2016 Ram 2500

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2016 Ram 2500 has 367 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 4.6x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is transmission problems (17% of all complaints), specifically: 2016 ram 2500 crew cab 4x4 6.4 liter v8 - my truck is 5 months old with 4,500 miles on it. i have had this problem two times so far. i would be driving and the check engine and throttle positioning sensor warning lights come on. the truck would lose acceleration and sometimes the truck would acc. ⚠️ 3 fire reports filed.

3 fire reports 12 crash reports 8 injuries

367

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

4.6x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

TRANSMISSION

62 complaints

17%

• 2016 RAM 2500 CREW CAB 4X4 6.4 LITER V8 - MY TRUCK IS 5 MONTHS OLD WITH 4,500 MILES ON IT. I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM TWO TIMES SO FAR. I WOULD BE DRIVING AND THE CHECK ENGINE AND THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR WARNING LIGHTS COME ON. THE TRUCK WOULD LOSE ACCELERATION AND SOMETIMES THE TRUCK WOULD ACC
• DEAD PEDAL. THIS VEHICLE WHEN STARTING TO ACCELERATE, RELEASING ACCELERATOR AND THEN GETTING BACK IMMEDIATELY ON THE ACCELERATOR, DOES NOT RESPOND FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. THIS HAPPENED WHILE PULLING INTO AN INTERSECTION AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. DEALER AND RAM SAYS IT IS NORMAL, BUT MANY OWNERS
• TODAY I HAD A CLOSE CALL. CRUISING EMPTY, NOT TOWING, SOMEONE PULLED OUT RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME ON THE HIGHWAY. GOT ON THE BRAKES. HAD A GOOD OPENING IN THE NEXT LANE. PUSHED DOWN ON THE GAS PEDDLE AND STARTED SHIFTING LANES. THE TRUCK WOULDN'T ACCELERATE, NOT EVEN A LITTLE. AFTER WHAT SEEMED LIKE 2-3

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 6 crashes

“2016 RAM 2500 CREW CAB 4X4 6.4 LITER V8 - MY TRUCK IS 5 MONTHS OLD WITH 4,500 MILES ON IT. I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM TWO TIMES SO FAR. I WOULD BE DRIVING AND THE CHECK ENGINE AND THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR WARNING LIGHTS COME ON. THE TRUCK WOULD LOSE ACCELERATION AND SOMETIMES THE TRUCK WOULD ACC”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

60 complaints

16%

• LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION: THE 2016 2500 RAM DIESEL TRUCK HAS A PROBLEM THAT CAUSES IT TO DO A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SHUTDOWN WHILE DRIVING. A COMPLETE LOSS OF ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ARE LOST, INCLUDING A... COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE... BRAKE LIGHTS... POWER STEERING... POWER BRAKES. EVERYTHING DIES WI
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 DODGE RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED SHORTLY AFTER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE, HOWEVER, RE-FLAS
• THROTTLE RESPONSE, THERE IS A HUGE DELAY BETWEEN ACTIVATING THE PEDAL AND THE ENGINE REACTING TO THAT INPUT. CROSSING A BUSY STREET FROM A STANDSTILL IS A GAMBLE WHETHER OR NOT YOU'LL ACCELERATE IN ENOUGH TIME.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports

“LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION: THE 2016 2500 RAM DIESEL TRUCK HAS A PROBLEM THAT CAUSES IT TO DO A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SHUTDOWN WHILE DRIVING. A COMPLETE LOSS OF ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ARE LOST, INCLUDING A... COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE... BRAKE LIGHTS... POWER STEERING... POWER BRAKES. EVERYTHING DIES WI”

— NHTSA complaint filing

STEERING

41 complaints

11%

• B/T 15-20 MPH, THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF. NO WARNING, NO NOISE, OIL PRESSURE GAUGE GOES TO NOTHING, AND RPMS DROP TO 0. I LOOSE CONTROL OF STEERING AS WELL. EVERYTHING ELSE HAS POWER TO IT (RADIO, LIGHTS, ETC WORK) HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES, 3 IN A ROW, SPENT 2 DAYS AT DEALER AND THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHIN
• THE RECOMMENDED PRESSURE FOR FRONT AXLE TIRES IS 60 PSI, WITH AXLE LOAD RATING OF 5500 POUNDS. THE RECOMMENDED PRESSURE FOR REAR AXLE TIRES IS 80 PSI WITH AXLE RATING OF 6500 POUNDS. ACCORDING TO FIRESTONE, THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FACTORY INSTALLED TIRES, THE PRESSURE REQUIRED FOR EVEN REAR AXLE MAX
• DODGE/RAM HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS AND IT HAS BECOME THE "NORMAL" FOR THEIR TRUCKS, BUT THIS THE SLACK IN THE STEERING COLUMN IS HARDLY ACCEPTABLE. I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY DRIVE WITH MY STEERING AT 10 O'CLOCK TO DRIVE STRAIGHT (EVEN AFTER ALIGNMENTS) AND QUICKLY ADJUST 3-4 INCHES TO ADJU

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“B/T 15-20 MPH, THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF. NO WARNING, NO NOISE, OIL PRESSURE GAUGE GOES TO NOTHING, AND RPMS DROP TO 0. I LOOSE CONTROL OF STEERING AS WELL. EVERYTHING ELSE HAS POWER TO IT (RADIO, LIGHTS, ETC WORK) HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES, 3 IN A ROW, SPENT 2 DAYS AT DEALER AND THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHIN”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

37 complaints

10%

• LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION: THE 2016 2500 RAM DIESEL TRUCK HAS A PROBLEM THAT CAUSES IT TO DO A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SHUTDOWN WHILE DRIVING. A COMPLETE LOSS OF ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ARE LOST, INCLUDING A... COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE... BRAKE LIGHTS... POWER STEERING... POWER BRAKES. EVERYTHING DIES WI
• HAD PHONE CHARGING FROM USB PORT IN TRUCK. PULLED INTO GAS STATION AND AS I WAS TURNING THE WHEEL TO PARK IN A SPOT, I TOUCHED THE PHONE AND THE ENGINE DIED.
• MY 2016 RAM 1500 ALMOST KILLED ME THIS MORNING. TRUCK HAS 4,000 MILES ON IT. AT 4 AM I WAS DRIVING ON I-10 EAST BOUND 170 MILES FROM PENSACOLA. CRUISE WAS SET AT 78 AND I WAS IN THE PASSING LANE. THE ROAD WAS PITCH BLACK. WITHOUT ANY WARNING THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND ALL ELECTRICAL. HEADLIGHTS WENT

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 2 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

36 complaints

10%

• FACTORY INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER IS UNABLE TO SAFETY STOP A 10,000 LB TRAILER. HAVE TRIED MULTIPLE DIFFERENT TRAILERS WITH THIS TRUCK AND SAME RESULTS. TRUCK CANNOT SAFETY STOP THE TRUCK AND TRAILER COMBINATION SAFELY, THE TRAILER PUSHES THE COMBINATION THROUGH A STOPLIGHT. EVEN WITH TRAI
• THIS IS A BIG SAFETY CONCERN. MY 2016 RAM HAS MAJOR THROTTLE DELAY. IT BECOMES A SAFETY CONCERN WHEN I'M PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC, LET OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND GET BACK ON IT AND IT WAITS 1.5 TO 2 SECONDS BEFORE THE COMPUTER RECEIVES THE COMMAND TO GIVE THROTTLE. I HAVE HAD ONE INSTANCE WHERE I WAS P
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 RAM 2500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 53 MPH AND APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE LOST TRACTION ABILITY AND THE TPMS INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER AND THE TPMS WAS UPDATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWAR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“FACTORY INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER IS UNABLE TO SAFETY STOP A 10,000 LB TRAILER. HAVE TRIED MULTIPLE DIFFERENT TRAILERS WITH THIS TRUCK AND SAME RESULTS. TRUCK CANNOT SAFETY STOP THE TRUCK AND TRAILER COMBINATION SAFELY, THE TRAILER PUSHES THE COMBINATION THROUGH A STOPLIGHT. EVEN WITH TRAI”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 367 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
TRANSMISSION: 2016 RAM 2500 CREW CAB 4X4 6.4 LITER V8 - MY TRUCK IS 5 MONTHS OLD WITH 4,500 MILES ON IT. I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM TWO TIMES SO FAR. I WOULD BE DRIVING AND THE CHECK ENGINE AND THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR WARNING LIGHTS COME ON. THE TRUCK WOULD LOSE ACCELERATION AND SOMETIMES THE TRUCK WOULD ACC
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION: THE 2016 2500 RAM DIESEL TRUCK HAS A PROBLEM THAT CAUSES IT TO DO A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SHUTDOWN WHILE DRIVING. A COMPLETE LOSS OF ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ARE LOST, INCLUDING A... COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE... BRAKE LIGHTS... POWER STEERING... POWER BRAKES. EVERYTHING DIES WI
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
STEERING: B/T 15-20 MPH, THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF. NO WARNING, NO NOISE, OIL PRESSURE GAUGE GOES TO NOTHING, AND RPMS DROP TO 0. I LOOSE CONTROL OF STEERING AS WELL. EVERYTHING ELSE HAS POWER TO IT (RADIO, LIGHTS, ETC WORK) HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES, 3 IN A ROW, SPENT 2 DAYS AT DEALER AND THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHIN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION: THE 2016 2500 RAM DIESEL TRUCK HAS A PROBLEM THAT CAUSES IT TO DO A COMPLETE ELECTRICAL SHUTDOWN WHILE DRIVING. A COMPLETE LOSS OF ALL ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ARE LOST, INCLUDING A... COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE... BRAKE LIGHTS... POWER STEERING... POWER BRAKES. EVERYTHING DIES WI
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)