Owners have filed 162 complaints on the Dodge Ram Van, covering 1991–2003. The system named most often is Electrical System (32 reports). Worst years by volume: 1999, 2001, 2000; cleanest: 1991, 1997, 2002. 14 reports describe a crash, 30 a fire. On average the car was 6.3 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Dodge Ram Van
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 162 Ram Van complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 32 Read
This vehicle belongs to verizon communications. The van had an under hood fire that originated in the ABS module area while parked. The van is declared a "total loss". Daimlerchrysler issued safety recall d20 in 2004 to address this problem but the recall repair has not corrected the problem. Verizon has had 29 under…
Fire in dashboard
This vehicle belongs to verizon communications. The van had an under hood fire that originated in the ABS module area. The driver noticed smoke coming from under the hood of the van while it was parked at a jobsite where he was working. He called 911 and extinguished the fire with a fire extinguisher. He disconnected…
Steering 22 Read
I am the owner of a 1999 dodge ram 1500. While my wife was driving approximately 40 mph the power steering failed and lost control of the vehicle without any warning. Being unable to control the vehicle the vehicle headed into oncoming traffic, the contact crashed into a ditch. The driver received minor injuries to…
For 2 days prior to incident , noticed steering wheel kept changing orientation while driving in a straight line. A lot of groaning and creaking noise from right front suspension in right turns as well as vibration at highway speed. Parked vehicle and inspected underside to find that idler arm bracket was tearing away…
Driving down the road at 65 mph and lost total control of vehicle steering found out it was due to a rusted framed. Totally unsafe van. I was glad it was not very busy on the interstate or I could have been killed. I am very disappointed a manufacture can have so many complaints online and nothing has been done. It is…
Service Brakes 17 Read
On 11/07/05 I was driving north bound on western ave at approx 4:30 pm,traveling at 40 mph approaching a red light in the right lane with 4 cars in front of me all ready stopped,upon my de pressing of the brake pedal there was no brakes, I tried again ,I down shifted ,at the last second I swerved violently to miss the…
2000 dodge full size van I believe that the small and crowded floor caused me to have an accident. I was in a drive-through line. When I went to move ahead my foot covered both the brake and accelerator. The harder I pressed on the brake the faster the vehicle went. The vehicle became uncontrollable for a while and I…
Driver was making a panic stop when brakes totally failed, causing rear end crash. Vehicle did not stop.front wheels locked up, but rear did not. It took dealer 2 weeks to fix defect. Also, they had to replace wheel cylinders/ springs/ pads and turn drums
Structure 11 Read
In july of 2015, the bracket that holds the steering arm to the frame, on the passenger side, completely disconnected as I was making a turn. This I had repaired (welded) shortly afterward. The frame was disintegrating from underneath me. On 09/02/2016 the frame totally separated where the steering connects on the…
My 2002 dodge conversion van would sit overnight then start the next day but stall right after starting. Happened twice in 3 weeks
Total loss of steering due to severe frame rot, which LED to the detachment of the steering mounts on the passenger side. Luckily it happened at a slow speed, at that point had to be towed. Had just exited highway at speeds of 65 mph. I informed dodge of this problem approximately 6 months ago, basically they don't…
Suspension 11 Read
In april '02, while driving at highway speed, the 2500 van began to make a loud noise in the front wheels. There was also a loss of control of the vehicle and then a loss of braking ability. It was towed to the dealer where he found the wheel was coming off because the wheel bearings were disintegrated and no grease…
Van steering is unstable (wanders) at highway speeds (>60 mph) when changing lanes or passing large trucks with weight (two adults) in rear seat/back of rear axle. Unable to fully utilized vehicle because of weight restrictions caused by improper rear suspension. Did not become aware of TSB that would have corrected…
Front end/bearing problems in (2) 2000 dodge ram 2500 vans. Problem has been reoccuring and dodge fails to admit the problem. They also refuse to replace parts that they replaced 11,000 miles ago. Bearings dissintegrate and cause damage to hub spindles
Air Bags 10 Read
The contact owns a 2003 dodge ram van. He crashed into a telephone booth while driving 25 mph. The vehicle was completely destroyed and none of the air bags deployed. The manufacturer was notified; however, they provided no assistance. The current and failure mileages were 58,563
Air bag failed to deploy in an head on left front offset frontal crash with another vehicle. My vehicle was totaled
Driving straight on roadway when vehicle, which was at a stop sign on the right side of roadway, pulled directly into path. T boned a honda. The airbags spewed the chemical contents, but did not deploy. *tr the vehicle was totaled, no airbags deployed
Power Train 10 Read
The contact owns a 2001 dodge ram van. While driving approximately 15 mph in rainy weather, the contact turned the steering wheel quickly to the left and the steering column locked. He was unable to steer to the right and crashed into a railroad gate. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed. Months later,…
The vehicle was service 4 times for problems with the shifting gears. (roadtrek recreational vehicle)
The contact owns a 2001 dodge ram van. The contact stated that the vehicle would not shift out of park until after several abrupt attempts. The contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer or a local mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint. The failure mileage was…
Engine And Engine Cooling 9 Read
Consumer was driving and suddenly vehicle quit. Mechanic determined that a cam bearing broke, bringing vehicle to a complete stop. Vehicle had to be towed to dealer
Vehicle doesn't defrost. Windows steam up, if cold enough ice up. No visibility out all side windows. Brought in while still under factory warranty, they replaced the thermostat. Went back a few weeks later and was told it is a "characteristic" of this vehicle, "put some cardboard in front of the radiator". I tried it…
2001 dodge conversion van developed a problem with the engine.***no answer required***. *mr there was a noise and upon pulling over and turning the vehicle off, the vehicle would not restart. The consumer was informed that a new engine was needed
Ram Van years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2002 | Electrical System | 1 | 2 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 1 | 5 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 4 | 5 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 6 | 11 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | — | 5 | |
| 1997 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | — | 1 | |
| 1991 | Fuel System, Gasoline | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 146 |
| Average complaints per series | 1.1 |
| Worst single series | 2 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 6.3 years |
A model average of 1.1 hides a worst series at 2. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Ram Van?
By complaint volume, 1999, 2001, 2000 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Ram Van years are the cleanest?
1991, 1997, 2002 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Dodge Ram Van have?
162 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1991–2003. Of those, 14 describe a crash and 30 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.