10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
11,621 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

problem #20

Jun 152023

1500

  • miles

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

In June of 2023, I was driving home and the vehicle became unresponsive, but still powered on. I was able to steer it partially to the side of the road. The gas pedal was unresponsive, all electrical was unresponsive and it also would not turn off. I called my husband, when he arrived about 20 minutes later we were finally able to turn off the truck, but electrical was still unresponsive so the windows would not roll up. I had just gotten off the freeway, about a mile, and was lucky to be in a residential area or I would have been unable to drive on the freeway. This is a major safely issue and I also had my 9 year old daughter in the truck with me. No warning messages or any symptoms prior to the problem/failure. We called and had it towed to our local trusted mechanic, Gray's Tire and Auto. It took about a month for Gray's to figure out the problem. They were also in conversations with the local RAM Dealer who did not know how to fix the problem. It ended up being recall [XXX] that was the issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #19

Dec 022023

1500

  • miles
Cam Shaft (RECALL) sensor failure / tone wheel per the dealership. Truck lost all power descending off a mountain / steep grade. Lost steering, brakes, engine power. The vehicle has only been inspected by the dealership. Truck will not start, even have installing new parts. It was towed in to the dealer on 12/2/23. I am not able to get a solid answer on what needs to be done. Communication has been very poor on the entire situation.

- Latrobe, PA, USA

problem #18

Aug 212023

1500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 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 #17

Oct 012021

1500

  • 20,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from a stop, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle was slow to respond. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

- Frederick, CO, USA

problem #16

Oct 132023

1500

  • miles
ABS & traction control lights keep comming on, then the cruise stops working,

- Maryville, TN, USA

problem #15

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 #14

May 152022

1500

  • 34,000 miles

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

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 #13

Jun 292021

1500

  • miles
Cruise control on 65mph going down hill. Transmission dropped into a lower gear. Vehicle immediately slowed down immediately by probably 20-30 mph. Everything in vehicle was thrown forward. I struggled to keep control and thought I was going to roll and crash off of roadway, or hit another vehicle. This was not a problem for two years, until June of this year. Driven the same stretch of highway a dozen times without incident. 21,000 on vehicle now. I took the RAM tech for a ride to reproduce the incident. Did it on a small hill at 25-30mph and reproduced the problem several times at the same location of the hill. Transmission drops into lower gear, makes a kind of grinding or similar noise. Then it stays in this lower gear straining until the brake is pushed to turn cruise off. Told him of losing control on big hill and nearly crashing. No warning lights or warning of any kind. Their response that a slight speed change is BS. 65mph to 30 or what it was in a couple seconds is not slight. It also states temporary. Even with the tech seeing it, it is not temporary. You have to push the brake to get it back into the right gear. At 30mph on test runs. Losing control of vehicle and they come up with this. You can inspect my vehicle. No sales rep ever mentioned that you shouldn't use cruise control on a hill. What a scam. Not happy with my RAM purchase now.

- Cedar Falls, IA, USA

problem #12

Dec 012021

1500

  • miles
My trucks display flickers in & out if I'm using GPS it changes flickers to other settings in display on it's own it makes phone call changes directions, changes control settings all by it self even if I turn off display settings it goes on by it self it is happening to many others who own the same year ram trucks this is a serious life threatening endangerment I almost have gotten into 4 accidents myself

- Mullica Hill , NJ, USA

problem #11

Sep 172021

1500

  • miles
I was traveling down a rural road with a 45 MPH speed limit, During acceleration the throttle on my truck stayed open, it accelerated to approximately 60 MPH and would not stop accelerating until I forcibly pressed the brake pedal. The truck was still accelerating even when I pressed the brake pedal. A couple seconds passed and then it finally depressed the accelerator pedal and I was able to slow down. The Throttle error light came on for around 20 seconds and then shut back off and the vehicle returned to normal. I am taking it to a dealership for review and hopeful fix of the issue.

- Ramona, CA, USA

problem #10

May 012021

1500

  • miles

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

I was driving and my high beams went out dash lights went out and windshield wipers went on on there own. I then came to a stop light and applied the break and all of the sudden the truck red lined and took off at full speed. I then turned the truck off to kill power to the motor due to it having electrical knob shifter and electrical transfer case This accident has caused my 3 hospital stays and 2 surgery-??s

- Johnstown, PA, USA

problem #9

Apr 042020

1500

  • 26,000 miles
Cruise engages intermittently when in motion, engages properly 50% of the time, not at all at other times. Problem was first observed at 26,000 miles.

- Lebanon, NJ, USA

problem #8

Jan 012020

1500 6-cyl

  • 37,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the cruise control became inoperable. The contact struck the steering wheel with his fist for the cruise control to re-engage. The vehicle was taken to gillie hyde Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram (1415 happy valley rd, glasgow, ky 42141, (270) 261-5305) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 37,000. The contact also reports that the gear selector would change at random, there the contact does not drive the vehicle.

- Smithsgrove, KY, USA

problem #7

Jul 082020

1500 6-cyl Diesel

  • 14,000 miles
The pedal lag while takin off from stop the pedal position frequency isnt consistent loss of mpg completely stock truck eco diesel can even get above 19mpg avg loss of power mpg and pedal lag along with junk emissions that destroy engines therefore have to make more parts or trucks etc using more fuel to power these manufacturing plants

- Jackson, MI, USA

problem #6

Oct 102019

1500

  • 33,000 miles
I was driving down a windy country road and the cruise control engaged itself and set to 90 mph while I was driving about 50-55. Cancel did nothing, using the brakes caused them to squeal but the vehicle remained accelerating. I was able to disengage by putting the engine in neutral and using the push button to shut it off.

- Spring Branch, TX, USA

problem #5

Oct 102019

1500

  • 23,000 miles
Driving home from work. Had used cruise control at 70mph on freeway, but had not used it in town. I was decelerating for a stop light, when it turned green. I was probably traveling 15-20mph when I began accelerating again. I heard a click, like a relay or solenoid and the vehicle began to accelerate as if I had hit "resume". last speed preset had been 70mph. I was able to cancel the acceleration by hitting the brakes, but I nearly rear ended the car in front of me. I did not hit "resume" by mistake either, as my hand was not on the steering wheel near the buttons. In further troubleshooting, the cruise will not engage below 25mph. If resume is pushed before passing 25mph (during acceleration), then nothing happens.

- Crestview, FL, USA

problem #4

Sep 192019

1500

  • 24,000 miles
Long lag between the time you step on the accelerator and the when the truck would respond. Created dangerous situation specially merging with fast moving traffic and moving from stop signs. Vehicle would go into limp mode without warning. It was deemed to a lemon and fca bought it back only to resell to someone else.

- Incline Village, NV, USA

problem #3

Aug 202019

1500

  • 25 miles
From new, the Ram 1500 with the eco diesel engine has had a significant hesitation when cold creating a safety hazard. When I leave work I need to cross a multiple lane highway highway with a speed limit of 55 mph. I could walk across the highway faster then what the truck will cross it. I have the latest software update for engine control that Ram is offering. I've taken it to the dealer and contacted Ram customer assist about the issue. All I was offered was a few free oil changes. Both say there is nothing they can do. I did get the customer assist contact to state she would relay the message to engineering. I will select today's date below as to when this problem happened, but it does it every day it is driven.

- Trempealeau, WI, USA

problem #2

Jan 302019

1500

  • 19,000 miles
Takata recall cruise control only works part of the time. Sometimes works the first time you push the button and sometimes you can push it no matter how hard or soft 50 times and it won't come on at all. No matter the speed your driving.

- Biloxi, MS, USA

problem #1

Aug 252018

1500

  • 2,400 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. While driving into a garage with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated and crashed into the corner of the contact's house. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained minor injuries that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was damaged, but was not towed. The vehicle was taken to Sierra motors Chevrolet Cadillac Buick GMC (209-984-5272, located at 18475 5th ave, jamestown, ca 95327) to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact stated that the failure recurred. While the contact's vehicle was reversing towards another vehicle, with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The contact struck an individual standing in a private driveway. The individual sustained a minor injury that did not require immediate medical attention. The vehicle was damaged, but was not towed. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where the computer system was evaluated, but the failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures and stated that the contact would be called back. The contact was not called back. The vehicle's body damage was repaired by the insurance company. The failure mileage was approximately 2,400.

- Sonora, CA, USA

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