2016 Ram 3500: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 175 complaints
175
Total Complaints
21,000mi
Median Mileage
STEERING
Top Issue
17
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

8,000 25th Percentile
21,000 Median Mileage
60,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING
26
ENGINE
20
WHEELS
20
POWER TRAIN
18
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
16
SERVICE BRAKES
11
SUSPENSION
9
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
9
AIR BAGS
8
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
7

Severity Assessment

17
Crashes
8
Fires
8
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"OEM TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER BARELY WORKS. TRIED WITH ALL 4 SETTINGS (TRAILER TOWING SHOULD HAVE NEEDED "ELECTRIC HEAVY" SETTING) HAD TO TURN THE GAIN ALL THE WAY UP TO GET THE BRAKES TO ENGAGE, PULLING AN EMPTY TRAILER. SHOULD BE ABLE TO COMPLETELY LOCK THE TRAILER BRAKES ON SETTING 10 FOR GAIN...."
"THERE IS AN EXTREME DELAY WHEN PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR AND ACTUAL ACCELERATION OF THE VEHICLE. THERE SEEMS TO BE NO CORRELATION BETWEEN HOW FAR THE ACCELERATOR IS PRESSED AND VEHICLE ACCELERATION. WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC AND ESPECIALLY WHEN PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC, THIS DELAY IS A SEVERE SAFET..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 RAM 3500. THE CONTACT SMELLED AN ABNORMAL EXHAUST ODOR IN THE VEHICLE WHEN THE HEATER WAS RUNNING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE ..."

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