Complaint volume
655 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Ram 1500 Complaints
655 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Ram 1500, grouped by component category.
655 Total complaints
26 Crash reports
4 Fire reports
17 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.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, unknown or other, 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 26 crash reports, 4 fire reports, 17 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 105 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 37,057 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, unknown or other, 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 2021 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.
2021 Ram 1500
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Ram 1500 complaints?
26 Crash
4 Fire
17 Injury
0 Fatality
36 Towed
14 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Ram 1500 complaint categories?
ENGINE 83
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 47
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 44
POWER TRAIN 42
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 36
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 30
STEERING 24
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE 22
AIR BAGS 17
STRUCTURE 15
655 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | During cold rainy wether, water leaked in through rear sliding glass window and fried the BCM, which caused a complete shut down of all systems. I was not driving the vehicle at the time but if this had occurred while driving this could have ended in a catastrophic accident. In researching this issue, many ram vehicles have experienced this and/or similar issues including the vehicle stalling while in operation. When this issue occurred,, there were no warnings or prior indications. Additionally, water was found inside the passenger compartment. Also, the vehicle could not be manually placed in neutral so that it could be moved for towing. The tow service had to slide the vehicle onto tow trailer with sliders placed under the rear wheels. The was then vehicle towed to a FCA dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | ENGINE | Truck would not start at first. Finally got it started to go home. All my Dash lights were all lit up but truck was running fine. 2 miles down the road my truck shuts off mid drive about 40-45 mph. Scared me to death. Was able to pull into a church parking lot before brake engaged automatically. Would not start again under any circumstances. But truck had power to lights etc. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE | The contact owns a 21021 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that parts distribution was limited; and that the dealer had a limit on the number of parts ordered every 14 days. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Two Bolts were broken between intermediate pipe and muffler flange. There are 2 more bolts that were not replaced and will probably break and need repair!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,LANE DEPARTURE | The software shut down all of the systems control. Nothing can be controlled. It locks the doors windows side boards panaramic sunroof speed denominator turns the heat on can’t turn it off.tailgate opens all of this happens around 15 minutes after it has been turned on. I complained about it several times before took it in they replaced the radio. It’s currently at the dealership to do a dainostic evaluation | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | STEERING | Two months after I bought the truck in late 2021 I noticed the steering wheel would jerk causing me to swerve, and then the power steering completely failed. I took the truck to the dealership, and the problem disappeared while I was there. The dealership couldn’t recreate the issue. Then it happened again. I took a video and took it to the dealer who replaced the steering assembly in February 2023. No issues until yesterday, January 20, 2024. The same thing happened again! Power steering completely failed! The car is now out of warranty, yet this is the third time the issue happened, even after the dealer replaced the part. This is not safe! I had my child with me when this happened yesterday, and we almost crashed into a parking garage column. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Around 12/4/2023 I took my 2021 Ram ecodiesel in for a recall on the high pressure fuel pump (z96 recall). It was the first time this dealership had done one of these recalls. After 2 days of working on it , I got it back. 2 weeks later, 12/20/23 I auto started my truck with the factory auto starter. Once I got into the truck, and attempted to turn it on, it set off alarms, asked for anti theft code, and the dash lights were all on saying I had all sorts of issues. I called RAM and was told I needed to tow it to the nearest dealership, which I did on the same day 12/20/23. After almost a month at the dealership and no information, I drove my wife's car and went to talk to them. They told me they believe it is a bad fuse box and need to replace the entire fuse box (TIPM). My concern with talking to other mechanics is that they feel the recall work was not all done correctly and that the relay or some wiring was not put back correctly. Now I have been out a vehicle for over a month as I write this, my recall work has caused more issues that I will have to pay for. This needs to be fixed at the expense of RAM and need assurance that no other electrical issues will occur because of this recall work | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2024 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | high quantities of water leaking through the rear glass in amounts so great it even soaks the rear floor carpet in water after only a few minutes in the rain from running down the back wall of the cab. Water leaks down the inside of the back window directly onto and over the 48 Volt lithium ion battery pack, equipped in my ram Etorque model. this occurs even after small quantities of rain, after water testing it myself it is clear the water is going between the rear glass and the body and into the cabin. I have had this documented with the dealer twice, and called Ram corporate support multiple times, and receive the same answer, and even though I have a seven year 1,000,000 mile warranty, they refused to fix it stating it is not covered. however the exact same issue has created an extended warranty condition out to 10 years for ram 1500 models built between 2019 until September 30 of 2020. the build date of my vehicle is October 19 of 2020. 20 days later.. Corporate support refuses to believe this condition may have existed beyond their September 30, 2020 date. As it is well documented with the mass quantities of electric vehicle fires, created by lithium ion battery packs, I tried to file a safety complaint as well. The answer I received from Ram corporate was “the lithium ion battery pack beneath the rear window behind the rear seats is a sealed system, so it is OK if it gets wet” even though it is inside of the cab. The ram 1500s from my date range have known issues with water leaks through the rear center mounted brake light and through the glass due to cracked frames on the vehicles, sliding rear windows, such as mine, however they refused to believe any of those conditions may have transferred to my specific vehicle despite a $7000 extended warranty. I am Reporting this condition because I am afraid water intrusion onto a lithium ion battery inside the vehicle could result in loss of life as this system is now a standard feature on all ram 1500s as of 2022. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | My RAM truck stalled about 2 months ago. When towed it to the dealer they diagnosed a high pressure fuel pump failure which was due to an open recall. I had attempted to take care of the recall multiple times but I was told that the part was not available yet. Now that it caused a bigger issue with the truck, it has been over 2 months and the truck is just sitting on the dealer. It has been impossible to get a rental car while the truck is waiting for repair. This should not happen. The truck is 2 years old. It was obviously due to a faulty factory part. If I could get a loaner vehicle for the duration of the repair this situation would be more tolerable. Instead, countless phone calls and emails and still no loaner vehicle. I will never buy Chrysler again in my life and will discourage as many of my colleagues to do the same. It's embarrassing how Chrysler does not care about its customers. I'm also still making payments for a truck that continues to be at a dealer for over two months now without a near end in sight. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | Truck leaks water from rear windshield, water runs down to receiver module for the key FOBs and causes truck not to turn off. Leaks from headliner into safety eq on windshield causing GPS issues, visability as water runs down inside of windshield. RAM will not fix under warranty. truck is well withing 3yr /36K miles | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | While driving (10-18mph), engine suddenly stalls (going from Run into ACC mode on the engine start/stop) and notifies me via dash warning that the vehicle must be put into park and continues to coast forward as if in neutral. I was able to pull over to the side of the road and turn the dial from drive into Park. After a few seconds, I press the engine start/stop button and the engine restarts and i turned the dial to Drive. This may be a problem with the eTorque. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | MY 2021 RAM 1500 IS LEAKING WATER INTO THE CAB COMPARTMENT. EVERYTIME IT RAINS I GET A SOAKING WET FLOOR IN THE BACK OF THE TRUCK AND THE TRUCK FILLS UP WITH MOISTURE. IT IS VERY SMELLY AND I CAN SEE EXACTLY WHERE THE TRUCK IS LEAKING. I UNDERSTAND THERE IS A LAWSUIT GOING ON FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS. DOES THIS FALL OUT UNDER THE LEMON LAW AS MY TRUCK IS ALMOST UNUSABLE NOW BECAUSE OF THE MILDEW SMELL THROUGHOUT THE TRUCK. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | STEERING | The turn signal self-cancelling feature does not function properly. Specifically, the left hand turn signal does not disengage. This has become a safety risk as I am unaware that it does not disengage on some occasions. The vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer/manufacturer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Turn signal does not turn off after making a turn. It is on the left turn signal. You can make a turn but the light still stays on. After a while you get the notification on the dash that your turn signals on | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Engine gaskets blow up just after the 60000 miles warranty..no warning light on dashboard... battery fails before the 2 year warranty...starter failed when engine replaced it...no warning light....rear sensors fail since i bought it..never fixed... with exception of the rear sensors... everything is paid on my wallet money... dealership doesn't want to fix it under warranty | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | On October 18, 2023, my son was driving the RAM 1500 on the Southern State. While changing lanes to exit, he advised the the engine turned off; was not able to break and hit another vehicle. The vehicle was deemed a total loss and would like this to be investigated by Chrysler. This could have caused my son's death. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I have a safety recall dated Oct 13, 2022 that is still not repaired. I have tried multiple dealers and the manufacturer and I still can not get an answer on if they are going to do the repair. I feel like they are hoping I will just go away and they will not have to make the repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | On 11/23/23 my check engine light came on suddenly with the code P020E upon reviewing information online I determined there was a recall on my truck for the HPFP (Manufacturer Recall NumberZ96 NHTSA Recall Number22V-767). The following day the check engine light went away but I took the vehicle to a dealer in Florence South Carolina (Legacy Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM) to have the vehicle inspected before driving. They refused to look at the vehicle and told me they wouldn't look if the light was not on. They told me to drive with the vehicle. I was traveling for the holidays and continued home. When approaching home (Plymouth, MA) the check engine light along with two errors to service the electronic stability control and to service the electronic throttle control came on. I immediately stopped driving and then took the vehicle to the local dealer when they opened on Monday 11/27 morning (Best Chrysler in Plymouth). They did not provide me with a loaner and have not provided me with updates since dropping the vehicle off and have not returned my phone calls. It is concerning that there was a recall and I was not notified of this when I took my vehicle in for service on 9/14/2023. I am not sure if the incident was related to this recall but regardless they have not resolved the issue or communicated with me and have not provided me with a loaner which I was told I was entitled to. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the highway and stopped the vehicle. The contact was out of his home state and had the vehicle towed to a local dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the high-pressure fuel pump had failed and that the fuel pumps was on a national backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 failure mileage was 30,515. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 30,515 |
| Nov 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | The vehicle occasionally shuts down when coming to a stop or slowing gradually. It shuts down the engine. I believe the parking brake is automatically set (not completely sure as the emphasis at that point is restarting the vehicle). I am sure the engine start knob must then be selected to Park and the brake pedal depressed to restart the engine. This situation has occurred at least 4 times since the vehicle was purchased 11/25/2020. I have reported it to a FCA Ram dealer who stated that nothing is apparently wrong. I feel it is a safety issue which should be investigated as it happens with no warning on citystreets and highways. The latest occurrence was on 11/21/3023, the other occasions were spaced apart 6-12 months. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) 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. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | ENGINE | The exhaust manifold bolts break from the exhaust manifold warping... i have repaired twice out of my own pocket ... i believe the mechanic said its because the exhaust manifold is made of cast iron and my block is aluminum | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2023 | STRUCTURE | The truck had the tailgate recall complete and it keeps popping open on its own. It as damaged the rear tail gate. I had a new flat screen tv fall out also lost a car battery one time it popped open. Took it back to the dealer last week after call ram customer care. Was took that there is no problem with the latch and that it is lined up no fault found. Tonight on the way home when i pulled in to my house the tailgate was open again. No warning light come on when the tail gate pops open this needs to be fixed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | In approximately August 2021 the vehicle stopped operating at highway speeds. When the vehicle stopped operating, it caused the auto parking brake to engage as well as the engine to shut down. All steering was lost and it caused my vehicle to skid off the side of the roadway. since then, numerous other electronic failures have happened in the car even after multiple attempts for warranty service to include additional engine failures luckily, at stoplights the vehicle is currently in the shop again for additional electrical problems related to the start stop button in the vehicle, it appears that ram does not take responsibility for the defect, and this should be investigated. If I would have been near any trees, pedestrians other vehicles or buildings, I would’ve surely run into them without any control whatsoever over my vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |