What breaks most · 2009 to 2026 model years
Ram 1500 problems by year
Owners have filed 11,602 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ram 1500 across model years 2009 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2014 for steering complaints, 2016 for steering complaints and 2019 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2009, 2024 and 2023.
- Years to check closely: 2014, 2016, 2019
- Fewest complaints: 2009, 2024, 2023
- Complaints on file
- 116022009 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 20141757 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 617184 fires · 470 injuries · 14 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 50kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 201Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 0 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (9) | |
| 1267 | 72 | 12 | Steering (628) | |
| 1757 | 98 | 17 | Steering (499) | |
| 1441 | 79 | 18 | Steering (338) | |
| 1531 | 90 | 17 | Steering (308) | |
| 868 | 80 | 13 | Steering (222) | |
| 656 | 25 | 15 | Electrical system (158) | |
| 1465 | 74 | 30 | Electrical system (377) | |
| 622 | 24 | 14 | Electrical system (159) | |
| 673 | 26 | 15 | Engine (275) | |
| 604 | 23 | 16 | Engine (244) | |
| 195 | 10 | 11 | Electrical system (65) | |
| 70 | 5 | 6 | Electrical system (28) | |
| 334 | 9 | 8 | Electrical system (173) | |
| 82 | 2 | 7 | Electrical system (39) |
What fails on the 2014 Ram 1500
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 28% |
499 | 22 | Shop steering parts for the 2014 Ram 1500 |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 17% |
302 | 2 | Shop engine parts for the 2014 Ram 1500 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 14% |
243 | 9 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2014 Ram 1500 |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 12% |
212 | 2 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2014 Ram 1500 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 11% |
191 | 23 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2014 Ram 1500 |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 8% |
139 | 7 | Shop brakes parts for the 2014 Ram 1500 |
| Unknown or other | 7% |
130 | 8 | — |
| Air bags | 7% |
125 | 41 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
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.
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This truck has a failed steering rack that literally almost took me off the road mid driving, but yet doesn't fall under the 2015-2016 official recall. I am documenting this because this is going to become a cost out-of-pocket. But seriously needs to be added to the list of active recalls.
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I suddenly lost the power steering when I spoke to my mechanic he said the problem was intermittent and he has to replace a computer part that’s associated with it and had to replace the entire unit I saw there was an open recall regarding this matter
-
Loss of power steering on 3 occasions. Currently undrivable due to not knowing when it will fail again. Dealership has confirmed the code is for power steering failure.
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 6, 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 Ram 1500 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2014, 2016, 2019 carry the most filings on the Ram 1500. The 2014 alone has 1757 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Ram 1500 problem?
On the 2014 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 499 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ram 1500 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ram 1500 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.