Complaints about the 2016 Ram 3500 peaked in 2019, with 31 filed
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
Pickup, diesel, 4WD/4-Wheel Drive/4x4, built in Mexico. Owner complaints on file from Feb 7, 2016 to Aug 18, 2026.
Owner complaints about this model year, by the year they were filed with NHTSA.
Owner complaints by component. Hover or focus a bar for the crash, fire, injury or death count.
Check a specific vehicle by VIN on NHTSA's site: a campaign may cover only part of a model year's production.
| Campaign | Filed | Subject | Component | Vehicles | Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25V-010 | Jan 16, 2025 | Right and left side curtain air bag inflators may rupture due to a manufacturing defect | Airbags | 6,066 | Part replacement |
| 21V-632 | Aug 12, 2021 | Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2015-2020 Ram 1500 Classic, 2015-2016 Ram 3500, and Ram 2500 vehicles, and 2016 Ram 3500 Cab Chassis… | Airbags | 212,373 | Part replacement |
| 21V-398 | May 27, 2021 | Incorrect information in the Service and Owner's Manuals may cause the flanged lug nuts to be over-tightened, which could result in a broken wheel… | Wheels | 447,985 | Part replacement |
| 19V-347 | May 9, 2019 | Chrysler is also recalling all 2013-2014 and 2018 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks built before April 1, 2018 with a 6 or 8 foot bed and a… | Latches and locks | 1,103,209 | Repair or modification |
| 19V-021 | Jan 25, 2019 | Outboard steering linkage jam nut may loosen, allowing one end of the drag link to separate | Steering | 795,575 | Part replacement |
| 18E-096 | Oct 16, 2018 | Improper installation and machining of the original equipment steering knuckle may weaken the joint between the steering drag link and knuckle | Steering | 847 | Repair or modification |
| 18V-486 | Jul 27, 2018 | Tailgate actuator limiter tab may fracture and cause the tailgate to unlatch and open while driving | Latches and locks | 1,149,223 | Repair or modification |
| 18V-332 | May 17, 2018 | These vehicles are being recalled to address a defect that could prevent the cruise control system from disengaging | Electrical system | 4,815,661 | Software update |
| 17V-824 | Dec 21, 2017 | List of the affected trailer models is available at: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2017/RMISC-17V824-0103.pdf | Equipment | 61,791 | Part replacement |
| 17V-821 | Dec 20, 2017 | Pushing the brake pedal for prolonged periods when the vehicle is running and in PARK may cause the Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) pin… | Powertrain | 1,482,874 | Software update |
| 17V-562 | Sep 12, 2017 | These water pumps may leak coolant | Engine and cooling | 443,874 | Part replacement |
| 17V-499 | Aug 10, 2017 | Outer surface of the wheel may fracture, resulting in rapid air loss | Wheels | 1,765 | Part replacement |
| 17V-302 | May 9, 2017 | Certain driving conditions, such as driving off-road or debris striking the vehicle may cause the roll rate sensor to trigger a fault within the… | Airbags | 1,021,279 | Software update |
| 16V-495 | Jul 1, 2016 | Transfer case may have been manufactured with a misshapen main output shaft, creating voids that may cause a shaft fracture | Powertrain | 889 | Part replacement |
| 16E-041 | May 16, 2016 | These Mopar canvas seat covers were sold through Chrysler dealerships beginning October 15, 2015 | Equipment | 345 | Refund or buyback |
| 15V-592 | Sep 23, 2015 | In the affected vehicles, the Engine Control Module (ECM) may short circuit, causing the engine to stall without warning | Electrical system | 41 | Part replacement |
The full text of every complaint filed with NHTSA about this model year, newest first. Complaints are filed by owners and are not verified by NHTSA; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
134 complaints on file, page 1 of 7.
Pursuant to a manufacturer-issued safety recall (V06) on a steering assembly component, the manufacturer's remedy permanently damaged an otherwise functioning, adjustable steering component and created a financial barrier to basic vehicle maintenance. The component, post remedy, now would have to be replaced in order to allow adjustment to put the vehicle steering system into correct alignment. Driving a vehicle without proper front end alignment can cause premature tire wear contributing to tire failure and/or pulling to the right or left contributing to a possible accident condition. The manufacturer is refusing to pay for the replacement parts/repairs that, but for the recall remedy, would be necessary.
NHTSA complaint 11757644The contact owns a 2016 RAM 3500. The contact stated that when he took his vehicle to be aligned, he was advised that the vehicle was not able to be aligned, due to a previous recall repair where the drag link was welded unless the drag link was replaced. The manufacturer was notified of this issue. The failure mileage was approximately 55,526.
NHTSA complaint 11738082The contact owns a 2016 Ram 3500. The contact stated that when taking the vehicle to the dealer for recall repair for a drag link failure, from a previous owner, the vehicle was misaligned and the vehicle was unable to be serviced and could not be properly aligned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was unavailable.
NHTSA complaint 11737048The contact owns a 2016 RAM 3500. The contact stated that while her husband was driving on several occasions at various speeds, the vehicle lost power and did not accelerate as intended. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that her husband hooked the vehicle up to a handheld diagnostic machine where codes: P003A, P006a, P0046 populated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,500.
NHTSA complaint 11736634The contact owns a 2016 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the steering rack fractured, and the contact was no longer able to maneuver the vehicle. The contact strapped the steering wheel into place to maneuver the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering rack needed to be replaced; however, the cause of the failure was not known. The vehicle was not repaired. Another dealer was contacted and confirmed that the steering rack needed to be replaced and assisted the contact with finding the parts to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 275,000.
NHTSA complaint 11724203Took vehicle to dealership for repair of heater. Once the repair was complete the dealership called to say the heater was fixed but the airbag light is now on. Once doing more testing they called back to say my steering wheel airbag harness either shorted or was crushed during the heater repair The part is no longer available and no remedy was available. I just have to take my car back compromised I refused the vehicle back and requested management get involved.
NHTSA complaint 11699554I have a complaint that needs to be addressed. On Sept. 11 2025 I had a fire in the cab of my 2016 Ram 3500 truck while it was sitting in my drive way. It was not even running. The fire was not very big and it could have been repaired. So I called FCA and opened a case with them. They informed me that I needed to bring my truck into the closest dealership so that it could be inspected. So I then called and set up and appt for Sept. 12, 2025. I had my truck towed to the dealership and upon arrival my husband who took the truck was told to take it off the trailer. So they took it off the trailer. They informed me that a woman went to the truck, opened the door and stated “ well that’s a gonna be a total loss,” closed the door and had told them to move it to the fence line. She then stated that there was nothing that y’all could do for us and that it would cost me $350.00 to be diagnosed. At this time she already knew that I had an open case with FCA and that I was told to take it in. Upon walking to the truck when my husband opened the door and it had caught fire again. So he went and told some employees in the service dept and they ran out to the truck and disconnected the batteries. Then we were told that we needed to take it off the lot if we weren’t going to pay. So they reconnected the batteries and we put the truck back on the trailer and brought it home. The next day my truck was completely engulfed in flames along with my husbands welder which is used for our business. I called FCA back on Monday and spoke with my case manager/inspector and let them know about the two fires after the first and he stated he would be going to inspect the following day. He then asked if the truck was at the dealership and if the batteries had been disconnected by your employees. I stated no the truck is here at my home and the batteries were reconnected so that we could tow it out of the dealership since that’s what we were told to do. I have told the dealership and no response
NHTSA complaint 11693412On Sept. 11, 2025 my truck parked in my drive way. It was parked there all night. When I opened the doors to get in smoke and flames started coming out. The center console was on fire. The next day on Sept. 12, 2025 while at the dealership to have the truck inspected it caught fire again further burning the center console, the passenger seat and the roof. The dealership told us there is nothing they could do so we had to have the truck towed back to my home. Sunday night on Sept. 14,2025, I heard a loud pop noise and when I walked outside the entire cab of the truck was engulfed in flames. We had to call the fire department and they had to come put the fire out. Each of the incidences started spontaneously when the truck was just sitting parked.
NHTSA complaint 11687435The parking brake issue per recall was supposedly done based on information from safetycar. Vehicle can not be shut off unless in park. I'm assuming a safety feature. A few times when I attempted to shut off,even though clearly in park. Truck wouldn't do so. I shifted back into gear and then back into park with foot on brake as required. Unless I have a horse trailer hooked up, I usually don't engage parking brake if on relatively flat surface. Last week I came out to find my truck still in park had rolled forward and got caught on a large boulder before potentially rolling all the way down into a creek and pond. The boulder did do undercarriage damage mostly to brackets for bumper and spoiler. When I got in truck IT WAS STILL IN PARK. Truck started without me stepping on brake as required. Then after it started,I couldn't put it into gear. Was like shifter was locked. I tried to shut it off it wouldn't shutoff until I applied brake. I started it again with foot on brake and then I was able to shift into reverse and drive. Something is definitely wrong with the park on truck. It rolls forward now a few inches when parked and shut off in park. It will start sometimes without foot on brake and sometimes not. Since it rolled and hit rock steering feels weird. Prior to vehicle rolling and the bogus drag link fix, I have gone through tires because you can't do a full alignment. Dealership claims there's no new fix. They just won't do it right. Just like park brake issue it's not fixed right. Dealerships also claim they know nothing about a new issue and another fix. There are kids around horse farm truck coming out of gear,even though it said park,could have been a fatal accident. This truck has turned into a death trap waiting to happen and Stellantis and FCA won't acknowledge. I have to pay for a fix when it's their issue. THE 67A update has cost me over $12,000 already. THIS TRUCK SHOULD BE BOUGHT BACK BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. PARK BRAKE APPLIED ALWAYS.
NHTSA complaint 11681510Odometer Fraud. The contact's husband owns a 2016 Ram 3500. The contact stated that her husband was recently interested in trading in the vehicle. While on Facebook Marketplace, a person interested in vehicle requested a Carfax report of the vehicle. Upon obtaining the Carfax report, the contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 167,000; however, the Carfax report discovered that back in 2022, the vehicle mileage was 370,000.
NHTSA complaint 11660502Def pump failed, I had to have it replaced before it degraded my travel speed to 5 mph. After spending $250 to Dodge dealer in Oxnard Service department for them to tell me exactly what it said on the truck code DEF pump needed replacing, I decided I didn't want to spend an extra $1000 for the dealer to fix it ($3900 they wanted for this job). On 11/16/22, I paid ($2865.81) to a reputable diesel mechanic to replace the pump. I was denied the reimbursement that was promised in the recall information. I need help with this! I pay $1200/ month for truck and insurance, but Ram can't reimburse me for a recall I paid out of pocket for, as promised. ABSOLUTE CROOKS! I want help with this. I see there are multiple other complaints of the same issue! HELP!
NHTSA complaint 11654914I am writing to report an ongoing issue with my 2016 Ram 3500 (V6), related to Safety Recall V06 (NHTSA 19V-021) for the drag link, which was performed in 2020 before I purchased the vehicle two years ago. The recall "fix" involved welding the adjustable nuts on the steering linkage, rendering it non-adjustable. Since then, I have been unable to get a proper front-end alignment at any service shop. Multiple mechanics have refused to perform an alignment because the welded drag link cannot be adjusted, and they’ve stated it compromises the vehicle's steering integrity and tire wear. This is a significant safety concern. Without the ability to align the front end, the vehicle’s handling is affected, potentially leading to uneven tire wear, reduced control, or worse, a steering-related failure. I’ve contacted dealerships and Chrysler (FCA US LLC), but they insist the recall was completed and offer no further remedy, despite the fact that this weld does not allow for standard maintenance. New Ram 3500s off the assembly line come with adjustable drag links, not welded ones, which proves this was a poor fix for a safety issue. I urge the NHTSA to revisit this recall and require Chrysler to replace the defective drag link with a proper, adjustable component, rather than leaving owners like me with a substandard repair that hinders basic vehicle maintenance and safety. I purchased this truck in good faith, but this unresolved issue has made it a liability. Please investigate and address this matter before it leads to more serious consequences.
NHTSA complaint 11652119" The Hydraulic Control Unit Chrysler part number 68143491AA failed and been replaced multiply times on my vehicle. I have the current failed part available for inspection upon request. This causes the Anti-lock braking system, Traction control system, Park Assist and Cruise Control to no longer function properly. This puts the driver and others at risk. Lights came on while the truck was not in motion and was just started. Lights first came on 9-2-24 and have been on and off since then. The problem has been reproduced by my local dealer twice both with the original part and its' replacements. The vehicle/component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There were no Warning lamps/messaged before failure only after. These would be ABS lamp and traction control lamp plus a service ABS and electronic braking system warning message.
NHTSA complaint 11640612Upon shifting into reverse the rear tailgate backup camera operates intermittently causing me to loose rear visibility directly behind truck. When this occurs the Uconnect displays a fuzzy & distorted image as if there’s signal interference. Opening & closing the tailgate sometimes alleviates this issue but only temporarily.
NHTSA complaint 11635377The contact owns a 2016 Ram 3500. The contact stated that upon inspection, the tires showed excessive wear. The contact stated that the vehicle had been previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V021000 (STEERING); however, the recall repair failed to fix the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted after the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
NHTSA complaint 11628548My def pump failed. Paid for repair. Now they have a recall for the part. I submitted a claim they denied my claim because I didn't have download 67a done before repair download wasn't available at that time. My truck is in the milage and dates required. I need help
NHTSA complaint 11618029The contact owns a 2016 Ram 3500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and towing a horse trailer with horses inside, there was a message displayed that the vehicle would enter LIMP Mode. The contact was able to drive a short distance to the destination. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it remained undiagnosed and unrepaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
NHTSA complaint 11600466DEF pump failed around 62500 miles. Ram sent emission recall notice 67a that states they will reimburse for costs incurred if issue was before recall. Submitted paperwork and they denied due to me replacing the part myself after buying parts from Dodge dealer. I paid $1687.44. Going to a dealer SHOULDN'T be a requirement
NHTSA complaint 11595747death wobble incident in my Ram 3500. Incident occurred while pulling a 35' foot Living Quarters horse trailer weighing over 26,000 pounds on the interstate. Have major vibration, shaking, and thumping sound in truck which gets worse the faster I accelerate. Chrysler needs to issue a recall on this issue get it resolved. See that this has already been report to NHTSA. February 24, 2024 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11573822 Components: STEERING, SUSPENSION
NHTSA complaint 11590290Four death wobble incidents in the last 18 months. Unknown part failure, Replaced front track bar, right front wheel bearing pack, front suspension stabilize shock.
NHTSA complaint 11573822Technical service bulletins and other notices the manufacturer sent to dealers. A bulletin is not a recall; the 60 most recent are listed.