What breaks most · 1991 to 2012 model years
Dodge Ram 1500 problems by year
Owners have filed 11,529 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Dodge Ram 1500 across model years 1991 to 2012. Three years stand out: 2003 for air bags complaints, 2005 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2001 for body and structure complaints. The quietest years are 1993, 1991 and 1994.
- Years to check closely: 2003, 2005, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 1993, 1991, 1994
- Complaints on file
- 115291991 to 2012, all trims
- Worst year
- 20031132 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 815222 fires · 769 injuries · 29 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 71kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 82Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 0 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 6 | 1 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (3) | |
| 112 | 10 | 1 | Electrical system (20) | |
| 210 | 13 | 1 | Body and structure (35) | |
| 295 | 18 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (52) | |
| 359 | 31 | 1 | Body and structure (70) | |
| 513 | 66 | 1 | Body and structure (100) | |
| 604 | 63 | 1 | Body and structure (239) | |
| 509 | 37 | 3 | Body and structure (247) | |
| 1094 | 64 | 3 | Body and structure (547) | |
| 798 | 54 | 6 | Body and structure (277) | |
| 1132 | 72 | 5 | Air bags (447) | |
| 1045 | 80 | 8 | Air bags (346) | |
| 1116 | 106 | 7 | Powertrain and transmission (572) | |
| 744 | 40 | 12 | Air bags (185) | |
| 485 | 30 | 7 | Air bags (162) | |
| 508 | 35 | 8 | Air bags (159) | |
| 618 | 28 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (214) | |
| 419 | 22 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (209) | |
| 513 | 19 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (153) | |
| 442 | 26 | 7 | Electrical system (105) |
What fails on the 2003 Dodge Ram 1500
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 39% |
447 | 33 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 20% |
223 | 3 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 10% |
118 | 20 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
62 | 2 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 |
| Unknown or other | 5% |
58 | 1 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
57 | 4 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 5% |
56 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 5% |
52 | 9 | Shop suspension parts for the 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 |
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.
-
Extreme rust and corrosion above both sides of the rear wheel wells. Door locks will randomly lock by themselves while driving, stopped or in park. Has locked me out after stepping out to open a gate, had to go get a spare set of keys to unlock.
-
Without warning upon leaving highway off ramp and turning into my workplace the driveshaft fell off the rear differential which then locked up rear wheels. When it was towed to dealer the tow driver mentioned the pinion nut which holds the driveshaft assembly to rear differential was obviously missing.
-
Disintegration of dashboard plastics. This is a known problem for dodge trucks in this timeframe. If this vehicle were to be in an accident sufficient to deploy the airbags, sharp plastic shards would be propelled everywhere, including the face and eyes.
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 1500 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2003, 2005, 2001 carry the most filings on the Dodge Ram 1500. The 2003 alone has 1132 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Dodge Ram 1500 problem?
On the 2003 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 447 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Dodge Ram 1500 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Dodge Ram 1500 complaints that include mileage is about 71,000 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.