2002 Dodge RAM 2500

Typical pattern

11.2% of complaints about the 2002 Dodge RAM 2500 came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2002 vehicle — around the middle of the 230 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.3 yr in service. The most-reported system is structure (40 complaints), typically at 5.9 yr or about 62,000 miles.

Complaints: 196
Median age at failure: 5.3 yr
Median mileage: 62,000 n=153
Crash / fire / tow: 10.7% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

07E104000 2007-12-11

Visibility:glass, side/rear

CERTAIN CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF TEMPERED GLASS AND FAILS TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 205, "GLAZING MATERIALS."

IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT(S) MAY BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BY SHATTERED GLASS.

06E024000 2006-03-15

Engine cooling

CERTAIN REPLACEMENT K&N FUEL PERFORMANCE KITS, P/NOS. 57-1509, 57-1511, 57-1511-1, 57-1517, 57-1517-1, 57-1527, AND 57-1530. ALSO, A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THESE KITS WERE SOLD UNDER THE MOPAR PERFORMANCE PARTS BRAND NAME (P/NOS. P5007069 AND P5007070). ALL KITS WERE MANUFACTURED FROM APRIL 20, 1999, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 23, 2004. THESE ASSEMBLIES WERE MANUFACTURED AS REPLACEMENT EQUIPMENT FOR CERTAIN DODGE PICKUP TRUCKS AND SUVS. A SMALL PIECE OF MATERIAL FROM THE TUBE WALL COULD BE SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE THROTTLE BODY, WHICH COULD CAUSE THE THROTTLE TO BECOME JAMMED IN THE OPEN POSITION.

A JAMMED OPEN THROTTLE COULD CAUSE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A CRASH OR INCREASED STOPING DISTANCES WHEN BRAKING.

In owners’ own words

Structure mileage not reported 3 mo in service

THE VEHICLE OSCILLATES VIOLENTLY ON CEMENT ROADS DUE TO STIFFNESS OF THE FRAME AND WRONG WHEEL BASE. THE DEALER IS UNABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *YH

Structure mileage not reported 3 mo in service

THE VEHICLE OSCILLATES VIOLENTLY ON CEMENT ROADS DUE TO STIFFNESS OF THE FRAME AND WRONG WHEEL BASE. THE DEALER IS UNABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *YH

Structure 45,000 mi 2.3 yr in service

BED STARTED SEPARATING FROM THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE ON BOTH REAR SIDES. DEALER ADMITTED THEY HAD A PROBLEM WITH THOSE VEHICLES. MANUFACTURER WAS NASTY, AND INDICATED THAT BY LAW THEY GUARANTEED VEHICLE FOR THREE YEARS OR 36000 MILES. *AK *MR

Power train mileage not reported 9 mo in service

WHEN VEHICLE WAS IN PARK ON A FLAT SURFACE AND IT ROLLED BACK, CAUSING DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK

Other RAM 2500 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.

2002 Dodge RAM 2500

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other RAM 2500 model years

How to read this