What's Wrong with the 4th Generation 1500?

Front 3/4 view of a Ram 1500

The 4th generation 1500 spans the 2012 to 2018 model years.

It has accumulated 934 owner complaints over those year and ranks dead last in reliability out of 11 eligible Ram generations.

Our reliability rank is based on our PainRank™ system. A higher number means you can expect more significant problems. The average Ram score is 6.94 while this generation comes in at 46.72.

Compare With Other 1500 Generations

The Worst 2012-2018 1500 Problems

  1. Air Suspension Fails When It's Cold

    The optional air suspension in 4th and 5th generation Ram 1500 won't work in colder climates where the air temperature regularly dips below freezing. As you might image, depending on four deflated bags to provide an adequate ride doesn't wo…

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  2. TRW Crash Sensor Defect

    There's growing concern that some sort of electrical overstress is messing with airbag control units (ACU) in certain Ram trucks. At this time the problem is believed to be responsible for as many as eight deaths which has sparked an invest…

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  3. UConnect Frozen with Blank Screen

    The uConnect infotainment system will often boot into a blank screen, becoming unresponsive to the touch, or reboot at random times. Each time it'd force owners to turn off their cars, restart, and just hope for a better outcome. And an ove…

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  4. uConnect Hacked, Should You Be Concerned?

    On July 21, 2015 a report surfaced that hackers had remotely taken control of a Jeep Cherokee through its UConnect system. They turned on the A/C, cranked the volume of the radio, and even killed the transmission while the vehicle was on th…

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  5. Ram Death Wobble

    Death wobble is a violent shaking of the front end of the vehicle while driving. It usually happens after hitting a bump while traveling at highway speeds, and doesn’t stop until the truck slows down.

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What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks

Years to Avoid

4th Generation 1500 Key Numbers

  1. 7 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 934 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 11th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 11 eligible generations.

Recent Lawsuits for 4th Generation 1500 Owners

  • Christopher Heard and Jane Doe v. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V.

    Air suspension problems have caused a class action lawsuit in Canada after vehicle owners alleged cold weather damages all kinds of components. The vehicles include 2013-2020 Ram 1500 trucks and 2013-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs equipped with 4-corner air suspensions that allegedly fail in temperatures below freezing (0 degrees Celsius, 32 degrees Fahrenheit).

Recent 4th Generation 1500 News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. The air suspension in the 4th and 5th generation Ram 1500 doesn't work in cold weather

    and that's a pretty big problem if you live in Canada where *checks notes* ... it gets cold.

    So it's no surprise that a class-action has been filed on behalf of Canadian Ram 1500 owners who didn't get the vehicles they paid for if the suspension is unavailable for half the year.…

    keep reading

  3. A lawsuit concerning hacking vulnerabilities in Fiat-Chrysler’s (FCA) Uconnect system is headed to trial this October.

    The lawsuit was filed after researchers showed how a Jeep could be controlled remotely through the infotainment system. FCA has called the case meritless and tried to get it dismissed. When that didn’t work they turned to the U.S. Supreme Court. To FCA’s surprise, the court refused to even hear the appeal.

    It’s almost as if FCA thought the were in control of the situation and then suddenly they weren’t 🤔

    This post originally appeared on JeepProblems.com.

    keep reading

  5. Fiat-Chrysler (FCA) has settled allegations that it used an emissions defeat device in over 100,000 vehicles with 3-liter EcoDiesel engines.

    FCA didn’t disclose that the 2014-2016 Ram 1500 and Jeep Grand Cherokee contain an auxiliary emission control device, presumably to get around strict nitrogen oxide testing. As part of the settlement FCA will pay fines, recall the affected vehicles, extend their warranties, and pay an average of $2,800 to each affected owner or lessee.

    The settlement is pending preliminary approval from the court.

    keep reading

  6. Following multiple violations issued by the EPA, owners are suing Fiat-Chrysler for allegedly using illegal emissions software in their EcoDiesel engines.

    According to the lawsuit, the EPA found the “principal effect of one or more of these AECDs was to bypass, defeat, or render inoperative one or more elements of design installed to comply with emissions standards under the Clean Air Act.

    So much for that eco part, huh?…

    keep reading

What 1500 Owners Say About This Generation

Air Suspension Fails When It's Cold

I have vowed to my dealer that I will park my truck at the shop door every single time I see a warning on my dash telling me I can't raise or lower my truck. Or wake up to the 'drunk truck' sickness we are all too familiar with.

Air Suspension Fails When It's Cold

The dealer says there is nothing they can do to fix the suspension freeze up problem, that it is a factory problem and that the trucks with air suspension should not have been sold in cold climate places.

UConnect Frozen with Blank Screen

Radio and screen would just turn itself off at anytime, and the music that I had down loaded onto a thumb drive would not work unless I rebooted the complete system.

Ram Death Wobble

Bought this truck with only twenty miles on it. It has had a bad vibration from day one. [The dealership] has looked at this a half dozen times and can not seem to get it fix. They say it is a known issue and don't know how to fix it. This has to be one of the worst trucks I have ever owned.

UConnect Frozen with Blank Screen

When [the screen goes blank] you lose all information on your radio, phone, navigation system very annoying. My system came back after a hour of driving very annoying when you need the nav system for areas that you never been in before ad to stop and get out my map.

UConnect Frozen with Blank Screen

Due to the Uconnect failure, I no longer have a functioning radio AM/FM/XM nothing! I can't access the heating features which is disheartening since I live in Michigan and its winter time. Im now paying extra for service's I cannot access due to the faulty screen.