Reliability & cost of ownership
Ram 5500 Reliability & Common Problems
How reliable is the Ram 5500? Compare every model year side by side — NHTSA recalls, owner complaints, and crash-test stars — then open the year you're shopping for a full reliability and repair-cost forecast.
Ram 5500 problems by model year
82 recall entries and 148 owner complaints on file across 11 model years, sourced from the federal NHTSA database.
| Year | Recalls | Complaints | NCAP stars | Full report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 5500 | 4 | 2 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2022 5500 | 4 | 26 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2021 5500 | 5 | 3 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2020 5500 | 10 | 8 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2019 5500 | 10 | 11 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2018 5500 | 8 | 35 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2017 5500 | 7 | 19 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2016 5500 | 7 | 16 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2015 5500 | 8 | 13 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2014 5500 | 10 | 11 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
| 2013 5500 | 9 | 4 | No NCAP test | Reliability forecast → |
Most-complained-about components
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA against the Ram 5500, grouped by the component each complaint names — the fastest read on where this model gives trouble.
- power train48 complaints
- service brakes36 complaints
- wheels19 complaints
- hydraulic16 complaints
- electrical system14 complaints
- steering14 complaints
- engine13 complaints
- suspension11 complaints