Complaint volume
644 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
644 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Ram 1500, grouped by component category.
644 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 104 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 36,644 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 80
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 47
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 44
POWER TRAIN 41
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 36
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 29
STEERING 24
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE 22
AIR BAGS 17
STRUCTURE 15
644 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 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 25 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle stalled. The contact placed the vehicle in park(P) and attempted to restart the vehicle. The vehicle failed to start and was towed to the dealer. The dealer confirmed that the high-pressure fuel pump had failed. 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 approximately 30,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 30,000 |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I was driving the vehicle about five miles-per-hour and came to a stop sign, then came to a full stop. I then proceeded to make a right turn and was driving straight for about one-quarter of a mile at a speed of about five to ten miles-per-hour. Next, I slowed the vehicle down and made a right turn. The vehicle then completely stalled and turned completely off. The engine stopped, all of the meters on the dashboard turned completely off and the entire car and all electronics were completely off without warning. It was a random shutdown, there were no warning lights and no engine warning light or anything. Immediately after the vehicle turned off, I put my foot on the brake, then I had to put the vehicle in park, and then I had to restart the vehicle by pushing the "start engine" button. My safety, the passengers safety, other cars safety was put at risk because the vehicle could have stopped anywhere at any time without warning and completely turned off. There could have been a vehicle close behind me that could have caused death to passengers of my vehicle or other vehicles. The dealer confirmed that this is an issue and there is supposed to be an update for the computer on the Etorque engine. The dealer inspected the vehicle, and ran a computer update on the engine. However, the service manager said that they could not guarantee that it would not happen again. There were no warning lamps, no messages, no symptoms to indicate that this was going to occur. It was completely random with no warning. The components that malfunctioned are the E-Torque Engine and the computer. I immediately traded the vehicle in for a completely different brand. I do not want do die due to this vehicle malfunction. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE | The fog lights on the vehicle stop working while I was driving at night in a not well lit area. After they stop working I went to get an oil change and was told I was unable to get an oil change and the water pump was leaking. The tech stated it was unsafe and dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | When I started my vehicle the starter failed to disengage. The vehicle was unable to shut off. The only way to turn the vehicle off was to remove the battery cables. If I reattach the battery cable to the engine the vehicle try's to start on its own but is unable to, it just keeps turning over. The original starter failed and was replaced in January 2023 by a Ram dealer for the same issue. The dealer was able to find a replacement part at another dealership to avoid the long wait time to get the part. The current wait time is 30 days for the dealer to get the replacement part. I was told by the dealer that Ram will only provide rental coverage for 5 days. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 72 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road safely and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle momentarily started operating normally, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated no failure was found but the mechanic suggested that the ignition system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 36,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 36,000 |
| Mar 2023 | STRUCTURE | I was driving and went to back up and found the tailgate down. I had had it in the shop for a recall of the tailgate. Took it back to dealer and was told my tonneau cover was the reason. I disagree as when I shut it it was latched and flush. There is no alarm indicating the tailgate down and the contents potentially falling out. There should be some alarm to indicate the tailgate is open, just like when a car door is open. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | POWER TRAIN | Vehicle would not shift from 1st gear when starting off. Had to pull of to the shoulder to turn off the vehicle and restart. Said "service transmission" and check engine light lit. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle stalls with no warning while driving | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | At any rate of speed the vehicle stalls and looses power with no warning. No check engine lights or any indicator comes on until the vehicle is already in stall position. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle stalls without warning. No lights or notice | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle stalls with no warning | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | We lease a 2021 Ram. For the past year our truck will randomly stall when making a turn and pushing the gas. It shuts off, puts the vehicle in park, and engages the emergency brake when pulling out into traffic. We have brought it in to the dealership we got it from, letting them know that this is a huge safety concern especially if pulling out into busy traffic which is something we have to do on a daily basis. They said since they cannot replicate the issue there is nothing to fix. Our truck continues to stall and we use it not only for transport of our family but for hauling horse trailers - making it even more dangerous. We need a resolution as this puts us at risk and is very stressful, changing how we drive because we are afraid to pull out in certain situations. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | I have had two incidents where shortly after a cold start while driving the vehicle it would turn off and and the emergency brake would apply. In both instances I was approximately a mile from where the vehicle was started. I had slowed to make a right turn, upon completion of the turn driving under 20 MPH the vehicle's engine would turn off, I was able to coast to a stop and then the vehicle's emergency brake would engage. When this happens the operator is forced to come to a complete stop, shift to park (in order to restart) and disengage the emergency brake. 2021 Ram 1500 Laramie eTorque 12K miles | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Bed separated due to improper weld. Caused gap large enough that a ratchet strap was able to pass through due to air flow and melted to hot exhausts located directly below. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | The truck’s push button start system was turned on to start the car, the keys were removed from inside the vehicle cabin but the truck was still able to be driven without the keys being inside. I started the truck to warm it up, then went inside my home, when I had to leave I changed my coat and forgot the truck keys in my other coat. I got in the truck and was able to drive as if I had the keys on me. When I reached my destination 5 miles away, I turned the truck engine off, and then realized I did not have the keys with me. The truck should NOT be able to be driven if the keys are not sensed inside the truck cabin. This is a safety risk, trucks can be stolen easily in this way. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | After intense rainstorms, we tried to start our Ram 1500. All key fobs won’t work but there was battery life in all of them. We could not get into our truck or start it with the key fobs. Only way inside the truck was with the emergency physical key inside key fob, but then the truck alarm kept going off with no way to turn it off. Our safety was put at risk since we couldn’t operate our truck. After talking to service department through our dealership, they suggested towing the truck to them for diagnostic testing since we couldn’t even start or place car into neutral. After diagnostic testing, the dealership confirmed our RF module located behind the rear seats was damaged by water damage and showed water was still in the module. The dealership confirmed this was their 6th case like this. Problem is they suspect the rear glass leaks to cause damage to the RF module. However, the antenna and brake light could also be the water leak issue. The dealership will confirm where water is leaking from and attempt to fix. No warning lights or messages were displayed before this problem occurred | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was turning right at a stop sign leaving my development and the truck shut off and applied the emergency brake. Thankfully it was at a stop sign in the residential area and not entering the main throughway. From reading online this is a known Ram issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I purchased a 2021 Ram TRX in Nov of 2021. The tailgate had opened on its own several times over 9 months until Nov 2022. I complained to dealer during oil changes and they said it was my fault and blamed me for not shutting it hard enough or hitting release button in my pocket. I had 8 instances of the tailgate coming open. One I had my cargo load calm out onto highway. Two I had my golf clubs fall out onto highway. Three I had my tailgate hit my boat trailer jack. I went to an independent shop to determine if they could help some dealer never even recorded my complaints or requests. On inspection we found the strikers severely out of alignment and adjusted them to fix issue. We recorded videos and photos of the alignment prior to adjustment and after. In Dec 2022, Ram issued a recall for this exact issue. They then inspected my vehicle and noted the adjustments we made and the facts it was out of alignment prior. Marks could be easily seen where it was factory installed and where we adjusted to remediate. Stellantis and Ram are now denying all liability for my losses and damages prior to the recall since I repaired outside of Ram despite their refusal to repair after several losses incurred. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The truck stalled at a intersection and applied the emergency brake. This seems like a common problem with the torque engine. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | Incident occurred two times. Driving in normal conditions at 30mph or less. The vehicle disabled the gas pedal/power, engaged the emergency brake, and turned on the emergency lights. Car had to be turned off and restarted. Vehicle resumed normal operations after restarting. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Once again for the about 100th time our 2021 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel cuts off and when I means cuts off everything is off. No warning of any sort. Was going about 50mph and just completely shutdown on 880 Southbound in SF Bay Area. Truck has 52k miles is maintained and no codes no nothing. I had my children in the vehicle at the time of incident. We slowly pulled the shoulder with the help of rig driver slowing down to make sure no one hit us. It’s ridiculous that the current recalls aren’t as important and hazardous as trucks shutting off yet here we are cause it’s never duplicated while at the dealer. Is the FCA going to wait till someone or folks lives are taken cause of this very HAZARDOUS/SAFETY ISSUE?! | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 4 | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and the RPM failed to operate as needed. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 47,000 |
| Feb 2023 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | My 2021 Ram 1500 eco diesel had roughly 20,500 miles on it. On January 17th I was driving in my neighborhood and the car completely stalled and all electrical systems shut down. I was able to drift to the side of the road, called roadside service and had it towed to the dealership. After inspecting the vehicle it was confirmed the problem stemmed from the unresolved recall issue. They repaired my vehicle at no cost but the recall parts are still not available and there is no timeline as to when they will be available. Therefore the parts they put back in my car can fail again. I received my vehicle back on January 25th. I feel this vehicle is completely unsafe. I expressed my concerns to Chrysler and they reviewed the situation for a possible buyback program but then denied it. After experiencing the complete shutdown of my vehicle and barely being able to get the vehicle to the side of a road in my neighborhood I cannot imagine if this happened while on a highway traveling at a higher speed with myself and my family in the vehicle. It scares me to think what could happen. When I expressed this concern at the dealership they understood but said "well it took 20,000 miles for it to happen so hopefully we get the recall taken care of before the next 20,000 miles". I thought that was a despicable response. Completely inconsiderate to my situation. I am scared to put my kids in our main family vehicle because of this. The recall was announced in October 2022 and as of now there is no timeline to when it will be fixed. I even told them if they did a buyback I would probably be perfectly happy with the same vehicle just with the engine that has not recall. They didn't budge. Please help!!! [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | When filling the vehicle gas pours out of the fuel fill tube and onto the pavement. It is almost to the point where I am unable to fill the vehicle with fuel. In order to put gas in you have to basically goes as slow as possible taking up to 20 plus minutes to fill. Dangerous to have gas spilled on the gas station cement that could catch fire and cause explosions'. Dealership informed me of several complaints with this issue. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone as this vehicle is now out of warranty by 8k miles and could cost up to $1200.00 to fix. There are no warning signals for this issue | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | When driving at speeds above 45mph the truck loses acceleration out of no where. It will make grinding/shifting/stuck noises and rapidly going to unsafe speeds. I have been in HIGH traffic EVERY time this has occurred to me. This situation has put myself and my family in harms way too many times. I assume from my research this is a transmission/powertrain issue. This truck is a 2021,I am the first and only owner purchasing in 2021 early year. By three months in I had experienced the issue thinking it was a one off. It is not. I have taken the truck to Ram dealerships in TX as well as New Mexico and no one can seem to find the issue as according to them “nothing shows up”. I have a VERY detailed video of the issue happening as I was driving in 75mph. I have show it to the dealership with no solution from them. Latest service appointment was in October 2022-dealership could not find anything. The truck has been driven no more than 15 times from late October 2022-January 2023. The truck as of today January 31,2023 is currently at a collision shop, not related to this current issue but was caused by the Ram Dealership. I received an alert this morning (MOPAR) stating that the Powertrain malfunction indicator light has come on. Other attached information was ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL (ETC) WARNING LIGHT-If light is flashing when the engine is running immediate service is required and you may experience a steady RPM with no throttle control or engine stall and your vehicle may require towing. Transmission Temperature Warning Light,Charging System Warning Light also showed as concerns. I have contacted the current shop that has my truck in its possession to inquire what was done when the alerts wee received etc. Waiting on a call back from them. Bottom line, understanding that anything can happen with vehicles and not all can be replicated etc.,if Ram knows it’s a known issue fix it so your drivers/consumers don’t die. Can we enjoy our investment SAFELY Ram? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |