2020 Ram 1500 Reliability Report

Cracked exhaust manifolds and broken or rusted manifold bolts are the most common complaint on the 5.7 HEMI. Owners hear a loud tick at startup that fades as the engine warms, and some smell exhaust in the cab while idling. Reports cluster between 34,000 and 51,000 miles, and parts are sometimes backordered. Other complaints describe stalls at highway speed with no stored codes, throttle lag, and sudden power loss when towing. Isolated reports cover blown engines, head gasket failure, and one dashboard fire while driving.

Power assist cuts out without warning, often at highway speed, for a few seconds at a time, with a power steering unavailable message. Some trucks have the wheel lock or jerk to one side. Dealers diagnose failed steering racks, and battery or switch repairs often fail to hold. Rack failures show up around 34,000 to 36,000 miles, just past the basic warranty, and one owner was quoted over $2,000. Two crashes and four injuries are reported, including a crash where steering and brakes both failed.

Sun visors break at the plastic hinge or mounting clip and drop into the driver's line of sight while driving. Several owners nearly crashed, and one was hit in the face. Failures cluster between 32,000 and 49,500 miles, often just past warranty, and replacement visors break the same way. Other complaints cover a backup camera that goes black and keeps coming back after dealer fixes, a stripped wiper arm spindle, and washer fluid draining onto the ground instead of the windshield.

The frame around the rear cab window cracks and lets water in, staining the headliner and leaving mold under the carpet. Replacement windows sometimes crack again. In freezing weather, rear doors fail to open or latch, and one opened while driving. Tailgates jam shut or open by themselves while driving, including after the latch recall was performed. Sun visor failures also appear here. One crash report describes the brakes releasing in a drive-thru line, letting the truck roll into the car ahead.

The truck will not take fuel at the pump. The nozzle clicks off repeatedly, and gasoline sprays back out of the filler neck onto the truck and the person fueling. Dealers replace tanks, filler necks, and vapor canisters, and the problem often comes back. One dealer described the old tank design as a known issue. On the EcoDiesel, the high-pressure fuel pump fails and stalls the engine, sometimes even after the recall replacement. One crash report describes the throttle going wide open when the brake was pressed.

The brake pedal sinks to the floor with no stopping power, and four reports end in crashes, several on trucks with under 500 miles. ABS module failures set off every dash warning, cut power steering and the engine, and leave the truck waiting on backordered parts. False activation of rear braking assist or automatic emergency braking also stops the truck unexpectedly. Brakes that howl or moan after sitting overnight are a common nuisance complaint, and one owner cites a service bulletin for it.

Airbags fail to deploy in serious frontal and side collisions, including crashes that totaled the truck. Seven of the 12 complaints involve crashes and six people were injured. In one crash, a single curtain airbag failed while the others deployed. The other reports involve possible damage rather than a failure to deploy. Water from cracked rear window frames or a leaking roof antenna soaks the area around the curtain airbags, and bubbling dashboard leather on Longhorn trucks sits over the passenger airbag.