WHEELS:LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS/STUDS
2013 RAM 4500
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2013 RAM 4500, most frequently naming the engine, brakes and suspension categories. 9 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 2 NHTSA investigations name it; and 417 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
Not enough dated records to plot a meaningful trend — 3 months of data.
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Engine240.0%
- Brakes120.0%
- Suspension120.0%
- Visibility120.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
9 campaigns cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govEQUIPMENT
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT
Safety investigations
NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.
Post Recall Remedy Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) Failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 14 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) reports and 6 EWR Death & Injury (D&I) reports describing post recall remedy failures of the brake transmission shift interlock (BTSI) system in certain Model Year (MY) 2013-2018 RAM pickup trucks.The subject vehicle models include 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 trucks equipped with a column mounted shift lever.The failures of the BTSI described in the VOQs occurred on vehicles that had all previously been repaired under recall 17V-821 or 18V-100.Both recalls address a potential condition which can cause the BTSI locking pin to become stuck allowing the transmission to be shifted out of Park without depressing the brake pedal and/or without having a key in the ignition.Shifting the transmission out of Park when not having the brake pedal depressed can result in a vehicle rollaway. ODI is opening this Recall Query (RQ) to review the effectiveness of the 17V-821 and 18V-100 recall remedies, understand the root cause of additional vehicle rollaway incidents, and identify any other possible root cause that may affect the performance of the BTSI system. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
Software security vulnerability
On July 23, 2015, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) launched Safety Recall 15V-461 to remedy security vulnerabilities in approximately 1.4 million model year (MY) 2013 through 2015 vehicles equipped with Uconnect head units (HU) 8.4A (RA3 radio) and 8.4AN (RA4 radio) manufactured by Harman International.On July 24, 2015, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query, RQ 15-004, to investigate HU security vulnerabilities and remedy effectiveness in the recalled population and to determine whether similar units have been supplied for use in other FCA vehicles.In an August 11, 2015 letter, FCA submitted a second Part 573 safety recall report expanding the scope of the Uconnect RA4 model radio to include additional 7,810 MY 2015 Jeep Renegade vehicles manufactured from September 18, 2014 through June 25, 2015 (Recall 15V-508).Scope analysis indicated that Uconnect radios installed in FCA vehicles not included in recalls 15V-461 or 15V-508 (subject recalls) are not equipped with built-in cellular access or short range wireless communication features and, thus, do not contain the security vulnerabilities addressed by the subject recalls. SUBJECT VEHICLES: MY2014 through 2015 Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Cherokee sport utility vehicles; MY2013 through 2015 Ram 1500, 2500, 3500 and 4500/5500 pickup trucks; MY2013 through 2015 Dodge Viper vehicles; and MY2015 Chrysler 200, 300, Jeep Renegade, Dodge Charger and Challenger vehicles.According to FCA, long and short range wireless vulnerabilities identified in the recalled vehicles could allow unauthorized third-party access to, and manipulation of, networked vehicle control systems.Successful exploitation of the vulnerabilities, coupled with reverse engineering of networked microprocessor control modules, could result in unauthorized manipulation of vehicle control systems. This unauthorized manipulation of vehicle controls and systems could expose the driver, vehicle occupants or other highway users to an increased risk of injury.FCA and its network provider, Sprint, conducted a nationwide campaign to block access to a radio communications port that was unintentionally left open.On July 27, 2015, short range wireless vulnerabilities were also blocked.Finally, third party security evaluation and regression testing identified vulnerabilities that were either remedied by Sprint or through updates to the FCA Uconnect software.ODI identified a total of 30 complaints or field reports on unique vehicles submitted by FCA (29) or received by NHTSA (1) alleging incidents of theft from a vehicle or anomalous performance that the owner alleged were caused by, or may have been caused by, remote hacking.Twenty-six (87%) of these reports were submitted after a magazine article was published on July 21, 2015, describing the remote hacking of an FCA vehicle by researchers who were able to affect the operation of various vehicle control systems, including the service brakes, steering, throttle and ignition.Most of the complaints involved vehicle systems that were not safety critical (e.g., complaints related to radio, navigation system, or air-conditioning control) and did not affect vehicle control.Three complaints reported engine stalls.One owner reported sudden unintended acceleration allegedly related to hacking.None of the complaints or field reports reviewed involved the steering and braking vehicle control effects demonstrated by the research hackers prior to the recall.There were no confirmed incidents of hacking in any of the records reviewed by ODI.The remedies completed by Sprint and FCA appear to have eliminated vulnerabilities that mi
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 RAM 4500. WHILE THE CONTACT'S EMPLOYEE WAS DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECELERATE. THE VEHICLE DID NOT SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TURBO CHARGER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 122,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 11256915
- Incident
- Jul 20, 2018
- Mileage
- 122,000 mi
WINDSHIELD WIPER HOSES COME UNDONE ALMOST DAILY MAKING THE WASHER FLUID NOT FUNCTION. HAVE HAD DEALER REPLACE ONCE ALREADY BUT THEN FIX DOESN'T LAST LONG. DEF SYSTEM MODULE MALFUNCTIONS AT 52000 MILES CAUSING TRUCK TO GO INTO LIMP MODE MAKING IT UNABLE TO GO OVER 5 MPH EVEN THOUGH IT IS FULL OF DEF FLUID. HAS BEEN ONGOING ISSUE WHERE THE DEF SENSOR READS FULL THEN GOES TO EMPTY OUT OF NOWHERE CAUSING THIS WARNING LIGHT AND 5 MPH MAX AND EVEN AFTER ADDING SEVERAL GALLONS OF DEF SENSOR DOESN'T READ FULL. OIL PAN IS ALMOST ROTTED OUT AND WILL NEED REPLACEMENT ON A 5 YEAR OLD TRUCK
- NHTSA ID
- 11180420
- Incident
- Feb 13, 2019
- Mileage
- 52,000 mi
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 DODGE RAM 4500.THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED, AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC NOTICED THAT THE REAR BRAKE CALIBERS WERE STUCK TO THE SUSPENSION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 10782833
- Incident
- Sep 29, 2015
- Mileage
- 60,000 mi
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
SERVICE BRAKES
Trac-Rite Operation Diagnosis, Chatter, Shudder, Moving From A Stop And Turning
ENGINE
BEARING - CRANKSHAFT THRUST and KIT
ENGINE
BEARING - CRANKSHAFT THRUST and KIT
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; STRUCTURE:BODY
Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; STRUCTURE:BODY
Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.