RAM 2500 Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
7,389 NHTSA complaints (2009–2026).Complaint rate: 80.8 per 1,000 vehicles.
Should I buy a RAM 2500?
Quick answer from 7,389 NHTSA complaints · 2009–2026
RAM 2500 reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is brakes. Pick the right year and this 2500 can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.
- 2023 RAM 2500· 58 complaints
- 2021 RAM 2500· 152 complaints
- 2020 RAM 2500· 227 complaints
- 2018 RAM 2500· 3,596 complaints
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- brakes — 2,299 complaints (1.3% involved a crash)
- electrical faults — 901 complaints (1.3% involved a crash)
- steering defects — 514 complaints (3.7% involved a crash)
- unintended acceleration — 473 complaints (1.3% involved a crash)
- transmission / drivetrain — 434 complaints (6.0% involved a crash)
What Happened to 91,404 RAM 2500s On the Road
Complaints record what owners reported. These are the outcomes actually recorded against 91,404 RAM 2500 VINs built 1998–2026 — accidents, title brands and odometer flags from our vehicle-history database, not from the NHTSA complaint file.
Do the complaint spikes show up in real accident history?
The RAM 2500 averages 25.1% accident history across all model years. Here is how the years flagged above compare on real records:
- 2018 — 32.5% of 9,647 VINs on record show accident history, above the 25.1% model average. The complaint spike is backed by real damage records.
Typical RAM 2500 on record: 1.6 owners on average, 63,978 average miles.
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 2017–2018 RAM 2500 (65 crash-related complaints). The 2023 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Brakes.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
Too New
Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.
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 $8.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common RAM 2500 Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 2,299 | 1.3% |
| Electrical Faults | 901 | 1.3% |
| Steering Defects | 514 | 3.7% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 473 | 1.3% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 434 | 6.0% |
| Engine Problems | 419 | 1.4% |
| Hydraulic Brakes | 400 | 2.8% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | 202 | 2.0% |
| Fuel System | 196 | 0.0% |
| Suspension Failures | 165 | 5.5% |
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 | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009GOOD | — | 12 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2010 | — | 309 | 11 | 6 | View → |
| 2013 | — | 272 | 10 | 7 | View → |
| 2014AVOID | — | 483 | 19 | 8 | View → |
| 2015 | — | 286 | 17 | 8 | View → |
| 2016 | — | 362 | 19 | 5 | View → |
| 2017AVOID | — | 979 | 12 | 7 | View → |
| 2018AVOID | — | 3,596 | 53 | 4 | View → |
| 2019 | — | 252 | 14 | 16 | View → |
| 2020 | — | 227 | 9 | 5 | View → |
| 2021GOOD | — | 152 | 7 | 15 | View → |
| 2022 | — | 251 | 15 | 7 | View → |
| 2023GOOD | — | 58 | 4 | 1 | View → |
| 2024TOO NEW | — | 63 | 13 | 2 | View → |
| 2025TOO NEW | — | 75 | 0 | — | View → |
| 2026TOO NEW | — | 12 | 0 | — | 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 (7,389 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.
On-road outcomes: Accident, title-brand, theft and odometer records for 91,404 RAM 2500 VINs in our vehicle-history database. Independent of the NHTSA complaint file — a complaint is what an owner reported, these are what was recorded against the vehicle. Year-level figures are shown only for model years with at least 200 VINs on record.
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 count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
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