MODELYEARINDEX

Which Ram Promaster years to avoid

Across 8 scored model years, the 2021, 2014 and 2017 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Ram Promaster Full report
F
Grade 2014–2021
2021 vs model median 2.1×
Model median3× median
Driver Assist 17
Electrical 11
Body & Interior 9
Avoid

2014 · 2021

Best

2016 · 2020

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.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2014
2.04× 82 F
2015
1.07× 47 C
2016
0.46× 22 B
2017
1.25× 60 D
2018
0.93× 30 C
2019
0.76× 33 C
2020
0.44× 18 B
2021
2.12× 85 F
2022 P
1.90× 88 F
2023 P
2.56× 102 F
2024 P
0.48× 16 B

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 owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2014 F 82 reports · median 4,000 mi

  1. Electrical 13

    As soon as I turned on the cruise control switch every warning light on the dash - ABS, seatbelts, battery, epc, and others all lit up as well as the cruise control on light. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Brakes 12

    In less then 30 days mine has failed 21 times dealers say nothing wrong/normal to all problems most this happened before 1500 miles on it. Now has 2300 miles on it. 2500 159" high roof 1) 2 no starts. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Body & Interior 8

    Noticed underbody shields missing/ not installed. Concerned with damage risk including fire from converter being exposed and an increase in fuel due to aerodynamic loss. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

5 crash · 3 fire

2021 F 85 reports · median 8,295 mi

  1. Driver Assist 17

    The blind spot detector is not working. The van can be inspected upon request. This is a large vehicle and blind spot detection is an extremely important safety feature. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 11

    August 6, 2021 NHTSA safety issue id: 21v3960000 as a first-time purchaser of an rv, what I had hoped would be an answer to some of my life’s difficulties has turned out to be a nightmare. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Body & Interior 9

    Vehicle bottomed out and lodged on concrete entering driveway. Thor scope ram promaster 1500 chassis sits low and thor installed cummins onan generator and 2 trojan batteries under the chassis, that sit 2 or more inches… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

2 crash · 2 fire

The best year for the Promaster

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2020 is the best-scoring Promaster model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 76.6 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2020 0.44× 18 B
2016 0.46× 22 B
2019 0.76× 33 C

Recalls

43 campaigns on record.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
24V436000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2022, 2023 1,033,433
16V529000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 2015 329,540
25V720000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY 2018–2024 300,691
25V330000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2022, 2024 235,640
20V036000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT 2014–2019 222,207
25V552000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2019–2021 219,577
23V301000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:INTERNAL:PARK PAWL 2019–2021 165,503
17V273000 EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS 2014–2017 113,896
19V818000 EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER 2015–2018 99,128
17V824000 EQUIPMENT 2014–2017 61,791
24V129000 SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY 2022, 2023 27,744
16V461000 POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 2016 26,298

+ 31 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 8,295 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Ram Promaster years should you avoid?
2021, 2014, 2017 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Ram Promaster model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Ram Promaster?
2020 is the best-scoring Ram Promaster model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 76.6 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Ram Promaster have?
43 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Ram Promaster model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

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 Promaster
Complaints in window
85
Severity-weighted
116.5
Model median (weighted)
55
vs model median
2.12×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
8
Open investigations
0
Score 32.1 F