Vehicle Data Hub

2002 Dodge Ram 1500 electrical system problems

Owners reported electrical system problems in 94 complaints for the 2002 Dodge Ram 1500, 9% of the complaints on file. It is the 2nd most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
94 9% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
79,000 miles 81 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
3 and 7
Injuries and deaths
0 and 1

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When electrical system problems show up

Electrical system complaints by mileage, 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 79,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 6 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 10 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 9 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 16 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 7 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 13 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 6 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 4 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 2 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 2 complaints 200k+ miles: 6 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 79,000 miles
Based on 81 complaints that include mileage. 31% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles6
20k to 40k miles10
40k to 60k miles9
60k to 80k miles16
80k to 100k miles7
100k to 120k miles13
120k to 140k miles6
140k to 160k miles4
160k to 180k miles2
180k to 200k miles2
200k+ miles6

What the data shows

Of the 81 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 79,000 miles, and 31% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 3 crashes, 7 fires, 1 death.

What owners wrote

On july 8, 2012, the mother carried her 2 year-old daughter to her husband's parked 2002 dodge ram 1500 pickup equipped with a manual transmission. The mother opened the passenger door, inserted the ignition key into the ignition switch, turned the key as the mother was trying to activate the air conditioner and cool the vehicle down before her husband came out to drive them home from church.the vehicle was in 1st gear and lurched forward when the key was turned.the speed of 2 MPH at time of incident is an…

Reported at 99,502 miles, July 2012 Death

Excessive cracks have formed in both dashboard pieces. The plastic has become very brittle and sharp pieces are beginning to fall into the wiring underneath. Nothing particular happened that caused it, they just appeared overnight. Conversations with the local dodge dealer and chrysler customer service yeilded no assistance.

Reported at 101,000 miles, September 2007

Other problems reported for the 2002 Dodge Ram 1500

Electrical system problems in other years

Electrical system problems across all Dodge models