The short list
Where the money goes wrong — and where it doesn’t.
✕ Years to avoid
The ABS module and the steering — both out of warranty, both loud. 1,497 complaints, the most here. The dominant recent complaint is the anti-lock brake control module failing and taking ABS, cruise control and traction control down with it — owners cite the part by number, call it a known problem, and report the replacement on nationwide backorder for 9–12 months. It is not an open recall; several owners mention extended coverage on the module, but we could not confirm the terms in Chrysler's own bulletins, so treat any coverage claim as unverified until a dealer confirms it by VIN. Second is electric power steering: recall 16V167 covers a 2015–2016 circuit-board short that can kill the assist, but the file also carries out-of-recall failures where owners are told their steering rack isn't covered. The 5.7L Hemi's cam-and-lifter tick rides underneath both. Diesel buyers have their own list (EGR-cooler fire 19V757, crankshaft tone-wheel stall 20V475/23V411, high-pressure fuel pump 22V406). It's a checklist truck, not a walk-away — but it's the longest checklist in the range.
The redesign launch year — 29 recalls, and the steering is the headline. 1,444 complaints and 29 recall campaigns, the risk-heavy first year of the fifth-generation truck. The loudest complaint is sudden, no-warning loss of power-steering assist, in some reports leading to a loss of control; three separate recalls address contributors (a loose ground fastener 19V020, a contaminated EPS gear that can short 19V812, and a machined steering-column stub shaft that can break 19V201), and some owners were still told their failure fell outside them. Two recalls are extraordinary: trucks with the 12-inch screen and base HVAC had no working windshield defrost or defog — an FMVSS 103 failure whose remedy was repurchasing the vehicle (19V051) — and the 48-volt auxiliary battery terminal could overheat and start a cabin fire even with the key off (19V142). Water leaks through a cracked rear-window frame and the third brake light are a signature of these years (Chrysler covers both with warranty extensions, XL1 and XG1 — get them done before they rot the headliner). Add first-gear lockup and shift-to-park complaints on the eight-speed, a transfer case that can stick in neutral (20V080), and the Hemi tick. Only buyable with a full recall printout in hand.
✓ Years to hunt for
The final, most-sorted fourth-generation truck. 640 complaints, the lowest of its generation, and the profile is familiar rather than alarming: steering is still the biggest bucket, and the ABS-module failure of 2016–2017 is present here too — so on the test drive confirm anti-lock brakes, cruise and traction control all actually work. The recall list is longer than the risk: a powertrain-control-module voltage-regulator chip that can stall the truck or leave it not starting (18V524, free PCM replacement), an incomplete rear-driveshaft weld (19V324), an incorrect transmission park-lock rod that may not hold park (18V280), and an underfilled rear differential that can lock up (18V556). All free — the job is simply confirming each one is closed. The 5.7L Hemi's cam-and-lifter tick is the same cross-generation risk as every other year here: cold-start it and listen. A well-documented 2018 is the cheapest good truck on this page.
The newest and by far the quietest year we cover. 179 complaints — a fraction of any other year — and a short, mostly-electrical file. The notable mechanical recall is 24V413: an insufficient weld in the transmission control unit can let fluid leak onto the electronics, causing a loss of drive power or loss of the park function; the remedy replaces the valve body and control unit free, so confirm it shows completed. A cluster of steering-column-control-module recalls (24V199 driver-airbag welding defect, 23V799 high-beam/turn-signal, 24V729 turn-signal self-cancel) are also free VIN checks. The engine caveat doesn't disappear with the low count: from 2023 the 5.7L Hemi came only with eTorque, so the 48-volt motor-generator is standard on Hemi trucks, and the manifold-bolt and cam-and-lifter risks travel with the engine as always. There's also a small, repeated phantom-braking cluster in the file. Cold-start it, listen, and check the recalls — then this is the strongest buy in the range.
Same year. Different engine.
One badge, several engines — the year’s verdict assumes the riskiest one. Yours might be the calm one.
Which engine is in the one you found?
Where the years split by powertrain — the Hemi is the constant, eTorque and the diesel are the options that change the riskThe engine in most of these trucks — and the tick you must listen for. The Hemi's signature risk spans both generations: a hydraulic roller lifter and the cam lobe it rides on wear and begin to fail, producing a tick that grows into a constant misfire on that cylinder, sometimes with low oil pressure and, in the worst reports, catastrophic engine failure. Independent mechanics put a cam-and-lifter job at a minimum of about $4,500 and note that engine replacement is often recommended once metal shows in the oil. From 2021 a second, louder failure joins it: exhaust-manifold bolts snap and the manifolds crack — owners report a cold-start tick that grows over time and, in bad cases, exhaust fumes leaking into the cab, with dealers acknowledging a known issue. Chrysler's own 2022 Customer Satisfaction Notifications (a CSN is its quiet, free-repair program short of a recall) for engine oil starvation and engine misfire are the clearest admission of where this leads: starve a Hemi of oil and the damage lands on the cam, the lifters and the bearings. There is no recall for either the lifters or the manifolds. The test is free — cold-start the truck yourself, before the seller warms it.
The mild-hybrid option — one known failure point, wildly different quotes. eTorque replaces the alternator with a belt-driven motor-generator unit (MGU) fed by a 48-volt battery pack, and that MGU is what mechanics call the known failure point — essentially a complex alternator-plus-motor that stop/start duty wears hard. Owners report the dealer confirming 'the eTorque is bad' and being told not to drive the truck; symptoms include lost power, stop/start faults and 'service required' warnings. The money is the story: a dealer quote of around $5,000 against under $1,000 for the part done independently, per the mechanic who tears them down — so a diagnosis is not a verdict, it's a reason to get a second quote. Chrysler has reached into the system repeatedly: a motor-generator CSN (V87), hybrid-control-processor software updates (Z49), and recall 23V265 on 2021 trucks, where an eTorque PCM software fault can create an incorrect fuel mixture and stall the engine (free recalibration). From 2023 the 5.7L Hemi came only with eTorque, so on the newest trucks this row isn't optional.
Diesel buyers only — and the recall list is the reason to read carefully. The optional 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 carries a recall history no gas engine here matches, and every one of them is a stall or a fire: an EGR cooler that can crack and set the intake alight (19V757); a crankshaft tone wheel that delaminates and loses signal, dropping the truck into limp mode above 50 mph and stalling it periodically (recalls 20V475 and 23V411, with a matching Chrysler warranty extension, X94); and high-pressure fuel-pump failures that starve the engine of fuel (22V406 on the older trucks, 22V767 and 23V263 on 2020–2023). All are free fixes — which is exactly why each one must show completed by VIN before you buy a diesel. Nothing here says the EcoDiesel is a bad engine; it says its safety-relevant paperwork is long, and a diesel with an unverified recall history is not a bargain.
The ZF eight-speed behind everything — quirks early, one recall late. Every Ram 1500 here runs the eight-speed automatic, and it is not a headline failure — but it has two documented moments. On the 2019 launch truck the complaint file carries shift-to-park refusals and first-gear lockup, alongside a transfer case that can stick in neutral (its own recall, 20V080). And on 2023 trucks, recall 24V413 covers an insufficient weld in the transmission control unit that can let fluid leak onto the electronics, causing a loss of drive power or of the park function — the remedy replaces the valve body and the control unit free. Between those two points the transmission draws no failure cluster of its own. Check that park engages cleanly, that it doesn't hunt or lock into first, and that 24V413 is closed on a 2023.
The split is partial by design — we draw a row only where a Chrysler campaign, a mechanic source, or a complaint cluster names that engine. The 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 gets no row here: it draws no distinct failure cluster in this data, which is an absence of evidence rather than a clean bill of health. And one warning specific to this nameplate: from 2019 to 2023 the fifth-generation DT truck and the carryover fourth-generation DS were sold at the same time, the old one badged '1500 Classic' — the two have different recalls, and the Classic's campaigns are not this truck's. The VIN settles which truck, which engine, and which recalls are yours — paste it and we'll tell you which row you're looking at.
Decode my VIN — freeEvery year, rated
Each verdict links to the full report: known issues with real repair costs, open recalls, and the print-and-go inspection checklist.
A cheap, capable 4th-gen Hemi truck whose real risks — a failing ABS module and power-steering loss — are out-of-warranty and worth checking hard.
1,497 complaints · 17 recalls
Full report →Often called the sweet-spot 4th-gen Ram — the same good bones as 2016 with noticeably fewer complaints, if you clear the steering and ABS checks.
856 complaints · 13 recalls
Full report →The final, most-sorted fourth-generation Ram — the lowest complaint count of its generation, with a longer recall list to simply confirm as closed.
640 complaints · 15 recalls
Full report →The redesigned truck is a big leap in comfort — but 2019 is the first-year model, and its recall list and steering complaints are the longest here.
1,444 complaints · 29 recalls
Full report →The year the redesigned Ram settles down — less than half the complaints of 2019, with no single runaway problem, just the leaks and engine risks to check.
605 complaints · 13 recalls
Full report →A mature, well-sorted truck on paper — but 2021 is where the engine becomes the story: Hemi manifold bolts, lifter tick, and eTorque failures.
653 complaints · 14 recalls
Full report →A refined, well-equipped truck whose recent complaints — and Chrysler's own engine programs — still point under the hood.
582 complaints · 15 recalls
Full report →The newest and by far the quietest Ram year we cover — the same engine to listen to, but a fraction of the complaints.
179 complaints · 10 recalls
Full report →Both exhaust manifolds cracked and the bolts broke — exhaust fumes leaking into the cab. The dealer said it's a known issue.
Shopping 1500 years? We’ll watch them for you.
New recalls, federal investigations, and quiet warranty-extension programs land months after you buy. Tell the canary which years you’re considering — it sings when something changes.
Watch my years — freeCross-shopping?
Same class, checked the same way: