1996 Dodge Ram: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 905 complaints
905
Total Complaints
78,000mi
Median Mileage
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
Top Issue
84
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

53,000 25th Percentile
78,000 Median Mileage
98,449 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
92
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
76
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
32
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
27
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
24
SUSPENSION:FRONT
24
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
23
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS
21
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
18
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
16

Severity Assessment

84
Crashes
26
Fires
53
Injuries
2
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE SEAT BACK WILL EASILY MOVE FORWARD WHEN IT IS PUSHED, EQUIPPED WITH EXTENDED CAB. TT *SLC"
"FRONT PASSENGER AND THE DRIVERS SEAT WILL LOCK INTO PLACE WILL FALL FORWARD AT ANY GIVEN TIME. TT"
"THE STORAGE COMPARTMENT HAS A DEFECT POPS OPEN. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28