What breaks most · 1990 to 2010 model years
Dodge Ram problems by year
Owners have filed 3,935 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Dodge Ram across model years 1990 to 2010. Three years stand out: 1996 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints, 1995 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints and 1998 for brakes (hydraulic) complaints. The quietest years are 2007, 2008 and 2006.
- Years to check closely: 1996, 1995, 1998
- Fewest complaints: 2007, 2008, 2006
- Complaints on file
- 39351990 to 2010, all trims
- Worst year
- 1996624 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 488145 fires · 350 injuries · 18 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 50kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 172Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | 2 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 51 | 3 | 3 | Steering (11) | |
| 58 | 4 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (8) | |
| 54 | 3 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (14) | |
| 468 | 47 | 22 | Brakes (hydraulic) (86) | |
| 609 | 67 | 16 | Brakes (hydraulic) (147) | |
| 624 | 72 | 14 | Brakes (hydraulic) (169) | |
| 398 | 42 | 11 | Brakes (hydraulic) (78) | |
| 483 | 79 | 17 | Brakes (hydraulic) (107) | |
| 365 | 46 | 13 | Brakes (hydraulic) (82) | |
| 147 | 31 | 11 | Air bags (23) | |
| 317 | 53 | 14 | Steering (53) | |
| 115 | 14 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (17) | |
| 53 | 6 | 7 | Body and structure (8) | |
| 54 | 8 | 7 | Electrical system (9) | |
| 35 | 4 | 5 | Engine and cooling (15) | |
| 22 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (5) | |
| 13 | 1 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (4) | |
| 20 | 3 | 4 | Steering (5) | |
| 6 | 0 | 6 | Steering (3) | |
| 20 | 3 | 5 | Powertrain and transmission (6) |
What fails on the 1996 Dodge Ram
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 27% |
169 | 18 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 1996 Dodge Ram |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 22% |
135 | 6 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 1996 Dodge Ram |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 9% |
57 | 2 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 1996 Dodge Ram |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 8% |
49 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 1996 Dodge Ram |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 7% |
46 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 1996 Dodge Ram |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 7% |
43 | 4 | Shop steering parts for the 1996 Dodge Ram |
| Air bags | 6% |
38 | 28 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
32 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 1996 Dodge Ram |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
While driving at any speed vehicle took a long time to slow down when the brake pedal was pressed. Brake light stayed on, and oil was leaking into the vacuum system. *ak
-
When backing or parallel parking and going at idle speed, brakes do not work. The vacuum pump does not supply adequate suction. *jg
-
Consumer depressed the brakes to come to a stop. In the process, the vehicle hopped up and down. Vehicle was serviced, and the problem was due to the rear brake adjuster malfunctioning. *ak
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Dodge Ram years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 1996, 1995, 1998 carry the most filings on the Dodge Ram. The 1996 alone has 624 complaints, led by brakes (hydraulic).
What is the most common Dodge Ram problem?
On the 1996 model year, the most-reported component is brakes (hydraulic) with 169 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Dodge Ram problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Dodge Ram complaints that include mileage is about 50,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.