Ram 1500 Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2019 At least twice the 210 complaints of a typical Ram 1500 year. Most described: power steering problems.
Best years: 2023 Under three quarters of the 210 complaints of a typical Ram 1500 year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2018 drew few complaints too, but it is named in an open NHTSA investigation.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 26 mpg combined, arrived in 2020. Includes the 2010 to 2012 trucks, which EPA and NHTSA list as the Dodge Ram 1500. Includes the 1500 Classic, the previous-generation truck Ram sold alongside the current one; NHTSA files recalls and complaints for both under the same name.

Ram 1500 problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Ram 1500 year drew 210 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (185.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (210), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2019 Ram 1500 Avoid Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	470	1,501	29
2021 Ram 1500 Most described: stalling or shutting off	347	690	15
2022 Ram 1500 Most described: stalling or shutting off	321	640	16
2014 Ram 1500 Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	273	1,784	16
2016 Ram 1500 Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	221	1,565	16
2017 Ram 1500 Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	199	886	13
2015 Ram 1500 Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	196	1,461	17
2013 Ram 1500 Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	175	1,283	11
2020 Ram 1500 Most described: stalling or shutting off	170	645	14
2011 Ram 1500 Most described: stalling or shutting off	148	689	6
2018 Ram 1500 Most described: backup camera problems	143	669	15
2023 Ram 1500 Best Most described: stalling or shutting off	132	207	11
2012 Ram 1500 Most described: stalling or shutting off	80	698	6
2010 Ram 1500 Most described: stalling or shutting off	69	488	7

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Ram 1500 for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Ram dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	9	107	4 to 5 stars
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	8	380	4 to 5 stars
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	6	78	4 to 5 stars
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Diesel	11	207	4 to 5 stars
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	16	640	4 to 5 stars
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	15	690	4 to 5 stars
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Diesel	14	645	4 to 5 stars
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	29	1,501	4 to 5 stars
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	15	669
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	13	886
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Diesel	16	1,565
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Diesel	17	1,461
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Diesel	16	1,784
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	21 mpg Gas	11	1,283
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	16 mpg Gas	6	698	3 to 4 stars
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	16 mpg Gas	6	689	2 to 3 stars
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	16 mpg Gas	7	488	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2019: 1,501 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Ram 1500
Model year	Complaints
2010	488
2011	689
2012	698
2013	1,283
2014	1,784
2015	1,461
2016	1,565
2017	886
2018	669
2019	1,501
2020	645
2021	690
2022	640
2023	207
2024	78
2025	380
2026	107

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 16 to 23 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2019. Diesel: 23 to 26 mpg (2014 to 2023); highest in 2020.

Best gas version
Best diesel version

2026: gas 22 mpg · diesel not offered

Show as a table

Ram 1500 best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best diesel version
2010	16	–
2011	16	–
2012	16	–
2013	21	–
2014	21	23
2015	21	24
2016	21	24
2017	20	23
2018	20	23
2019	23	23
2020	23	26
2021	23	26
2022	23	26
2023	23	24
2024	23	–
2025	23	–
2026	22	–

Every Ram 1500 year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 vs Ram 1500MPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Ram 1500 years should you avoid?

The 2019 Ram 1500 is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 210 owner complaints of a typical Ram 1500 year in its first three years. Owners of the 2019 most often describe power steering problems. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Ram dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Ram 1500 years?

The 2023 Ram 1500 is the best year: it drew 132 owner complaints in its first three years, under three quarters of the 210 complaints of a typical Ram 1500 year since 2016, and it has no open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2018 drew few complaints too, but it is named in an open NHTSA investigation. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Ram 1500 years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2019 (470) drew the most, then the 2021 (347). Owners of the 2019 most often describe power steering problems or locked steering.

Which Ram 1500 years have the most recalls?

The 2019 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (29), then the 2015 (17). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. One recall tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 21V-037 (2021 models).

What are the most common Ram 1500 problems?

In the 13,771 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe power steering problems or locked steering (1,741 complaints); stalling or shutting off (1,228 complaints); and loss of power or limp mode (753 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Ram 1500 year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 26 mpg combined, first reached by the 2020 diesel version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.