Home · 2012 Ram 2500 Crew Cab · Complaints

What 282 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Ram 2500 Crew Cab

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (282)Crash / fire / injury (21)Steering (109)Electrical system (50)Engine (44)Transmission & drivetrain (35)Fuel system (26)Suspension (22)Brakes (14)Airbags (11)Engine & cooling (9)Body & structure (8)

4 of 282 complaints match · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jan 27, 2018Electrical systemEngineFire

BACK IN SEPTEMBER 2017 I WAS AT WORK AT OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE WHEN I RECEIVED SEVERAL MESSAGES FROM THE PAPILLION FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE LA VISTA POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND MY APARTMENT STAFF HAD BEEN DESPERATELY TRYING TO GET AHOLD OF ME TO LET ME KNOW THAT MY RAM 2500, WHICH I HAD NOT DRIVEN IN OVER 10 DAYS, HAD CAUGHT FIRE UNDER THE HOOD IN ITS PARKING SPOT NEAR MY APARTMENT BUILDING. MY FIRST THOUGHT AFTER BEING COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY BY THE FACT THAT A LIGHTLY USED TRUCK THAT HADN'T EVEN BEEN DRIVEN COULD SPONTANEOUSLY CATCH ITSELF ON FIRE WAS THAT THANK GOODNESS THE TRUCK WAS PARKED OUTSIDE AND NOT IN MY GARAGE. WHEN I GOT TO MY TRUCK I SAW THAT THE FUSE BOX WAS MELTED AS WELL AS ALL THE WIRES LEADING TO AND FROM THE FUSE BOX. I HAD THE TRUCK TOWED TO A LOCAL RAM DEALERSHIP AND I CONTACTED RAM AND CHRYSLER SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS WHO REFUSED TO PROVIDE ME WITH ANY DETAILS OTHER THAN THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY.

NHTSA ODI 11065433

Aug 1, 2017EngineFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SHOOK WHILE DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DICK HUVAERES DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TICKING IN THE MOTOR WAS DUE TO A FAULTY WATER PUMP. THE DEALER REPLACED THE WATER PUMP; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. AFTER RETURNING HOME FROM THE DEALER, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY CAUGHT FIRE WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE CONTACT CALLED THE BERLIN TOWNSHIP AND ELMONT FIRE DEPARTMENTS TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS SALVAGED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OPENED CASE NUMBER: [XXX]. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000. *TT INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TT

NHTSA ODI 11012157

Jul 24, 2017Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemEngineFire

HAVE A SHAKE IN THE TRUCK! HAVE TAKEN IT IN MANY TIME TO BE FIXED! FOR FOUR YEARS HAVE HEARD IT NORMAL TO YOU WILL HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT. FINALLY AFTER 6 OR 7 DEALER ONE DECIDED IT WOULD OPEN IT UP. THE HOOKED IT UP TO THIS MACHINE THAT WOULD TELL THEM WERE IT'S COMING FROM. THEY TELL ME THE ONLY THING THEY CAN FIND IS A TRANS MOUNT. SO AFTER THAT THEY OPEN THE REAR END THEY HAD TO REBUILD IT. THEN THEY HAD TO PUT ALL NEW FROM REAR END UP TO THE ENGINE WHILE POWER TRAIN. IT STILL HAD A SHAKE! THEN THEY GOT AN OK TO OPEN THE ENGINE FROM CHRYSLER. SO THEY ADJUSTED THE VALUE LASH. O ALMOST FORGOT THE DEALER HAD MY TRUCK 7 MONTHS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. SO WHEN I PICKED IT UP FROM SZOTT M-59 ON THURSDAY AT AROUND 7 PM AND BUY SATURDAY MORNING TRUCK IS ON FIRE IN DRIVE WAY AT ABOUT 9 AM. I DROVE IT ON FRIDAY ,I PARKED IT BY 4 PM . SO IT WAS OFF FOR ABOUT 17 HOURS OR SO. HAVE NO IDEA WHY THERE WAS A FIRE. REALLY WOULD LIKE TO NO WHAT HAPPEN. HEARING THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH ALTERNATOR. BUT WITH THE DEALER TAKING OF THE TOP OF THE MOTOR OFF TO READJUST THE VALVE LASH.I THINK THEY HAD TO TAKE OF THE WIRE HARNESS AND BATTERY CABLES TO WORK IN IT. WOULD LOVE TO FIND OUT WHAT WENT WRONG!!!!!!!!!! THE TRUCK WAS IN DRIVEWAY FACING SOUTH WIND WAS COMING FROM THE SOUTH. TEMP OUT SIDE WARM. TRUCK WAS SHUT OFF AROUND 4PM FRI. FIRE LOOKED LIKE IT STARTED ON DRIVER SIDE. LOOKED LIKE BATTERY AREA IS WERE THE FIRE STARTED DRIVER SIDE. I HAVE TO MUCH PAPER WORK TO SEND!!!!

NHTSA ODI 11010428

Nov 13, 2014Transmission & drivetrainBody & structureEngineFire

TOWING 5TH WHEEL TRAILER UPHILL IN LOW GEAR, LOST POWER,BIG BANG SMOKE FIRE.!!! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10654892

Working with the data? Download all 282 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Ram 2500 Crew Cab verdict →