2021 Ram 1500 problems
Owners have filed 1,154 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Ram 1500. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 24% of complaints. Next are electrical system (17%) and drivetrain & axles (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,154 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 24% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 41 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 41 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 31,000 miles 175 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 | 65 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 44 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 28 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 16 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 10 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 6 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 5 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 175 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 31,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 26,000 miles (37 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 41 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 41 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the Ram 1500 with enough data (1,154 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 15 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.
While nearly completing a right turn into a private driveway with a speed under 3 MPH and approximate 20 degree incline I was struck by GMC terrain just behind the right rear tire with posted speed of 40 MPH on the street. The force of impact pushed my truck into a telephone pole next to the driveway impacting the rear door on the driver side the rear door glass shattered and landed 10 to 15 ft in the yard, the truck came to rest facing 180 degrees the opposite direction of travel in the center of a four lane…
The contact owns a 2021 RAM 1500. The contact stated that while his son-in-law was driving at 30 MPH, another vehicle had rear ended his vehicle. The force of the collision then propelled the vehicle into the vehicle in front of him. Due to the force of the collision, his son-in-law's head hit the steering wheel which caused him to black out.The vehicle was then hit by two other vehicles on both the passenger and the driver side as the vehicle was in the middle of an intersection.
Car accident just occurred that yielded in the truck being totaled (with driver injury) and air bags did not deploy. It is currently at the tow yard awaiting the insurance company's visit. It has not yet been inspected. There were no messages on the dash regarding the air bags prior to this accident.
I have had 2 safety issues with my 2021 ram 1500 laramie with approx. 4,500 miles on it. 1st , and most important, I have had the engine stall when accelerating from a stop onto a roadway. It has occurred between 5-25 MPH approx while pulling from a stop, or slow roll, into traffic. The second occurrence was on 4/13/2021, unsure of the first date.
The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V653000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic, Electronic Stability Control (ESC); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue.