FaultScore

RAM 1500 engine problems

2,645 of the 16,530 complaints filed about the RAM 1500 are about the engine — 16% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2015.

2,645

Complaints

16%

Share of all complaints

25

Crashes

115

Fires

Engine & Cooling complaints by model year

2009 1500 5 0.2%

Median failure at 80,454 miles

2013 1500 131 5.0%

Median failure at 70,000 miles

2014 1500 350 13.2%

Median failure at 76,000 miles

2015 1500 395 14.9%

Median failure at 75,000 miles

2016 1500 353 13.3%

Median failure at 65,000 miles

2017 1500 187 7.1%

Median failure at 44,022 miles

2018 1500 153 5.8%

Median failure at 47,399 miles

2019 1500 242 9.1%

Median failure at 25,250 miles

2020 1500 164 6.2%

Median failure at 48,000 miles

2021 1500 276 10.4%

Median failure at 25,810 miles

2022 1500 246 9.3%

Median failure at 39,950 miles

2023 1500 47 1.8%

Median failure at 2,000 miles

2024 1500 23 0.9%

Median failure at 2,150 miles

2025 1500 69 2.6%

Median failure at 3,523 miles

2026 1500 4 0.2%

What owners said

2025 RAM 1500 Enola, PA

ENGINE

When driving between 18/25 miles per hour the engine Revs up to 6000 RPM and truck loses power. This has happened to me twice while driving , it also happened to the mechanic at the Dealership when it was towed there. The dealership had my truck for two weeks trying to fix the problem. After running a Diagnostic test it showed no codes. Stalantis was notified and they said they will NOT do anything to try and fix the problem. This is a real problem that I have seen other people have the same problem , and Stalantis refuses to do anything about it. This is a real danger if you are driving and you have no power. This first happened to me the first time on 8/03/2026. The second time was 8/04/2026, then for the mechanic on 8/10/2026.

NHTSA complaint #11758927 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 RAM 1500 at 63,000 miles Friedens, PA

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally strong exhaust odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the exhaust manifold needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned that the failure posed a safety risk due to the potential inhalation of carbon monoxide. Additionally, the contact stated that a previous model year vehicle that the contact owned was previously repaired due to the same failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA complaint #11757894 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 RAM 1500 at 167,000 miles Richmond, KY

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, the towing suddenly failed. The contact was able to drive off the exit. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The contact stated that the week before, while idling at a stop light, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated, and the contact cleared the code before restarting the vehicle and continued driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and was diagnosed with a tone wheel failure. The failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact learned that the vehicle was included in a recall in 2019, and the fix included updating the powertrain control module software. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that the repair was no longer covered under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 167,000.

NHTSA complaint #11757355 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2020 RAM 1500 Plattsburgh, NY

ENGINE

Twice in the past two years, the eTorque system had failed will driving on the highest. When the unit fails, you lose all power asks if you're battery is low, you can pose the ability to even steer. The first time, I was on the i87 going north, and barely made it off the road. I was nearly hit by several semi trucks because this was on a blind turn with very little shoulder and I basically had to hide in the woods for safety. Just this past week, less than two years after the replacement, the same issue happened again. This incident was on route 11, which is very busy and I was unable to get my vehicle of the road. An officer came to shield me until the tow truck came, but it was very sketchy. This total cost is over 3000$, and no support from Ram as to why this is happening. This past time the bearings went and there was a lot of smoke coming from the engine area. The smell of burning electronics was choking in the cab; at that point I had to get out of the truck due to the toxic fumes. I did file a complaint with them. With this being such a safety concern, why is there no recall? I can't be the only person having had to deal with this. From what the dealership says, this is happening a lot and there is currently an 8 month wait for the part. Just thought you should be aware of this very serious issue.

NHTSA complaint #11757290 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 RAM 1500 Sunnyvale, CA

ENGINE

This has now happened 3 separate times. Once 1 month ago, my husband and I were on the connecting road from [XXX] toward [XXX] by the water plants stopped in traffic and the truck completely powered off at a red light. It took 30 seconds for the truck to power back on, and be restarted. It showed a check engine light the rest of the drive. The next time it turned on from being off there was no check engine light. Last week we were driving on a the main road toward our house going 30 miles per hour and coming up to a right turn then the truck stopped abruptly and died. It completely powered off and took 2 minutes to power back on. We were blocking a one lane road. It then showed a check engine light that went away after a few days. Today after getting ready to enter [XXX] going 55 miles per hour the truck showed a check engine light and the truck started to power down mid highway entrance and I had to try and pull off before it powered down completely. It took 5 minutes this time for the truck regain power enough to be restart fully. The check engine light is still on. It endangered both me and everyone behind me because I abruptly slowed down and risked not having anywhere to pull over on a highway. Every time it has failed I have been in the middle of a road, lane, highway/freeway. With no way to signal my truck has died and no way to move it. Police have not investigated this issue, no dealerships or shops have looked at this issue currently. The engine, powertrain, brakes, and electrical appear to be not functioning properly in these incidents but it is unknown of the root cause. There has been no other indication that this truck has had these issues or previous recalls for these incidents. This truck was bought from a dealership earlier this year without issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11756629 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2023 RAM 1500 Kemp, TX

ENGINE

The truck has done this four times since 01/22/2026. While still moving slowly the truck will do this while going down the highway. One other safety issue was when I merged into traffic on the highway (You have to merge into the fast lane at this location) the truck wouldn't go past 4th gear approximately 40 mph with cars coming up on me at 70. All of these problems correct when I can get the truck restarted.

NHTSA complaint #11756163 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 RAM 1500 Ballston Lake, NY

ENGINE

Complete engine block failure. timing chain blew a large hole in the long block. replacing the entire engine.

NHTSA complaint #11756174 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 RAM 1500 at 60,000 miles Williston, FL

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle shut off unexpectedly and the electronic parking brake unintendedly engaged. The parking brake warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The driver was unable to disengage the parking brake, and the vehicle failed to restart immediately. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts and was driven to the destination. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to a dealer for a service appointment. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that there would be a charge for a diagnostic test and for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Action Number: PE24018 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System, Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA complaint #11755893 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 RAM 1500 at 60,000 miles Williston, FL

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle shut off unexpectedly and the electronic parking brake unintendedly engaged. The parking brake warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The driver was unable to disengage the parking brake, and the vehicle failed to restart immediately. The vehicle was restarted after several attempts and was driven to the destination. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to a dealer for a service appointment. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that there would be a charge for a diagnostic test and for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Action Number: PE24018 (Electrical System, Hybrid Propulsion System, Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA complaint #11755893 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 RAM 1500 St Augustine, FL

ENGINE

While stopped at red light, waiting for the green light, the vehicle suddenly gave the park signal, once in park the vehicle shut down. It had to be restarted. My child was in the back seat.This occurred today 10 August 2026

NHTSA complaint #11756045 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 RAM 1500 St Augustine, FL

ENGINE

When driving slowly throught a parking lot, the dashboard warned to put the car in park. I could not steer, speed up, or slow down. I managed to park the car diagonally, and went into park. The vehicle then shut off and I had to turn it back on. Both of my kids where in the car

NHTSA complaint #11756088 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 RAM 1500 North Dighton, MA

ENGINE

On multiple occasions while pulling across/into traffic the vehicle had a delayed acceleration response with a 1-2 second hesitation causing close calls with unpredictable acceleration coming from a complete stop.

NHTSA complaint #11755396 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 RAM 1500 Aston, PA

ENGINE

When driving, I get a prompt on my dash to switch to park and then desired gear. I get no response from my accelerator until I do so. This particularly happens when I’m slowing down and accelerating after a stop signs or traffic lights. Happens while in the middle of intersections. This happened about 7 times in the past month. Dealership said they couldn’t find a problem when I took it in. They did a transmission re-learn which I paid for and the issue happened twice since that appointment.

NHTSA complaint #11755331 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2022 RAM 1500 San tan Valley, AZ

ENGINE

Twice now my engine has shut off while driving at low speeds under 25mph. When this happens my electric emergency brake engages. Dash tells me to shift to park. The first time this happened my truck was stuck in the middle of an intersection and I almost got hit several times because the truck wasn’t restarting or releasing the electric brake. Took about 7-8 try’s of getting it to start before it finally started then the truck still wouldn’t move because the electric brake wouldn’t disengage even when trying to manually disengage it. I had to turn vehicle off and back on again for the electric brake to manually release. The second time this happened I again was stuck in an intersection but was able to restart on the 2nd try and had to manually release the electric brake. The dealer has told me no codes no problem found the first time this happened. I’m bringing it back to them this weekend. I do not feel safe in this vehicle due to this happening! I feel like I have been lucky that nobody has crashed into me when this happens.

NHTSA complaint #11755355 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2013 RAM 1500 Jonesboro, GA

ENGINE

In December 2025, my check engine light came on. Diagnostic codes read P0128 (coolant thermostat) and U1467 (module communication). I took the vehicle to a mechanic, who diagnosed and repaired the issue. Shortly after, the check engine light returned, so the same mechanic replaced the ECM (plug and play). This repair did not resolve the check engine light. The mechanic recommended I take the vehicle to a dealership and identified a related service bulletin tied to Safety Recall N25 / NHTSA Campaign 13V-177 (three-way coolant valve). To confirm this diagnosis, I sought a second opinion from another independent mechanic. That shop purchased the coolant valve part directly from a dealership, installed it on my truck, and the same issue persisted. They also were unable to resolve it and advised me to take the vehicle to a dealership. I researched NHTSA Campaign 13V-177 (Chrysler Manufacturer Campaign N25) and confirmed that Chrysler recalled certain 2013 RAM 1500 trucks built between June 25, 2012 and December 12, 2012, because the coolant bypass valve may stick in a position that prevents coolant flow to the heater core. The official remedy for this recall is replacement of the coolant valve along with an updated module calibration, performed by a dealer. I was told by dealership staff that there is no active recall on my vehicle. However, my truck matches the affected description, and I have not had the calibration portion of the recall remedy performed, only the physical part replacement, which two independent mechanics have already completed without resolving the underlying issue. My vehicle is currently at Landmark Dodge in Morrow, GA. Despite this being an open federal safety recall (13V-177/N25) with a remedy that includes a required software calibration update, the dealership is attempting to charge me for this repair, even though I have already paid to have the physical part replaced twice by independent mechanics.

NHTSA complaint #11753492 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2021 RAM 1500 Chowchilla, CA

ENGINE

Recently this vehicle has triggered a check engine light. Upon further examination the code was related to an ignition #3. (CODES: P020C, PO1DO).

NHTSA complaint #11753305 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2025 RAM 1500 Denmark, WI

ENGINE

I purchased a new 2025 Ram 1500. Within the first week of ownership, the vehicle developed repeated engine misfires, check engine lights, and electrical issues, including a dead battery. The vehicle was repaired multiple times under warranty. The engine later suffered an internal failure that required complete engine replacement. After the engine replacement, the vehicle developed a new drivability problem. The truck now consistently shudders and hesitates during light acceleration and while maintaining a steady speed. The RPM has fluctuated unexpectedly, and the vehicle feels as though it is being fuel starved. This occurs without a check engine light. The dealership’s technician reproduced the condition during a test drive and confirmed the shudder. Stellantis technical support instructed the dealership to replace the mass airflow sensor as the first step in diagnosis but advised that they do not know whether this will correct the problem. I am concerned that the hesitation and shuddering could affect the vehicle’s ability to accelerate safely when merging into traffic, crossing intersections, or passing other vehicles. The vehicle has been out of service for an extended period while diagnosis and repairs continue.

NHTSA complaint #11752721 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2021 RAM 1500 Campbell, NY

ENGINE

MGU unit failed / car seized in the middle of the road - sent in to be repaired Unsafe to be stuck in the middle of the road, could not even put the car in neutral to push out of the road Known problem that RAM and Stellantis know about and are not placing warnings. We were told by the dealership we were 5,000 in line for a new part and that it would take a year. No warnings, truck ran perfectly before

NHTSA complaint #11752289 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2016 RAM 1500 at 170,000 miles Savannah, MO

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL

The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle intermittently went into LIMP Mode. The contact stated that the "Drive to Park" and "Pull Over and Shift Gear" messages were displayed on the instrument panel. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where repairs were performed, including recall repairs and the replacement of an emissions system fan; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the vehicle shut off and failed to restart, and the vehicle remained in LIMP Mode. The vehicle was inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

NHTSA complaint #11751651 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2020 RAM 1500 at 104,000 miles Carson City, NV

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced an unknown part, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, and it was determined that the intake manifold needed to be replaced; however, the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

NHTSA complaint #11751506 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other RAM 1500 problems