NHTSA Owner Complaints

2018 RAM 5500

39 owner-reported issues

Owner-reported data

Total complaints

Crash reports

Fire reports

Open recalls

What this means

39 NHTSA complaints filed on 2018 RAM 5500. Enough volume to start seeing patterns — review the top reported issues below. The dominant complaint patterns are: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC (33%), SERVICE BRAKES (21%), WHEELS (10%). These three categories cover 64% of all reports — typical signal that there are 2-3 known systemic issues on this make/model/year, not random faults.

Top reported issues

#1SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
13 (33%)
#2SERVICE BRAKES
8 (21%)
#3WHEELS
4 (10%)
#4POWER TRAIN
3 (8%)
#5SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
1 (3%)
#6POWER TRAIN,WHEELS,ENGINE
1 (3%)
#7SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES
1 (3%)
#8ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION
1 (3%)
#9ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1 (3%)
#10UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1 (3%)

Recent complaint examples

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC0000-00-00

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 5500. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the hydraulic brake warning light, ABS warning light, and other unknown warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the stopping distance increased. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Camp…

SERVICE BRAKES0000-00-00

recall C4B hydraulic control unit still not addressed as of may 7 2026 recall received on…

SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES0000-00-00

Ref NHTSA 24v-896, Recall C4B The problem started back in 2021 when the anti-lock brake Hydraulic Control Unit failed. It was replaces and then it failed again in Dec 2024 while on vacation. When returning home in Jan 2025, the truck was brought to the dealer for repair. It was f…

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL0000-00-00

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 5500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time …

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC0000-00-00

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 5500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brake, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a warning chime activated …

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC0000-00-00

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 5500. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while attempting to come to a complete stop, the vehicle…

SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE0000-00-00

Received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V896000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to repair the recall is not available. The manufacturer has exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Because the vehicle currently has this recall, the St…

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these RAM 5500 2018 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 2018 RAM 5500 based on these complaints?

It depends on the components reported. 39 complaints across roughly tens of thousands of trucks of this model year is a light 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 2018 RAM 5500?

Yes — 2 NHTSA recalls have been issued for this make/model/year. Owner complaints are one of the inputs NHTSA uses to identify potential safety defects — when a pattern shows up in complaints, an investigation can open, and if a defect is confirmed, a recall is issued. See the recall page for this vehicle for details.

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 2018 RAM 5500?

Based on the complaint data: the top reported issue is 'SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC' with 13 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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2018 RAM 5500

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