Are Rams Reliable? Ram Reliability by Model
Ram reliability varies significantly by model year. Among the 5 Ram models analyzed, the 5500 has the fewest flagged years at 0, while the 3500 has the most at 6. The sharpest single-year spike belongs to the 3500, whose worst year logged up to 9.4× its own median complaint rate. Because complaint totals are not adjusted for vehicle sales, this analysis identifies strong and weak years within each model — it does not rank Ram models against one another.
Analysis by CarWhere Research · Updated August 28, 2026 · Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall campaigns · Data as of July 2026 · How we rate model years · Download the dataset (CSV)
15,323 NHTSA complaints
model years flagged on federal data
5500
Ram problem areas by service-bulletin volume
The vehicle systems drawing the most federal service-bulletin (TSB) filings across the 5 Ram models we analyze — a volume signal of where the manufacturer issues the most fix guidance. These are TSB counts by NHTSA component category, not owner-complaint counts.
Ram reliability by model
| Model | Complaints | Years to avoid | Best years | Worst year vs. its avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ram 1500 | 12,308 | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2022 | 2009 | 2.4× |
| Ram 3500 | 2,247 | 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022 | 2023 | 9.4× |
| Ram 4500 | 45 | None | — | — |
| Ram 5500 | 149 | None | — | — |
| Ram Promaster | 574 | 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 | — | 3.9× |
Counts are raw federal filings (NHTSA owner complaints), not adjusted for sales volume. A model year is flagged when its severity-weighted complaint rate is among the highest within that model's own history — never a comparison against other brands. Follow any model for its full year-by-year verdict. Full methodology.
Insufficient data: not yet rated
This model appears in the dataset, but no model year has enough federal complaint history to earn a verdict — every year rates “insufficient”. The absence of a flag here is a data gap, not a clean bill of health.
Where Ram owners report the most trouble
Ram 3500: 6 model years flagged to avoid (2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022) — the worst logged up to 9.4× the model's own median severity-weighted complaint rate. See the year-by-year verdict →
Ram Promaster: 4 model years flagged to avoid (2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023) — the worst logged up to 3.9× the model's own median severity-weighted complaint rate. See the year-by-year verdict →
Ram 1500: 6 model years flagged to avoid (2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2022) — the worst logged up to 2.4× the model's own median severity-weighted complaint rate. See the year-by-year verdict →
Cleanest Ram records: the 5500 carries no model year flagged to avoid in the current federal data.
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FAQ
Are Rams reliable?
Ram reliability varies sharply by model year, not by badge. Among the 5 most-documented Ram models, 3 carry at least one model year we flag to avoid on NHTSA complaint and recall data — the 5500 has the fewest flagged years (0) and the 3500 the most (6). These are raw federal complaint counts, not adjusted for how many vehicles Ram sold, so they can't be read as a single cross-brand reliability score — use the per-model, per-year verdicts below.
Which Ram model years should I avoid?
The Ram models carrying the most flagged years are the 3500 (6 flagged years: 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022); the 1500 (6 flagged years: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2021 and 2022); the Promaster (4 flagged years: 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023). A flag means that model year's severity-weighted complaint rate is among the highest within that model's own history — it is not a comparison against other models or brands. See each model's page for the full year-by-year verdict.
Which Ram models have the fewest flagged years?
Among Ram models with enough federal complaint history to rate, the 5500 carries no model year flagged to avoid. That is not a cross-model reliability ranking — complaint counts are not sales-adjusted — and a thin record is never counted as a clean one: model years with too little data rate "insufficient" instead.
How do I check a specific Ram before buying?
Start with the free Ram window sticker lookup at carwhere.com/window-sticker/ram to confirm the exact trim and factory options, then run the $9.99 CarWhere Full VIN Report for that VIN — it includes the recall, complaint, and service-bulletin record for the exact model year plus a market price check from verified buyers. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Sources & data notes
All figures are drawn from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Office of Defects Investigation — the public NHTSA owner-complaints data and safety recall campaigns — across the 5 most-documented Ram models and every model year on record for each. Retrieved July 2026. Counts are raw federal filings and are not adjusted for the number of vehicles sold or registered, so they cannot be read as a single cross-brand reliability ranking; each model year's verdict compares it only against the rest of that model's own history. Full scoring at the methodology page.
Suggested citation
CarWhere Research. "Ram Reliability by Model & Year: NHTSA Complaint and Recall Analysis." Based on 15,323 NHTSA owner complaints across 5 Ram models, model years 2008–2025. Updated August 28, 2026. https://www.carwhere.com/research/reliability/ram
This dataset is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with attribution to CarWhere Research and a link to this page.
Download the dataset (CSV) — per-model complaint totals, flagged years and verdict counts for every brand we cover (version 2026-08-28).