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2011 Dodge RAM 1500

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2011 Dodge RAM 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 520.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

491 reports with mileage · 197 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 214 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 175 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 151 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

28 crash reports7 fire reports17 injury reports

What owners actually said

688 reports
95,000 miles · Jan 15, 2019
Fuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other

I HAVE A 2011 DODGE RAM 1500 AND I THOUGHT I HAD A BAD FUEL PUMP SO CHANGED IT BUT TO FIND OUT IT'S A TSI RELAY AND HAS ALREADY BEEN RECALLED IN THE SAME YEAR MODEL IN JEEP AND DURANGO AND SINCE MY TRUCK HAS SAME PARTS AS JEEP AND DURANGO WHY HASN'T THIS BEEN TOOK CARE OF ..TRUCK QUITS DRIVING IN ROAD .

NHTSA ODI #11170183

160,000 miles · Jan 14, 2019
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion System

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 RAM 1500. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT FAILED TO START. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT IT TOOK SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO STEVE JONES CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM FIAT (2612 TN-46, DICKSON, TN 37055, (615) 326-1234) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TOTALLY INTEG…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 RAM 1500. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT FAILED TO START. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT IT TOOK SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO STEVE JONES CHRYSLER DODGE JEEP RAM FIAT (2612 TN-46, DICKSON, TN 37055, (615) 326-1234) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, WHICH CAUSED THE FUEL PUMP TO MALFUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.

NHTSA ODI #11170008

100,000 miles · Jan 7, 2019
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

VEHICLE MOTOR STOPS RUNNING DURING DRIVING ALL POWER IS LOST, HAD HAPPENED MORE THAN 3 TIMES OVER TIME AND STARTING TO DO IT MORE OFTEN VERY DANGEROUS TO HAVE YOUR VEHICLE SHUT OFF WHILE YOU'RE DRIVING IT.

NHTSA ODI #11164792

110,000 miles · Jan 5, 2019
Electrical System

THE IGNITION SWITCH DOESNT WORK FOR THE KEY FOB AND THE TRUCK WONT START UNLESS THE ALARM GOES OFF THEN A BUNCH OF SENSORS GO OFF AND BEEPS AND WHEN PLUGGED IN SAYS A SENSOR ISSUE BUT THEN THERE IS NO WAY TO FIX IT ACCORDING TO DODGE. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS.

NHTSA ODI #11165352

Mileage unknown · Jan 2, 2019
Suspension

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 RAM 1500. THE CONTACT HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR AXLE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE RESULTS WERE UNKNOWN. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN...*BF CONSUMER STATED NOISE IS COMING …

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 RAM 1500. THE CONTACT HEARD A GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR AXLE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT THE RESULTS WERE UNKNOWN. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN...*BF CONSUMER STATED NOISE IS COMING FROM THE BEARINGS IN THE REAR AXLE.*JB

NHTSA ODI #11164459

102,853 miles · Jan 2, 2019
Suspension

WHEN VEHICLE REACHES SPEEDS OF 70+ ON THE INTERSTATE, VEHICLE STARTS SHAKING UNCONTROLLABLY FOR PERIODS OF TIME THEN RETURNS BACK TO NORMAL, HAD TIRES BALANCED AND THE ISSUE CONTINUES

NHTSA ODI #11164430

113,000 miles · Dec 29, 2018
Electrical System

TIPM MODULE FAILED, CAUSES ENGINE TO STALL DUE TO FUEL PUMP CONTINUOUSLY DRAWING POWER. ENGINE CAN STALL WHILE IN MOTION, SHUTTING VEHICLE OFF. VERY UNSAFE. SEEMS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE WITH OTHER SIMILAR YEAR DODGE/CHRYSLER MODELS. A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS WON RELATING TO SIMILAR ISSUES ON THOSE OTHER MODELS. TIPM LAWSU…

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TIPM MODULE FAILED, CAUSES ENGINE TO STALL DUE TO FUEL PUMP CONTINUOUSLY DRAWING POWER. ENGINE CAN STALL WHILE IN MOTION, SHUTTING VEHICLE OFF. VERY UNSAFE. SEEMS TO BE A KNOWN ISSUE WITH OTHER SIMILAR YEAR DODGE/CHRYSLER MODELS. A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT WAS WON RELATING TO SIMILAR ISSUES ON THOSE OTHER MODELS. TIPM LAWSUIT: HTTPS://WWW.CLASSLAWGROUP.COM/CHRYSLER-TOTALLY-INTEGRATED-POWER-MODULE-TIPM-LAWSUIT/ THE RAM 1500 WAS PETITIONED TO BE INCLUDED IN THIS LAWSUIT, BUT THE PETITION WAS DENIED.

NHTSA ODI #11163948

76,000 miles · Dec 28, 2018
Unknown Or Other

MY TAIL-GATE WILL NOT STAY CLOSED OR LOCK WITH A KEY. SITTING PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY ON A FLAT SURFACE, THEN AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, IT CAME DOWN UNEXPECTEDLY

NHTSA ODI #11163775

50,000 miles · Dec 25, 2018
Fuel/propulsion System

WHEN FILLING GAS TANK AT THE PUMP, THE TANK BECOMES FULL AND THE GAS PUMP SHUTS OFF AUTOMATICALLY AS EXPECTED BUT THEN A BIG SLUG OF GAS SURGES OUT OF THE FILL NECK AND SPLASHES ALL OVER ME AND THE TRUCK. HAPPENS AY EVERY FILL AND EVERY STATION. COMMON PROBLEM, DODGE IS WELL AWARE. DEFINITE FIRE HAZARD!

NHTSA ODI #11163340

53,866 miles · Dec 12, 2018
Engine

THE ENGINE WAS LOSING POWER ON DRIVING AND UPON ACCELERATION THE RPMS INCREASED BUT THE SPEED DID NOT INCREASE - SLIGHT SHUDDERING. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. P0305 CODE. UPON REMOVAL OF THE LEFT CYLINDER HEAD IT WAS NOTED THAT THE LIFTERS AND CAM SHAFT WAS DAMAGED. ALL LIFTERS AND CAM SHAFT WAS REPLACED WITH MOPAR PARTS. P0305 CO…

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THE ENGINE WAS LOSING POWER ON DRIVING AND UPON ACCELERATION THE RPMS INCREASED BUT THE SPEED DID NOT INCREASE - SLIGHT SHUDDERING. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. P0305 CODE. UPON REMOVAL OF THE LEFT CYLINDER HEAD IT WAS NOTED THAT THE LIFTERS AND CAM SHAFT WAS DAMAGED. ALL LIFTERS AND CAM SHAFT WAS REPLACED WITH MOPAR PARTS. P0305 CODE RE-OCCURED WITHIN 4 WEEKS OF REPAIR.

NHTSA ODI #11161011

Official recalls

4

18V160000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly:mounting

Mar 8, 2018

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Dodge Ram 1500 trucks currently, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Exposure to environmental conditions such as water mixed with road salt may cause the front fuel tank strap frame "T-Slot" bracket to corrode, possibly causing the fuel tank to drop and make contact with the ground.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the fuel tank were to drop and contact the ground, a fuel leak may result. Additionally, in the event of a crash, the fuel tank may not remain secured to the vehicle, possibly causing a fuel leak. A fuel leak in the presence in an ignition source, can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners and dealers will bolt a bracket reinforcement to the frame, free of charge. The recall began May 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U04.

17V821000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:column Shift

Dec 20, 2017

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ram 3500 Cab Chassis with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of less than 10,000 lbs, 2011-2017 Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles, 2009-2017 Ram 1500 and 2010-2017 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks, all equipped with a column shifter. Pushing the brake pedal for prolonged periods when the vehicle is running and in PARK may cause the Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) pin to stick in the open position. With the pin in the open position, the transmission can be shifted out of PARK into any gear without pushing the brake pedal or having the key in the ignition.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Being able to shift the transmission without pushing the brake pedal and/or without a key in the ignition can increase the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.

Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle software, inspect the BTSI, and, as necessary, replace it, free of charge. The recall began February 26, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T79.

13V038000 · Power Train:driveline:differential Unit

Feb 6, 2013

Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ram 1500 trucks manufactured from February 27, 2008, through June 30, 2009, and from December 1, 2009, through October 20, 2011; model year 2009-2011 Dodge Dakota trucks manufactured from February 27, 2007, through June 30, 2009, and from December 1, 2009, through September 30, 2011; model year 2009 Chrysler Aspen trucks manufactured from January 3, 2008, through December 18, 2008; and model year 2009 Dodge Durango trucks manufactured from January 3, 2008, through December 18, 2008. The rear axle pinion nut may loosen due to an undersized pinion spline that can allow relative motion between the nut and companion flange.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the rear axle pinion nut loosens, the axle can lock up and cause a loss of vehicle control and/or a vehicle crash with little warning.

Remedy: On November 7, 2013 Chrysler notified owners that dealers would install a pinion nut retainer, free of charge. In July 2015, and under a consent order with NHTSA, the company agreed to offer owners three options for remedying their vehicles: perform the original remedy, offer to repurchase the vehicle at the fair market value plus 10%, or offer an additional incentive offer towards the purchase of a new Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, or Fiat vehicle. Chrysler will notify owners of the new recall options in a letter expected to be mailed on August 31, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N08.

10V656000 · Suspension:rear:axle:spindle

Dec 24, 2010

CHRYSLER IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2011 RAM 1500 TRUCKS MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 2009 THROUGH DECEMBER 2010. SOME VEHICLES MAY HAVE EXPERIENCE A NOISE (GROWL, GRIND) COMING FROM THE REAR AXLE BEARING WHICH COULD EVENTUALLY SEIZE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A FAILURE OF THE BEARING COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: CHRYSLER WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND WILL INSTALL AN OIL PORT INSERT INTO THE REAR AXLE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 4, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHRYSLER AT 1-800-853-1403.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

EA19001 · Electrical Overstress

Opened Apr 19, 2019 · Closed Sep 19, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.  During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications.  The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU.  In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment.  FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle.  Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW.  These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes.  An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time.   In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU.  This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners.  Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation.  The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage.  There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation.  The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU.  If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC.  Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC.  All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled.  In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024.  With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.