Ram
Ram 1500 years to avoid
Years to avoid: 2019. Best years: 2018, 2023 and 2024.
The 2019 Ram 1500 draws the most owner complaints for its age: 1,481, or 185 for each year on the road, against a median of 113 a year across the 11 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2019 is power steering loss (218 reports).
- 10,373complaints
- 91recall campaigns
- 13model years with a page
Newest report Sep 29, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
Pick your model year
Owner complaints on file for each year.
Years to avoid
2019
Most reported: power steering loss (218 reports, median 35,200 miles) and stalling (153 reports, median 33,300 miles).
Best years
2018
Most reported: infotainment (151 reports, median 45,000 miles) and stalling (67 reports, median 66,000 miles).
2023
Most reported: stalling (51 reports, median 16,000 miles) and infotainment (39 reports, median 14,818 miles).
2024
Most reported: stalling (16 reports, median 23,000 miles) and brake wear (13 reports).
Complaints for each year on the road
Each model year's NHTSA complaints divided by the calendar years it has been on sale, counting this one (a 2018 model has had 9). Older cars have had longer to collect complaints, so raw totals flatter the new ones. Blue bars are the years to avoid. Too new to judge: 2025 and 2026.
Within one model, sales change less from year to year than they do between models, so a jump here is mostly a jump in problems. The call: the years to avoid are the (up to three) highest at 1.5 times the model's median rate or more, and the best are the (up to three) lowest at two thirds of it or less, from 2016 on.
Guide How much should a years-to-avoid list decide? What these lists get wrong
At a glance
- Where the complaints sit
- No single year holds most of the file. The busiest, the 2014, has 16% of the 10,373 complaints across 13 model years.
- Problem across the years
- The top problem moves around from year to year. Power steering loss leads in 4 of the 13 model years and has the most reports overall, 1,410. Pooled across the years, half of the 556 owners who gave a mileage for power steering loss were under about 67,000 miles.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 7% of Ram 1500 complaints report a crash, a fire or an injury, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The highest share is on the 2017, 98 of its 880 complaints.
- Recalls on the top problem
- 4 of the 11 model years where owners report power steering loss have a recall on the same system: 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2023. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Complaints are still climbing. 2025 brought 1,773, the most of any year so far. So far in 2026, 1,280 more have come in. Filings on record start in 2015.
Photo: Bull-Doser, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
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DS/DJ
| Year | Complaints | A year | Recalls | Most reported | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1,706 | 131 | 17 | Power steering cuts out or goes heavy (368) | 70,000 |
| 2015 | 1,449 | 121 | 18 | Power steering cuts out or goes heavy (251) | 66,000 |
| 2016 | 1,544 | 140 | 17 | Brakes grind, pulse or wear early (278) | 55,000 |
| 2017 | 880 | 88 | 13 | Power steering cuts out or goes heavy (171) | 43,539 |
| 2018 best | 662 | 74 | 15 | Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails (151) | 43,325 |
Photo: HJUdall, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
DT
| Year | Complaints | A year | Recalls | Most reported | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 avoid | 1,481 | 185 | 30 | Power steering cuts out or goes heavy (218) | 28,000 |
| 2020 | 631 | 90 | 14 | Engine stalls or loses power while driving (89) | 35,000 |
| 2021 | 679 | 113 | 15 | Engine stalls or loses power while driving (199) | 31,700 |
| 2022 | 616 | 123 | 16 | Engine stalls or loses power while driving (218) | 25,000 |
| 2023 best | 201 | 50 | 11 | Engine stalls or loses power while driving (51) | 18,000 |
| 2024 best | 74 | 25 | 6 | Engine stalls or loses power while driving (16) | 15,000 |
| 2025 | 354 | new | 8 | Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails (54) | 5,000 |
| 2026 | 96 | new | 7 | Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails (28) | 3,100 |
Year by year
2026 Ram 1500
96 owner complaints so far; too new to call. Most reported: infotainment (28 reports). 3 reports involved a crash and 2 people were hurt. 7 recalls, including 26V-560 on the backup camera and 26V-531 on the backup camera.
2025 Ram 1500
354 owner complaints so far; too new to call. Most reported: infotainment (54 reports, median 5,800 miles), stalling (51 reports, median 3,000 miles) and brake wear (43 reports). 9 reports involved a crash and 2 people were hurt. 8 recalls, including 26V-560 on the backup camera and 26V-225 on the electrical system.
2024 Ram 1500 best
74 owner complaints, 25 for each year on the road (0.2 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (16 reports, median 23,000 miles) and brake wear (13 reports). 7 reports involved a crash and 3 people were hurt. 6 recalls, including 26V-495 on the seat belts and 26V-327 on the backup camera.
2023 Ram 1500 best
201 owner complaints, 50 for each year on the road (0.4 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (51 reports, median 16,000 miles), infotainment (39 reports, median 14,818 miles) and brake wear (36 reports). 10 reports involved a crash and 4 people were hurt. 11 recalls, including 24V-413 on the transmission and drivetrain and 23V-263 on the fuel system.
2022 Ram 1500
616 owner complaints, 123 for each year on the road (1.1 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (218 reports, median 22,000 miles), infotainment (87 reports, median 24,000 miles) and brake wear (70 reports, median 22,596 miles). 23 reports involved a crash and 9 people were hurt. 16 recalls, including 23V-263 on the fuel system and 22V-767 on the fuel system.
2021 Ram 1500
679 owner complaints, 113 for each year on the road (1.0 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (199 reports, median 9,000 miles), brake wear (73 reports, median 36,000 miles) and infotainment (58 reports, median 22,000 miles). 27 reports involved a crash and 23 people were hurt. 15 recalls, including 21V-037 on the brakes (do not drive) and 23V-265 on the transmission and drivetrain.
2020 Ram 1500
631 owner complaints, 90 for each year on the road (0.8 times the model median). Most reported: stalling (89 reports, median 57,000 miles), infotainment (52 reports, median 40,000 miles) and power steering loss (43 reports, median 51,000 miles). 24 reports involved a crash and 15 people were hurt. 14 recalls, including 22V-767 on the fuel system and 26V-495 on the seat belts.
2019 Ram 1500 avoid
1,481 owner complaints, 185 for each year on the road (1.6 times the model median). Most reported: power steering loss (218 reports, median 35,200 miles), stalling (153 reports, median 33,300 miles) and infotainment (143 reports, median 22,500 miles). 76 reports involved a crash and 63 people were hurt. 30 recalls, including 19V-812 on the steering system and 19V-201 on the steering system.
2018 Ram 1500 best
662 owner complaints, 74 for each year on the road (0.6 times the model median). Most reported: infotainment (151 reports, median 45,000 miles), stalling (67 reports, median 66,000 miles) and power steering loss (59 reports, median 80,000 miles). 25 reports involved a crash and 25 people were hurt. 15 recalls, including 18V-524 on the electrical system and 18V-398 on the backup camera.
2017 Ram 1500
880 owner complaints, 88 for each year on the road (0.8 times the model median). Most reported: power steering loss (171 reports, median 66,000 miles), brake wear (100 reports, median 47,000 miles) and stalling (74 reports, median 57,000 miles). 80 reports involved a crash and 77 people were hurt. 13 recalls, including 25V-010 on the airbags and 23V-411 on the engine.
2016 Ram 1500
1,544 owner complaints, 140 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: brake wear (278 reports, median 75,000 miles), power steering loss (235 reports, median 70,000 miles) and stalling (138 reports, median 80,000 miles). 91 reports involved a crash and 73 people were hurt. 17 recalls, including 25V-010 on the airbags and 23V-411 on the engine.
2015 Ram 1500
1,449 owner complaints, 121 for each year on the road (1.1 times the model median). Most reported: power steering loss (251 reports, median 80,000 miles), stalling (172 reports, median 82,000 miles) and brake wear (154 reports, median 57,000 miles). 79 reports involved a crash and 52 people were hurt. 18 recalls, including 16V-167 on the steering system and 23V-411 on the engine.
2014 Ram 1500
1,706 owner complaints, 131 for each year on the road (1.2 times the model median). Most reported: power steering loss (368 reports, median 83,000 miles), brake wear (176 reports, median 91,000 miles) and stalling (134 reports, median 80,000 miles). 91 reports involved a crash and 76 people were hurt. 17 recalls, including 23V-411 on the engine and 22V-406 on the fuel system.
Recalls that cover several model years
The second-row center and left-side seat belt buckle anchors may have been improperly installed.
The driver's side air bag may not be connected properly, which can cause the air bag not to deploy as intended.
The crankshaft position sensor tone wheel may delaminate, causing the engine to lose its ability to synchronize the fuel injector pulses and cam shaft timing, possibly resulting in an engine stall.
A high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) failure may introduce internal debris into the fuel system, potentially resulting in fuel starvation.
The side air bag inflatable curtain (SABIC) inflator end cap may detach from the inflator, or the inflator sidewall may rupture.
The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cooler may crack and allow pre-heated vaporized coolant to enter the EGR system. This mixture may combust inside the intake manifold.
Compare the 1500 with its rivals
Side by side over the model years both have on file: what owners complain about, the mileage problems start at, recalls, investigations and crash reports.
- 1500 vs Ford F-1502014 to 2026
- 1500 vs Chevrolet Silverado 15002014 to 2026
- 1500 vs Toyota Tundra2016 to 2026
- 1500 vs GMC Sierra 15002014 to 2026
Questions
What Ram 1500 years should you avoid?
The 2019 Ram 1500 draws the most owner complaints for its age: 1,481, or 185 for each year on the road, against a median of 113 a year across the 11 model years old enough to judge. The most reported problem on the 2019 is power steering loss (218 reports).
What are the best years for the Ram 1500?
The 2018, 2023 and 2024 draw the fewest complaints for their age: 2018 has 662 (74 a year), 2023 has 201 (50 a year) and 2024 has 74 (25 a year). Model years before 2016 aren't called best, because complaints filed before 2015 aren't in the files this site reads and their counts run short.
What is the most common problem on the Ram 1500?
Power steering loss, with 1,410 reports across the 13 model years that have a page here. It's the single most reported problem on the 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
How many recalls does the Ram 1500 have?
91 recall campaigns cover the Ram 1500 model years 2014 to 2026 on this site. The widest, 26V-495 on the seat belts, covers 8 model years.
How many Ram 1500 complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
7% of them, against 6% for the typical vehicle on this site. The 2017 has the highest share.
Is there a recall for power steering loss on the Ram 1500?
On 4 of the 11 model years where owners report it: 2015, 2016, 2019 and 2023.