10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,465 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Ram 1500 engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Ram 1500 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #25

Feb 042023

1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The vehicle is making a loud clicking noise coming from the engine area.. it gets louder when accelerating. It is unknown to me if it could be manifold issues or camshaft issues. It feels unsafe to drive.

- Woodland Park Co, CO, USA

problem #24

Jan 052023

1500

  • miles
Malfunction of electronic stability control while in 4x4 driving in heavy snow. Almost hit a light pole, could have caused significant harm. Unknown. No. No precursors. Hit a pot hole while on the on ramp unloading the suspension and the truck started to yaw clockwise. Applied throttle to have front end pull truck straight. ESC applied brakes and chopped power inducing a significant yaw rate counterclockwise driving the rear of the truck into the hard snow bank perpendicular to vehicle travel. Another excessive clockwise yaw occurred at this time. NO throttle control and brakes unresponsive. 1. Had the driver been allowed to retain throttle control upon initial yaw this was easily recoverable. 2. Anti-lock brakes, needed to be disabled so the truck could slide across the snow and not into the ditch when the second clockwise yaw started. 3. This caused minor body damage to the vehicle.

- Isanti, MN, USA

problem #23

Jul 222022

1500

  • miles
While driving the Vehicle at 9:30pm on 7/22/22 the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own at a very fast rate after I sped up to yield over into another lane coming off the highway. There was luckily no vehicles ahead of me and I was on a straight away or else I would-??ve hit someone. I pressed the brakes down but they wouldn-??t bring the vehicle to a stop. I placed the transmission in neutral and it slowed down but soon as I put it back in drive it accelerated again. I went through this cycle 4 times then finally I gained control of the vehicle again. I have read online the dealer says it-??s user error or floor mats. That was not the case at all. My floor mats are stock and have taps keeping them secure. This situation was very dangerous and if it happens again it could cause serious injury to me or someone else.

- Bolivia, NC, USA

problem #22

Feb 242020

1500

  • 1,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

In the morning while starting truck no problem, all of a sudden while driving on street the truck just turned off. It had happened before on 3 other occasions but the first one was far apart then the other 2 in the last 2 weeks. When I got on the freeway I noticed a had to push harder on the gas pedal to gain speed but it felt like it was hard to press on and I wasn't getting to the speed (60mph) so I just took it slowly to gain speed. That lasted about a week. The following week after trying to gain speed at about 45-50 mph the truck started shaking really bad so I let go of the gas pedal and took it slow again. So I took it to my mechanic to get a basic tune up since I had just gotten an oil change he would just do spark plugs ON3/5/20 to see if it would solve the problem. After explaining to him what it was doing he told me right away that it's probably the camshaft and hydraulic lifters worn out with my truck mileage of 108,000 it was unbelievable because I always make sure my truck is up to date with everything. By this time no check engine light had turned on. So I drove it another week and half with the same issues; finally on 3/16/20 the check engine light turned on and I took it to get it checked at autozone and oreilys and both computer finding were code P0385 which is a misfire on cylinder 5 which is hydraulic lifter, camshaft, and possible ignition coil gone bad. I decided to not use my truck until I took it to the mechanic which I did on 03/24/20. His finding were the worn out camshaft and hydraulic lifter on cylinder 5. I did some research on the internet and of course there is a lot of people complaining about the same problem and it starts with trucks from 2011 and some with only of 58,000 miles. This is very costly to repair when you expect a truck to last a long time especially if you take care of it.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #21

Jul 232019

1500

  • 98,828 miles
Vehicle has problems accelerating. It will hesitate to accelerate when normally pressing the gas peddle. I have to floor it heading into freeway entrances, up hills or picking up speed over 40mph. Once it responds after a couple of seconds it over accelerates jerks and buckles then struggles to keeps a steady speed. It's a daily safety hazard merging into freeways cousing other drivers to suddenly slow down or have to change lanes because of this issue.

- Marysville, Ca, CA, USA

problem #20

May 132019

1500

  • 64,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The vehicle failed to respond at an intersection when accelerator pedal was depressed was almost involved in a collision while attempting to make a turn at a traffic light the complainant believes the PCM software needs to be updated/flashed the contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under manufacturer's recall campaign number: V08 however, since the repair was performed the contact has noticed a hesitation in vehicle response when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to arrigo Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram West palm beach located at 6500 okeechobee blvd, West palm beach, fl 33411, (561) 282-1545, to be diagnosed. The mechanic was unable to retrieve. The contact was also informed that there was currently no updated software for the engine control module. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 64,000. Piir=Y.

- Wellington, FL, USA

problem #19

Dec 292018

1500

  • 90,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My truck will stop working while driving on the highway. The accelerator pedal can be pushed and it will not accelerate. The truck loses power. A red electric bolt appears. The truck becomes inoperable when this happens. It will suddenly regain power. I have searched for answers and many people are claiming to have the same probelem.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #18

Jul 202018

1500

  • 91,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 1500. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The contact stated that the check engine and electronic throttle control (lightning bolt warning symbol) indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. Simultaneously, the vehicle accelerated rapidly. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. Sterling heights Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram (40111 van dyke avenue, sterling heights, Michigan 48310, (586) 939-3900) was made aware of the failures and stated that the accelerator pedal assembly needed to be replaced and that an electrical failure occurred. The accelerator pedal assembly was replaced, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000. The VIN was not available.

- Sterling Heights, MN, USA

problem #17

Aug 042018

1500

  • miles
Vehicle will not come out of cruise by switch or sometimes not by brake especially when it's been raining. No action. When vehicle is in highway above 60 miles /hr.

- Mount Vernon, WA, USA

problem #16

May 102018

1500

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 1500. While driving approximately 60 mph and attempting to pass another vehicle, the accelerator pedal traveled all the way to the floorboard when depressed. The vehicle remained at the same speed and would not slow down when the brake pedal was depressed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the same failure occurred on May 7, 2018. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

- Sparta, TN, USA

problem #15

Mar 162017

1500

  • 36,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Seat belt location. Both driver and passenger. To get them in the reg cab you need to reach way back and as you get older it gets harder. This stationary but is unable to do if mobile. The vehicle will sometimes accelerate a lot even just touching the accelerator at times you have to this can be when you least expect it.

- Randolph, ME, USA

problem #14

Nov 102016

1500

  • 29,670 miles
Throttle was not responding two times. The engine was running in park, shifted into gear to proceed forward pulled forward a few feet, stopped and tried to go on forward but no response. I told the dealer but they said there was nothing showing on the computer! glad it was not a busy intersection or there could have been a wreck. I wonder if that would show up on the computer? I was just pulling out of the car wash, thankfully there were no cars coming as I had to turn of the engine and restart it for the throttle to reconnect!!!

- Warsaw, MO, USA

problem #13

Sep 232016

1500

  • 29,780 miles
The ABS &traction control lights going on and off and cruise control not working when lights are on. When lights appear truck acts like the engine has a miss.

- Dry Creek, LA, USA

problem #12

Apr 252015

1500

  • 47,782 miles
After coming to a stop at a stop sign, with my foot on the brake, the engine startined revving very high and I had to maintain my foot on the brake.to not plow into traffic. I switched truck into neutral and park a few times which caused lurching a little as the truck was still revving high and I had to keep brake pressure. I eventually turned off motor. When I turned it back on it did same thing. Turned off again and it went away. During this time the engine indicator with the 'exclamation point' was lit. I was then able to drive. This happened again a couple months later with same situation. I took it to the Dodge dealer where I bought it. They had it for 2 weeks trying to replicate the problem which did not happen. They eventually decided it was my accelerator pedal position sensor and replaced that (of course not covered under warranty). This seems to have fixed it but was about $600 and 2 weeks without my truck. If this had happened while moving it may have caused a significant crash.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #11

Oct 012015

1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • miles
2012 Dodge Ram 1500. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle electronic throttle control issues. The consumer stated he lost all power to the vehicle and went off the road. It was determined the electronic throttle control was bad. Updated 10/22/15.

- Waquoit, MA, USA

problem #10

Oct 022015

1500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500. While the vehicle was in the park position, it accelerated independently and crashed into a building. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 13V038000 (power train). The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Rhoadesville, VA, USA

problem #9

Feb 272015

1500 8-cyl

  • 64,913 miles
Upon selecting transmission "D" option instrument panel indicated "6", drove to barn for horse feed. Needing to back up to fence, to disperse feed, transmisson selection of "R" was necessary. Using the brake pedal to regulate speed and no usage of accelerator pedal (as automatic transmisson vehicles will generally motivate when gear selection is initiated) "sudden acceleration" occurred causing damage to tailgate which was down. Brake pedal was pressed and vehicle was stopped. With brake pedal depressed transmisson selection "D" was initiated, in order to investigate damage, and once again with brake pedal used to regulate speed and no usage of accelerator pedal "sudden acceleration" was again encountered. Brake pedal was again depressed which stopped vehicle. No further occurrances were encountered that day. Weather was sunny and cool, high 40's, with dry conditions.

- Tonasket, WA, USA

problem #8

Aug 272014

1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 14,730 miles
While driving at 60 mph the truck failed to downshift for an incline on the highway loosing momentum. I depressed the accelerator pedal to the floor and nothing happened. At this point I signaled to move onto the shoulder while the truck continued to lose momentum. When I turned the steering wheel, it was difficult to move as if I had lost my power steering too. The brakes worked and I stopped on the shoulder. I placed the truck in park and back to drive: Nothing happened. I placed the truck in park, turned it off, waited a couple minutes and restarted. The transmission and steering now worked. At no time did any warning light appear on the dash. I could have caused a significant pile up on the freeway during rush hour. Since no warning lights appeared on the dash--how do I know what happened--or more likely, how will the dealership find the root cause for this failure. This behavior is dangerous and unacceptable for a 2 year old truck with less than 15K miles. I use my truck to sometimes pull a horse trailer. If this incident happens again while I am towing the outcome will be disastrous. I am now scared to drive my truck.

- Duvall, WA, USA

problem #7

Sep 182013

1500 4WD 8-cyl

  • 2,500 miles
While driving down the road the engine suddenly dies. All power steering, brakes, etc are gone. I have to coast to a stop and restart the vehicle. This has happened at least 6 times since purchasing the vehicle in August of 2012. One day it happened several times in succession. The most recent incident took place on June 5, 2014. I have taken it to the dealership and they will not do anything as they can not recreate the issue while it is in the shop. I am very concerned as this is the same issue that is happening with the current huge GM recall involving faulty ignition switches. I pull a travel trailer with this vehicle and this is a very dangerous issue to have happening. Up until now it has not happened while towing the trailer but I am extremely concerned for my safety.

- Louisville, CO, USA

problem #6

Jul 262013

1500 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 14,565 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 15 mph and attempting a left turn, the throttle control warning lamp illuminated as the accelerator failed to engage. The contact mentioned that prior to the failure, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where T he technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 14,565 and the current mileage was 28,113. The consumer stated the accelerator failure occurred at low speeds, while making left turns. The failure would last up to 15 seconds. The vehicle also accelerated on its own twice. On two separate occasions, the truck would not start. Updated 03/11/14

- Franklin, LA, USA

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