10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
14,643 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2018 Ram 1500:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad
problem #37

Aug 212023

1500

  • miles
I purchased a new 2018 Ram Truck with an ECO Diesel engine. The engine has undergone multiple recall repairs including one for the EGR that could cause a potential fire hazard. The truck has been in service for multiple engine related issues since I purchased the vehicle. It has continuously had a rampant smell of antifreeze inside the cab of the vehicle which has made me feel sick on occasions and I must open the windows even in the winter months. After only 66,000 miles my truck suffered a catastrophic engine failure. Although Stellantis replaced the engine under warranty, the new engine only had a 2-year unlimited mileage warranty. 2 years has passed and the warranty is now no longer active and I am personally responsible for any repairs. My truck with the new engine has just over 60,000 miles and is suffering the same issues as the original engine even though it was just fixed for these issues 4,000 miles ago. It again has the smell of coolant and diesel in the cab. The vehicle is dangerous to drive due to throttle control and temporary engine stalls. I have to rely on my children to drive me around, rent a car or use Uber. I have also complained multiple times to Ram service departments that this vehicle loses power and stalls while normal functioning. They keep telling me this is normal function of the engine. There is now a -??Loss of Crankshaft Position-?? recall which also causes a catastrophic engine failure. The fix issued does not save the engine from this catastrophic failure but only allows the vehicle not to stop abruptly at the time of failure. Basically, I am driving a time bomb waiting for a catastrophic engine failure. I understand this engine is being discontinued and I wont even by able to repair this vehicle if something happens again in the future. Currently the vehicle is unoperable.

- Stevensville, MI, USA

problem #36

Dec 162023

1500

  • miles
When driving the check engine light came on, the car slowed up and would not start after. I had the truck towed to the dealership. The service manager told me the high pressure fuel pump shattered and shot metal debris through the system. The High Pressure Fuel Pump is not available even though it is on a recall list. I contacted Chrysler customer service, the representative essentially told me there was nothing they can do because the part was not available.

- Anthony , TX, USA

problem #35

Dec 182023

1500

  • 154,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the crankshaft. The contact stated that the crankshaft had previously failed and had been repaired in 2021. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 154,000.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #34

Feb 172023

1500

  • miles
Driving on a busy highway, without any advance warning, all dash lights on screen turned on at once and truck completely shut down. We were unable to operate the truck or even put in neutral to move off the road. We had our children in the truck with us and it was a miracle we weren-??t in an accident. We shut down the highway for hours waiting for a tow truck. We were charged $930 to tow to the nearest dealership.We paid out of pocket and have not been reimbursed. There have been multiple recalls on this vehicle. There are currently two open recalls one has been open since June 2022 with still no remedy available. I don-??t feel safe driving my children in this vehicle. There needs to be a remedy soon before something happens. I don-??t want to wait any longer given a close call we-??ve already had with our children present.

- Salinas, CA, USA

problem #33

Mar 082023

1500

  • miles
I have filed previously regarding this 23v-411; my trucks crank position sensor broke on a highway, almost accident. Tower in to a repair shop. Finally got replacement sensor. Spent 6 weeks trying to download correct data. It runs ok but still not 100%. I submitted the billing to dodge - Chrysler for reimbursement they denied it. Saying repair has not been determined yet. So I-??m driving my truck not a rental and out of $1168. What a racquet.

- Santa Barbara, CA, USA

problem #32

Nov 222022

1500

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 RAM 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 80 MPH, she heard an abnormal clicking sound and upon attempting to decrease in speed by depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to slow down. The steering wheel then failed to function and control of the vehicle was lost. As a result, the vehicle careened off the road and into a barrier wall. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed, and no injuries were reported. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the actuator had broken in half. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

- Morristown, AZ, USA

problem #31

Aug 242023

1500

  • miles
While driving down the road and needing to turn onto side roads or just following curves in the road, power steering has been becoming increasingly difficult requiring full strength to turn the vehicle. This is happening intermittently and happens while in mid turn. Have also noticed that when I-??m 4WD, steering is altogether difficult requiring full body strength.

- Campbell Hall, NY, USA

problem #30

Jan 182023

1500

  • miles
I was driving my Ram 1500 along the road to my house when it slammed to a halt. Luckily I was not going to fast and I was able to push it into my driveway. The problem was that the magnetic strip on the tone wheel failed and it shut the engine off. At the time of failure, the part was not under recall so I had to pay for the parts and labor myself. A couple weeks ago I received a letter from Chrysler (FCA) that there is now an open recall for the tone wheel, (Recall 66A), but there are no parts yet available to fix it. However, it also says on the letter that if the part has already failed and if I have already paid to have it fixed that I am eligible for a reimbursement of expenses. I filled out the online form for reimbursement, however I was contacted by FCA and they stated that they will not be processing any reimbursements for Recall 66A at this time. I have attached my repair order and the recall notice from FCA with the instructions to apply for a reimbursement.

- Castroville, CA, USA

problem #29

Apr 142023

1500

  • miles
when fueling the pump handle gets stuck in the tank and also cuts the pump handle off several times during the fueling process. This problem has not been checked out. The exhaust manifolds are tapping. This will not pass our state inspection. This was found after my state inspection by an independent service center. No warning lights, but can smell a bit of exhaust fumes when starting. The uconnect system is delaminating causing the system to malfunction. While driving the screen changes, changes radio stations, volume, makes phone calls including 911, turns heated seats and heated steering on, it adjusts the temperature from hot to cold, cold to hot and the degree setting. You can not shut the uconnect system off once it starts. Spoke to the Ram dealership and they said this is a common problem and very pricey to fix. Saftey issue being 1. dialing 911 while driving. 2. sudden volume adjustments causing distractions,

- Wilsons, VA, USA

problem #28

Nov 262022

1500

  • miles
The active grill shutters and related wiring components are defective. The check engine light came on around 52000 and issued a code for U11E9- -€œreplace active grill shutter.-€ I replaced it with a brand new part and the CEL remains on. Further investigation into similar instances in online forums suggest problems with the design of the wiring harness and pigtail that connects to the PCM. Many other consumers have reported this problem and were unable to resolve using the associated code, requiring further, expensive electrical repairs.

- Lakewood , CO, USA

problem #27

Jun 252022

1500

  • miles
The magnetic material on the tone wheel delaminated causing the engine to stall and not restart. Incident was on the curve of a busy mountain road. The failed part was kept by dealer Jacky Jones Ram in Hayesville, NC. There were no prior warnings to the failure. This same failure is described in recall 20V-475 but my vehicle VIN is not included. There are several other occurrences in online forums of the same problem occuring on vehicles that are also outside of the recall VINs. The recall should be expanded to also include at least the vehicles that actually have the problem.

- Titusville, FL, USA

problem #26

Jul 262022

1500

  • miles
The lights on the dash went out while sitting still. All of them flashed on then off again, a warning light about the transmission came on and then off again. The motor surged and would not stop, the brakes would not work, the shifter would not work. The vehicle surged into oncoming traffic.

- Dudley, NC, USA

problem #25

May 152022

1500

  • 34,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently started to decelerate while the contact was attempting to accelerate. The contact stated that after several minutes the vehicle returned to normal driving. The dealer was contacted and notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

- Oxnard, CA, USA

problem #24

Mar 312022

1500

  • miles
I was driving my 2018 RAM at night when it suddenly started to smoke. I had to stop in the middle of the road to find coolant had splattered on part of the engine and was leaking. Upon further inspection this morning I found there is a missing bolt on the radiator and it is cracked and a hose apparently burst. Called the dealership and states this is not covered by the warranty since I-€™m on my 4th year and the type of part that it is, however, the only people to have ever worked on this vehicle have been the dealership and they have never had to do any repairs on the car, only regular oil changes and a warranty repair to my Uconnect screen that was faulty. There is no reason why this would have happened other thanks faulty parts. Upon investigating further I found that 2018 Rams with Ecodiesel engine(I have a gas engine) have a recall for the same issue and many people are having issues getting repair issues due to parts. I have also found other people with gas engines with similar issues. I-€™d like to have some resolution with the manufacturer do they may cover their issue, not have to pay out of pocket for this.

- Fort Lauderdale , FL, USA

problem #23

Jul 012020

1500

  • miles
engine knocking, seams to a big problem. trans is slipping more and more, . ive should of stayed with ford

- Richmond, TX, USA

problem #22

Dec 052020

1500

  • 24,557 miles
While backing up the vehicle stopped, bells went off in vehicle, the P light on the shifter and dashboard began flashing, a message appeared in the dash message center stating to apply the parking brake. I shut the vehicle off but only could turn the key to accessory. The vehicle wouldn't shift to park. The vehicles electrical system wouldn't shut down, I couldn't remove the key. While stopped I opened the owners manual to review the transmission section and it explained that if the issue occurs to follow printed procedure. Eventually I was able to shut down the electrical system. The issue is that this could been a more serious issue if I wasn't backing into my own driveway. This wouldn't turned out well if I was backing into a busy street. I have a video available of the lights flashing. I attached a still photo of the dash.

- Nashua, NH, USA

problem #21

Nov 242020

1500 8-cyl

  • 32,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 75 mph, another vehicle drifted into his lane. The contact depressed the emergency brake pedal and the transmission independently shifted into neutral. The contact coasted over to the other side shoulder. The contact noticed the transmission control indicated drive however, the vehicle was in neutral. The contact stated that he shifted into park, the electronic control transmission reset. The vehicle was taken to firkins Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram (2700 1st St, bradenton, fl 34208) where the contact informed the dealer of the failure. The dealer informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.

- Parrish, FL, USA

problem #20

Jan 012020

1500

  • 0 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 19V818000 (equipment, engine and engine cooling) and 20V036000 (power train) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact called rackley Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram (5050 E winnemucca blvd, winnemucca, nv 89445: (775) 623-5005), lithia Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram of klamath falls (2675 washburn way, klamath falls, or 97603, (541) 205-4486) and dolan Dodge Ram Fiat (700 kietzke ln, reno, nv 89502, (775) 786-1211) where it was confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Winnemucca, NE, USA

problem #19

Sep 012018

1500 6-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,500 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop and depressing the accelerator, the vehicle hesitated and then abruptly sped off without warning. The contact then received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 19V347000 (latches/ consumer stated vehicle was taken to several dealers to repair the recall no one had the parts. Now manufacturer is calling it normal.

- Whitefish, MT, USA

problem #18

Jul 222020

1500

  • 0 miles
My 2018 Dodge Ram 1500 with 32000 miles has a problem shifting out of park, and now has "check engine light on" now!

- Dallas, TX, USA

Read the next 17 complaints »