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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2013 Ram 1500 — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 1,278 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

1,278

Complaints

filed with NHTSA

Involved a Crash

owner-reported

Involved Fire

owner-reported

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.

2010 Ram 1500

0 complaints

2011 Ram 1500

689 complaints

2012 Ram 1500

697 complaints

2013 Ram 1500

1,278 complaints

2014 Ram 1500

1,770 complaints

2015 Ram 1500

1,453 complaints

2016 Ram 1500

1,545 complaints

2017 Ram 1500

880 complaints

2018 Ram 1500

662 complaints

2019 Ram 1500

1,485 complaints

2020 Ram 1500

634 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Steering 639 reports

Electrical System 227 reports

Engine 123 reports

Air Bags 94 reports

Power Train 86 reports

Service Brakes 80 reports

Unknown Or Other 50 reports

Suspension 44 reports

In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Electronic Stability Control (esc) ODI 10557924 12/31/2013

MY RAM 1500 MANUFACTURED 2013 STOPPED SUDDENLY AND REFUSED TO START UP AGAIN WITH ALL ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT BEEN WORKING REGULARLY. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME HAPPENED TO ME AFTER TWO WEEKS ONLY. THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED IMMEDIATELY TO MY CLOSEST AGENT. THE FIRST REPORT DIDN'T DIAGNOSE ANY DEFECT ON THE TRUCK. I CONSIDER THIS INCIDENT AS A VERY HIGH AND CRITICAL SAF…

Steering ODI 11707932 12/30/2025

To whom it may concern, I'm currently experiencing an intermittent flashing red steering column and exclamation point on my dash as well as the power steering disengaging, forcing me to manually wrestle with the steering wheel while trying to control the truck without crashing and potentially killing myself as well as others. I googled this issue and came across the instr…

Steering ODI 11633212 12/30/2024

Electronic power steering intermittent failure. Vehicles power steering ‘service now’ light comes on and abruptly shuts off power steering and will abruptly turn back on several miles/ days later. This causes a severe safety risk as the module will autocorrect steering mid turn or shutdown completely causing the vehicle to lose control. The problem has been reproduced by a t…

Fuel System ODI 10557880 12/30/2013

I WAS RETURNING HOME FROM A SHORT TRIP ON THE INTERSTATE AND I HAD JUST MADE A TURN ON THE STREET WE LIVE ON WHEN I HEARD A DING SOUND. MY WIFE AND I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A MESSAGE ON THE DISPLAY THAT SHOWED, "SERVICE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL". IT STAYED ON ONLY A SECOND AND DISAPPEARED. I DIDN'T REALLY NOTICE ANY EFFECT TO THE DRIVING CAPABILITY, BUT THIS IS THE FIRST…

Steering ODI 11632950 12/29/2024

Brought this vehicle and drove it for 1 month before power steering went out. I was driving on the interstate at a high speed when the power steering light came on. I was unable to steer the vehicle off the road so I had to stop on the interstate and call a tow truck.

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2013 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 2013 Ram 1500 reliable?

Owners have filed 1,278 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2013 Ram 1500, most often about steering. 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.