2011 Dodge Ram 4500 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2011 Dodge Ram 4500, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Steering1164.7%
- Suspension317.6%
- Brakes211.8%
- Fuel system15.9%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 RAM 4500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, THE WATER PUMP FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE SERPENTINE BELT TO FRACTURE. THE FRACTURED SERPENTINE BELT CAUSED THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE STOPPED FOR ABOUT 20 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 46,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
TOOK TRUCK IN FOR REPAIR. DIDN'T HAVE PARTS. SAID WOULD CALL WHEN GOT IN. NEVER CALLED. AFRAID TO DRIVE
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
THIS RECALL WAS ISSUED IN MAY OR JUNE 2014 AND THE DEALER STILL DOESN'T HAVE THE PARTS. SAYS THEY ARE ON BACK-ORDER. *TR
DODGE HAS REFUSED TO REPLACED THE CRITICAL PART AS INDICATED IN THE RECALL. I WAS NOTIFIED BY DODGE EARLY IN 2014 ABOUT THE RECALL. DEALER SAID THAT REPLACEMENT WOULD BE MADE IN MAY 2014. WHEN CONTACTED IN MAY DEALER SAID THE REPLACEMENT WOULD NOT BE MADE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2014. TRUCK HAS A SERIOUS PULL TO THE RIGHT SIDE AND SHOWS EXTREME WEAR ON THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE. GIVEN THE SAFETY ASPECTS OF THIS RECALL I WOULD LIKE THE REPLACEMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE CONTINUAL DELAYS BY DODGE. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 RAM 4500. WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.
OUR DELIVERY DRIVER WAS RETURNING TO SHOP AFTER A DELIVERY. HE WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH. HE NOTICED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS BECOMING VERY HARD WHEN HE PUSHED ON IT, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF BRAKING POWER, HE HAD NO BRAKES. HE THEN SHUT THE TRUCK OFF AND STARTED TO COAST WITH IT, GRADUALLY SLOWING. A MINIVAN STOPPED ABRUPTLY IN THE VERY RIGHTMOST LANE RESULTING IN OUR TRUCK REAR ENDING IT. AT THIS TIME THE TRUCK HAD SLOWED TO SOMEWHERE IN THE 20 MPH RANGE. THEN HE EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND LIMPED THE TRUCK BACK TO THE SHOP. AFTER HAVING THE TRUCK REPAIRED AT A CERTIFIED DODGE DEALER, IT WAS FOUND THAT A POWER STEERING LINE HAD BECOME KINKED RESULTING IN A LOSS OF BRAKING POWER. NO OFFICIAL RECALLS HAVE BEEN FOUND RELATING TO THE BRAKE LOSS. BOTH THE DEALER AND DODGE DENY THAT THERE IS ANY SERIOUS PROBLEM. HAD THERE BEEN AN IMMEDIATE NEED TO STOP, OUR TRUCK WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO. RESULTING IN A DEATH OR SERIOUS INJURY. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
TOOK TRUCK IN FOR REPAIR. DIDN'T HAVE PARTS. SAID WOULD CALL WHEN GOT IN. NEVER CALLED. AFRAID TO DRIVE
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .