10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
22,493 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.

2016 Ram 3500 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2016 Ram 3500 Owner Comments

problem #18

Dec 282021

3500

  • miles

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

My 2016 dodge ram 3500 mega cab had a light come on the dash at about 89000 miles I drove it to the dealership, I told the dealership I thought it was something electrical. A couple of times my truck has went into limp mode, when this happens to you the truck will only take off in 4th gear and stays in 4th gear. If I pulled over when this would happen and turned the truck all the way off and then back on it take the light of the dash and shift properly. So the dealership calls me to let me know what they have found he says he has bad news and more bad news which was my transmission was going out and then they didn't have a transmission and had no idea when they would. They already welded up nut on the steering shaft instead of replacing it. I didnt buy a 3500 pickup because i wanted a light duty truck.

- Jackson, MI, USA

problem #17

Aug 012021

3500

  • 55,390 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 3500. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle with the brake pedal depressed, while attempting to shift into gear, the gear shifter handle fractured. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was contacted, and the part was replaced by the contact. The vehicle was later serviced under the NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V821000 (Power Train). The contact indicated that an addendum card was to be given as part of the recall repair with instructions to drivers on how to shift gears when the brake pedal was depressed however, the card was not given. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer would supply the card. The failure mileage was 55,390.

- Duvall, WA, USA

problem #16

Apr 052021

3500

  • miles
Truck is burning through a quart and half of oil every 1000 miles it appears, but there are no leaks under the vehicle or on the oil pan. Appears to be an issue with the turbo seals. The truck give no warning that the oil is low while driving. When low it does not show up on the dipstick at all.

- Warrenton, VA, USA

problem #15

Sep 062020

3500

  • 20,799 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Ram 3500. The contact stated that the gear shifter detached while shifting out of park. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign numbers: 16V495000 (power train) and 17V821000 (power train) at Tacoma Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram (4101 S. Tacoma way, Tacoma, wa 98409) however, the repairs failed to fix or prevent the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,799.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #14

Mar 132019

3500

  • miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 3500. The contact received notification for NHTSA campaign numbers: 17V562000 (engine and engine cooling), 17V821000 (power train), 18V486000 (structure, latches, locks, linkages) and 19V021000 (steering). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed parts were not available. The manufacturer was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Santaynuz, CA, USA

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problem #13

Jun 062018

3500

  • 191,791 miles
We have several Ram 3500 vehicles. All the rearend fail way beyond the time that they should be in service. These units fail with less than 200,000 miles and should go well beyond that mileage. I feel these units have a on going issues that the mfg knows about but fails to do a recall to fix the issues. These same issues have occurred in our 2012, 2014 and 2016 models. This is all a safety issue should these rear ends come apart while towing a load.

- Springdale, AR, USA

problem #12

Apr 022018

3500

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Ram 3500. The dealer (don franklin somerset Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Nissan, 1147 S highway 27, somerset, ky 42501, (606) 678-8178) scheduled the recall repair appointment for NHTSA campaign numbers: 17V562000 (engine and engine cooling) and 17V821000 (power train). When the contact arrived for the appointment, the dealer indicated that the parts were unavailable for the recall repairs. The contact was uncertain as to when the vehicle would be repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Nancy, KY, USA

problem #11

Jan 012018

3500

  • 42,000 miles
My truck, with the aisin transmission and single rear wheel, has a horrible throttle delay. Pulling out into an intersection or in front of oncoming traffic is terrifying, because if the delay kicks in, I can put the pedal down and the truck will literally not react for 3-5 seconds. This is also true when trying to accelerate to pass on the highway, avoid another vehicle, etc. It's like the throttle pedal doesn't know you're pushing it for quite a few seconds, and then and only then it will react. This is extremely dangerous, and I've had quite a few situations where I've been pulling out across traffic from a stop sign, thinking I had plenty of time in front of oncoming traffic, only for my truck to be dead in the water. No throttle response, nothing. I've almost been hit many times because of this. Ram will not help, and states that my problem is not there. I assure you it is, and based on the number of forum posts I see of people with the same issue, it's definitely out there. I wish I could get out of this truck but can't afford to take such a huge loss on it. It's extremely unsafe and stressful to drive.

- Boulder, CO, USA

problem #10

Feb 012018

3500

  • miles
Took vehicle in to john hiester in lillington nc. They inform \S of two life th threatening recalls that has no fix. We are fearful of driving due to recalls. Howver we love our Dodge. Please help. We have byt tru K in shop twice for engine and transmission not going in gear and turbo problems. Now recalls constant of water pump and transmission which we had to pay for before

- Angier, NC, USA

problem #9

Jun 062017

3500

  • 10,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 3500. After towing a fifth wheel trailer for approximately five hours, the vehicle failed to immediately restart after being shut off and in the park position. The vehicle was towed to an unknown dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact later heard a loud booming sound coming from the rear of the vehicle before failing to drive forward. A software update was performed on the electronic transmission control module, but the failure continued. The manufacturer and dealer (stafford Dodge located in fredricksburg, Virginia) were notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 10,000.

- Midland, VA, USA

problem #8

Dec 292016

3500

  • 50 miles

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

Brand new vehicle with less than 1,000 miles on it has a violent shake at highway speeds between 62-72 mph. Three different Ram dealers and Ram customer support team states that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle and it's operating as designed. Potentially a safety issue as the shake seems to make the truck unstable at times. This is occurring specifically on smooth highways and seems to be even worse around curves. Seems to be a fairly common issue among late model year Ram heavy duty pickup trucks and should be worth an investigation. I purchased this vehicle to tow my travel trailer with my entire family in the truck and I'm not comfortable doing that with this defect.

- Lake Hopatcong, NJ, USA

problem #7

Feb 062017

3500

  • 8,000 miles
Delayed throttle response. Also fumes in cab.

- Braintree, MA, USA

problem #6

Feb 132017

3500

  • 2,124 miles
Daily occurrence. While dead stopped at light or idling along after lifting foot off of brake pedal, then slowly depressing accelerator pedal, there is a 2-4 second delay before truck starts to accelerate. Feels like a dead pedal. This has become worse as the truck accrues miles. When needing to accelerate quickly, the pedal response is slow to respond and has caused many anxious moments with vehicles bearing down on my rear end. I press the pedal and wait for engine to respond. The truck is a diesel and it does not feel like turbo lag. I had a 2007 diesel and this was not a problem at all. I feel that eventually this will cause or lead me to have an accident of some type. Every time I drive the truck I have to make allowances for the lack of pedal response, mostly in city, slow and go driving. On the highway at higher speeds this problem does not seem to be such an issue. I believe that Ram needs to address this with some type of reprogramming for the engine, drive-train or both. This type of pedal non-response is very dangerous and quite disturbing. The dealers have no answer to this problem.

- Shingle Springs, CA, USA

problem #5

Jun 252016

3500

  • 66,180 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 3500. The contact stated that the gear shift indepedently shifted from the park position to the drive position without warning. As a result, the vehicle began to roll forward. The driver was dragged until the vehicle crashed into a fence. The driver sustained lacerations on the body that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where the technician stated that the failure was a driver's error and unable to be duplicated. The contact mentioned that the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake shift interlock failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,180.

- Raleigh, MS, USA

problem #4

Dec 152016

3500

  • miles
There is an extreme delay when pressing the accelerator and actual acceleration of the vehicle. There seems to be no correlation between how far the accelerator is pressed and vehicle acceleration. When merging into traffic and especially when pulling out into traffic or passing a vehicle. This delay is a severe safety problem. There is a 2-3 second delay between pressing the accelerator and the vehicle actually moving.

- Kalispell, MT, USA

problem #3

Jan 012016

3500

  • 45 miles
When accelerating from a dead stop the engine has a 3 to 4 second lag. Normal response resumes after the initial lag. This condition has been consistant throughout 2016. Truck was purchased new. Present mileage is 4500.

- Boise, ID, USA

problem #2

Oct 032016

3500

  • 0 miles
Dead pedal. From a dead stop if you stab the accelerator pedal as in a emergency situation there is a 2-3 second delay before power is applied to the drivetrain. I feel this is a very dangerous situation and Ram should have to reprogram these trucks to apply power when called for by the accelerator pedal. This has occured since new

- Blissfield, MI, USA

problem #1

Mar 292016

3500

  • 8,500 miles
The truck was loaded with approximately 1,400 pounds of hay in the bed. The vehicle was stopped on a slight incline toward the rear. It was placed into park as witnessed by the 2 passengers. The vehicle was stationary as the driver exited the vehicle and closed the door. A couple of seconds later, the vehicle slipped out of park and started rolling backwards.

- Caldwell, ID, USA

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