2021 Ram 1500
Hybrid Gas Diesel Pickup truck
The 2021 Ram 1500 is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid, gas and diesel pickup truck with 15 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the 1500 2WD, is EPA-rated at 26 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 15 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 675 complaints, most often about engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 HFE 2WD | Hybrid | RWD | 3.6L 6-cyl + 48V Li-Ion | 20 | 26 | 23 | $2,700 |
| 1500 2WD | Hybrid | RWD | 3.6L 6-cyl + 48V Li-Ion | 20 | 25 | 22 | $2,850 |
| 1500 4WD | Hybrid | 4WD | 3.6L 6-cyl + 48V Li-Ion | 19 | 24 | 21 | $2,950 |
| 1500 2WD | Hybrid | RWD | 5.7L 8-cyl + 48V Li-Ion | 17 | 23 | 19 | $3,750 |
| 1500 4WD | Hybrid | 4WD | 5.7L 8-cyl + 48V Li-Ion | 17 | 22 | 19 | $3,750 |
| 1500 Classic 2WD | Gas | RWD | 3.6L 6-cyl | 17 | 25 | 20 | $3,100 |
| 1500 Classic 4WD | Gas | 4WD | 3.6L 6-cyl | 16 | 23 | 19 | $3,300 |
| 1500 2WD | Gas | RWD | 5.7L 8-cyl | 15 | 22 | 17 | $4,200 |
| 1500 4WD | Gas | 4WD | 5.7L 8-cyl | 15 | 21 | 17 | $4,200 |
| 1500 Classic 2WD | Gas | RWD | 5.7L 8-cyl | 15 | 22 | 17 | $4,200 |
| 1500 Classic 4WD | Gas | 4WD | 5.7L 8-cyl | 15 | 21 | 17 | $4,200 |
| 1500 TRX 4WD | Gas | 4WD | 6.2L 8-cyl | 10 | 14 | 12 | $6,450 |
| 1500 2WD | Diesel | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 22 | 32 | 26 | $3,450 |
| 1500 HFE 2WD | Diesel | RWD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 23 | 33 | 26 | $3,450 |
| 1500 4WD | Diesel | 4WD | 3.0L 6-cyl turbo | 21 | 29 | 24 | $3,750 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
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Recalls (15)
Seat Belts
highProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 vehicles. The second-row seat belt buckle anchors may have been improperly installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
Risk: An improperly installed seat belt buckle anchor may fail to properly restrain occupants, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and attach the seat belt buckle anchor to the body structure as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 18, 2026. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 67D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 6, 2026.
Air Bags
highProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Ram 1500, Ram 2500, Ram 3500, Ram 4500, and Ram 5500 vehicles. The steering column control module may cause the driver's side air bag not to deploy as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: A driver's side air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the steering column control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning December 11, 2025. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 14C. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning November 13, 2025.
Electrical System
highProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2024 Ram 1500 vehicles. The driver's side air bag may not be connected properly, which can cause the air bag not to deploy as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: A driver's side air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers secured the connectors for the air bag, free of charge. All vehicles have been remedied. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2025. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 08C.
Visibility
highProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Ram 1500 Classic vehicles equipped with heated trailer tow rearview mirrors. The mirror glass may detach from the driver's side heated trailer tow rearview mirror. As such these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: Detached mirror glass can reduce driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the mirror glass, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 5, 2024. Owners may contact FCA Customer Service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 86B.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
highProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019, 2021-2024 Ram 1500 vehicles. Due to a software malfunction, the anti-lock brake system (ABS) control module may disable the electronic stability control system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Driving with a disabled electronic stability control system can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the ABS control module software, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed October 10, 2024. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning September 26, 2024. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 85B.
Power Train
highProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Ram 1500 vehicles equipped with 5.7L eTorque engines. The powertrain control module software may cause an incorrect fuel mixture condition in the engine, and result in an engine stall.
Risk: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the Powertrain Control Module calibration software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 27, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 37A.
Back Over Prevention
minorProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Ram 1500 and 2023 Ram 2500 vehicles. The trailer reverse steering control module (TRSCM) may prevent the rearview image from displaying when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview image that does not display while in reverse decreases the driver's visibility of the rear view, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the TRSCM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 1, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 14A. This recall supersedes and expands previous recall numbers 21V-438 and 21V-918. FCA US Recall ID 63A is a vehicle population expansion of FCA US Recall ID 14A (NHTSA Recall ID 23V-059).
Structure
highProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 pickup trucks. The tailgate may not latch properly due to misaligned tailgate strikers, which could result in the tailgate opening while driving.
Risk: An unintended tailgate opening while driving may result in a loss of unsecured cargo, possibly creating a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the tailgate striker alignment to the box latch and adjust, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is ZB8.
Fuel System, Gasoline
highProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Jeep Wrangler, Ram 1500, and 2021-2022 Jeep Gladiator vehicles equipped with 3.0L diesel engines. The high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) may fail, causing an engine stall.
Risk: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the HPFP and inspect and replace additional fuel system components, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 17, 2023. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is Z96.
Back Over Prevention
minorProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Jeep Wrangler, RAM 1500 and 2021 Jeep Gladiator vehicles. A radio software error may prevent the rearview image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the radio software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 6, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA, LLC's number for this recall is Z86.
Air Bags
highProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Ram 2500, Ram 3500, and 2021 Ram 1500 Classic pickup trucks. The side air bag inflatable curtain (SABIC) assemblies may have been manufactured with the incorrect amount of compressed gas, which can result in an improper air bag deployment.
Risk: An air bag that deploys improperly can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the SABIC assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 17, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Y99.
Back Over Prevention
minorProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Ram 1500 pickup trucks. The Trailer Reverse Steering Control Module (TRSCM) may prevent the rearview image from displaying. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the TRSCM software. Interim owner notification letters were mailed on January 19, 2022. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 22, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Y80. This recall was superseded by 23V-059.
Tires
highProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Ram 1500 vehicles. The incorrect-size spare tire may have been installed, which does not match the tire size and inflation pressure information on the tire placard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection And Rims."
Risk: A driver that relies on the incorrect spare tire inflation pressure on the tire placard label may inflate the spare tire incorrectly, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the spare tire assembly, free of charge. The owner notification letter was mailed on September 9, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US LLC's number for this recall is Y62.
Back Over Prevention
minorProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Ram 1500 vehicles equipped with a trailer reverse steering module (TRSCM). The rearview camera image may not display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will update the TRSCM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 24, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA, US, LLC's number for this recall is Y30. This recall was superseded by recall number 21V-918.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
criticalProblem: Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Ram 1500 Classic SLT trucks. Certain vehicles were built without the retaining clip that secures the master cylinder push rod to the brake pedal, which can cause the brake pedal to separate from the brake system.
Risk: A separated brake pedal can result in the driver being unable to apply the service brakes, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Owners are advised to not drive their vehicles until they receive instructions on the inspection and repair, as necessary. FCA US will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and install the push rod clip, free of charge. The recall began February 9, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US number for this recall is Y04.
NHTSA investigations
Fuel System, Diesel:Delivery:Fuel Pump — High pressure fuel pump failure (open)
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE21-021 on October 14, 2021, to investigate incidents alleging a stall/loss of motive power as a result of high-pressure fuel pump failures in certain model year (MY) 2019-2020 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 heavy duty trucks equipped with 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel engines. During the investigation, ODI sought to determine if the related defect allegation was limited in scope to the recalled population. After review of information request response materials from both FCA and BMW, NHTSA determined that sufficient information to identify a comprehensive recall population could not be produced by FCA and BMW.During the investigation FCA filed rec
Opened Mar 17, 2023 · action EA23001
Owner complaints
675 complaints filed
26 involved a crash, 4 a fire, 23 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2020: 2 · 2021: 118 · 2022: 113 · 2023: 114 · 2024: 96 · 2025: 158 · 2026: 74
Most-cited components
- Engine — 276
- Electrical System — 196
- Unknown Or Other — 102
- Power Train — 99
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 68
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PU/CC 2WD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 20% |
| PU/CC 4WD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 20% |
| PU/CC 2WD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 20% |
| PU/CC 4WD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | 22% |
| PU/EC 2WD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 20% |
| PU/EC 2WD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 20% |
| PU/EC 4WD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 20% |
| PU/EC 4WD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | 22% |
| PU/RC 2WD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 20% |
| PU/RC 4WD | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | 22% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Compare the 2021 1500 with
Other 1500 model years
2027 1500
0 recalls · 0 complaints
F2026 1500
7 recalls · 84 complaints
F2025 1500
8 recalls · 335 complaints
F2024 1500
6 recalls · 70 complaints
F2023 1500
11 recalls · 197 complaints
F2022 1500
16 recalls · 606 complaints
F2020 1500
14 recalls · 622 complaints
F2019 1500
29 recalls · 1,467 complaints
F2018 1500
15 recalls · 659 complaints
F2017 1500
13 recalls · 869 complaints
F2016 1500
16 recalls · 1,534 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 43415, 43006, 43014, 43008, 43016, 43461, 43468, 43009, 43017, 43462, 43469, 43416). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.