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O Trucking
NHTSA Owner Complaints

2021 RAM 3500

62 owner-reported issues

Owner-reported data
Total complaints
62
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
4
Open recalls
0

What this means

62 NHTSA complaints filed on 2021 RAM 3500. Enough volume to start seeing patterns — review the top reported issues below. The dominant complaint patterns are: ENGINE (10%), ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (10%), POWER TRAIN (8%). These three categories cover 27% of all reports — typical signal that there are 2-3 known systemic issues on this make/model/year, not random faults.

Top reported issues
  • #1ENGINE
    6 (10%)
  • #2ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    6 (10%)
  • #3POWER TRAIN
    5 (8%)
  • #4UNKNOWN OR OTHER
    5 (8%)
  • #5WHEELS
    5 (8%)
  • #6SERVICE BRAKES
    3 (5%)
  • #7TIRES
    3 (5%)
  • #8ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,BACK OVER PREVENTION
    2 (3%)
  • #9POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE
    2 (3%)
  • #10ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    2 (3%)
Recent complaint examples
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING0000-00-00

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, occasionally while activating the left turn signal to make a turn, the rear driver’s side turn signal failed to operate as intended. The message related to the brake light and turn signal…

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,BACK OVER PREVENTION0000-00-00

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 3500 . The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V720000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and 25V552000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was no…

FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL0000-00-00

The contact owns a 2021 RAM 3500. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the vehicle stalled and could not be restarted. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the entire fuel system needed to be replaced due to the high-pressure fuel pump explod…

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,BACK OVER PREVENTION0000-00-00

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 3500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V552000 (Back Over Prevention) and 25V720000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact s…

WHEELS0000-00-00

The contact owns a 2021 Ram 3500. While the contact's husband was driving at 55 MPH, the driver's rear wheel detached. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while a pickup box trailer was hitched to the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it…

SERVICE BRAKES0000-00-00

Brake system is not functioning as designed. Rear axle braking is not being fully applied and is most noticeable and concerning during heavy haul usage. Vehicle has to be operated carefully and with an alternate braking method utilized to obtain adequate braking. The problem can …

SUSPENSION,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER0000-00-00

Both front ball joints wore out at 20,000 miles The 3rd break light leaks into the cab at 26,000 miles & won't be warrantied even though there's an active recall for our same truck, same part just different model…

TIRES0000-00-00

I have had two tires separate in the past couple of months with less than 24000 miles and 5 years old. I filed a complaint with Nexen and they sent a partial payment for the first one but rejected the second claim that happened less than 500 miles of the first claim. They claim…

Related

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these RAM 3500 2021 complaints verified by NHTSA?
NHTSA collects complaints from owners but does NOT verify each one. The complaints below are unfiltered owner reports — useful for spotting patterns, but a single complaint doesn't prove a defect. Pay attention to: (1) volume of complaints on the same component, (2) consistency of described symptoms, and (3) whether NHTSA has opened a formal investigation or issued a recall on the same component. If a component appears in 5+% of complaints, that's usually a real pattern worth taking seriously.
Should I avoid buying a 2021 RAM 3500 based on these complaints?
It depends on the components reported. 62 complaints across roughly tens of thousands of trucks of this model year is a moderate signal. Compare against other model years of the same truck — if 2022 has 3x more complaints than 2020 or 2024, that specific year has issues. Also check whether the most-reported component is something you can preventively address (e.g., DEF system issues can be mitigated with quality fluid + dealer software updates).
Have any of these complaints led to recalls on the 2021 RAM 3500?
Not currently. Owner complaints don't automatically trigger recalls — NHTSA reviews complaint patterns and opens investigations when warranted. Recalls usually happen when a complaint pattern correlates with documented field failures or safety incidents. Even without recalls, repeated complaints on the same component is signal worth noting in your purchase decision.
How do I file my own complaint about a RAM truck?
Visit NHTSA.gov/file-complaint. You'll need: your VIN, the date of incident, description of what happened, and component affected (drivetrain, brakes, etc.). Filing takes ~10 minutes and adds your data point to the public record. This is the input that triggers NHTSA investigations. For commercial trucks, fleet operators reporting issues at scale (10+ similar reports) often accelerate NHTSA's review timeline.
What's the most expensive complaint pattern on the 2021 RAM 3500?
Based on the complaint data: the top reported issue is 'ENGINE' with 6 reports. Depending on the specific failure mode, this can range from a few hundred dollars (sensor replacement) to several thousand (transmission rebuild, DPF replacement, engine work). The complaint pattern alone won't tell you cost — check the symptoms described for hints about the actual root cause. Most commercial-truck complaints describe symptoms ($1,500–$5,000 repair range is typical), not catastrophic failures.

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