The current-generation RAM 1500 is meaningfully more reliable than the truck it replaced.
The data shows it clearly.
The DT-generation truck (2019 to present) accumulates owner complaints at a substantially lower per-mile rate than the DS-generation truck (2009 to 2018) it replaced, and the complaint severity ratings track the same way: the DT has zero critical-severity weakness categories. The DS has three.
The single most-reliable individual model year on the data is a tie between 2023 and 2024, each with four NHTSA recall campaigns issued. The least-reliable is 2019, the launch year of the DT generation, with 29 campaigns accumulating across six years of ownership. The 2025 model year is the first year of Hurricane-only powertrain availability and has accumulated six campaigns in its first 18 months, which is a higher initial pace than 2023 or 2024 but consistent with normal early-ownership patterns.
That’s the verdict. The detailed numbers tell a more useful story.
Key Takeaways
- 2023 and 2024 are the most reliable RAM 1500 model years on record. Four NHTSA recall campaigns each, with no critical-severity weakness categories on either.
- 2017 is the most reliable DS-generation year. 13 recall campaigns, the lowest count in the DS lineup, and the last full year before the platform refresh.
- 2019 is the worst year to buy used. 29 NHTSA recall campaigns accumulated across the DT generation’s launch year. The teething pattern was substantial.
- The DT generation has zero critical-severity weakness categories. The DS generation has three: steering, electrical, and engine. The reliability difference between generations is the most actionable data point on this page.
- The 2025 model year’s six campaigns cluster around platform-transition software and quality issues. Wheel hub encoder, headlamp module software, TPMS software, two instrument-cluster software campaigns, and a brake-light software campaign. The recalls are 2025-production-specific rather than Hurricane-engine-specific, but they all surfaced in the same launch window.
- The Pentastar V6 with eTorque is the most reliable engine option. 2.0 decades of production history with one major recall pattern (the camshaft and rocker arm wear on certain production years).
- The Hurricane platform is too new to assess long-term. Eighteen months of customer service-life data is not enough to call the engine reliable or unreliable. Wait three to five years for the picture to clear.
Generation Map: DT vs DS
The RAM 1500 has been in continuous production since 2009 with one major platform transition. The DS generation ran from 2009 to 2018. The DT generation launched for 2019 and continues through 2026 with the only major change being the engine lineup (Hemi V8 dropped for 2025, Hurricane added, Hemi V8 returned for 2026).
| Specification | DS Generation (2009-2018) | DT Generation (2019-2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Production years | 10 years | 8 years (current) |
| Total NHTSA complaints | 14,303 | 10,636 |
| Complaints per production year | 1,430 | 1,330 |
| Total NHTSA recall campaigns | 44 | 42 |
| Crash reports (NHTSA) | 783 | 468 |
| Fire reports (NHTSA) | 221 | 80 |
| Critical-severity weakness categories | 3 (steering, electrical, engine) | 0 |
| Cosmetic-severity weakness categories | 2 (brakes, body/trim) | 3 (electrical, interior, transmission) |
The headline numbers look similar at first glance.
The severity classification is where the generations split.
The DT generation’s most-complained-about issue categories are 11 electrical complaints, six interior complaints, and three transmission complaints, all rated cosmetic-severity by the database scoring methodology. The DS generation’s most-complained-about issue categories are 40 steering complaints, 16 electrical complaints, and 14 engine complaints, all rated critical-severity.
The “death wobble” steering complaint that built the DS generation’s reputation in owner forums and YouTube videos is in that 40-count critical-severity steering category. The DT generation has nothing comparable.
Full DT-generation reliability data is in The Weekly Driver’s reliability database, with breakdowns by engine, recall, and complaint category. The DS-generation data is available here.
Year-by-Year Recall Map
NHTSA recall campaigns are issued against specific model years. A campaign that affects “2019-2024 RAM 1500” counts once for each affected year. The table below shows the total recall campaign count NHTSA reports against each model year, queried directly from the NHTSA Recalls Database.
| Model Year | Generation | NHTSA Recall Campaigns | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | DS | 17 | Death wobble era |
| 2015 | DS | 18 | Steering and MDS lifter issues |
| 2016 | DS | 17 | Air bag and steering campaigns |
| 2017 | DS | 13 (DS gen low) | Last clean DS year |
| 2018 | DS | 15 | Final DS year |
| 2019 | DT | 29 (worst overall) | DT launch year teething |
| 2020 | DT | 13 | Air bag and back-over prevention campaigns |
| 2021 | DT | 9 | Brake master cylinder and TCM recalls |
| 2022 | DT | 8 | Steady-state issues |
| 2023 | DT | 4 (best, tied) | Mature DT year |
| 2024 | DT | 4 (best, tied) | Last Hemi-available year before Hurricane-only transition |
| 2025 | DT | 6 | Hurricane launch year, unique recall cluster |
| 2026 | DT | 3 (so far) | Too early to assess |
The trajectory is the actual story.
The DT generation entered with a launch-year teething pattern (29 campaigns in 2019), settled to roughly 9 to 13 campaigns through 2020-2022, then dropped to a steady-state of four campaigns per year in 2023 and 2024. The 2025 model year ticks back up to six because of the Hurricane platform transition; the 2026 model year is still accumulating.
A recall count by itself isn’t a reliability indicator without context.
The 29 campaigns issued against 2019 RAM 1500 trucks include some that affected millions of vehicles across the Stellantis lineup (the back-over camera software issue, the steering control module issue, the side-curtain air bag inflator issue) and some that affected only a few hundred (specific build-date production runs). For comparison purposes, the relative trajectory matters more than the absolute count.
Best Years to Buy Used
The best individual model years to buy used in 2026 are 2023 and 2024 from the DT generation. Both years carry four NHTSA recall campaigns each, both are within current factory warranty windows for original owners (depending on coverage tier), both have the mature DT-generation chassis and powertrain, and both predate the Hurricane platform transition that introduced the 2025-specific quality issues.
Recommended used buys (DT generation)
2023 RAM 1500: Four recall campaigns. Engine choices: 3.6L Pentastar V6 with eTorque, 5.7L Hemi V8 with eTorque, 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 (limited availability). Mature chassis, no Hurricane-platform questions.
2024 RAM 1500: Four recall campaigns. Same engine availability as 2023 plus the final-year Hemi V8 availability before the 2025 deletion. The 2024 Hemi-equipped trucks are commanding mild premiums in the current used market because of the V8 scarcity that the 2026 return is correcting.
Both 2023 and 2024 fall within the 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty window for original-owner certified-pre-owned vehicles through Stellantis CPO programs.
A buyer in 2026 picking up a 2024 truck with reasonable mileage has factory powertrain coverage running through approximately 2029 or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first.
If a budget pushes the search older, the best DS-generation year is 2017. Thirteen recall campaigns is the lowest count in the DS lineup, and most of the death wobble and MDS lifter issues that plagued earlier DS years had been resolved through production updates by the 2017 model year. 2018 is also reasonable at 15 campaigns.
Years to Approach With Caution
Years that need extra inspection
2019 RAM 1500: 29 recall campaigns accumulated. The DT generation’s launch year had substantial first-year teething. A 2019 truck for sale in 2026 has had seven years to surface its production-run issues, which is a long time in service. If the truck has clean records with all recalls completed, it can be a reasonable buy at the right price; if records are incomplete, the work to verify recall status is meaningful.
2014 and 2015 RAM 1500: The peak death wobble era. The steering damper issue affected a specific build range and was remedied through extended-warranty service campaigns, but used examples in this era should be test-driven over rough pavement at highway speed to verify steering stability before buying.
2025 RAM 1500: First year of Hurricane-only powertrain availability. Six recall campaigns in 18 months is not alarming, but the recall mix includes wheels-hub, electrical instrument cluster, and exterior lighting issues that suggest specific quality-control issues on the new platform. A 2025 truck for sale in 2026 has likely had at most one or two of these recalls applied; verify completion before buying.
The Hurricane Launch Question
The 2025 model year was the first year of Hurricane-only RAM 1500 production.
The Pentastar V6 with eTorque remained as the base engine, but the Hemi V8 disappeared and the new 3.0L Hurricane inline-six twin-turbo SO and HO replaced it as the volume engines.
The 2025 model year’s six recall campaigns are documented in the NHTSA database. The wheels-hub recall (24V794000) addresses front wheel hub encoder rings that may be damaged and can disable the antilock brake system. The headlamp recall (24V942000) covers incorrect headlight module software. The TPMS recall (25V231000) addresses a software error that causes incorrect tire-pressure messages on the instrument panel. Two separate instrument-panel software recalls (25V826000 and 26V225000) affect 2025-2026 production across the Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 lineups. The brake-light recall (26V059000) covers a software issue that affects multiple 2024-2026 Stellantis vehicles, including the 2025-2026 Ram 1500.
These recalls are not catastrophic and are typical of a platform transition year. A buyer ordering a 2026 truck (rather than buying a used 2025) avoids these issues, because the 2026 production has had time to incorporate the manufacturing fixes that the 2025 recalls drove.
The deeper Hurricane question is long-term reliability beyond the recall stage.
Recall campaigns address specific manufacturing or design issues that NHTSA investigates and the manufacturer agrees to remedy. They don’t capture the slow-failure pattern that emerges over 100,000 to 150,000 miles of service.
The Hurricane platform has only been in customer hands for 18 months. The high-mileage service-life picture will not be visible until late 2027 or 2028 at the earliest.
Engine-Specific Reliability
The DT generation has used five different engine configurations across its 2019-2026 production run. Each has its own reliability profile.
| Engine | Years available | Reliability profile |
|---|---|---|
| 3.6L Pentastar V6 + eTorque | 2019-2026 (continuous) | Most reliable engine in the DT lineup. Known issue: 2011-2013 production years had camshaft and rocker arm wear, but the 2019+ DT-generation Pentastar uses a revised design that doesn’t share the problem. |
| 5.7L Hemi V8 + eTorque | 2019-2024, returned 2026 | 20+ years of production data. Known issues: MDS lifter and camshaft wear on certain production years, exhaust manifold bolt failures, “Hemi tick” intermittent valvetrain noise. Issues are well-documented and supported by parts ecosystem. |
| 3.0L EcoDiesel V6 | 2020-2023 (limited) | Discontinued. Diesel emissions equipment was the principal failure point. Used market values are reasonable, but parts and service depth is shrinking. |
| 3.0L Hurricane SO (Twin Turbo I6) | 2025-2026 | Too early to assess long-term. 18 months in service. No systemic issues surfaced yet. |
| 3.0L Hurricane HO (Twin Turbo I6) | 2025-2026 | Same caveat as SO. Performance-tuned variant. |
The buyer prioritizing reliability for a 100,000-mile-plus service life should pick a 2023 or 2024 truck with the 3.6L Pentastar V6 with eTorque. The Pentastar in DT-generation applications has the cleanest long-term reliability record of any RAM 1500 engine option in the past decade. The Hemi V8 is the second-cleanest pick if more capability is required.
The Hurricane is the unknown.
The buyer who specifically wants the Hemi V8 has a slight 2024-versus-2026 decision.
The 2024 truck has the older-generation 5.7L without any 2026-specific updates. The 2026 truck has the returning V8 with any incremental improvements RAM made during its one-year absence. Most reporting suggests the engine is mechanically identical to the 2024 version, but Stellantis has not published a detailed change log.
The Recurring Recall Patterns
Three recall patterns repeat across the entire 2014-2026 range of the RAM 1500 lineup and are worth understanding before any used-truck buying decision.
Back-over prevention and camera issues
Seven separate recall campaigns since 2020 have addressed the rear backup camera display function.
The issue isn’t the camera hardware but the Uconnect software’s handling of the camera feed under specific conditions. A truck affected by these recalls has typically had the relevant software update pushed through dealer service or over-the-air through Ram Connect. Verify the most recent Uconnect software version against the recall completion records before buying.
Air bag inflator and sensor issues
The Takata inflator recall affected RAM 1500 trucks across multiple model years, with separate driver-side and passenger-side campaigns. Side-curtain inflator recalls from 21V632000 and 21V925000 addressed a different inflator issue specific to RAM. Verify all air bag recalls are completed; this category has the highest safety stakes.
Instrument cluster and software recalls
The 2025-2026 instrument-cluster recalls (25V826000 and 26V225000) cover software errors that affect the instrument-panel display and span multiple Ram lineups. The TPMS recall (25V231000) is also software-driven and addresses incorrect tire-pressure messaging.
These are resolved through dealer software updates.
A buyer ordering a 2026 truck has likely received these fixes at the factory before delivery; a buyer of a used 2025 truck should verify completion against the VIN.
Cross-Reference: The Weekly Driver’s Reliability Database
The detailed engine, recall, and complaint data behind this article is available in The Weekly Driver’s reliability database, which contains 6,870 vehicle and engine pages with NHTSA complaint counts, recall completion data, and severity classifications.
- RAM 1500 DT generation (2019-2025) full reliability data
- RAM 1500 DS generation (2009-2018) full reliability data
- RAM 1500 2026 model year tracking page
- Most reliable models across all manufacturers
- Least reliable models across all manufacturers
Verdict
The RAM 1500’s reliability reputation has shifted substantially in the past seven years, and the data supports the shift. The DS generation (2009-2018) earned the reputation that owner forums, YouTube videos, and Consumer Reports articles built around the death wobble, the MDS lifter failures, and the electrical gremlins. The DT generation (2019-2026) doesn’t deserve to inherit that reputation. The severity-classification data is clear: zero critical-severity weakness categories on the DT versus three on the DS.
For a buyer in 2026 shopping a used DT-generation RAM 1500, the 2023 and 2024 model years are the best individual picks. For a buyer shopping the DS generation on budget, the 2017 model year is the cleanest pick. For a buyer ordering a new 2026, the truck is a confidently engineered modern pickup with one open question around long-term Hurricane reliability that won’t be answered for two to three years.
The 2025 model year is the only year I’d avoid in this lineup at the time of this writing, and that’s a function of platform-transition recall patterns rather than fundamental quality concerns.
A 2025 truck with all recalls completed is fine.
A 2025 truck with open recalls or unverified service records is harder to recommend.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most reliable RAM 1500 year?
2023 and 2024 are tied for the most reliable RAM 1500 model years on NHTSA recall campaign count, with four campaigns each. Both years are within the mature DT-generation production window, both predate the Hurricane platform transition, and both have the same chassis and powertrain options that have been refined over multiple production years.
Is the RAM 1500 reliable in 2026?
The 2026 RAM 1500 is a confidently engineered modern pickup with three recall campaigns issued in its first months of production, which is normal for a current model year. The chassis and platform have been in continuous production since 2019 and are mature. The open reliability question is around the Hurricane inline-six engine, which has only been in customer hands for 18 months and lacks long-term service-life data. The Pentastar V6 and returning Hemi V8 are known-quantity engines.
What is the worst RAM 1500 year to buy?
The 2019 RAM 1500 has 29 NHTSA recall campaigns accumulated, which is the highest count in the 2014-2026 range. The campaigns reflect launch-year teething on the DT generation. A 2019 truck for sale in 2026 needs verified recall completion records before buying. The 2014 and 2015 RAM 1500 trucks should also be approached with caution because they fall in the peak death wobble era.
What year did RAM fix the death wobble?
The death wobble steering issue was addressed through revised steering damper hardware introduced during the 2017 model year production run and resolved through service campaigns for earlier years. The 2017 and 2018 RAM 1500 model years have substantially lower steering complaint counts than 2014 through 2016. The DT generation (2019+) uses a redesigned front suspension that does not share the steering-stability issues of the DS generation.
Is the RAM 1500 more reliable than the Ford F-150?
The current-generation RAM 1500 (DT) has a per-production-year complaint rate of approximately 1,330 complaints per year on NHTSA data, compared with the Ford F-150’s roughly 1,600 complaints per year over a similar production window. The two trucks rank closely on reliability with the RAM 1500 having a slight edge on severity classification.
Should I buy a 2025 RAM 1500?
The 2025 model year has six NHTSA recall campaigns at the time of this writing, including some specific to the Hurricane platform transition (wheels-hub, headlights, instrument cluster). A 2025 truck with all recalls completed is functionally reliable. A 2025 truck with open recalls or incomplete service records is harder to recommend. The Hurricane engine has 18 months of service-life data and no systemic issues have surfaced, but long-term reliability is still uncertain.
Is the Hemi V8 in the 2026 RAM 1500 the same as the older Hemi?
The returning 5.7L Hemi V8 in the 2026 RAM 1500 is mechanically the same engine that appeared in the 2024 RAM 1500 lineup. Stellantis has not published a detailed change log indicating major updates during the one-year absence. The known issues (MDS lifter wear, exhaust manifold bolts, “Hemi tick”) apply equivalently to the 2026 engine. The Hurricane vs Hemi V8 buyer-decision guide is available here.
Is the Hurricane engine reliable?
The 3.0L Hurricane SO and HO inline-six engines launched for the 2025 RAM 1500 model year. Eighteen months of customer service-life data exists at the time of this writing, with no systemic reliability issues surfaced. Long-term reliability beyond 100,000 miles is not yet verifiable. Buyers concerned about being early adopters on a new engine platform may prefer to wait until model year 2027 or 2028 for additional service-life data to accumulate.
How many recalls has the 2026 RAM 1500 had?
The 2026 RAM 1500 has had three NHTSA recall campaigns issued at the time of this writing, which is normal for a vehicle in its first year of production. Recall counts typically grow as production volume increases and edge-case issues surface in customer service.
Does the RAM 1500 have transmission problems?
The DT generation (2019+) uses the ZF 8HP70 and 8HP75 eight-speed automatic transmissions, which are widely used across luxury and mainstream applications and have an excellent long-term reliability record. The DT generation has accumulated three transmission-related complaints in NHTSA’s database, rated cosmetic-severity, which is a low rate. The DS generation used earlier transmissions with more issues. The current truck does not have a transmission problem.
Manufacturer Disclosure
FCA US LLC provided a 2026 RAM 1500 Express Crew Cab 4×2 with the 3.0L Hurricane SO engine for a seven-day press loan that informed this analysis. Recall data sourced from the NHTSA Recalls Database. Complaint and severity data sourced from The Weekly Driver’s reliability database. Full review of the loaner is available here.
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
https://theweeklydriver.com