"How reliable is the 2003 Dodge Ram 2500?"

"Based on 866 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 has a median complaint mileage of 78000 miles. The most common issue is STEERING."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Dodge Ram 2500?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 is STEERING, accounting for a significant portion of the 866 total complaints filed."

2003 Dodge Ram 2500: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 866 complaints

866

Total Complaints

78,000mi

Median Mileage

STEERING

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

40,000 25th Percentile

78,000 Median Mileage

125,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING

141

AIR BAGS

135

STRUCTURE

SUSPENSION

STRUCTURE:BODY

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

SUSPENSION:FRONT

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

VISIBILITY

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, VEHICLE SUDDENLY DOWN SHIFTED TO 3RD GEAR. THE VEHICLE MADE A HUGE NOISE, CAUSING ENGINE TO REV UP TO THE RED LINE. CONSUMER FILLS THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, SOMEONE COULD BE INJURED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. PH"

"CONSUMER PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE AND PLACED THE VEHICLE IN PARK WITH ENGINE ON AND GOT OUT OF THE CAR. ABOUT 40 SECONDS LATER, HEARD A CRASH. THE VEHICLE HAD ROLLED BACKWARDS AND HIT ANOTHER MOVING CAR. TOOK TO DODGE AND THEY STATED CONSUMER WAS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY. TS THE SHIFT LEVER STOP..."

"SEAT BECOMES A PROBLEM WHEN THE TEMPERATURE GETS COLDER. COOL MORNINGS WILL CAUSE THE SEATS TO RISE 3 INCHES CAUSING DRIVER OR PASSENGER NOT TO SIT CORRECTLY AND BUCKLE SEAT BELT. THIS ALSO CAUSES DRIVER TO READJUST MIRROR AS TEMPERATURES RISE AND CUSHION LOWERS. AS THESE CHANGES OCCUR DRIVER MUST ..."

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