Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
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Our database holds 283 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2012 Dodge Ram 2500. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–25 of 283 · page 1 of 12
The switch to start the vehicle has to be pushed down and turned at the same time. Vehicle starts but shuts the engine down when the key returns sometimes. On one occasion vehicle shut down while driving.
We purchased our 2012 Dodge Ram heavy duty with tow package new. At just over 152000 miles, the engine started knocking while on vacation. We were not towing at the time. We put in injector cleaner to try and help the knocking. During our vacation, we were on the freeway when we suddenly lost power, the service engine light popped on, and the engine died. We were literally driving one minute and the next were trying to get out of the traffic lane with no control. We restarted the engine, the knocking had stopped and power was restored. Two days later, another episode of power decrease but with no engine service light. We used premium gas, injector cleaner and listened for the knocking that came and went, to drive home. We were told by our local dealership it is a lifter failure and the truck needs a replacement engine.
My passenger headlights keeps going in and out. The wiring harness has been replaced twice and it still does it. My check engine light keeps coming on for the evap system even though its been replaced.
Our 2012 RAM 2500 truck with 135k miles, had it's fuel tank fail. The dealership in Oak Ridge, TN tested the vehicle and found that the gas tank tubes were broken causing us to not be able to fill the tank. The dealership recommended "NEED TO REPLACE GAS TANK". Mopar aka Stellantis does not make the fuel tank anymore, the "replacement" fuel tank does not work (completely wrong configuration), there is not an aftermarket tank. We have a Million Mile bumper to bumper warranty with MOPAR. "Customer Care" does not care.
Recall T79 or 17V-821 or break transmission shift pin stuck in open position. This is the 2nd time this has happened and serious damage has occurred to the vehicle. Dodge won't do anything about it. Vehicle was parked, turned off, no key. I came out of building and it shifted into gear on its own and rolled backwards into a pole.
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle drove over a bump in the roadway and started to shake violently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was determined that the reinforcement bracket over the front track bar bracket had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 205,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 2500. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle rolled away. The contact was standing near the vehicle with the key fob. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V821000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 220,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 2500. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start intermittently. The contact also stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,000.
I purchased a pair of Treadwright warden tires for the rear of my wife’s truck. In less than 100 miles the tread separated from the casing on one of the tires. I caught it before it completely blew out and have pictures. The replacement they sent has a blown sidewall. I mounted it and a bubble started to form that was 1/2” high and 3” around with just 20psi, operating PSI for the tire is 80PSI. I immediately stopped inflation and contacted Treadwright. They tried to convince me that it was “overlap” and safe to use. I told them it is not over lap and showed them multiple pictures of the tire from different angles to prove it has a blown belt. They still insisted it was a serviceable tire. It’s not and I have pictures. I’ve used Treadwright tires for the last 5 or so years. Over the last year and a half to 2 years I’ve received 6 defective tires. All defects were fatal defects, all being broken belts. That’s 1 out of every 4.5 tires purchased. If I’ve received that many fault tires I can be the only one. On top of that the insistence of Treadwright trying to convince people to use fatally defective tires is negligent, reckless and dangerous.
While driving, my dodge shut off and it was hard to control my vehicle and come to a safe stop, out of the way of other motorists. Lost all power, as if I turned the key off while driving. Turns out that there is a weak/loss of connection in the WIN module. while the vehicle is running at idle, the truck will shut off as if I turned the key to the off position. This is dangerous and scary. There was no warning or heads up or any issues prior to this incident.
Tie rod end sheared/broke causing the vehicle to be un-stearable. Fortunately, it happened as I was backing out of my driveway.
Exhaust Manifold on passenger side is leaking. It has a broken bolt due to manifold warping. This is causing exhaust to leak into the cab.
The contact owns a 2012 RAM 2500 equipped with Kenda Tires, Tire Line: Klever, Tire Size: LT275/70/R18, DOT Number: 02T6NAANL12228260. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started bouncing. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued to drive back to the tire shop and was informed that the front passenger’s side tire was showing tread separation. The tire shop replaced the front passenger’s side tire. The contact stated that approximately two weeks later, he experienced the same failure with the front driver’s side tire. The contact took the vehicle back to the tire shop and had the front driver’s side tire replaced with the spear tire. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that he had left a voicemail with the manufacturer but had not yet received a callback. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.
When driving at highway speed, if I hit the seam between the road and a bridge and it is not smooth my truck goes into a, "Death wobble." The steering wheel and the whole truck shakes uncontrollably. I can barely keep it in the road. It will only stop when the vehicle slows below 30mph. This problem started about 48,000 miles, I only have a little over 56,000 now. I have changed the stabilizer, got new tires and an alignment. I will be taking it to a mechanic on the 17th but I really believe the manufacture should have a recall on this vehicle. It is very dangerous. I am not the only person to own one of these trucks and this happens to.
The exhaust manifold bolts on both sides of the engine warp due to two different metals being put together under heat. Steel and aluminum expand at different temperatures. This causes the bolts to break off of the exhaust manifold creating an exhaust leak into the engine bay. Yes, this can be inspected upon request. The safety of myself and the general public is at risk due to the exhaust leak into the engine bay being pulled into the cab via the heating or airconditioning system. The exhaust fumes are pulled into the cab of the truck via the heating and airconditioning system. When running, the truck has a very noticeable smell inside the cab. It has caused me headaches as well. This poses a risk to the public if the driver were to pass out from said fumes. The problem can be reproduced and is a known issue with Dodge. It is very well documented online that this problem happens to nearly all Dodge Ram trucks. It has never been recalled because Dodge says its not a "safety" concern. This is very much so a safety issue. The components have been inspected by others, and verified as broken. I will not take it to a dealership to have it inspected as they want to charge 150$/hr to diagnose something that even they recognize as a known issue. There were no warning lamps, messages or any visible indication of this problem. A loud ticking noise and a strong smell of exhaust fumes are what brought the issues to attention.
My Dodge Ram 2500, 2012 Hemi engine started making a ticking sound so got a tune up. The machinic changed the spark plugs and distributors around after I complained. Nothing he was able to do enable the truck to function properly. I spoke with the Dodge dealership, the spoken informed me that when Dodge merged with MERCEDE the problem persisted and to this date a fix was not provided. I spoke with other Dodge owner who experience the same problem. The engine was not functioning properly because of internal damage. The cost of repair would cost between $8K and $10K to replace or repair the engine. The dealership stated that NHTSA nor Dodge have provided a fix and that the problem still persist to this day.
Engine has been making a ticking noise on the passenger side for the past few months. The passenger side exhaust manifold warped and broke two bolts in the engine block. This caused an exhaust leak and made the truck run rich due to the leak before oxygen sensor. Fuel efficiency declined. Replaced the exhaust manifold, gasket, and bolts to repair the problem.
The bolts holding the exhaust manifold to the engine cylinder head, are breaking off. This has occurred in the past, on the drivers and passengers side. I had the problem repaired, by a dealer, which required the replacement of the passenger side cylinder head as well. This issue has re-occurred on the drivers side, which has been confirmed by a Ram dealer, as shown in the attached documentation. In every instance, the issue starts with a tapping noise, as the exhaust manifold pulls away from the head. Passengers in my truck have complained about the smell of exhaust fumes, which is a safety and health issue. This truck only has 85,000 miles, yet this is the 3rd incident of this issue occurring.
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 2500. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-60 mph, on several occasions after driving over a bump in the roadway, the vehicle loss steering and braking functionality before the vehicle loss motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the wireless ignition node module was faulty. The mechanic retrieved a fault code. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the failure however, no assistance was offered. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V200000 (Electrical System). The failure mileage was 216,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 2500. The contact stated that after making the third right turn while driving approximately 3 -5 MPH, the steering linkage fractured and the vehicle loss steering functionality. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the drag link and the steering system needed to be replaced. The drag link was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE TRUCK SHAKES SO BAD YOU HAVE TO GET STOPPED BEFORE IT GOES AWAY. ALMOST FELT LIKE I WAS GOING TO FLIP THE TRUCK
WHILE IN DRIVE, WENT OVER SPEED BUMP AND VEHICLE TURNED OFF. INTERMITTENT IGNITION PROBLEMS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE TO WHERE NOW VEHICLE NOW TURNS OFF / QUITS.
2012 RAM 2500 WITH DEFECTIVE WIN MODULE WITH ONLY 67,000 MILES. ENGINE CAN SHUT OFF WHEN DRIVING.
PLEASE LOOK INTO ABS MODULE AND HCU FAILURES REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. I SPOKE WITH DODGE AND THEY STATED IT IS A KNOW PROBLEM AND REQUIRES REPLACEMENT OF PARTS. THE ANTI LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM AND HYDRAULIC CONTROL UNIT HAVE BEEN FAILING ON RAM 2500 AND 3500 SINCE 2006. MY TRUCK IS A 2012 WITH JUST 35972, (NOT A DAILY DRIVEN TRUCK SO YES LOW MILES) MILES ON IT AND IS FAILING. THIS FAILURE CAUSES THE CRUISE CONTROL TO STOP FUNCTIONING. PLEASE LOOK INTO RAM FORUMS AND READ ALL THE COMPLAINTS AND LOOK AT THE VARIATIONS IN YEARS, IF THIS IS A KNOW PROBLEM THAT CAN CAUSE THE ABS TO FAIL HOW ARE THEY NOT REPAIRING THIS. THIS TRUCKNIS STILL ON THE FACTORY INSTALLED BRAKES
MY WIFE AND I WERE GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 75 MPH WHEN THERE WAS A SUDDEN VIBRATION THEN A LOUD BANG, AND THERE WAS SOMETHING HITTING UNDERNEATH THE FLOOR. I WAS ABLE TO GET IN THE BREAKDOWN LANE. I LOOKED UNDERNEATH THE TRUCK AND THE FRONT DRIVE SHAFT WAS MISSING AND MOST OF THE TRANSFER CASE. I WENT BACK AND CLEANED ALL THE STUFF OFF THE ROAD. ALSO AFTER FURTHER EXAMINATION THERE WAS A LARGE HOLE IN THE TRANSMISSION HOUSING FROM THE FRONT DRIVE SHAFT HITTING IT AND THE BRAKE LINES AND OTHER LINES AND HOSES IN THE VICINITY WERE DESTROYED.THE INS CO. WOULD NOT COVER IT AND THE REPAIR BILL WAS IN EXCESS OF 10,000.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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