Ram 5500 Years to Avoid
CarWhere's analysis of 149 federal NHTSA complaints for the Ram 5500, by model year, updated August 2026.
Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall campaigns · Data as of August 2026 · How we rate model years
No year rated avoid
No standout best year
Year-by-year verdict
| Model year | Complaints | Severe | Recalls | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A |
| 2009 | 0 | 0 | 2 | N/A |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | 6 | N/A |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 4 | N/A |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | 9 | N/A |
| 2013 | 4 | 2 | 9 | N/A |
| 2014 | 11 | 11 | 10 | N/A |
| 2015 | 13 | 9 | 8 | N/A |
| 2016 | 17 | 12 | 7 | SOLID |
| 2017 | 19 | 15 | 7 | SOLID |
| 2018 | 35 | 28 | 8 | CAUTION |
| 2019 | 11 | 10 | 10 | N/A |
| 2020 | 8 | 5 | 10 | N/A |
| 2021 | 3 | 2 | 5 | N/A |
| 2022 | 26 | 24 | 4 | CAUTION |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 3 | N/A |
| 2024 | 0 | 0 | 2 | N/A |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 4 | N/A |
"Severe" = complaints reporting a crash, fire, injury, or a safety-critical component. Counts are raw federal filings, not adjusted for sales volume; verdicts compare each year against the rest of the Ram 5500. Full methodology.
Common Ram 5500 problems
Across the federal record, the most-reported problem areas on the Ram 5500 are brakes, transmission, drivetrain. The confirmed and owner-reported issues below include owner mileage and repair-cost ranges where available.
ABS/HCU module failure with brake system malfunction
· Ram 5500 2018Corroborated by 16 owner accounts of this failure, within a federal cluster of 22 brakes complaints across 2018, typically 11,870–103,000 miles. Owner-reported repair cost $1,500.
K1 and K2 snap ring transmission failure
· Ram 5500 2022Corroborated by 13 owner accounts of this failure, within a federal cluster of 21 transmission complaints across 2022, typically 862–105,000 miles.
Transfer case fracture and front driveshaft failure
· Ram 5500 2017Corroborated by 5 owner accounts of this failure, within a federal cluster of 8 drivetrain complaints across 2017, typically 292,000–310,000 miles.
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FAQ
What years of the Ram 5500 should you avoid?
No Ram 5500 model year rises to an "avoid" rating in the current federal data; see the year-by-year verdicts below.
What are the best years for the Ram 5500?
No single Ram 5500 year stands out as a clear "best" in the federal data yet; the year-by-year table shows the full spread of verdicts.
How is the Ram 5500 verdict calculated?
Each model year's NHTSA owner complaints are weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries, and safety-critical components count more), converted to a rate per year on the road, and compared against the rest of the Ram 5500's own history, then adjusted for recalls. Full method at /research/years-to-avoid/methodology.
How do I check a specific Ram 5500 before buying?
Decode the VIN free at carwhere.com/tools/vin-decoder to confirm the exact year and build, then run the $9.99 CarWhere Full VIN Report — it includes the recall, complaint, and service-bulletin record for that exact VIN plus a market price check from verified buyers.
Is the Ram 5500 reliable?
No Ram 5500 model year rates "avoid" in the current federal data. Across 149 NHTSA owner complaints, the model's record is relatively even year to year — see the year-by-year verdicts above. Counts are raw federal filings, not adjusted for sales volume.
What are the most common problems with the Ram 5500?
The most-reported problem area for the Ram 5500 is brakes, followed by transmission and drivetrain. Confirmed failures include abs/hcu module failure with brake system malfunction, k1 and k2 snap ring transmission failure, transfer case fracture and front driveshaft failure. See the common-problems section above for owner-reported mileage and repair costs where available.
Sources & data notes
All figures are drawn from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Office of Defects Investigation — owner-filed complaints and recall campaigns — covering the Ram 5500 across every model year on record. Retrieved August 2026. Counts are raw federal filings and are not adjusted for the number of vehicles sold or registered; a verdict compares each model year against the rest of the Ram 5500, not against other vehicles. Full scoring at the methodology page.
Verdicts are computed from federal NHTSA complaint and recall records, refreshed monthly. Read the full methodology.