Dodge Ram Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
5,481 NHTSA complaints (1981–2010).Complaint rate: 31.4 per 10,000 vehicles sold in the US.
Should I buy a Dodge Ram?
Quick answer from 5,481 NHTSA complaints · 1981–2010
Dodge Ram reliability depends heavily on the model year.
- 2010 Dodge Ram· 1.6/10K sold
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 1994–2002 Dodge Ram (540 crash-related complaints). The 2006–2010 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $4.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaint Rate per 10,000 Vehicles Sold
Normalized by US annual sales volume — higher = more complaints relative to sales
Show raw complaint counts
Common Dodge Ram Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 420 | 17.1% |
| Automatic Transmission | 330 | 5.8% |
| Air Bags:Frontal | 258 | 86.4% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 166 | 14.5% |
| Suspension:Front | 138 | 2.9% |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | 131 | 2.3% |
| Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar | 121 | 9.1% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components | 117 | 4.3% |
| Suspension Failures | 106 | 3.8% |
| Tire Defects | 95 | 6.3% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Rate | US Sales | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981NO DATA | — | 2 | — | — | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1984NO DATA | — | 2 | — | — | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 1985NO DATA | — | 14 | — | — | 1 | 1 | View → |
| 1986NO DATA | — | 20 | — | — | 3 | 5 | View → |
| 1987NO DATA | — | 21 | — | — | 0 | — | View → |
| 1988NO DATA | — | 27 | — | — | 4 | 1 | View → |
| 1989NO DATA | — | 35 | — | — | 6 | 2 | View → |
| 1990NO DATA | — | 23 | — | — | 2 | 5 | View → |
| 1991NO DATA | — | 63 | — | — | 3 | 2 | View → |
| 1992NO DATA | — | 75 | — | — | 4 | 5 | View → |
| 1993NO DATA | — | 66 | — | — | 4 | 1 | View → |
| 1994NO DATA | — | 623 | — | — | 53 | 31 | View → |
| 1995NO DATA | — | 852 | — | — | 82 | 39 | View → |
| 1996NO DATA | — | 905 | — | — | 84 | 26 | View → |
| 1997NO DATA | — | 513 | — | — | 51 | 19 | View → |
| 1998NO DATA | — | 644 | — | — | 94 | 9 | View → |
| 1999NO DATA | — | 496 | — | — | 52 | 9 | View → |
| 2000NO DATA | — | 212 | — | — | 37 | 12 | View → |
| 2001NO DATA | — | 417 | — | — | 66 | 11 | View → |
| 2002NO DATA | — | 152 | — | — | 21 | 4 | View → |
| 2003NO DATA | — | 65 | — | — | 9 | 1 | View → |
| 2004NO DATA | — | 71 | — | — | 10 | — | View → |
| 2005 | — | 47 | 1.2 | 400,543 | 5 | 1 | View → |
| 2006 | — | 36 | 1.0 | 364,177 | 1 | 1 | View → |
| 2007GOOD | — | 20 | 0.6 | 358,295 | 1 | 1 | View → |
| 2008 | — | 33 | 1.3 | 245,840 | 7 | 2 | View → |
| 2009 | — | 13 | 0.7 | 177,268 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 2010 | — | 33 | 1.6 | 199,652 | 4 | 3 | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (5,481 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: US annual vehicle sales from goodcarbadcar. Coverage: 21% of model years have sales data. Total US sales: 1,745,775.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint rate. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
See also: Dodge Ramaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.
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