Vehicle Data Hub

2021 Ram Promaster problems

The 2021 Ram Promaster has 156 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (16%) concerns backover prevention. Next are electrical system (12%) and lane departure (9%).

At a glance

Complaints
156 filed with NHTSA
Most reported
Backover prevention 16% of complaints
Crashes and fires
2 and 4
Injuries and deaths
0 and 0
Typical mileage
20,000 miles 27 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

Complaints by mileage, 2021 Ram Promaster Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 20,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 12 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 6 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 3 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 2 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 2 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 2 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 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: 20,000 miles
Based on 27 complaints that include mileage. 78% 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 miles12
20k to 40k miles6
40k to 60k miles3
60k to 80k miles2
80k to 100k miles2
100k to 120k miles2
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles0
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 27 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 20,000 miles. For backover prevention specifically, the median reported mileage is about 37,000 miles (11 complaints with mileage).

Safety-related details: 2 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire. Its complaints are less severe on average than those of 87% of model years in our database.

Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 10 model years of the Ram Promaster with enough data (156 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 8 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.

The contact owns a 2022 Jayco Entegra hauled by a 2021 Ram Promaster 3500. The contact initially heard an alarm sound coming from inside the RV. Upon opening the RV door, heavy, white smoke filled the entire RV. The fire department was called to the scene where they discovered the source of the smoke coming from the RV's battery; however, no flames were seen. The fire department was able to extract the battery from the RV and let the battery air out in an open field until the smoke dissipated.

Reported at 10,589 miles, February 2024 Fire

The contact owned a 2021 Ram 3500 Promaster. The contact stated one of his employees was driving at 40 MPH, when a burning odor was emitted from the vehicle. Smoke was emitting from under the hood and entered the vehicle through the A/C vents. The driver exited the vehicle. The driver did not sustain any injuries. None of the air bags deployed. It was unknown if any warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed. The vehicle was consumed by the fire and destroyed.

Reported at 80,000 miles, April 2025 Fire

The contact owned a 2021 Ram Promaster 1500. The contact had stopped at a house that the contact worked on and parked the vehicle on the side of the house. The contact turned off the engine and entered the house, and after twenty minutes, when the contact stepped outside, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The flames spread to the house and caused damage to the property. Some of the paint melted; the garage door, driveway, side door, and some of the landscape were damaged.

Reported at 64,000 miles, January 2026 Fire

The contact owns a 2021 Jayco Swift RV built on a 2021 Ram Promaster 3500 Chassis. The contact stated that while driving downhill at an undisclosed speed, the transmission failed to shift out of low gear, and the RPMS were significantly high. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the motorhome standard weight had exceeded the transmission and engine capacity. The contact stated that the only equipment that was added to the RV standard weight was a spare tire.

Reported at 20,000 miles, March 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V552000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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. The contact stated that the rearview camera displayed a distorted image.

Reported at 80,000 miles, May 2026

Other model years of the Promaster

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