- Safety
- 0
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 8
- on record
- MPG
- —
- combined
Heavily recalled
8 safety recalls on record. Confirm with the seller that every campaign has been completed.
Vehicle Summary
2021 Ram 2500
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 8
- Owner complaints
- 103
- Complaints citing a crash
- 6
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
8 Recalls on Record
2 of these are high-severity. Contact a dealer to verify these have been completed.
Safety recalls
8 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 21V798000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:RELAYS/SOLENOIDS
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Ram 3500, 2500 pickup trucks, and Ram 3500, 4500, and 5500 cab chassis vehicles equipped with Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel engines. An electrical short in the relay may cause a vehicle fire with the ignition on or off.
Consequence
A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Owners are advised to park these vehicles outside of buildings or structures, and not near other vehicles, until the vehicle has been remedied. Dealers will inspect and, if needed, replace the Solid State Intake Heater Grid Relay ("Relay"); if FCA US Recall ID Y08 (NHTSA Recall ID 21V-163) is open, then insulating material will be applied to the Relay after inspection. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Y76. This recall has been superseded by 23V060.
- 21V925000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW:CURTAIN
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.
Consequence
An air bag that deploys improperly can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 21V163000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021 Ram 2500, 3500, and 3500, 4500, and 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles equipped with a Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel engine. An electrical short may occur in the Solid State Intake Heater Grid Relay, which could result in a vehicle fire.
Consequence
A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect and, if needed, replace the Solid State Intake Heater Grid Relay ("Relay"); if FCA US Recall ID Y08 (NHTSA Recall ID 21V-163) is open, then insulating material will be applied to the Relay after inspection. Customers are advised to not park these vehicles inside of buildings or structures, or near other vehicles until the vehicle has the final repair completed. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Y76. Owners may contact FCA US LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US LLC's number for this recall is Y08. This recall has been superseded by recall number 21V-798.
- 22V140000high
Brake system issue
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Ram 2500 and 2021-2022 Dodge Durango vehicles, and 2019-2022 3500 cab chassis with GVWR less than 10,000 lbs. The ABS control module software may prevent the electronic stability control (ESC) malfunction indicator light from illuminating during certain conditions. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Consequence
An ESC malfunction indicator light that fails to illuminate during an electronic stability control problem can increase the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will update the ABS control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 29, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is Z20.
- 22V835000high
Drivetrain issue
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
FCA US, LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Ram 2500 and 2020-2022 Ram 3500 vehicles. A build-up of pressure and heat inside the transmission may result in a transmission fluid leak from the dipstick tube.
Consequence
Leaking transmission fluid may contact an ignition source within the engine compartment, increasing the risk of a fire.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will replace the transmission dipstick and transmission vent assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 29, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is ZA3.
- 22V904000high
Body/structure issue
STRUCTURE:BODY:TAILGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
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.
Consequence
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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 23V060000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:RELAYS/SOLENOIDS
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Ram 2500, 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis, and 4500, 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles equipped with a Cummins 6.7L Turbo Diesel engine. An electrical short may occur in the heater grid relay with the ignition on or off.
Consequence
An electrical short in the relay can result in an engine compartment fire with the ignition on or off, increasing the risk of injury.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the relay, free of charge. This will be a Phased campaign. Phase 1 will include 2023 model year vehicles. FCA US will notify dealers on or about 3/23/2023 and begin notifying owners on or about 4/5/2023. Phase 2 will include 2022 model year vehicles and Phase 3 will include 2021 model year vehicles. FCA US will notify dealers and owners on or about 4/27/2023 for Phase 2 and 5/11/2023 for Phase 3. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed March 28, 2023. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed April 5, 2023. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 13A. This recall is an expansion of and supersedes recall number 21V-798.
- 25V765000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
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."
Consequence
A driver's side air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2021 Ram 2500.
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 29.2%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- No
What the ratings mean
NHTSA published rollover resistance for this vehicle but not frontal crash, side crash and side pole. An untested area is not a poor result — it means no published data exists, and the overall star rating is calculated without it.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 29.2% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
The EPA holds no fuel-economy record for this model year.
The EPA does not publish a record for every model year.
Consumer complaints
103 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 103
- Total
- 6
- Crashes
- 8
- Fires
- 2
- Injuries
Most reported components
- ENGINE46
- ELECTRICAL13
- BRAKES9
- STRUCTURE9
- OTHER5
Notable Issues
103 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 2 reports involve injuries. 6 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2021 Ram 2500, newest first.
- Recall
A driver's side air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
- Recall
An electrical short in the relay can result in an engine compartment fire with the ignition on or off, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
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.
- Recall
Leaking transmission fluid may contact an ignition source within the engine compartment, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Recall
An ESC malfunction indicator light that fails to illuminate during an electronic stability control problem can increase the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An air bag that deploys improperly can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
- Recall
A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.
- Recall
A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- Unknown
- Drive type
- Unknown
- Engine
- 0L 0-cyl
- Fuel type
- Unknown
- Transmission
- Unknown
- Seats
- 0
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Systems recalled
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
A driver's side air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
- Recall
An electrical short in the relay can result in an engine compartment fire with the ignition on or off, increasing the risk of injury.
- Recall
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.
- Recall
Leaking transmission fluid may contact an ignition source within the engine compartment, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Recall
An ESC malfunction indicator light that fails to illuminate during an electronic stability control problem can increase the risk of a crash.