2012 Dodge RAM 1500

Typical pattern

4.6% of complaints about the 2012 Dodge RAM 1500 came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2012 vehicle — around the middle of the 201 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.4 yr in service. The most-reported system is electrical system (177 complaints), typically at 6.8 yr or about 76,000 miles.

Complaints: 981
Median age at failure: 6.4 yr
Median mileage: 69,000 n=661
Crash / fire / tow: 8.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Electrical system

177 reports · 76,000 mi

6.8 yr

5.6%

Engine

163 reports · 83,000 mi

7.2 yr

3.7%

Power train

93 reports · 67,000 mi

6.3 yr

7.5%

Fuel / propulsion

92 reports · 80,000 mi

9.0 yr

3.3%

Air bags

80 reports · 60,000 mi

4.7 yr

20%

Other

67 reports · 74,000 mi

7.0 yr

Service brakes

49 reports · 35,000 mi

5.7 yr

12.2%

Steering

47 reports · 45,015 mi

4.0 yr

12.8%

Exterior lighting

45 reports · 38,500 mi

4.1 yr

4.4%

Fuel system

32 reports · 100,300 mi

12.6 yr

9.4%

Speed control

28 reports · 36,000 mi

5.5 yr

14.3%

Structure

24 reports · 75,500 mi

6.1 yr

29.2%

In owners’ own words

Steering mileage not reported 2.3 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 13V529000 (STEERING) HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE TIME FOR REPAIR. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED THAT THEY WERE UNAWARE THEN THE PART WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

Steering 65,891 mi 2.6 yr in service crash / fire / tow

MY WIFE WAS IN A WRECK YESTERDAY SHE HIT A TRUCK IN THE REAR END AND AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY CAUSING HER FACIAL INJURIES ALSO A LATER SURGERY. *TR

Steering mileage not reported 2.3 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE RAM 1500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V529000 (STEERING) AND STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED WAS UNAVAILABLE TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

Power train 800 mi 3 mo in service

2012 DODGE RAM 1500 CREW CAB LONE STAR 5.7 HEMI W/MDS AUTO TRANS. TRANSMISSION HAS A VERY MODERATE "BUMP" OR JARRING THUD INSIDE THE VEHICLE AFTER THE TRUCK COMES TO A COMPLETE STOP FROM NORMAL DRIVING SPEEDS IN CITY/HIGHWAY. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULD NOT REPEAT CONCERN AS I DESCRIBED. THIS BUMP IS NOT NORMAL AND IS NOT CONSTANT OR CONSISTENT WITH ALL STOPS. ALSO, TRUCK WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP FOR WARRANTY WORK AFTER 1200 MILES. TRUCKS ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WENT OUT. BATTERY WAS DEAD AND WOULD NOT START. UNKNOWN PROBLEM. THANK YOU. *TR

Other RAM 1500 model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.