Home · 2020 Ram 1500 Classic Crew Cab · Complaints

What 608 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Ram 1500 Classic 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 (608)Crash / fire / injury (34)Electrical system (155)Engine (153)Fuel system (68)Transmission & drivetrain (61)Visibility & wipers (61)Steering (56)Body & structure (43)Brakes (42)Airbags (20)Lights (18)

5 of 608 complaints match · Electrical system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Feb 22, 2026Electrical systemFire

My 2020 Ram 1500 Laramie was parked in my garage. I started it to let it warm up before driving. The garage started filling with smoke and the smell of fire. I backed the truck out of the garage and noticed flames on my backup camera. The 7 way plug was on fire. I quickly shut the truck off as soon as I got it out of the garage. I put water on the fire to get it out before it took over the back end of the truck. I had drove the truck the day before and filled it up with gas so my life and my son's life was as risk knowing there is a electrical issue. It also was parked in our garage when it started smoking and it could of burnt the whole garage and house down if I didn't get it out of there as fast as I did and noticed it burning. I had contacted 3 dealer ships and they all said sorry we can't help you. I decided to contact Ram directly to file a claim. Ram told me specifically not to take it to any dealer and they would look into it. 3 weeks later they sent out an investigator to my house. They took pictures of the truck and the damage. They plugged in a code reader and it didn't throw any codes. I asked the guy for the report and he said he couldn't give me one. I have since heard back from Stellantis and their email said things like this happen and they have declined any further assistance associated with this fire. They than said to contact the insurance. A fire is a safety issue and there is major concerns of safety. I don't feel safe when they said it was safe to drive after they did the investigation. I took it to a dealer ship to have it repaired and it started to smoke twice driving it to the dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11719736

Jul 30, 2025Electrical systemLightsFire

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500 Promaster. The contact stated that after parking and turning the vehicle off, he left it for approximately 10 minutes. The vehicle spontaneously caught fire. The contact was alerted that his vehicle was on fire. The contact noticed that the passenger-side headlight had smoke and flames four feet high. There were no warning lights illuminated prior to the failure. The contact and a bystander extinguished the fire. There were no reported injuries. A call was made to 911 emergency services regarding the incident. The fire and police departments were on the scene. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined the failure was due to the wire harness and headlight assembly. A claim was submitted to the insurance company. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted regarding the failure and left 7 voicemails along with emails but no response as of yet. The failure mileage was approximately 67,168.

NHTSA ODI 11677316

Jan 27, 2025Electrical systemEngineFuel systemFire

The DPF got so hot in a matter of a few miles (8 minutes driving) it blew a hole in it, and melted all the wiring under the truck, caused the engine to stop, automatically locking all the doors (thank God my child and husband had stopped and were out) before this happened.

NHTSA ODI 11638764

Jan 27, 2025Electrical systemEngineFuel systemFire

I already sent one, and forgot the pictures, pictures included this time

NHTSA ODI 11638774

Apr 12, 2024EngineElectrical systemFire

The contact owned a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the windshield wiper was operating erratically, the lights began flashing, the emergency lights would not work, and the lock was inoperable. The contact observed smoke coming from the vents and underneath the dashboard. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the contact observed sparks and flames coming from the dashboard that were approximately 5 feet in height. The Fire Department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed as a result of the fire. A fire report was filed. The contact was not sure if a Police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a storage lot. The insurance company was pending a tow. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was unknown. The contact stated the fire started in the dash area and believes it to be an apparent faulty electrical system.

NHTSA ODI 11582670

Working with the data? Download all 608 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 2020 Ram 1500 Classic Crew Cab verdict →