2017 Ram 1500 problems
Owners have filed 1,207 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Ram 1500. Steering is the most reported problem area, at 19% of complaints. Next are engine (16%) and fuel system (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,207 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 20% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 110 and 20
- Injuries and deaths
- 108 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 36,000 miles 491 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 155 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 124 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 71 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 32 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 29 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 26 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 12 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 19 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 11 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 5 |
| 200k+ miles | 7 |
What the data shows
Of the 491 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 36,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 65,000 miles (65 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 110 complaints mention a crash; 20 complaints mention a fire; 108 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2017 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the Ram 1500 with enough data (601 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 13 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I was traveling on an interstate highway when I came upon an accident involving multiple vehicles. I took evasive action and was able to stop completely avoiding the vehicles involved, and just behind one vehicle that was partially blocking the right lane. I was struck from behind which caused the drivers seat to go into a reclining position. My truck was propelled forward with me in a reclining position. I felt a secondary impact, which damaged the front of my vehicle.
Vehicle was being operated at normal highway speed, when it ran off the right side of the road and up an embankment. The vehicle when airborne, before landing and sliding across an intersecting road. The vehicle then struck a group of trees. The crash resulted in the death of the driver. The driver was believed to be unrestrained. The vehicle suffered significant damage to the right front corner.
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph the vehicle T-Boned crashed into the passenger side of a school bus. During the crash the front end of the vehicle was severely damaged and the vehicle was destroyed but the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained a concussion, bruised left side ribs and torso which required medical treatment. One passenger from the school bus was also injured and required medical treatment but no further information was available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 ram 1500. While traveling approximately 35 MPH, the electric throttle control sensor indicator suddenly illuminated and the vehicle suddenly accelerated to approximately 55 MPH. During the incident, the rpm's continued to rev extremely high and the driver was unable to stop the vehicle when depressing the brake pedal. The driver shifted to neutral in order to stop the vehicle.