifters, and need to replace the engine. I don’t know why Chrysler doesn’t issue a recall for this issue, it seems to happen often. Thank you very much.

NHTSA complaint #11612812 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Dodge RAM 1500 problems