Ram Promaster City: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Ram Promaster City: 8 model years scored from 234 NHTSA owner complaints and 19 recall campaigns. Worst year 2015, best year 2021.
Ram Promaster City: which years to avoid
Across 8 scored model years the Ram Promaster City ranges from 44/100 in 2015 to 93/100 in 2022 — a 49-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Promaster City at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Power Train (27 of them).
Avoid: 2015, 2016, 2017 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
How the Promaster City changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2015–2017
Mean score 45/100, about 7 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (72 complaints). 5 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2018–2022
Mean score 89/100. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (6 complaints). The record improves by 44 points against the years before it. 4 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2021 (score 84). Worst: 2015 (score 44, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 93 | BUY | $3,510 | 2 | 0 |
| 2021 | 84 | BUY | $3,659 | 5 | 3 |
| 2020 | 89 | BUY | $3,783 | 1 | 2 |
| 2019 | 91 | BUY | $3,933 | 5 | 1 |
| 2018 | 90 | BUY | $4,112 | 1 | 2 |
| 2017 | 47 | AVOID | $4,410 | 76 | 3 |
| 2016 | 44 | AVOID | $4,598 | 57 | 4 |
| 2015 | 44 | AVOID | $4,780 | 87 | 4 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
What goes wrong on the Ram Promaster City
Across every Promaster City model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine78 complaints across all Promaster City years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Electrical System69 complaints across all Promaster City years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train57 complaints across all Promaster City years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Unknown Or Other22 complaints across all Promaster City years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Exterior Lighting15 complaints across all Promaster City years · typical job: Headlamp assembly or lighting-module replacement$360–$1,380
- Service Brakes10 complaints across all Promaster City years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Ram Promaster City years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2015, 2016, 2017 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2015 is the weakest at 44/100, with its complaints concentrated in Power Train.
What are the best Ram Promaster City years to buy?
2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2022 at 93/100, on 2 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Ram Promaster City problem?
78 of the complaints filed against the Promaster City across all its model years sit in the Engine group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04