NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Ram 1500. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Complete loss of power steering. Occasional steering lock and takes a forceful pressure on the steering wheel to allow movement. Service power steering light is flashing on the dash with DTC's indicating module is bad. Loud grinding can be heard when turning left.
There is an open recall for certain vin#'s 20v-475 that happened to my vehicle and according to message boards a lot of other vehicles that have the failure of the tone wheel to the exact way the recall is listed but for some reason the vin does't fall under the recall. My vehicle had a complete shut down without warning or noises while driving at highway speeds on a windy narrow parkway with minimal shoulder. If I wasn't driving in the right lane at the time my situation could've been even more dangerous than it already was. I don't understand how a part that that is used in all ecodiesel engines from 2014-2018 and has a known failure is supposedly only affecting a small percentage of engines when they all have the same part. I have searched message board after message board and have found a lot of listings of this part failure all on vin's that for some reason aren't on the recall. As a SAFETY precaution letters should've went out to all ecodiesel vehicles within those years to at least alert drivers theres a potential for this failure. If it wasn't for the fuel pump recall that they do not have a fix for, I wouldn't have been as aware of m vehicle possibly shutting down without warning. Again I think as a SAFETY precaution letters should be sent to all ecodiesel owners alerting them of this possible engine failure that could endanger their lives and open an investigation to see why a part used in all of the vehicles only affects certain ones when it is obviously failing in all ecodiesel engines.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle lunged forward and went into Limp Mode. The check engine and the electrical emergency warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not including in the recall. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure however, no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 97,000.
While traveling at highway speeds on a narrow parkway with minimal shoulders, the vehicle without warning or noise shut down, almost causing a major accident and I wouldn't have been able to get to the shoulder if I wasn't in the right lane. The shoulder barely had room for my truck putting myself and other vehicles at risk. There was ABSOLUTELY no warning that my car was going to completely shut down, no lights illuminated on my dash until i was on the grass and the engine was dead. The dealership confirms the exact issue was a failure of the Magnetic tone wheel that has a NHTSA Recall# 20V-475, that is an identical symptom and diagnosis to my exact issue. The dealership Meadowlands of Carmel (845)225-8468 [XXX] in the service department quoted me $1,600.00 plus tax to replace the magnetic tone wheel. I am also a government employee and I am unable to get to work. My engine type and year (2016) is identical to this recall stated above (20V-475), but for some reason that no one at RAM Customer Service or the RAM Recall Department can identify why my VIN number is excluded from a recall that my VIN is clearly a part of. I had ZERO symptoms, warnings before I could have been potentially killed. My kids were thankfully not in the car with me. I feel this is well within the spectrum of my VIN number qualifying to participate in this recall coverage, as well as other RAMS who may not even be aware of this without doing their own research of the circumstances and symptoms. I feel incredibly lucky to be alive and I follow my maintenance as recommended to a tee. Please feel free to go to Meadowlands in Carmel, NY: 1952 US-6 Carmel, NY 10512. Please see recall I am referring to: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2020/RCLRPT-20V475-5815.PDF Time is of the essence for me and if i can be of any help please do not hesitate to call me at [XXX]. Thank You, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced the failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I lost my power steering 8/22. I drove a while without it. The steering did not freeze up. I had to wait several months for the part to come in. A non-dealer mechanic repaired the steering. I am reporting this after reading about others who had the same problem.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH and making a turn, the vehicle jerked and made a loud banging sound. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact noticed that the engine oil was leaking underneath the vehicle onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine was blown. The dealer disassembled the engine to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The contact then stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact veered the vehicle off the road and inspected the vehicle using a code reader that produced an undisclosed code indicating the fuel pressure pump was faulty. The contact stated that he was able to restart the vehicle and the vehicle operated as designed. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I have a 2016 ram 1500 big Ha and the other day that ignition switch went bad on the truck and I’m in New Jersey and I took it to my dealer and they said they can’t get any of the parts for about a month because no dealerships in New Jersey know dealerships on the East Coast or the West Coast have any of these parts the ignition switch that they have all trucks in the same year as me For the same problem and they can’t get the part till next month or two months they have to order it it’s on back order the park the only place that has the part is Clovis Mexico and they only had seven left in stock but if you look into the 2016 ram there’s no recalls on this On the ignition switch in the 2017 ram there is a recall on it and on a 2015 ram there is a recall on the for the ignition switch another 2016 why
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle then took off abruptly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and charged a fee for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times while driving, and the vehicle had become undrivable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I was in two separate major accidents and the airbags did not deploy. I got injuries due to this. They have been looked at by shops when repairs were made. No indication before or after of any kind regarding air bags.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500 The contact stated that while driving the vehicle stalled. The engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V-406000 (Fuel System, Diesel). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Cruise control stops working. It is not a fuse per dealer maintenance services. It is the steering column wiring harness for the cruise control and they reported that they see this issue a great deal in the RAM trucks.
The truck lost steering power and I was able to stop without wrecking but I have no control of the steering at all
Tailgate falls while driving or will not catch with several attempts to close. Rear camera flickers with no picture sometimes.
there was a recall issued june 2022 and there are still no parts avaiable to repair it. how long in the NHTSA's opinion is a timely manner for repair of a condition that states "may cause a vehicle to crash"? I have a truck that's been sitting, dangerous to drive for 8 months. i called but whoever i spoke with couldn't give me a timeline. if someone who knows could let me kno, i'd appreciate it
I was driving on the highway and my vehicle lost power. I was able to make it home safely. I try to go around the block and as I was accelerating the truck keep loosing power. Finally at my house driving the truck was running and it just died. Since then I was unable to start it again. This happened June 2022, using a computer scanner I saw that it was a bad fuel pump. I called the dealership and they told me that my truck has a recall and that they are uneable to repair it and that I had to wait. I was then told to wait until January 2023 because that was the expected resolution time for the recall. So far it has been 11 months and my truck has not been repair. Back on January 2023 I opened a case with Ram and they told me to take the truck to the dealership. The dealership submitted an estimate repair cost to the recall department but they have not approved the money to make the repair. For the last 11 months I haven’t been able to use my truck.. mean while I keep paying my monthly payments and my insurance. That’s over $7000, plus having to get another car on the meantime until my truck gets repair. I feel I’m left out of options so I’m not sure what else to do.
The recall for high pressure pump came out in July of 2022. To this day there is no fix. They just put back in the same defective high pressure pump and it breaks down again leaving you stranded. Mine has been fixed twice since the recall. That is on average every 18 months.
While driving on the Garden State Pkwy in New Jersey I had a sudden braking event for traffic. After resuming highway speed the engine shut off and the dashboard lit up with warning lights. I coasted towards a narrow right lane shoulder and came to a stop. I was towing a tandem axle U-Haul trailer. The vehicle came to a stop and was blocking almost half of the right traffic lane. I had to be towed off the parkway. The Ram / Dodge dealership said a Tone Ring mounted between the engine and transmission failed causing the engine to suddenly stop. This resulted in a $210 tow and a $3400 repair bill. Research in this failure shows that FCI is aware of the problem and could possibly prevent the engine shutdown and hazards that followed.
Remedy is not available
THE RECALL HAS BEEN SINCE JUNE 2022(I THINK) MANUFACTURER RECALL#246, NHTSA RECALL#22V-406(HIGH PRESSURE FUELPUMP) IT WILLBE ALMOST A YEAR ? SINCE THE RECALL ALL THE DEALERS CAN OFFER OR TELL YOU IS NO PARTS AVAILABLE? WHAT IS THE USUAL TIME FRAME GIVEN THESE KNOWN DEFECTS TO BE FIXED? IS THIS A SAFETY ISSUE?
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and hauling a travel trailer, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a non-reading crankshaft sensor tone wheel that had delaminated. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. An unknown warning message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts and was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle fuel system had failed. The vehicle was repaired. However, the failure persisted. The dealer then informed the contact that the crankshaft position sensor tone wheel was defective. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The contact stated that the vehicle had been at the dealer for approximately two months. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle restarted after several attempts with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle would run roughly for a while. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was contacted but was unable to confirm when parts would become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V4060000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and stated that the manufacturer was only providing one part per year to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
ABS brakes and electronic braking system errors, The components and any error codes are available for inspection. When lightly holding the brake at a light I felt the abs activating in the pedal, again twice while driving within minutes from the first. I’m not a mechanic but I would think not having proper control of your brakes is a safety risk. I have not been to a dealer yet because it just happened and reading online forums it seems to be very common on my truck, hence my belief that a recall is needed. It has not been inspected by anyone yet. The warning lights came on for ABS and traction control along with a service ABS and a service electronic braking system messages. Prior to the messages a few sounds (like the seatbelt unbuckled sound) rang and a few seconds later the messages and the “pulling” feeling in the brake pedal.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,500.
Loss steering while Driving making turn on Freeway. No light indication on Dash ,of failure. Or engine light. No indication of any problem. But no steering. To hard to turn the wheel.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle was vibrating. There was an abnormal buzzing noise detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 71,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-60 MPH, the vehicle stalled on several times. Additionally, the vehicle failed to restart. Upon stalling, the throttle sensor control message was displayed. The contact stated that whenever the fuel level was below half a tank, there was an abnormal humming sound heard. While shifting gear, there was an abnormal humming sound detected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel system needed to be replaced due to metal in the fuel system. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) after the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number 22V406000 (Fuel System Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was approximately 55,100.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Service Electronic Throttle Control message was displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact called on behalf of his son who owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while his son was was driving approximately 55 MPH and making a turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with electric power steering assist failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering). The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.
Power steering stopped working during operation causing for a Safety issue. Diagnosis is the Electronic Power Steering Control Module, requiring replacement of rack and pinion assembly. Recall 16V167000 from RAM acknowledges this exact issue for 2015-2016 RAM 1500's manufactured between Jan. 22, 2015 and Sep. 13, 2015. HOWEVER, even though my vehicle (VIN: [XXX]) meets these exact identifiers with a Mfg. Date of 9/10/2015 falling into the specified group, RAM is not including my VIN in the recall order. This leaves me paying out of pocket for a known manufacturer defect, rather than being covered by the recall. If this is RAM's position and unwilling to help, while this is my 7th RAM it will also be my last. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the power steering assist failed to operate without warning. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle while driving. The contact called the dealer and manufacturer and was informed that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 51,000.
For the time iv'e owned the truck it has stalled out randomly while driving leaving me either in the middle of the street or blocking a drive though. Mostly recently it refused to start leaving work and never started after that. Truck sat in my works parking lot for about 3 weeks before I took it to a dealer in that time we diagnosed it as a fuel issue as it would crank fine and would only start as we sprayed diesel down the intake. Truck has now been at local dealer for 4 months with the solution looking to be the most recent High Pressure Fuel Pump recall that just opened. Dealer seems to be sitting on their hands waiting for something magic to happen for the issue to be resolved but nothing is being done to fix this part failure. Truck has left me blocking traffic on multiple events and dealer says they cant inspect my pump until the backordered one arrives which is next year in February. Warning light that would appear all the time was that my fuel injection quantity was lower than expected (P026C) and O2 sensor out of range during deceleration on bank 1 sensor 1(P2297)
I can’t steer the vehicle even after new tires,alignment , lots of play in steering wheel and it goes where it wants. I can not drive it anywhere
Steering is getting hard, worse at low speeds, electric power steering
Loss of power steering almost impossible to turn the vehicle. I found this out at highway speed of 70 mph with no warning lights or indicators on the dash h.u.d. Even with certified pre-owned warranty and under 80,000 miles not covered under warranty and spoke with dealership and ram customer care and have been told even though they are aware of the common issue I’m stuck with the bill and they basically don’t stand behind their product.
Steering wheel or suspension.. I had truck aligned plus 4 new tires and still I can’t drive it straight. The back tires are trying to come around and it pushes me sideways toward on coming traffic so I can’t drive at all. Please help. It sounds like a current recall but my vin isn’t included. He very dangerous to drive it at all
There is a current safety recall W58/NHTSA 20V-475 that covers certain ram trucks. My trucks vin didn't make the list. My trucked stalled on the interstate and the dealer diagnosed it has the tone wheel delaminated. I'm not sure how the vehicle manufacture or you came up with the VIN list but there are multiple vins that didn't make the list and having this exact failure.
On April 29, 2022 while driving 75mph pulling a trailer my truck (Ram 1500 3.0L Ecodiesel) lost full power and electrical. When taken to the dealership for repair, they found that the crank shaft position sensor tone ring attached to the flywheel had become delaminated and caused the entire truck to shut down. When I inquired about a separate recall NHTSA Recall No. : 20V-475, but was told that didn't include my truck. I believe that FCA did not include all the vehicles possible in the previous recall and are putting people at risk as a result.