1996 Dodge Ram 2500: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 365 complaints
365
Total Complaints
136,000mi
Median Mileage
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
Top Issue
21
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

90,000 25th Percentile
136,000 Median Mileage
202,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
32
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
19
TIRES
14
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:COOLING UNIT AND LINES
12
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
11
STEERING
9
SUSPENSION
9
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
9
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
9
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
7

Severity Assessment

21
Crashes
18
Fires
8
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"1) W/REAR ABS BRAKES APPLIED BRAKES BUT NO RESPONSE ESTIMATED SPEED 39 MPH. 2) ENTIRE AUTO-TRANS BURNED COMPLETELY W/TRUCK ONLY HAVING 120 MILES. TT"
"1) W/REAR ABS BRAKES APPLIED BRAKES BUT NO RESPONSE ESTIMATED SPEED 39 MPH. 2) ENTIRE AUTO-TRANS BURNED COMPLETELY W/TRUCK ONLY HAVING 120 MILES. TT"
"INSUFFICIENT BRAKES TRAVELING DOWN GRADE WILL OVERHEAT AND PEDAL APPLICATION IS REDUCED. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. 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