"How reliable is the 2002 Dodge Ram?"

"Based on 152 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Dodge Ram has a median complaint mileage of 35000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Dodge Ram?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Dodge Ram is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL, accounting for a significant portion of the 152 total complaints filed."

2002 Dodge Ram: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 152 complaints

152

Total Complaints

35,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

11,000 25th Percentile

35,000 Median Mileage

59,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

STRUCTURE

SUSPENSION

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

AIR BAGS

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

EQUIPMENT

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE FACTORY UNDERCOATING WAS PUT SO HEAVY AND SLOPPY THAT WHEN THE ENGINE EXHAUST SYSTEM HEATS UP THE UNDERCOATING DRIPS ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND EXHAUST PIPE "FLASHING" CAUSING HAZARDOUS FUMES TO ENTER THE CAB OF THE VEHICLE THRU THE AIR CONDITION DUCTS. I REQUESTED A "MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEE..."

"WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH RIGHT REAR TIRE CAME OFF, AND LEFT REAR OF VEHICLE COLLAPSED. REAR OF VEHICLE STARTED SLIDING ALONG THE GROUND WHEN IT HIT A MEDIAN AND WAS STOPPED. DRIVER SUFFERED NECK INJURY. DEALERSHIP EXAMINED VEHICLE, AND DETERMINED THE CAUSE AS "CUSTOMER NEGLECT." *..."

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