Vehicle Data Hub

2018 Ram 1500 electrical system problems

Owners reported electrical system problems in 159 complaints for the 2018 Ram 1500, 17% of the complaints on file. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
159 17% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
21,000 miles 40 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
4 and 3
Injuries and deaths
6 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When electrical system problems show up

Electrical system complaints by mileage, 2018 Ram 1500 Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 21,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 18 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 10 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 7 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 2 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 1 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 1 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 1 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 0 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 21,000 miles
Based on 40 complaints that include mileage. 88% 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 miles18
20k to 40k miles10
40k to 60k miles7
60k to 80k miles2
80k to 100k miles1
100k to 120k miles1
120k to 140k miles1
140k to 160k miles0
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 40 electrical system complaints that report mileage, the median is about 21,000 miles, and 88% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 4 crashes, 3 fires, 6 injuries.

What owners wrote

I was unable to stop vehicle as I was approaching an intersection on a city street went to press on the brakes all the lights started flashing, brake system flashed, no traction light came on, vehicle turned off. Ended up impacting 3 other vehicles and a school bus. My airbags never deployed, and the vehicle was deemed a total loss by my insurance company. All parties were injured in the accident, almost all are seeking representation from attorneys for their injuries.

Reported at 1,844 miles, August 2019 CrashInjury

On february 1, shortly after 9:00 pm central the engine shut off while I was on the interstate. I was in the left hand lane, having just passed as semi a bit earlier. I instinctively tried to start it while it was moving, causing the headlights to go off while I'm doing 75 MPH. At that point started to pull over, though I could barely see the concrete divider and had tried to keep the tires on the rumble strip as I slowed down until I could see the barrier better.

Reported at 27,400 miles, February 2021

Other problems reported for the 2018 Ram 1500

Electrical system problems in other years

Electrical system problems across all Ram models