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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2011 Ram 1500 — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 689 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

689
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
28
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
7
Involved Fire
owner-reported
21
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Ram 1500 — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

0 complaints

689 complaints

697 complaints

1,277 complaints

1,770 complaints

1,453 complaints

1,545 complaints

880 complaints

662 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Electrical System 214 reports
Power Train 176 reports
Engine 151 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 128 reports
Unknown Or Other 46 reports
Steering 45 reports
Suspension 40 reports
Exterior Lighting 29 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Electrical System ODI 11385801 12/31/2020

TL* THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF HIS WIFE WHO OWNS A 2011 RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SHUT-OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START-UP AS NEEDED AFTER MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS. UPON INSPECTION, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD A DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP RELAY. THE CONTACT CALLED GRISSOM C…

Steering ODI 10817220 12/31/2015

MY TRUCK HAD 34,754 MILES WHEN I WAS TOLD BOTH OUTTER TIE ROD ENDS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AS WELL AS THE LEFT STRUT. I FIND THESE PARTS FAILING THIS EARLY TO BE UNACCEPTABLE. CHRYSLER/RAM REFUSED TO RESPOND TO MY OFFICIAL WRITTEN COMPLAINT LETTER. I REQUESTED A REVIEW AS I FEEL MY TRUCK WAS BUILD WITH DEFECTIVE STEERING PARTS. AS CHRYSLER REFUSES TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE I WO…

Electrical System ODI 10441973 12/31/2011

MY RAM 1500 INEXPLICABLY CAUGHT FIRE AND BURNED TO THE GROUND AFTER SITTING OUTSIDE FOR APPROXIMATELY 12 HOURS. THE VEHICLE WAS LOCKED, AS WERE THE BED COVER, THE TAILGATE, AND THE RAM BOXES. THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE BED OR RAMBOXES. WE WERE ALERTED TO THE FIRE AT AROUND 6 AM BY 1) AN EXPLOSION AND 2) NEIGHBOR ALERT. WHEN WE WENT OUTSIDE THE TRUCK'S BED WAS ENGULFED IN FIR…

Electrical System ODI 11057523 12/30/2017

MY TRUCK WILL NOT CRANK SOMETIMEA. I PUT A NEW STARTER AND NEW BATTERY ON IT AND IT WORKS FOR A WHILE AND THEN STOPS. ONE TIME THE FUEL PUMP RAN WITH THE TRUCK TURNED OFF MY SERVICE MAN SAYS IT'S THE COMPUTER BOX AND THIS MORNING IT WOULD NOT CRANK AT ALL. THIS PART IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND HARD TO FIND, FROM WHAT I'VE READ THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL.

Structure ODI 10816939 12/30/2015

I HAVE A WATER LEAK IN THE BACK OF MY TRUCK AND ITS GETTING MY HEADLINER WET. *JS

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2011 Ram 1500, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2011 Ram 1500 reliable?
Owners have filed 689 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2011 Ram 1500, most often about electrical system. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Ram 1500 years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.