611 Total complaints
24 Crash reports
6 Fire reports
11 Injury reports
Quick answer: The 2020 Ram 1500 has 611 consumer-submitted complaints in our database. The most common complaint categories are unknown or other, engine, electrical system. Enriched records show 24 crash reports, 6 fire reports, and 11 injury reports.
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.

Buyer interpretation

How to use these complaints before buying

Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.

Complaint volume

611 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.

Pattern to inspect

The most common categories are unknown or other, engine, electrical system. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.

Severity flags

Enriched records include 24 crash reports, 6 fire reports, 11 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.

Mileage clue

Mileage is available on 177 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 33,045 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.

Questions to ask the seller

  • Have you had any problems related to unknown or other, engine, electrical system?
  • Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
  • Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
  • Can we also check the recall record for this 2020 Ram 1500?
Used-car checklist

Use these complaints before the test drive.

Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.

2020 Ram 1500
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.

How severe are the 2020 Ram 1500 complaints?

Enriched complaint indicators from official bulk records.

24 Crash
6 Fire
11 Injury
1 Fatality
34 Towed
9 Medical attention

Mileage at failure is available on 177 complaints ; average reported mileage is 33,045 miles.

Most common incident states: MA (6), TX (6), FL (3), TN (3), AK (2), CA (2), MI (2), AZ (1).

What are the most common 2020 Ram 1500 complaint categories?

611 total complaints on record

Latest complaints

Showing 251-275 of 611 complaints.

Date Component Summary Severity Mileage
Sep 2024 AIR BAGS Vehicle was involved in a front end collision and was determined to be a total loss . None of the air bags deployed
Incident: Aug 2024
Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed Unknown
Sep 2024 STEERING Driving on local road in Abilene Tx and got the message “Power Steering Unavailable Service Required” and the electric steering was inop for about 3-5 seconds. The message came on several times during their minute drive.
Incident: Sep 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Sep 2024 STEERING On [XXX] while exiting [XXX] at [XXX] and [XXX] , The steering wheel on my 2020 RAM 1500 completely locked up. There were no prior warnings—no dashboard lights, unusual sounds, or other indications of a problem. It wasn’t until I had significantly slowed down that I was able to apply enough force to get the vehicle into a nearby shopping center. The dashboard warning light did not appear until my vehicle was almost stopped. The dashboard error messaged indicated there was a "Power Steering Failure." Following this incident, I took the vehicle to the nearest CDJR dealership. The vehicle intake was handled by the Service Advisor advised that it may be the steering rack. The following week, we were advised that the vehicle was ready for pick-up and the service technician diagnosed the issue as an internal fault in the instrument panel switch bank. The switch bank was replaced per service protocols, diagnostic codes were cleared, and the system was thoroughly tested. The technician confirmed that the problem had been resolved. However, on [XXX], after retrieving the vehicle from the dealership, I experienced another alarming failure. While traveling at approximately 65-70 MPH, my steering wheel suddenly locked AGAIN. At that moment, I was surrounded by traffic, including an 18-wheeler next to me. The situation was life-threatening, and I feared for my safety. My thoughts were immediately consumed with concern for my daughter and husband as I fought to maintain control of the vehicle. Fortunately, I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop, but the experience was nothing short of terrifying. A week has passed, and I am still deeply shaken by the event and appears it may be the rack after all. Other owners have reported similar failures with the RAM 1500's power steering system and is not an isolated case. It poses a grave risk, and is not an isolated case. It poses a grave risk, not only to the driver but to all motorists on the road. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident: Sep 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Sep 2024 STEERING Just got on the local road and “power steering unavailable service required” message displayed twice for about 5 - 10 secs with the corresponding difficulty in turning steering wheel. Snapped a photo of message
Incident: Sep 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Sep 2024 UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE Vehicle randomly says "shift to park" after making soft turns like going in a uturn under a bypass . Once the speed drops under 5mph, the truck then puts vehicle in park, and turns off. Dealership could not find the problem. Mechanics are unsure. Ongoing for 3 years. Very unsafe.
Incident: Sep 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Sep 2024 STEERING Just pulled out of the garage, put it into drive, and some red words were displayed for about 5 to 15 seconds stating something to the effect that “your steering is inoperative, take to dealer or something like that,
Incident: Sep 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Sep 2024 STEERING Vehicle steering locked while driving at highway speed, dealer tested system and replaced a can bus switch. Upon driving home from dealership (after fixing) the steering once again failed. Luckily no one was injured. We did get a warning steering failed only after the steering locked and was immobile. This is the most critical part of a vehicle and should not fail in under 50,000 miles and fail to the point of uncontrollable. This is a horrible design, someone is going to get killed if this does not get addressed and Stellantis recalls these faulty components.
Incident: Sep 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Sep 2024 AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER Dashboard leather shrinking and bubbling up that may affect air bag performance
Incident: Sep 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Sep 2024 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING UNKNOWN GOT IN THE TRUCK, started it and it idled for about one minute, then every single light or electronic started flashing, with the pace of the hazard lights, which the hazard lights stayed on, no matter how many times I pushed the hazard buttons, and the horn was blowing lightly also, about 2 minutes of this , I turned the truck off, came out the next day and it was completely dead, no electricity at all! Charged battery( which is new by the way) and it fired right up! But now it’s extremely sluggish, missing and jerking, the electronics in these are garbage! Looks great but who wants something that is advertised Wi-Fi available!! Ha not on the 2020 models!!! I’ve got the big screen! Call att, they say there’s an issue with ram, so I’m not happy! And this the only vehicle I have to transport my family
Incident: Sep 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Sep 2024 STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER While driving from Abilene, tx to Houston, tx on [XXX] my vehicle displayed intermittently several warning message. The first message said idle-stop was unavailable and lasted for about 30 minutes. The second message was displayed in red and stated the electric steering was inoperative and lasted for about 10-30 seconds and it was definitely harder to turn the steering wheel. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Incident: Sep 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Aug 2024 FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE  The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500 The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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.
Incident: Aug 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Aug 2024 UNKNOWN OR OTHER The sun visor retention plastic broke. Now the sun visor falls down obstructing vision and view of oncoming traffic while driving. This happens frequently. Trying to place the sun visor back while driving is difficult. Trying to hold the visor out of your field of vision while safely controlling the vehicle to a stop is difficult. The falling down of the visor is a serious safety hazard to anyone near a vehicle with this malfunction.
Incident: Aug 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Aug 2024 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM The vehicles, multimedia hub fails in hot weather, not allowing connections from the phone for Maps and CarPlay/androidauto. I have had the media hub replaced two times under warranty and the issue never resolves. Public forums show similar complaints from other drivers of the same make and model.
Incident: Jun 2021
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Aug 2024 POWER TRAIN Has just over 80,000 miles and the Ram dealer is telling me it need a new transmission. Code P0733000 3rd gear ratio issue. Will be driving it will hard shift into 3rd gear and then get stuck in 3rd until I stop and turn the truck on and off. When I do that it works fine. Check engine light comes on for a couple starts then goes off.
Incident: Jun 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Aug 2024 ENGINE The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact stated that the failure had gotten worse, and the vehicle was almost rear-ended on the highway. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall; however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
Incident: Aug 2023
Crash: No Fire: No 97,000
Jul 2024 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM Power steering going out intermittently while driving
Incident: Jul 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jul 2024 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE While stopping at a stoplight truck turned off shifted to park and applied parking brake. This has happened on two separate occasions. The second time was while in a drive-through. It was also tried to shift into park when taking corners at low speed where I had almost come to a stop before proceeding.
Incident: Mar 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jul 2024 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact called the local dealer, who informed the contact that a diagnostic test was needed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that an independent mechanic arrived at the residence, and the contact was informed that the failure was due to the rod bearing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Incident: Jul 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Towed 100,000
Jul 2024 SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE ABS & service electronic brake system constantly going off. Known issues with faulty ABS module on braking system which at times can malfunction while braking or driving.
Incident: Jul 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jul 2024 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the message "Side Mirror Sensors Unavailable - Service Required" was displayed. The infotainment system screen display turned black; the defroster engaged to high temperature while the A/C system became inoperable. Additionally, the contact stated that the windows failed to roll down while engaging the power window switches, and the front driver's side seat was unmovable. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently and lasted approximately 5 minutes. The contact stated that she suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the failure was a significant safety risk. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.
Incident: Jul 2024
Crash: No Fire: No 51,000
Jul 2024 STRUCTURE On July 5th 2024, I attempted to open /pull down the Tailgate. Was not able to pull the Tailgate down. I purchased the Vehicle on January 10, 2024. This is the first occurrence of the Tailgate being inoperable. No interior Lights, flashing signal to indicate Tailgate inoperable. I looked Online and entered my Truck Information. Several sites have Posted, Noted, Documented Reports of Faulty Tailgate pertaining 2019 - 2022 Dodge Ram's Tailgates that have been listed for recall
Incident: Jul 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jul 2024 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated the tailgate failed to open with the key fob. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.
Incident: Jul 2024
Crash: No Fire: No 55,000
Jul 2024 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM Upon purchase brand new in 2020 with in a week a cylinder had to be replaced. Since then this truck has been in the shop for almost a year in total over the past 2.5 years. The recalled high pressure fuel pump went out at around 60k miles, this incident almost resulted in a major accident in the middle of the night as the power loss to the engine and brakes left me free rolling down the road into a stop light 4 way. When sent for repairs they had to replace the pump 6-7 times before they could give it back to me as well as the entire fuel system. The check engine light came on as I drive off and they had to replace the pump and other parts for the 8th time and kept it for another month. A couple months later the alternator went out and battery shorted on the freeway. And after that repair a few months later the alternator flooded with oil on the freeway in the middle of nowhere and the trucks dash lit up with electrical failure and check engine lights. This time the truck was repaired in 3 weeks and after 100 miles the engine blew completely on the freeway, I never made it home with the truck. They’ve had the truck at the dealership for 2 months the now and are quoting for a complete engine replacement at 72k miles on the eco diesel engine. This truck is a faulty piece of machinery and should not have ever been on the road. They can’t run the teuck for any testing as the engine will run away at max rpm when started.
Incident: May 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jun 2024 SUSPENSION The bags or compressor failed. Dealer could not diagnose which is a common problem. They just change parts and charge you until it’s corrected. Safety factor is off the charts because it makes it undrivable if it loses pressure with no warning. No lights or warning and front will slowly lose pressure until it bottoms out
Incident: Jun 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown
Jun 2024 STEERING Update to Complaint 11594199 filed on June 13, 2024 While driving the vehicle to the Ram dealership the power steering went out again and stayed out until I arrived at the dealership. I received a call today from the service department advising that the entire power steering rack has to be replaced. There is a fault in the control unit. Estimated repair cost $3,500.00.
Incident: Jun 2024
Crash: No Fire: No Unknown

Related research