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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | Two engine/powertrain related issues: 1) Push START/STOP button does not function properly. The button must be pushed multiple times in order to turn the engine on or off. This is was reported to my local RAM dealership, however they were unable to resolve. 2) Engine shutoff on two (2) occasions while driving on-the-road. One of the incidents nearly caused a major accident, as the vehicle became stranded in the middle of a busy intersection. Driver display screen immediately displayed errors messages for power steering and trailer. This is was reported to my local RAM dealership, however they were unable to resolve. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | ENGINE,FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were unavailable. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While the truck was in Drive gear at a stop light took my foot off brake pedal and pressed the gas pedal. The truck did not do anything for a second or two then it jerked and stalled. This has happened several times. I called the dealer and they said its a known issue that they don't know how to fix yet. This issue is unsafe and dangerous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | When I turn left or right, I slow down to turn and when I accelerate after turning, the engine shuts down and the parking brake auto-engages. This has occurred twice in heavy traffic scenarios, endangering myself, my passengers, and the drivers behind me. According to blogs with posts of this same issue with other Ram 1500 owners, issue has not / cannot be reproduced due to its arbitrary nature of occurrence. There are no warning lamps or messages prior to the engine shutting off. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The soft trifold tonneau cover supplied by Ram is under designed and a safety hazard. My tonneau cover blew off my truck while drive down I75 it was installed properly and was in excellent condition. In the darkness of early morning and a gusting day while passing under an overpass at 75 miles per hour the legal northern Michigan speed limit on December 22nd 2022 a cold wind day. This cover is held in place with 4 small plastic clips. the clips failed on the uplift of a gust of wind. The wind was likely just under 60 mile per hour gusts as the Mackinaw bridge was slow speed but not yet closed. I was about 4 mile from the Bridge. The hold down clip have a cross sectional area of a mere 0.28 SqIn at failure point. the 2 drivers side failed as the cover lifted. The cover has a 5052 SqIn surface area to be held down by the 7800 lbs. load cap of 2 clips. A mere 1.55 psi of uplift caused by a 50+ mph wind gust which can generate more than 100psi certainly tossed my cover into the bush. This is a travesty to have these trifold covers on the road supplied by a reputable company who wish to ignore the situation. I have made numerous attempts to have RAM address this but to no avail. I would hope the NTSB will force a recall all these covers. the Mackinaw bridge authority makes you remove them to cross the bridge in extreme winds. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | In the last week, truck shut down in the middle of acceleration in the middle of an intersection. All truck electronics shut down completely for 30 min, even the ability to lock and unlock vehicle. Today, while going 49 miles an hour, the breaks and steering shut down completely for several minutes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The rear camera occasionally shows a black screen. If I turn off/on the truck its still the same. If it stays off for more than an hour and then turned back on then sometimes the camera works but some times it still doesn't work. It's very scary backing up a truck without a camera. I feel very unsafe doing so. There is an active recall for this exact issue but my truck is not affected by this recall: NHTSA campaign number: 23V059. Ram’s own number for this recall is 14A. How can i get this safety problem fixed if my truck ks not affected by the recall. Thanks. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | ENGINE | While driving I slowed down to make a left turn the truck shut down and safe hold temporarily disable message appeared. I had to wait to come to a complete stop and put the truck in drive and disengage the emergency brake. This has been happening frequently. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | #3 & #5 fuel injector failing while driving, separate instances, 2 months apart, causing severe loss of power and inability to control speed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | ENGINE | I purchased a 2021 RAM Big Horn truck for 58k. At 33k miles both exhaust manifolds cracked causing the cab of the truck to fill with exhaust! This exhaust causes me headaches. This exhaust leak also pours into our environment causing a hazard to others. I took the vehicle to Dodge service who confirmed both manifolds are cracked and exhaust is getting into cab if truck. This is under warranty however there are no parts to fix the issue. Dodge should be compelled to buy back these vehicles as they are a hazard in numerous ways. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Driving through town on my way home from work, the instrument cluster display went black and gauges died. I have no access to fuel level, engine temps, speedometer, rpm's, warning indicators, etc. Have to take it in to dealer for a multi-day diagnosis and hopefully free repair. 2two year old vehicle with only 25k miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| 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 | 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 | 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 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle stalls with no warning | 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 with no warning while driving | 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 | 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 |