Ram 1500

8,713 complaints across 12 scored model years and 98 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Ram 1500 Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2021 vs model median 2.3×

Model median3× median

Engine 245

Electrical 161

Driver Assist 84

Avoid

2019 · 2021

Best

2010 · 2011

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Ram 1500
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	0.42×	247	B
2011	0.56×	306	B
2012	0.57×	294	B
2013	0.82×	370	C
2014	1.46×	656	F
2015	1.54×	647	F
2016	1.71×	768	F
2017	1.05×	438	D
2018	0.69×	357	C
2019	2.22×	1,149	F
2020	0.94×	496	C
2021	2.27×	962	F
2022 P	2.44×	1,012	F
2023 P	0.73×	325	C
2024 P	0.28×	123	B
2025 P	1.04×	563	C

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	21
City / Highway	18.5 / 24.5
Engine	3.3L, 6 cyl
Drive	Rear-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,950

Recalls

98 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
18V332000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING	2014–2019	4,815,661
17V821000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT	2010–2017	1,482,874
15V461000	EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.	2013–2015	1,416,903
26V495000	SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:ANCHORAGE	2019–2025	1,271,294
22V904000	STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS	2019–2022	1,224,078
18V486000	STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE	2015–2017	1,149,223
19V347000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH	2013–2018	1,103,209
15V459000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL	2012–2014	1,059,444

+ 90 further campaigns

Others in Full-Size Trucks

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Chevrolet Avalanche	2011	C
Chevrolet Silverado 1500	20142015	C
Ford F-150	none flagged	C
GMC Sierra 1500	20142015	C
Nissan Titan	20172021	C
Nissan Titan XD	none flagged	B
Toyota Tundra	20102016	C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 1500

Complaints in window: 962
Severity-weighted: 1,699.5
Model median (weighted): 747
vs model median: 2.27×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 17
Open investigations: 1

Score 24.8 F