Ram Best and Worst Years by Model
6 Ram models, 19,931 NHTSA owner complaints and 308 recall campaigns for model years 2005–2025. Pick a model to see which years to avoid and which are the safest bets.
Ram models ranked by owner complaints
Sorted by popularity. Years to avoid / best years come from each model’s own Complaint Index.
Verdicts are based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls per model-year, compared within each model. This is not a reliability rating. How the Complaint Index works.
| Model | Years | Complaints | Recalls | Years to avoid | Best years | Top issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ram 1500 | 2009–2025 | 11,628 | 93 | 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019 | 2024 | Engine |
| Ram 2500 | 2009–2025 | 5,092 | 62 | 2014, 2017, 2018, 2022 | — | Brakes |
| Ram Promaster | 2014–2025 | 639 | 42 | 2021, 2022, 2023 | 2024, 2025 | Engine |
| Ram 3500 | 2007–2025 | 2,316 | 61 | 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022 | — | Brakes |
| Ram Promaster City | 2015–2022 | 100 | 9 | 2015, 2016 | 2021 | Engine |
| Ram 5500 | 2008–2025 | 156 | 41 | 2018, 2020, 2022 | — | Transmission & Powertrain |
Ram model years with the most complaints
Raw complaint counts (not adjusted for age or sales). Click through for the breakdown.
- 2018 Ram 2500 · 2,590 complaints · 9 recalls Avoid
- 2014 Ram 1500 · 1,766 complaints · 16 recalls Avoid
- 2016 Ram 1500 · 1,541 complaints · 16 recalls Avoid
- 2019 Ram 1500 · 1,477 complaints · 29 recalls Avoid
- 2015 Ram 1500 · 1,448 complaints · 17 recalls Avoid
- 2013 Ram 1500 · 1,276 complaints · 11 recalls Caution
- 2017 Ram 1500 · 878 complaints · 13 recalls Caution
- 2018 Ram 3500 · 802 complaints · 10 recalls Avoid
- 2017 Ram 2500 · 693 complaints · 11 recalls Avoid
- 2021 Ram 1500 · 678 complaints · 15 recalls Caution
How we rank Ram years
For each model we compare its own model years using the Complaint Index: complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and “Do Not Drive” recalls reported to NHTSA, adjusted for how long each year has been on the road. The top quarter of a model’s years is marked Avoid, the bottom quarter Best. Because NHTSA publishes no sales data, models are not ranked against each other. Full details in the methodology.