2018 Ram 1500 Reliability Report

Fueling is the main complaint. The pump nozzle clicks off over and over, fuel sprays back onto the owner, or the nozzle jams in the filler neck. Some trucks show it within the first 1,000 miles. Others get worse until the tank stops taking fuel at all. New filler tubes help only briefly, and some dealers replace the whole tank at around $3,500. A few owners found rusted fuel tank strap mounts that left the tank hanging. Diesel owners report high-pressure fuel pump failures that leave metal debris in the system, and one truck caught fire.

Failures here vary. The most serious reports describe a truck that shifts into reverse or neutral without input, including one rollaway that injured its driver. Rear axle failures cause grinding and whining, and in one case a driveshaft dropped onto the road. Repairs cost close to $5,000. Other reports cover EcoDiesel engine failures, overheating and cylinder head damage on the 3.6, a cracked oil filter housing, and hard shifts into first gear. The category includes 3 crashes and 4 injuries.

Most of these filings are about waiting. Diesel owners got recall notices and then waited a year or longer for parts. Some had stalling or hesitation while they waited. Gas trucks lose power and will not restart when the crankshaft position tone wheel comes apart, a failure some owners link to a recall that did not cover their VIN. A ticking sound from fractured exhaust manifold bolts shows up at 77,000 to 99,000 miles. A few reports describe coolant loss, white smoke, and complete engine failure.

Most of these reports concern the diesel high-pressure fuel pump recall, with parts unavailable for long stretches. When the pump fails, the truck stalls or loses power on the highway, often with a throttle control warning and limp mode. Dealers sometimes find a contaminated fuel system that the warranty will not cover. A few trucks stalled again right after the recall repair. One low-mileage truck lost power repeatedly from fuel starvation even after the pump and sending unit were replaced.

The ABS control module fails. ABS, traction control, brake, and trailer brake warnings light up together, and cruise control often stops working. Reports cluster from under 50,000 miles to 72,045. Owners describe long backorders for replacement modules and remanufactured units that will not program to the VIN. Rarer reports describe the front brakes applying on their own, a pedal that drops with no pressure, and a parked truck rolling downhill. Two reports involve crashes.

Airbags fail to deploy in serious crashes. Reports include head-on impacts, guardrail and barrier strikes, and side hits where the curtain airbags stayed folded. These filings account for 10 crashes and 11 injuries, among them broken ribs and a broken nose. Separately, the airbag warning light comes on without any crash, and dealers quote $1,200 to $1,400 for door airbag or sensor repairs around 39,000 to 61,000 miles. One owner found a curtain airbag had deployed in a parked truck.

Throttle response lags, especially pulling away from a stop or merging. The EcoDiesel hesitates when cold, and faults in the DEF and particulate filter systems send the truck into limp mode at highway speed. Cruise control engages only some of the time, and it shuts off when ABS and traction control warnings appear. A few reports describe the truck accelerating while the brake is pressed, including one crash into a house that caused 2 injuries.