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What 4 owners told NHTSA about the 2013 Ram 5500

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 (4)Transmission & drivetrain (2)Engine (1)Engine & cooling (1)Suspension (1)Wheels (1)

Newest first · 4 complaints

Jan 12, 2016Suspension

PULLSTAR PUMP HOIST & UTILITY BODY > TOTAL WEIGHT 17,000LBS BOTH REARMOST SHACKLE BOLTS FOUND OVER ONE HALF THE WAY OUT OF PLACE WITH THREADED ENDS WITH NUT MISSING. NEAR DISASTER.

NHTSA ODI 10819582

Mar 20, 2015Engine & coolingTransmission & drivetrain

02/26/15 WHILE UNDER WARRANTY.... #1 - WATER PUMP & WATER PUMP BEARING DEFECTIVE - COOLANT LEAKED, LEAKS AROUND SHAFT, BELT DAMAGE DUE TO FAILED WATER PUMP. #2 - CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AFTER REPAIR COMPLETE PCM CODES P2509 BCM POWER SIGNAL INT P20EE SCR NOX CAT EFFICIENCY P20EE HAS A FLASH P2560 COOLANT LOW - CAUSED BY REPAIR #1 SO THE WARRANTY COVERED THE WATER PUMP AND WATER PUMP BEARING THAT WERE DEFECTIVE, BUT NOT THE BELT THAT WAS DAMAGED DUE TO IT. ALSO DURING THIS REPAIR IT WAS NOTED THAT THERE WAS A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT THAT NEVER WENT OFF AFTER REPAIR AND A P20EE THAT ONLY TEMPORARILY GOT RESET. 03/20/15 WARRANTY RUNNING OUT, BUT LUCKILY STILL COVERED... P20EE ERROR HAS BEEN PRESENT THE LAST 2 DAYS AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON SINCE LAST REPAIR. BECAUSE OF P20EE, THE TRUCK WENT LIMP AND THE DRIVER IS ABOUT 45 MIN TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP WITH A DIESEL TECH. TRUCK BOUGHT BRAND NEW JULY 2014. ALL MAINTENANCE UP TO DATE. TRUCK WELL TAKEN CARE OF. ALL WE WANT IS FOR THE TRUCK TO RUN WITHOUT ISSUES. IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK? I CAN SEE IT GIVING UP IN A FEW YEARS, BUT LESS THAN A YEAR? ITS A COMMERCIAL TRUCK. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10700763

Sep 27, 2014Transmission & drivetrainEngine

WHEN I PULLED OUT FROM A STOP INTO THE INTERSECTION I REALIZED THE CARS WERE CLOSER THAT I FIRST THOUGHT, AND WHEN I INSTINCTIVELY PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR TO GET OUT OF THE WAY, NOTHING HAPPENED FOR WHAT SEEMS LIKE ETERNITY BUT MAYBE JUST A PORTION OF A SECOND BEFORE THE ENGINE RESPONDS. THIS DELAY COULD BE A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION, SINCE THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RESPOND AS YOU WOULD EXPECT IT TO, AND COULD THEREFORE ALLOW YOU TO BE IN THE PATH OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO GET THE VEHICLE TO MOVE AS YOU WOULD EXPECT IT TO. THIS "DEAD PEDAL" SYNDROME HAS HAPPENED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS SINCE I HAVE HAD THE TRUCK ON THE ROAD IN THE LAST YEAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10639565

Aug 12, 2014Wheels

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 DODGE RAM 5500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE WAS WEARING OUT THE TIRES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE REPLACED BOTH FRONT TIRES ON TWO OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE FRONT END WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000.

NHTSA ODI 10621767

Working with the data? Download all 4 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 11, 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 2013 Ram 5500 verdict →