621 of 1,535 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
42% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2016 Ram 1500 are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.
Worse than 51% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
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,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE04/17/2017CRASH3 INJURED
TRUCK PROCEEDING AT ABOUT 30-35 MILES PER HR. ON A MAIN CITY STREET WHEN A CAR TRAVELED DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF IT DUE TO ITS FAILURE TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN ON A SIDE STREET. FRONT OF TRUCK CRASHED INTO CAR. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO FRONT OF TRUCK RESULTED. QUESTIONING WHY NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG IN THIS HEAD- ON CRASH. TRUC…
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE10/17/20172 INJURED
THE TRUCK WAS PUT INTO PARK WITH THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND THE ENGINE RUNNING. IT WAS PARKED IN A RESTAURANT PARKING LOT. THEN AROUND FIVE MINUTES LATER, IT WENT INTO REVERSE AND BEGAN ROLLING BACKWARDS. IT SEEMED TO ACCELERATE. I HAD TO JUMP IN AND SLAM ON THE BRAKE TO STOP IT. I DO NOT KNOW HOW THIS COULD OCCUR…
I was driving down the highway when my truck suddenly throws its self into park while traveling at 55 mph. My stuck started spinning causing me to bounce off the safety rails on both sides of the highway. My truck took a front end hit to a concrete wall and my airbags did not deploy. Once my truck came to a stop sidewa…
Three of 621 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 (17)
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ram 1500 and 2014-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with 3.0L diesel engines. The crankshaft position senso…
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks equipped with an 8 foot bed and a power locking tailgate. Chrysler is also rec…
STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2015-2017 RAM 1500, 2500, and 3500 pickup trucks equipped with a power locking tailgate and either a 5 foot, 7 inch or 6 foot, …
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2016 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.
17 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.
