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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2012 Ram 1500 — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 697 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

697
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
32
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
10
Involved Fire
owner-reported
27
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

1,485 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Electrical System 175 reports
Engine 163 reports
Power Train 92 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 92 reports
Air Bags 80 reports
Unknown Or Other 67 reports
Service Brakes 51 reports
Steering 47 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Electrical System ODI 11164157 12/31/2018

THE WIRELESS IGNITION MODULE IS DEFECTIVE. (IGNITION). WHILE DRIVING IF YOU HIT A BUMP THE TRUCK TURNS OFF. YOUR POWER STEERING POWER BRAKES ALL TURN OFF AT ANY SPEED. IF YOU TURN THE KEY AND HOLD IT IN WITH SLIGHT PRESSURE IT IS FINE

Electrical System ODI 10938902 12/31/2016

MY DODGE RAM 1500 2012 HAS, PER THE DEALER, A FAULTY TOTAL INTEGRATED POWER MODULE (TIPM). I AM EXPERIENCING ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH MY DOOR LOCKS, BRAKE LIGHTS, AND REMOTE START. THE PROBLEMS OCCUR AT ALL TIMES OF VEHICLE OPERATION. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM THAT COSTS CONSUMERS >$1000 TO REPAIR, AND NOT BEEN RECALLED.

Electrical System ODI 10938863 12/30/2016

THE ONLY WAY THE RADIO WILL GET RID OF THE STATIC IS TO PUSH ON THE BRAKE.

Vehicle Speed Control ODI 11163961 12/29/2018

MY TRUCK WILL STOP WORKING WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN BE PUSHED AND IT WILL NOT ACCELERATE. THE TRUCK LOSES POWER. A RED ELECTRIC BOLT APPEARS. THE TRUCK BECOMES INOPERABLE WHEN THIS HAPPENS. IT WILL SUDDENLY REGAIN POWER. I HAVE SEARCHED FOR ANSWERS AND MANY PEOPLE ARE CLAIMING TO HAVE THE SAME PROBELEM.

Air Bags ODI 10816872 12/29/2015

AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON TRUCK HAS 26624 MILES ON IT. DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY 3 YEAR OR 36,000 MILES, I BOUGHT THE TRUCK LAST YEAR AND IT HAD 7000 MILES ON IT. I GOOGLED ONLINE AND THERE IS A LOT OF TRUCKS EFFECTED AND THE FIX WAS WIRE HARNESS AND SPRING CAPS REPLACED. DEALER WANTS TO CHARGE TO FIX ISSUE.

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2012 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 2012 Ram 1500 reliable?
Owners have filed 697 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2012 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.