The Ram 1500 was once considered the least reliable full-size truck on the market. However, looking at the 2022 known problems, we have to ask: Are the Ram reliability issues now in the rear-view mirror?
Before we dig into the reliability data, let’s be clear: The 2022 Ram 1500 is a mostly carryover truck after seeing a full redesign for the 2019 model year. There are also two variants of the truck: Classic Ram 1500 and Ram 1500. The classic is using the older body and parts from the 2014 model year design.
With this said, looking back at the 2019 model year and forward should give us a good idea on the 2022 Ram 1500 known problems.
For this list, we used three sources: CarComplaints.com, NHTSA.gov and ConsumerReports.org.
Major 2022 Ram 1500 known problems
Let’s kick off our list with the major problems we’ve found looking back at previous Ram 1500s.
The first major problem we see are exhaust manifolds warping due to heat. One complaint reads:
Exhaust manifold warped causing manifold bolts to break causing bolts to break. Dodge dealer Mechanic from Dodge stated this has been a common recurring problem and has done hundreds of repairs for this. It has occurred so many times there is a special tool made specifically for this issue.
Overlooking the references to Dodge (the brand became Ram more than 10 years ago), this sounds like a pretty serious complaint, and this isn’t the only one. Scrolling through pages of complaints, this one issue pops up quite often and makes the top of our list.
Another big issue is reports of losing power while driving. Owners are reporting the truck turns off while on the road, the instrument panel goes dark and they are left trying to coast to a stop. This issue has been reported in 2019, 2020 and 2021 Ram 1500 models.
The typical complaint goes like this:
My truck just stalls while driving. It’s happened several times but yesterday was the scariest. I turned left onto a fairly busy road only to notice I had a message on the screen to turn on the truck. Since we were rolling at 3-4mph, I switched into neutral and hit the start button which started the engine. At the next red light, the engine turned off and the emergency brake applied itself. The car behind me almost hit us because we were parked at a green light now. I quickly got it started and pulled over. There were no warning lights or messages. The dealer doesn’t know what the issue is. Truthfully I’m a little concerned with my family’s safety while driving this truck.
Next on our list are transmission issues not letting the truck shift out of park and/or not shifting out of first gear. Several owners are reporting this same issue with the transmission and, with Ram’s transmission woes of years ago, it doesn’t look good on the brand. Fortunately, it seems like this is only affecting 2019 models so far and we haven’t seen any new reports. However, it is worth mentioning as trucks get more mileage on them, this issue could come back.
Speaking of hopefully fixed problems, many owners reported water leaking into the rear of the cabin in 2019. The issue seems to be with the back window letting in the water causing the seats to get moldy and raising concerns about water damage on the eTorque battery mounted on the rear wall of the cabin.
Finally, the last major issue has centered around the power steering either being stuck at 11 o’clock position or simply not working at all. Like the transmission issue, this seems to be resolved in newer Ram 1500 models after Stellantis (Ram’s parent company) recalled trucks for a loose ground issue affecting power steering, but it is something to keep an eye out for in new 2022 models.
Ram 1500 recalls
Another way to measure reliability is looking at the number of recalls for a truck. Looking at the 2022 Ram 1500, at the time of this writing, it already has two recalls: a fix for a faulty rear-view camera display not showing an image, and a problem with the defroster.
Looking at the 2019 model, it had a total of 23 recalls with a few notable ones affecting a large amount of vehicles being an issue with a loose ground causing power steering loss (maybe fixing the issue above) and an issue with the windshield wipers not operating properly.
Another item to look at are Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs), which are manufacturer communications with dealer mechanics to keep an eye out for potential issues and how to resolve them. For the 2019 model, there were a total of 854 TSBs and already 53 for the 2022 Ram 1500.
Putting these numbers in perspective, the 2019 Chevy Silverado 1500 had 1,496 TSBs and 10 recalls while the 2019 Ford F-150 had 376 TSBs and 6 recalls.
Consumer Reports view of 2022 Ram 1500
Finally, taking a look behind the paywall at Consumer Reports, we see predicted reliability has really never been better for the Ram 1500 — just not the Classic.
CR rates the Ram 1500 as one of the more reliable pickups on the market and says owner satisfaction from the truck is really high as well.
However, the Ram 1500 Classic? That’s a big no from CR, and it finishes near the bottom of the list for reliability. Apparently, in this case, newer is indeed better.
The bottom line
What does all this mean? Are the 2022 Ram 1500 known problems a big deal? Frankly, it’s really starting to look like Ram turned a page on reliability, and we are seeing fewer reports of major issues. In fact, while we we did see some major issues, none applied specifically to the 2022 model year, and we didn’t really see any minor issues like we have on other reliability reports.
This tells us, if Ram addresses the major issues, this new truck could do a lot to shake up the long-held beliefs of poor reliability.
Related posts:
- Are Ram 1500 pickups reliable?
- 2022 Ford F-150 known problems
- 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 known problems
14 comments
Gary VanTassel
I have the 2022 Longhorn 1500. My only problem is it hesitates from a stopped position. I feel like its going to stall when I pull out. It doesn’t happen all the time. Its in the shop now. Unfortunately the day I dropped it off it didn’t hesitate at all. This is the 2nd time it’s been in the shop for this problem.
jim c.
I have a 2022 ram bighorn 3.6 engine. Have nearly 24000 miles on it.
Seeing lots of white exhaust on cold start and showing slow depletion
of coolant over time. No alarms or high temps yet. Appointment in three weeks. 150 mile drive. Hope I make it. Thinking cracked head or blown
head gasket.
McShane
Renting a 2022 Ram 1500 right now. Battery dead. Found out it under a service bulletin. ESM not allowing cluster to sleep, drains battery. There will be a software update?! Upon further research there is a lot of recalls. NHTSA safety recall results (8) and 49 technical service bulletins issued for the 2022 RAM 1500. I would not buy this truck.
Johan Dijkstra
I have a Longhorn limited that was a demo and was told the owner was driving it. It had 8,600 miles on it but was never registered so they could sell as a new truck. The warranty was upgraded to reflect the millage to start at 44,000miles or 3 years which ever comes first. The problem I am having is that the radio suddenly makes a feedback noise and could be loud depending on the loudness at the time of the feedback. The screen then goes dark and restarts. I was told other dodge vehicles had this same problem such as the Cherokee. Since they told me the owner was driving this demo he had to have experienced this problem, it had to have happened to him before they sold it to me. Is this the dealer keeping this information from me during the purchasing process, me being the unsuspecting buyer. Did they commit fraud me as a result. Then I was told this will be solved when the update becomes available. The Bluetooth also disconnects for a few seconds and does this on and on while driving and hopefully the update will solve that as well. But in the meantime it drops out at the wrong time when trying to make a phone call. I am unable to use apps and on one occasion the screen went dark and stayed dark the whole way home and came back on the next morning. When the screen went dark the radio was still working and phone calls were still coming in, but the USB ports didn’t work.
I don’t know if other people are experiencing these issues if you are please share.
Chris
Can validate the issue with the truck losing power while driving. Very scary ordeal, almost got me killed. New 2022 with 1,300 miles on it. No warning. Been back at the dealership for a month and they can’t figure out wtf is wrong. Also every single part is on back order like it’s an Italian import or something.
Debra J Shugar
I have a 2022 Ram Longhorn 1500. I have had nothing but problems with the radio. A few of the issues were resolved but a very big one to me has not been resolved. When I have my phone hooked up to the radio via Bluetooth, which is all the time when I receive a call or text after my call has ended it will not play my music on my phone. I’ll go to media and I can see it’s playing but there is no sound. I have to go to Device Management on my truck screen and disconnect my phone and then reconnect my phone and go back to media and then it will play. This has been an issue almost since day one that I bought this truck. UConnect can’t figure it out nor can Ram Connect. Say to take it to the dealership. Well the dealership supposedly put a new radio in it but that did not fix the problem. I now have a new problem that has showed up. I put the screen on manual and select dark for the background but it does not stay. The next time I go to take the truck out of the garage it is that bright white screen. I have to go into settings and turn it to light then back to dark and it will go to dark. This truck is supposed to be hands free but there is nothing hands free about it. So I call the dealership and leave a message with the service manager to call me but he doesn’t call. My husband had to call the General Manager of the dealership the last time to get it in there and now I’m going through it again. And believe me my husband tried calling the service manager, the sales manager, the service advisor that I had seen before about the truck even the salesman that sold it to us, but no one would call back. So here I am UConnect can’t fix it, Ram Connect can’t fix it, the dealership doesn’t seem to know what to do. Fed up with Ram Trucks.
Jim J.
Ram Laramie 1500 with eTorque. Threw a rod on a piston on the left bank destroying it sending debris into the right bank (per mechanic, if that makes sense). Needs brand new engine. Only issue I have with taking this back is that when I was coasting in at about 15 MPH, the whole truck locked up like it put itself in park or something. Very concerned about this if it would have happened at highway speed. New engine is ordered, but not sure I feel safe driving this particular vehicle any longer.
Eileen
Same…we have a 2022 1500 Limited Red with only 1200 miles and they are telling us we need whole new engine. I have been without a truck/car for 3 weeks now & we are frustrated! No response from Dodge & dealership communication is not good.
cal brown
anyone have a issue with the satellite radio antenna? (sat. radio error)
Trevor
I own a 2022 Ram 1500 Laramie. It’s had several issues already, including a very glitchy 12 in Uconnect system. It’s already had the check engine light come on and the start/stop engine light come on.
Andrew
2022 Ram 1500 Laramie G/T 4000 miles. I have to get the engine replaced. Said and Injector stuck open dumping raw fuel into the motor and found metal shavings in the oil.
Eileen
Same…we have a 2022 1500 Limited Red with only 1200 miles and they are telling us we need whole new engine. I have been without a truck/car for 3 weeks now & we are frustrated! No response from Dodge & dealership communication is not good.
Mike
One more problem that Ram is dodging is that the split tailgate left side will not stay open because it was not adjusted right at the factory. If the wind hits it, it closes and can injure whoever is standing there.
Anthony Rabinowitz
Can anyone tell me how much fuel and maintenance costs are for the Ram 1500 diesel compared to the F150 Powerboost hybrid? I think this comparison would be interesting as they both get great MPG, they are both great for towing, and both represent a similar markup relative to the base engine. I would also be interested in other comparisons between the diesel and hybrid powertrains in terms of performance, cost, etc, other than the obvious fact the Ford has the Propower generator.