Complaint volume
657 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
657 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Ram 1500, grouped by component category.
657 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 43
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 36
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 30
STEERING 24
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,ENGINE 22
AIR BAGS 18
STRUCTURE 15
657 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2022 | ENGINE | Car has turned off on multiple occasions while driving and emergency brake engages. Very dangerous. Forums show this is a common issue but does not produce an error code. Something must be done. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I was at service station to get gas, and the nozzle clicks off no matter what speed I try, even though my tank shows being 1/2 full. Gas also runs out getting on my hand, the truck, and the ground. This is my first report of the problem, but it has occurred several times over the past two months. I had wondered if it could have been the nozzle malfunctioning, but I pulled up to the next pump and encountered the same issue. Had we been on a trip and unable to add fuel we could have been stranded. Had we been on an Interstate and got stuck in traffic for an extended time, we could suffer the consequence of running out of fuel. The result could be tragic had the overflowing gas found an ignition source. Finally, the presence and smell of gasoline on me and my clothing is irritating and disguising | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On 12/16/21 with mileage at 10,380 my truck lost power and engine turned off as i was making a left turn at a speed of somewhere between 5-10 MPH. After a complete stop i was able to turn the truck back on and everything seemed normal. I did called FCA the following day and was told to have it checked at a dealership near me but Covid hit my family around that time so i didn’t take it in for service. on 2/27/22 with 14,800 miles the truck stalled again as i was making a left turn at a busy intersection. The truck stalled on me again for the 3rd time but i didn’t document date or mileage. Currently i have a little over 32,000 miles and truck has stalled 3 times and not once did i get a check engine light. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | - Driver side lock stays locked when unlocking the vehicle. Unable to enter and access the vehicle. It will also stay in the unlocked position when locking the vehicle. Vehicle is accessible to break-in. - The safety of passengers, such as my children, is at risk in the event I need to quickly access the inside of my vehicle's driver side if it's locked. For example, if my vehicle needs to be turned off in an emergency or the truck needs to be quickly driven or the gear be changed (say, if accidently not placed in park and the vehicle begins to move), etc. - Dealer has not confirmed issue. - Vehicle has not been inspected. - No prior warning messages or prior symptoms | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Tailgate Opened by it self while driving down the road. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | vehicle stalled and shut off while merging into traffic. Dash lit up and ebrake engaged. No check engine light after incident.Extremely unsafe and could have caused an accident on coming traffic had to swerve out the way to avoid an accident. No prior warnings and has happened twice now. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While making a right turn at 5mph, motor shut down and emergency brake was applied. 22k mile on a ram bighorn. Serious safety issue | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Was making a slow 10-15mph right hand turn out of my neighborhood and the truck stalled. Power was still on, park brake came on while in motion. Had to shift back to park to restart. Once restarted, no caution or warning lights on the dash. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was making a right hand turn at about 5-10 mph and the truck stalled. All dash lights were still on. Truck was in Run position, engine just stalled, it put itself in park and emergency brake was engaged. Restarted truck with no warning lights or possible cause of fault. Thankfully there was no traffic or I could’ve been hit. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL | The contact owns a 2021 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the fuel system was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but no failure was found. The vehicle was towed to a different dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and case was filed. The failure mileage was 14,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 14,000 |
| Oct 2022 | ENGINE | Pulling into my daughter's school this morning, I made a right, then a left into the parking lot/drop off line and the truck shut off completely. The parking brake came on, locked the truck up and automatically shifted itself to Park. Went to ACC mode. I pushed the start button again and all power went off. Pushed a third time and truck restarted. No codes no lights. Took truck to dealer where they hooked up to the CPU and showed no codes. Service advisor said they are seeing this a lot and there is no known repair from Chrysler/RAM. This is first instance where truck shut off. A month ago I got a parking bake default and it would not disengage. I had to turn the truck off then back on to get the brake to turn off. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I bought my truck brand new with 500 miles on it Oct. 14th 21. I made it to around 70k when the truck would stutter and hesitate to drive. Took it to dealership and said No codes, nothing wrong after 2 days of "checking it". Brought it back at 76k and truck would hardly drive, but yet said they couldn't figure it out and sent me on my way. Was driving home at 85k and truck stalled going 75mph while on a 2 lane highway. The truck rolled to about 30 mph and completely died and locked up steering wheel and activated the E brake as I was almost safely off the road. After trying time and time again, I finally got the truck to start and off the road. Called dealership and was told they wouldn't tow it as it was out of warranty at this point. So I had no choice but to limp it to them 400 miles away. They let it sit over weekend and went to test drive it and drove as it would normally. Sent me back out with it, only for it to happen again at 99k and stall. Same process as before and had to lug it to them out of my pocket. They Finally agreed to replace fuel pump, but out of my pocket conviently since they sent it back numerous times and now out of any warranty. At 105k, I took it back to dealership with same issue as before and was told there was nothing to do and sent me on my way. At 111k it stalled on highway at night and almost caused a major crash as the E brake set it's self while traveling at 45mph in a construction zone. Limped to dealer yet again, and they replaced the EVAP cannister as part of their guessing game. Now today at 115.5k I have dropped it off again for same issue. Stalled while traveling 75 on Interstate and almost caused me to hit a pole as I only have so much room to get off the road before it shuts down. I have since called MOPAR themselves and have yet to hear more as the Dealership has not helped at all. This has ALL transpired over the course of 1 year with brand new 2021 Ram 1500 V6 Penstar. Please help. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | UNKNOWN when driving either Freeway or City there is vibration in vehicle involved often. also the cargo bed slightly shakes and brakes feels like it is tight when releasing you can feel somewhat rubbing the tires. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Unknown system is causing the vehicle to stall. Has happened three times, once in traffic. I will be cruising slow and applying slight brake pressure, then when I release the brake the engine will cut off, apply emergency brake and shift to park. I then have to start vehicle, disengage emergency brake and put into drive. This has happened on three different occasions making me doubt the safety of the vehicle. Dealer service state no codes were shown and can not duplicate. This needs to be addressed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Engine fuel pump failed and sent metal shavings throughout the fuel system. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Car was in drive, I was in traffic (0-5 mph) and the auto brake system engaged. My seat belt was buckled and all the doors were closed. The engine turned to neutral unexpectedly. I was lucky to have enough momentum to pull over. The car then auto shifted itself to park and put its e-brake on. I had to disengage e-brake then push the start button. I’m thankful I wasn’t rear-ended. There was no reason the car should have engaged this safety system. I don’t know of a way to manually over ride this. I’m worried it will happen again and I won’t be so lucky to be able to pull over. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | When traversing from one hwy to another on an off ramp at 39 mph the truck suddenly accelerated like the pedal was pushed to the floor, speed jumped to 55mph in a flash. I hit the brakes hard once and then again to stop the sudden acceleration. Truck had a mind of its own. Dangerous situation, fortunately no one was in front of me to run into. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | While driving the radio console( a/c, etc) and odometer turned off for 3 minutes while the remained running. This has happened up to 6 times. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | On 8/18/22, I pulled out from a stop sign and as I was moving over to my desired traffic lane, my vehicle shut down, we heard one ding from the dash board, no warnings appeared. I was on a major roadway (north decatur ave at the 215 North Beltway) and was fortunate to be able to move to the far righthand lane. Since there was a sidewalk I wasn't able to get my vehicle out of the roadway. I notified the State Police, activate emergency flashers and we exited vehicle because traffic was traveling through the area at a pretty good speed (45 mph zone). Notified Ram roadside and requested tow to dealership. Attempted several times to restart truck, the starter would only spin but would not fire (sounded like no fuel but I had 1/2 a tank). State Trooper pulled in behind us and activate emergency lights to protect us. Called Ram Service writer who said it sounded like High Pressure Fuel Pump failure. Truck eventually towed to Chapman Ram on Boulder Highway, Las Vegas NV. We were lucky to pull off to right lane, could have been an accident for sure. On 8/20/22, Ram Service Writer messaged me that it was the High Pressure Fuel Pump. On 8/29/22 Service Writer notified me the metal shavings were in the fuel lines and injectors so parts were on order. This failure sounds very similar to the HPFP recall that Ram issued for earlier rams. We were lucky to get out of traffic and were very fortunate the State Trooper was able to stay behind us until we were towed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | While driving on the freeway the truck lost all engine power and power steering. I was traveling with the flow of traffic but had to quickly try and get my vehicle onto the shoulder and away from other vehicles still traveling at freeway speeds to attempt to restart the truck. This created a very unsafe situation due to not having any sort of power steering to assist in turning the vehicle off the road. I was able to shift the vehicle into neutral and coast to the shoulder in order to return the shifter to park and restart the vehicle | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | On 8/13 while driving at low speed through a residential neighborhood my 2021 RAM 1500 suddenly display a warning message and switched from drive into park while the vehicle was still moving. Wheels and steering locked causing me to loose control of the vehicle while it proceeded to skip until it came to a stop in the middle of the road. Luckily I did not hit anything or anyone. Would not restart and had to have it towed to local RAM dealer (J-Star Anaheim CA). They diagnosed a failed fuel pump which resulted in metal in the fuel system, but could not explain why transmission went from drive to park while vehicle was moving. If this failure had occurred while driving at freeway speed the results would have been catastrophic. Vehicle is still at J-Star being repaired. I am fearful of using it even after the fuel system is fixed. Need a software fix that prevents the transmission from switching into park while vehicle is moving. Vehicle needs to allow the operator to maneuver to side of road in the event of a failure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ENGINE | While driving the vehicle multiple times the engine has completely shut off and had zero power. The most recent time was traveling down the freeway at the speed limit and the vehicle shut off and lost all power steering. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN | The transmission in this vehicle will stick into 3rd gear. I have to pull off the road. Turn it off and then it shifts. Going into 4th gear is lunges and at times I can fell it slip then engine light comes on. Also if I’m sitting idle and put it into reverse it lunges backwards or dosnt engage at all. I turn it off and turn it back on and reverse works. I have noticed on freeway driving it will suddenly downshift and I smell a burning coming through the vents. Dodge has opened a case and I was advised when it was diagnosed that it has Premature 4th gear failure and it would need a updated transmission. I was also advised by the dealership that this is becoming common problem in the 2021 ram with the v6 motor and dodge delivery vans which they had about 15-20 vehicles at this dealership and I was advised it would take 3-4 months before repairs could be completed with the trans work they had. I called other dealerships and they advised the same time frame. Dodge has opened a case on my vehicle and for the past 2 months I have gotten the run around. I was advised by Clarice 3 weeks ago they were going to contact the dealership to order the transmission. I called for a update and was advised no parts were ordered and I would have to bring it in again and leave it until they got to it and they will not give me a loaner to drive. This is become a serious safety issue. If this transmission overheats or fails it could catch on fire or cause a serious accident please help in this matter. It only has 19000 miles on it and Dodge seems like they don’t want to help | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | This vehicle has an issue where it will stall. While making a right hand turn about 5 to 8 miles an hour onto a side street near my home the vehicle just shut off and rolled to a stop. It put itself in park and the auto e-brake engaged. At that point the dash info center said to shift into park and release the emergency brake. It started up and I was able to continue. I have also noticed that sometimes during a turn the truck almost stalled but recovered, You could see the rpms drop down to almost 0 but it recovered on its own. This has happened a few times. It is just not safe. 62k for an unsafe truck. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Sunroof exploded when driving on highway. Safety was put at risk with glass and being startled when driving. Contacted dealer and also FCA, pending contact back. No prior signs that glass was pending failure. Glass blew outwards from the roof. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |