Home · 2018 Ram 1500 Classic Regular Cab · Complaints

What 641 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Ram 1500 Classic Regular 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 (641)Crash / fire / injury (35)Electrical system (156)Engine (108)Fuel system (86)Steering (78)Transmission & drivetrain (55)Fuel System, Diesel (51)Brakes (45)Engine & cooling (45)Speed control (29)Suspension (21)

45 of 641 complaints match · Engine & cooling · clear filters · page 1 of 2

Jan 29, 2026Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled but was almost immediately restarted. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the destination and turned off; however, while attempting to restart, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the crankshaft position tone wheel had completely delaminated and needed to be replaced. The contact was advised by the mechanic that there was a recall for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). Several dealers were contact and provided the same information. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

NHTSA ODI 11714176

Nov 10, 2025Engine & coolingEngine

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, his granddaughter smelled an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact looked out of the rearview mirror and saw heavy white smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact immediately pulled over and had the occupants exit the vehicle. The contact checked under the hood as white smoke filled the engine compartment. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated prior to the failure. Due to the failure, the contact initially had the vehicle towed to the residence before it was later towed to an independent mechanic. Upon inspection of the vehicle, the mechanic discovered coolant had leaked into the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) cooler. The mechanic also discovered that the vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V757000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The contact was informed that any repair to the vehicle would be an out-of-pocket expense. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was given a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.

NHTSA ODI 11698554

Jul 28, 2025Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH up a hill, there was an abnormal banging sound come from the vehicle, and the vehicle experienced engine failure. The contact stated there was oil leaking from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was determined that there was a large oil leak on the passenger’s side of the engine. The contact stated that there was a hole on the upper part of the engine and the vehicle was diagnosed with catastrophic engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.

NHTSA ODI 11676737

Apr 28, 2025Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the crankshaft position sensor tone wheel. The contact was informed that the crankshaft position sensor tone wheel had delaminated. No warning lights were illuminated. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V475000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 160,000.

NHTSA ODI 11657234

Apr 4, 2025Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL) and 23V411000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle hesitated before functioning normally. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11652879

Mar 12, 2025Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two separate independent mechanics who both stated that the exhaust manifold was warped due to a fractured bolt. The contact was informed that the exhaust manifold needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

NHTSA ODI 11647872

Feb 14, 2025Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel had seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with coolant intrusion into the engine, which caused engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 186,000.

NHTSA ODI 11642731

Sep 5, 2024Engine & coolingEngine

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a cracked particulate filter. The contact was advised that the particulate filter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the part to complete the repair was on backorder. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of coolant. The contact stated that the coolant level was over one gallon low within a two-week period. The vehicle was inspected for leaks, and it was confirmed that there were no leaks found. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11612765

Aug 27, 2024Engine & coolingElectrical system

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at speeds above 80 MPH, the vehicle started to shake, the engine overheated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and was diagnosed with a faulty battery. The battery was replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to a second dealer, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11611197

Jul 22, 2024Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that while the vehicle was inside the garage, the contact noticed an abnormal exhaust odor. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the exhaust manifold bolts were fractured. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the manifold and bolts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

NHTSA ODI 11603849

Jun 28, 2024Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11597543

Jun 28, 2024Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the exhaust manifolds were leaking due to fractured exhaust bolts. The dealer replaced the two exhaust manifold gaskets and bolts. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

NHTSA ODI 11597561

Apr 2, 2024Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be repaired under an unknown NHTSA Campaign Number. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in a collision with the previous owner and was deemed salvaged. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. It was unknown if the manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 60,000. No further information was available.

NHTSA ODI 11580777

Mar 19, 2024Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI 11578239

Dec 28, 2023Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2018 RAM 1500. The contact vehicle is related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel system diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and engine cooling). VIN tool confirms there was 2 recalls at this time. However, the contact was driving up an incline at 65mph when the vehicle loss power. There was a strong odor and smoke was observed coming from the back of the vehicle. There was white fome coming out and surrounding both tail pipes of the vehicle. No lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed and diagnosed by a local mechanic and refused repair due to recall. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was not repaired, due to cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure.  The failure milage was approximately 104,000. The vehicle was not part of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V757000 (Engine and Engine Cooling)

NHTSA ODI 11562303

Oct 10, 2023Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V411000 (Engine Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and determined that the parts were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11549192

Oct 6, 2023Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. An undisclosed dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11548653

Sep 22, 2023Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500.The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11546077

Sep 20, 2023Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 22V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly decelerated, and failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 79,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11545655

Sep 14, 2023Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11544547

Aug 21, 2023Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 20V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11539829

Aug 16, 2023Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11538967

Aug 15, 2023Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the part for the recall repairs was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11538725

Aug 9, 2023Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11537485

Aug 7, 2023Engine & coolingFuel System, Diesel

The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) 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 for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11537027

Older →

Working with the data? Download all 641 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 15, 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 2018 Ram 1500 Classic Regular Cab verdict →