322 of 579 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
56% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2012 Ram 1500 are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.
Worse than 73% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 118 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 46%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE,ENGINE07/10/2013CRASH3 INJURED
I WAS DRIVING MY SONS 2012 RAM 1500 4X4 CREW CAB WITH LESS THAN 20K ON THE ODOMETER BACK FROM TEXAS TO NORTH CAROLINA. I FELL ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL AND WE RAN INTO A PORTABLE TOW BEHIND HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION SIGN, BOUNCED OFF A GUARD RAIL AND THEN ROLLED SEVERAL TIMES DOWN THE FREEWAY EMBANKMENT ON I-20 IN TUSCALOOSA ALAB…
POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE03/28/2021CRASH1 INJURED
WHEN MOVING VEHICLE AFTER FUELING, TRUCK WAS STOPPED, PUT IN PARK AND DRIVER OPENED THE DOOR TO EXIT THE VEHICLE. THE TRUCK UNEXPECTEDLY BEGAN MOVING BACKWARD AND THE DRIVER WAS KNOCKED TO THE GROUND BY THE DOOR. THE DOOR CAUGHT THE DOOR ON THE FUEL PUMP GUARD POST, BENDING THE DOOR BACK BEYOND 90 DEGREES AND BENDING…
POWER TRAIN03/24/2015CRASH1 INJURED
I HAD PUT MY 2012 RAM 1500 INTO PARK AND WALKED UP THE SIDEWALK, HAPPENED TO LOOK OUT AND IT WAS MOVING AND I RAN TO GET INTO IT TRYING TO STOP IT FROM HITTING OR CRASHING INTO SOMETHING. I DIDN'T GET TO IT IN TIME AND I GOT PINNED BETWEEN THE VEHICLE AND THE HOUSE CAUSING ME TO BREAK MY TAILBONE AND PELVIS IN TWO PLA…
Three of 322 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (7)
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT
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 …
EQUIPMENT
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling various Dodge, Chrysler, and RAM vehicles equipped with Kidde Plastic-Handle or Push Button 'Pindicator' Fire Extinguishers. A list of…
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Dodge Ram 1500 trucks currently, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryla…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2012 Ram 1500
Ask the seller whether the engine has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown stalling, loss of power, rough idle, oil consumption or a check-engine light.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many engine faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the engine.
7 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A engine already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle. Combined across 3 body styles NHTSA files separately.
