10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
10,825 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.

2018 Ram 1500 engine problems

engine problem

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2018 Ram 1500 Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #55

Jun 152023

1500

  • miles

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

More than 1 year after a safety recall, there is still no remedy available. This is unacceptable for a safety issue. Now there is a new recall for the same issue that was previously recalled. Something seems fishy. Is my truck safe to drive? Buy it back if it can't be fixed. Seems reasonable to me.

- Newberg, OR, USA

problem #54

May 162023

1500 6-cyl Diesel

  • Automatic transmission
  • 45,381 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not able to restart, and the contact had the vehicle towed to the residence. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with a crank sensor failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance since the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 45,381. The contact stated Stellantis has changed its position on replacing the part in the original W58 recall, revised to reprogramming the PCM on the revised W58 and now 66A says there is no current solution. The contact wants to be reimbursed for repairs from the recall.

- Mission Viejo, CA, USA

problem #53

Dec 112022

1500

  • miles
Recall on high pressure fuel pump is causing truck to keep struggling during driving, and sudden stop at street few times

- Amman, IL, USA

problem #52

May 082023

1500

  • miles

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

I bought this vehicle around 2 years ago from a local dealer. A week or so after purchase, I heard a small rattling sound at start up and a continuous ticking sound whle running. My sales rep said "that is normal, mine does it too and its nothing to worry about." 5 days ago, the sound at start was way louder than after purchase and lasted a bit longer. My extensive research, including talking to a Dodge service tech, it is broken bolts in the manifold due to excessive heat and warping of the manifold. Apparently this issue has been going on for years and has affected many Dodge/Ram owners. My vehicle is 3 months past its 5 year warranty and now I am left holding the bag to repair something that should be covered under a recall. This "ticking" and "rattling" sound is actually an exhaust leak and is potentially deathly dangerous to anyone occupying a vehicle (while its running) with this issue. Current possible cost for replacement of parts would be around $750 per side. Plus, with the install of all new parts, this even would occur again, at some point, resulting in getting it repaired again, and again, and again. I think, as do many others, that the Mopar company shouldbe liable for these repairs with a permanent fix so it doesnt continue happening.

- Hope, ID, USA

problem #51

Oct 012022

1500

  • miles
There is a common well known problem with the Ram trucks that have the Hemi Engine. The passenger side cast iron exhaust manifold will warp and break the steel bolts off the aluminum head. This creates a hazardous exhaust leak where fumes are entering the cab. Also in states that require a state safety inspection it will fail because of the leak. It is a manufacturer safety defect and should be repaired by the manufacturer and not have the customer foot the bill for a bad design.

- Bristol, VA, USA

problem #50

Mar 132023

1500

  • miles
The problem is with the whole DEF System in the truck. for the last 6 months I can't go a week or less without getting some kind of code. Every time it effects the electronic throttle control and the truck goes into limp mode, I can be going 70 mph and it drops down to 30-40 mph no matter where I am at. I have almost been rear ended several times. I fix that code and a week later another code pops up and we do it all over again. I think I may have gone 2 weeks without a problem in the last 6 months. This time it is the DPF and DEF system, and here we go back into limp mode. I have had it to the dealer last week for issues which they couldn't figure out but thought that reprogramming would fix. So I leave to go out of state to work and here we go again less than 100 miles from home. Exhaust filter is full with no regen for over 400 miles. Now I'm stuck out of state with this problem. I think this really needs to be addressed because after all of my research this seems to be a normal problem.

- Willard , OH, USA

problem #49

Dec 152022

1500

  • miles

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

Exhaust manifold leak

- Fair Oaks Ranch, TX, USA

problem #48

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- -??replace 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 #47

Dec 132022

1500

  • miles
This vehicle experienced a Diesel EGR Cooler failure, for which there is an open recall by FCA under VB1/NHTSA 19V-757. Repairs were completed at the shop where it had been taken for diagnostics, and subsequently I submitted a reimbursement request to FCA following all guidelines and submitting all documents requested. However, FCA is refusing to honor the recall reimbursement request. They state their reasons below: 1) Vehicle is out of warranty. (Warranty status should have no bearing on a recall repair) 2) Parts replaced are not covered under the recall. (Parts replaced were specifically covered under recall VB1) 3) Repairs were not completed at a dealership. (The reimbursement process was created specifically for repairs completed at other repair centers) The above reasons stated by FCA are not valid, but FCA continues to deny reimbursement. FCA should honor their recall repair commitment and process. This incident leads me to believe FCA is actively engaged in falsely denying reimbursements to customers and their compliance with NHTSA recall oversight should be investigated.

- Edmond, OK, USA

problem #46

Oct 272022

1500

  • miles
The engine seized, lost power and braking control while traveling on the freeway at approximately 70 mph during morning rush hour traffic. I had to merge into the ditch and ride it to a stop to avoid collisions on a busy freeway. Immediately called a tow truck to tow the vehicle to the dodge dealership closest to me to assess the problem. During the assessment the mechanic noted a seized motor due to the timing chain skiping and adjusting when the valve opens and closes, thus sending a valve through a piston and destoying the engine. Dodge has known about this issue with the 3.0 ecodiesel and all that they suggest is to sell it and buy a different truck. There are plenty of testimonials found if searched for, some that did not have as safe of an ending as i. The only warning light that was displayed was the 'check engine' light for the recall of the high pressure fuel pump. Thus truck has been scheduled for moths to have the recall replaced. The part is not available, I was ensured it was safe to drive until the part was available. I even called crystler ram to request the part, and they stated this part is not available at the time.

- Coeur D'alene , ID, USA

problem #45

Jan 012022

1500

  • miles

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

Exhaust manifold bolt issue causing exhaust leak. This is a known issue for these engines and Ram will do nothing about the problem. In most areas an exhaust leak because of their defect will cause non inspection pass.

- Lindale, TX, USA

problem #44

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 #43

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 #42

Feb 122022

1500

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, there was an abnormal noise coming from the vehicle. The low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after turning off the vehicle, the vehicle was unable to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent dealer, where it was diagnosed that the bearing on the crankshaft was loose and causing damage to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Usk, WA, USA

problem #41

Feb 212022

1500

  • miles
while driving on the highway with cruise control engaged at 60 mph there was a loud clunk sound and the truck immediately decelerated. The cruise control had disengaged and the truck seemed to go into limp home mode and the check engine light came on. I pulled to the side of the road and shut the engine off. I looked under the truck to see if I had run over something and checked the drive line for damage but found none. Restarting the engine took considerably more crank time than normal. While driving home the truck would not accelerate normally and top speed uphill was 19-23 mph depending on the climb with rpm around 3000 before what felt like fuel cut off and immediate deceleration until rpm was dropped to around 2000. The 5 hour trip home turned into an 8 hour trip. The check engine DTC is P0336 (crank position sensor A circuit range/performance). There is a recall W58 (20V475000) for software update for loss of crankshaft position sensor signal. This update substitutes the camshaft position sensor signal for the lost crankshaft signal. There is a known defect with the tone ring on the 3.0 eco diesel. The magnetic material on the tone ring delaminates. The software update does not fix the loss of crankshaft signal. The engine now has excessive crank time before starting. There is an a noticeable aceleration lag and the truck struggles on uphill grades. The cruise control is now inoperable with the crank signal DTC is permanent until the tone ring is replaced. My repair shop checked for parts avaiability and found dodge has 22,000 in stock which leads me to believe that they not only know about the problem but also know the only true fix is to replace the failed tone ring. The truck is unsafe to drive until the failed tone ring is replaced.

- Salem, OR, USA

problem #40

Oct 242019

1500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V757000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Lodi, CA, USA

problem #39

Nov 022021

1500

  • miles
Vehicle is overheating, recall on this vehicle cannot be fixed in a timely manner due to no parts available. Also issue with low pressure light coming on due to no actual sensor just a switch. This issue has caused we to stall at 65+ mph while driving on the freeway.

- Highland, CA, USA

problem #38

Sep 212021

1500 8-cyl

  • 61,174 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, an abnormal ticking noise was heard. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that the manifold had warped and damaged the manifold bolts. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 61,174.

- Andover, OH, USA

problem #37

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 #36

Jun 032021

1500

  • miles
Vehicle engine shuts off while driving. Once, sitting at a stop light. Once traveling at 45mph on a country road and once accelerating up a hill at 20mph. Dash says "place vehicle in park and turn key to start" (paraphrased). The vehicle goes from running to not running with no warning, causing loss of power steering, brakes, etc. Took vehicle to certified RAM service center who said 'there are no codes and we cannot reproduce the issue, so no diagnosis possible' (paraphrased). No error codes, no warning lamps. If this happens in highway traffic with my 16 year old son driving, it could cause a fatal crash.

- Canonsburg, PA, USA

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