The Ram 1500 has 10,948 owner complaints across fourteen model years in this dataset, sixth-highest on the site. For a full-size pickup that sells half a million a year that is not a disproportionate figure, and the truck's scores — between 53 and 84 in most years — reflect a vehicle that is mostly fine. The complaints that do exist cluster around three things a buyer can steer around.
The fourth generation, 2009 to 2018
The DS-series Ram is the truck that introduced coil-spring rear suspension to the full-size pickup and, from 2013, an optional four-corner air suspension and the ZF eight-speed automatic. The air suspension is the first of the three clusters: compressors fail, height sensors fail, and a truck that sags to its bump stops overnight is a common complaint on 2013 to 2018 trucks. Repair costs run from a few hundred dollars for a sensor to several thousand for a compressor and struts. Coil-sprung trucks do not have the problem.
The second cluster is the EcoDiesel, the 3.0-litre V6 diesel offered from 2014. It was caught up in the emissions-defeat investigation that ended with a 2019 consent decree and a recall for new emissions software, and separately a proportion of early engines suffered failures of the exhaust-gas recirculation cooler (recalled for fire risk) and of the crankshaft bearings. The 2014 to 2016 trucks carry the highest counts of the generation — 1,755, 1,439 and 1,527 — and the diesel is a large share of the excess. The 2017 and 2018 trucks, with a matured eight-speed and the diesel's early faults addressed, score 66 and 69.
The 2011 truck, before the eight-speed and the air suspension, scores 84 on a moderate record with the older six-speed and a 5.7-litre Hemi that has one well-known fault, a lifter and camshaft wear problem that produces a tick and eventually a misfire on higher-mileage engines.
Ram 1500: the record, year by year
| Year | Score | Verdict | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | — | DATA PENDING | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 77 | BUY | 689 | 4 |
Live from the federal record as of 2026-10-04; linked years have their own page. Full table and repair costs on the Ram 1500 model page.
The fifth generation, 2019 onward
The DT-series truck launched for 2019 with a new frame, a twelve-inch Uconnect touchscreen, and the eTorque mild-hybrid system on the V6 and as an option on the Hemi. The third cluster of complaints is here: the 2019 truck carries 1,464 complaints and scores 38. The Uconnect screen delaminated and developed ghost touches, which became a class action; the eTorque system's 48-volt battery and its stop-start behaviour generated stalling and warning-light complaints; and the electrical system produced the usual first-year list. Ram continued the old truck alongside it as the 1500 Classic through 2024, and the Classic's record for 2019 to 2021 is better than the new truck's, because it was a mature design.
The 2020 truck halves the count and scores 63; the 2021 to 2023 trucks score between 58 and 71, the 2024 truck 77. The 2025 model year replaced the Hemi V8 with the Hurricane twin-turbo six and has a small record so far.
What to check
On any 2013 to 2018 truck with air suspension: leave it overnight and check the ride height in the morning, and listen for the compressor running continuously after start-up. On an EcoDiesel: confirm the emissions recall and the EGR-cooler recall are complete at nhtsa.gov/recalls, and look for a documented oil-analysis history, which serious diesel owners keep. On a 2019 truck: examine the touchscreen in bright light for delamination bubbles at the edges, and ask whether it has been replaced.
Summary
Buy: 2011, 2017 to 2018 on coil springs with a petrol engine, 2020 onward, and the 1500 Classic 2019 to 2021 for a simpler truck. Avoid: 2014 to 2016 EcoDiesel, and 2019 unless the screen and eTorque history is documented.