Dodge Ram 3500 reliability by year
3 recalls and 1,088 owner complaints across 6 model years. Best year to buy: 2009. Year to avoid: 2007.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 2 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 6 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Ram 3500 aggregated across 6 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Dodge Ram 3500?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2009 Dodge Ram 3500 scores 7.8/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2010 range. 104 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Dodge Ram 3500 year should I avoid?
The 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 scores 7.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 208 owner complaints with NHTSA, 2 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2007 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Dodge Ram 3500 should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2005 (avoid — the steering — 1 fatality report and 6 crash-related complaints on the steering); 2006 (high-risk ownership — steering: 75 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 68,000–125,000 mi). The cleaner years on the data are 2009, 2010, 2008, 2007. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Dodge Ram 3500 are tracked?
6 model years (2005 through 2010) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 3 recalls and 1,088 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Dodge Ram 3500?
steering is the most-reported category — 478 complaints across 6 model years. Average shop repair runs about $700.