Dodge RAM 4500Years to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 38 owner complaints and 12 safety recalls on record for the Dodge RAM 4500.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaints Best years—Fewest complaints for their age Owner complaints38Top: Steering Safety recalls122008–2012 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

Dodge RAM 4500 years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the RAM 4500 median. Tap a year for its full report.

10 4 0 14 10

'08'09'10'11'12

Avoid
Caution
Solid
Best
Not rated

2012Not rated–/10010 complaints · 9 recalls 2011Not rated–/10014 complaints · 4 recalls 2010Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall 2009Not rated–/1004 complaints · 3 recalls 2008Not rated–/10010 complaints · 3 recalls

Complaints by system

Most common Dodge RAM 4500 problems

All model years combined: 38 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

26Steering1 crash/fire/injury

6Suspension

5Power train

3Electrical system

3Service brakes

2Engine and engine cooling

2Fuel system, diesel

1Service brakes, hydraulic

1Fuel/propulsion system

22 other systems

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.

Complaints by system
System	Complaints	Crash, fire or injury
Steering	26	1
Suspension	6	0
Power train	5	0
Electrical system	3	1
Service brakes	3	1
Engine and engine cooling	2	0
Fuel system, diesel	2	0
Service brakes, hydraulic	1	0
Fuel/propulsion system	1	0
2 other systems	2	0

12 recalls

Dodge RAM 4500 recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

Wheels: lugs/nuts/bolts/studs21V-398 · 2012 · May 27, 2021 · 447,985 vehicles Passenger side: inflator module19V-018 · 2010 · Jan 15, 2019 · 1,413,222 vehiclesDo not drive Equipment17V-824 · 2012 · Dec 21, 2017 · 61,791 vehicles Lever and linkage: column shift17V-821 · 2011–2012 · Dec 20, 2017 · 1,482,874 vehicles Electrical system: alternator/generator/regulator16V-739 · 2011–2012 · Oct 13, 2016 · 74,811 vehicles Passenger side: inflator module16V-352 · 2008–2009 · May 24, 2016 · 4,648,270 vehiclesDo not drive Air bags: frontal15V-459 · 2012 · Jul 22, 2015 · 1,059,444 vehicles Driver side: inflator module15V-313 · 2008–2009 · May 26, 2015 · 4,077,169 vehiclesDo not drive Engine: diesel14V-635 · 2011–2012 · Oct 8, 2014 · 315,325 vehicles Linkages: tie rod assembly13V-527 · 2008–2012 · Nov 6, 2013 · 36,151 vehicles Power train: automatic transmission13V-344 · 2012 · Aug 6, 2013 · 85 vehicles Power train: axle assembly13V-239 · 2012 · Jun 4, 2013 · 5,622 vehicles

2 investigations

NHTSA investigations of the RAM 4500

Sep 17, 2021
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureEA21002 · 2008–2009 · still open
Open
Apr 19, 2019
Electrical overstressEA19001 · 2011–2012 · closed Sep 19, 2024
Led to recall 20V-024