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Reliability report · 2022 Ram 1500 · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,850/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

A refined, well-equipped truck whose recent complaints — and Chrysler's own engine programs — still point under the hood.

The 2022 Ram 1500 is a mature version of the fifth-generation truck — comfortable, well-equipped, and lower on complaints than 2021 (582 vs 653). But the recent complaint file still leans on the engine and electrical systems, and Chrysler's own paperwork backs that up: 2022 drew Customer Satisfaction Notifications for engine oil starvation (Z63) and engine misfire (ZD2), plus a 12-volt battery-discharge program (48A) and eTorque hybrid-control-processor updates (Z49). On top of that sits a defroster/defogger defect serious enough that Chrysler repurchased affected trucks (21V871).

It lands at Squawking because the signature 5.7L Hemi manifold-bolt and lifter risks, and the eTorque motor-generator risk, all carry into 2022 — the same expensive, checkable patterns as 2021. The mitigating factor is age: a 2022 may still be inside the 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty, which changes the math on any engine issue. Confirm the warranty status, cold-start for a tick, VIN-check the oil-starvation and misfire programs, and decide deliberately on eTorque.

Evidence: 582 NHTSA complaints · 15 recall campaigns · 3 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Squawking

What that means: 582 federal complaints, and the recent file is led by engine and electrical issues. Chrysler's own 2022 Customer Satisfaction Notifications — one for engine oil starvation, one for engine misfire — confirm the pattern, alongside a defroster recall serious enough to trigger buybacks. Much may still be in warranty, which softens the risk, but the engine is where the attention goes.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

582

Federal complaints

15

Recalls (all populations)

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2022 Ram 1500 Crew Cab PU/CC 2WD (NHTSA VehicleId 16444)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Engine oil starvation and misfire — Customer Satisfaction Notifications

major
  • 5.7L Hemi V8

Chrysler's clearest admission of the engine risk lands on 2022 as two Customer Satisfaction Notifications: one for engine oil starvation (Z63) and one for engine misfire (ZD2). Oil starvation is exactly what feeds the Hemi's cam-and-lifter failure — when the valvetrain is under-oiled, the lobes and lifters wear and the cylinder misfires. The one-line notifications don't state the coverage terms, so verify them in the bulletin, but their existence tells you the engine deserves the closest look: cold-start for a tick, scan for misfire codes, and VIN-check both programs.

This is a 5.7L Hemi V8 problem. The eTorque (48-volt) and 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 don’t share it.

Which engine is in the one you found? →

Cam + lifter repair if out of coverage (mechanic-quoted min)

~$4,500

Engine replacement (often recommended)

higher

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 Ram 1500 (body-style-aggregated) · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (recall 21V871; CSNs Z63, ZD2, 48A, Z49; recalls 23V264, 22V766) · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (5.7 Hemi manifold/cam/lifter; eTorque MGU teardown)

5.7L Hemi manifold bolts and eTorque MGUmajor

  • 5.7L Hemi V8
  • eTorque (48-volt)

The two engine issues that define 2021 carry into 2022. On the 5.7L Hemi, exhaust-manifold bolts snap and manifolds crack, producing a cold-start tick that grows and, in bad cases, fumes in the cab. On eTorque trucks, the 48-volt motor-generator unit (MGU) is a known failure point — a mechanic recounts one shop quoting around $5,000 for the job that an independent did for under $1,000. Cold-start and listen for the manifold tick; if it's an eTorque truck, confirm the 48-volt system is fault-free. A non-eTorque Hemi or the Pentastar V6 sidesteps these.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 Ram 1500 (body-style-aggregated) · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (5.7 Hemi manifold/cam/lifter; eTorque MGU teardown)

under $1,000

eTorque/MGU — independent (mechanic-cited)

~$5,000

eTorque/MGU — dealer quote (mechanic-cited)

Defroster/defogger buyback — recall 21V871major

As on 2019, certain 2022 trucks were built with an incompatible HVAC setup that left the windshield defrost/defog inoperable — an FMVSS 103 failure — and Chrysler's remedy was to repurchase the affected vehicles (21V871). It's a narrow population, but a serious one. Confirm by VIN that the truck either wasn't affected or was remedied, and make sure the defrost and defog actually work on the test drive.

Sources: NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (recall 21V871; CSNs Z63, ZD2, 48A, Z49; recalls 23V264, 22V766)

Electrical and 12-volt battery drainmoderate

Electrical complaints run second only to the engine in the recent file — battery drain and no-starts, with the body-control module waking overnight, plus the usual infotainment and camera glitches. Chrysler ran a 12-volt battery-discharge Customer Satisfaction Notification (48A) covering 2022–2023. Confirm the truck starts reliably after sitting overnight, check charging-system health, exercise the electronics, and VIN-check the battery-discharge program.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 Ram 1500 (body-style-aggregated) · NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (recall 21V871; CSNs Z63, ZD2, 48A, Z49; recalls 23V264, 22V766)

Airbag-sensor and safety recallsmoderate

2022 carries several safety recalls to confirm by VIN: missing B-pillar impact sensors that can delay or prevent airbag deployment (23V264), a seat-belt pretensioner with an improperly welded gas generator (22V766), a steering-column-control-module airbag issue (25V765), the ABS-module/ESC software item (24V653), and the shared driver-airbag connector recall (25V298), plus rearview-camera software recalls. All are free fixes; just confirm completion.

Sources: NHTSA recall database and manufacturer communications (recall 21V871; CSNs Z63, ZD2, 48A, Z49; recalls 23V264, 22V766)

Customer Satisfaction Notification: engine oil starvation. When a Hemi is starved of oil, the damage is to the cam, lifters, and bearings.
3 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Ram dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 21V871Incompatible HVAC left the windshield defrost/defog inoperable (FMVSS 103) on certain 2022 trucks; remedy was vehicle repurchase.open
  2. 23V264B-pillar impact sensors may be missing, delaying or preventing airbag deployment (2022); sensors inspected/installed free.open
  3. 22V766Front seat-belt pretensioner may have an improperly welded gas generator (2022); retractors replaced free.open
  4. 25V765Steering-column control module can prevent driver-airbag deployment (2021–2022); module replaced free.open
  5. 24V653ABS module software can disable electronic stability control (2019, 2021–2024); software updated free.open
  6. 25V298Driver airbag may be improperly connected and not deploy (2019–2024); connectors secured free.open
  7. 23V263Diesel-only: high-pressure fuel pump can fail and stall the engine (2022–2023 diesel); pump/components replaced free.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2022 1500

Four sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

22 MPG combined (20 city / 25 highway) for the Hybrid RWD, 3.6L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 44394 (1500 2WD).
Other builds EPA lists: RWD, 5.7L (midgrade fuel) 17 MPG · 4WD, 5.7L (midgrade fuel) 17 MPG · Hybrid 4WD, 5.7L (midgrade fuel) 19 MPG · Hybrid RWD, 5.7L (midgrade fuel) 20 MPG.

$2,850/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Crash losses

Collision losses run about average here. Neither a red flag nor a discount at the insurer.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI collision losses, 2020–22 models, published April 2023 (report R-23). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Ram 1500 crew cab SWB 4WD.
Other series: Ram 1500 crew cab SWB 99 · Ram 1500 quad cab 4WD 86 · Ram 1500 crew cab LWB 4WD 93 · Ram 1500 Classic ext. cab 4WD 93 · Ram 1500 quad cab 89 · Ram 1500 Classic ext. cab 105 · Ram 1500 Classic crew cab SWB 4WD 96 · Ram 1500 Classic crew cab SWB 103 · Ram 1500 Classic crew cab LWB 100 · Ram 1500 crew cab LWB 92 · Ram 1500 Classic crew cab LWB 4WD 130 · Ram 1500 Classic SWB 101 · Ram 1500 Classic LWB 92, where 100 = average.

95 vs 100

5% below average

Theft

Stolen roughly 5× as often as the average vehicle. Worth pricing comprehensive coverage before you buy, not after.

Source: HLDI — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2022–24 models, published May 2025 (report WT-24). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Ram 1500 crew cab SWB 4WD.
Other series: Ram 1500 crew cab SWB 141 · Ram 1500 quad cab 4WD 87 · Ram 1500 crew cab LWB 4WD 115 · Ram 1500 quad cab 125, where 100 = average.

524 vs 100

5× average — off this chart

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Cam + lifter repair if out of coverage (mechanic-quoted min)~$4,500
Engine replacement (often recommended)higher
eTorque/MGU — independent (mechanic-cited)under $1,000
eTorque/MGU — dealer quote (mechanic-cited)~$5,000
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

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Have a specific one in your sights?

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Cold-start and listen for a Hemi manifold tick (loud cold, eases warm) and a deeper valvetrain lifter tick; scan for misfire codes.
  2. 02VIN-check the engine Customer Satisfaction Notifications — oil starvation (Z63) and misfire (ZD2) — and confirm the coverage terms in the bulletins.
  3. 03Confirm the defroster buyback recall 21V871 by VIN and verify the defrost/defog work.
  4. 04If it's an eTorque truck, confirm the 48-volt system is fault-free (MGU is the known failure point); confirm remaining powertrain warranty (5yr/60k).
  5. 05Verify the truck starts after sitting overnight and VIN-check the 12-volt battery-discharge program (48A).
  6. 06Confirm the airbag-sensor (23V264), seat-belt (22V766), airbag (25V765, 25V298), and ABS/ESC (24V653) recalls are closed by VIN.

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