U.S. public vehicle records

Dodge RAM 50 problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

31 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

80,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1984 to 1991 model years. Data updated: 2026-10-01 (October 1, 2026). 3 complaints include usable failure mileage. View data status.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly is the most frequently named component, appearing in 16 of 31 complaints (51.6%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	2	6.5%
Fuel system concerns	2	6.5%
Steering behavior	1	3.2%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly

Seat Belts

Electrical System:Wiring

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline

Fuel System, Gasoline:Carburetor System

Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly

Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Mounting

Component breakdown data
Category	Count
Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly	16
Seat Belts	3
Electrical System:Wiring	1
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	1
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	1
Fuel System, Gasoline:Carburetor System	1
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly	1
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Mounting	1

Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly: 16; Seat Belts: 3; Electrical System:Wiring: 1; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 1; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 1; Fuel System, Gasoline:Carburetor System: 1; Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly: 1; Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Mounting: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 1; 75,000 to 99,999: 1; 100,000 to 149,999: 1; 150,000 and above: 0

50,000 to 74,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (1). 28 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

1995

1996

1997

1998

2000

2002

2004

2019

1995: 8; 1996: 5; 1997: 7; 1998: 4; 2000: 3; 2002: 1; 2004: 2; 2019: 1

Pattern summary

Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 2 complaint narratives. Fuel system concerns appears in 2 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 981059 · 1996-03-21 (March 21, 1996)

BRAKES; FAILURE ON THE BRAKES SYSTEM WHEN DRIVING THE BRAKES LOCK UP. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 981059 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 515444 · 1997-03-10 (March 10, 1997)

ANTILOCK BRAKES FAILED.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 515444 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 810059 · 1997-03-17 (March 17, 1997)

CENTER OF FUEL TANK LEAKS DUE TO POSSIBLE CORROSION. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 810059 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 786438 · 2002-08-20 (August 20, 2002)

REAR GAS TANK BRACKET FAILED (RUSTED TRHOUGH) ALLOWING TANK TO SWING DOWN AND SKID ALONG PAVEMENT. ACCIDENT AVOIDED DUE TO LOW SPEED AND RAPID STOP. *TT

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 786438 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 816032 · 1997-09-04 (September 4, 1997)

CONSUMER WAS IN A 4 CAR PILE-UP CRASH, HER VEHICLE WAS THE FOURTH CAR. WAS DRIVING APPROX. 20-32 MPH. WEARING SEAT BELT WHEN THE THE CRASH OCCURRED. THE SHOULDER STRAP OF DRIVER SIDE COLLAPSED, ALLOWING CONSUMER'S 110LBS UPPER BODY TO HIT THE STEERING AREA AND WHEEL; THIGHS BRUISED ON ARM REST . *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 816032 at NHTSA ↗

Compare model years

Recalls by model year

All campaigns in the snapshot affecting each model year, including recalls announced years later.

From yearThrough year

Recall campaigns

Shared campaigns appear once in each affected model year.

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1984: 1; 1985: 1; 1986: 1; 1987: 1; 1988: 1; 1989: 1; 1990: 1; 1991: 1

First model yearSecond model year

Year-by-year records

Dodge RAM 50 model-year comparison
Model year	Complaints	Recalls	Change in recalls
1984	0	1	Not available
1985	1	1	0
1986	1	1	0
1987	9	1	0
1988	9	1	0
1989	5	1	0
1990	4	1	0
1991	2	1	0

Explore the data

Vehicle analysis explorer

Inspect model-year patterns, reported mileage, monthly activity and the evidence behind each signal.

Data completeness

31 unique complaints in this selection. Analysis snapshot: 2026-10-01.

9.7%Usable mileage3 / 31 records

54.8%Valid incident date17 / 31 records

100.0%Valid filing date31 / 31 records

54.8%Ordered incident and filing dates17 / 31 records

Missing, zero and invalid mileage is excluded. Dates after the snapshot are excluded. Examples are limited selections, not a representative sample.

Problems by model year

Model-wide comparison of the eight most reported components across the model. Cells show counts and shares within each model year. Open a cell for source examples.

From model yearThrough model year

Component complaint heatmap
Component	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991
Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	9100.0% ODI 530964 SEAT BELT BUCKLE RECALL WORK NOT DONE DUE TO DEALERSHIP HAVING NO KNOWLEDGE OF RECALL. Look up ODI 530964 at NHTSA ↗	555.6% ODI 805639 ALL THE SEAT BELT BUCKLES IN THE VEHICLE DO NOT WORK RECEIVED RECALL # 95V183000 THERE ARE NO PARTS . PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK Look up ODI 805639 at NHTSA ↗	240.0% ODI 967774 THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE IT WILL NOT LOCK . TT Look up ODI 967774 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Seat Belts	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	240.0% ODI 530321 SEAT BELTS COULD NOT BE REPLACED AS PER RECALL AFTER APPOINTMENT WAS MADE. Look up ODI 530321 at NHTSA ↗	125.0% ODI 11183457 · 115,589 mi THE SEAT BELT FOR BOTH PASSANGERS, DOES NOT LOCK TO HOLD PASSANGERS IN PLACE IN CASE OF SUDDEN IMPACT. Look up ODI 11183457 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Electrical System:Wiring	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	125.0% ODI 10066922 · 62,000 mi THE ENGINE GROUND WIRE WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY, CAUSING THE SENSORS TO BURN OUT. THE GROUND WIRE SHOULD HAVE HAVE BEEN MOUNTED ON THE ENGINE BLOCK. INSTEAD, IT WAS MOUNTED ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. AK (PARTS AFFECTED: THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR/IDLE SPEED CONTROL MOTOR POSITION SENSOR/ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSER) SC *JB Look up ODI 10066922 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	111.1% ODI 966338 CARBURETOR FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. *AK Look up ODI 966338 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	111.1% ODI 535851 ENGINE MAKING NOISE. Look up ODI 535851 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Fuel System, Gasoline:Carburetor System	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	111.1% ODI 966338 CARBURETOR FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. *AK Look up ODI 966338 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	1100.0% ODI 810059 CENTER OF FUEL TANK LEAKS DUE TO POSSIBLE CORROSION. *AK Look up ODI 810059 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Mounting	0Unavailable No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	111.1% ODI 786438 REAR GAS TANK BRACKET FAILED (RUSTED TRHOUGH) ALLOWING TANK TO SWING DOWN AND SKID ALONG PAVEMENT. ACCIDENT AVOIDED DUE TO LOW SPEED AND RAPID STOP. *TT Look up ODI 786438 at NHTSA ↗	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.	00.0% No examples available for this selection.

Darker cells indicate a larger share of submitted complaints. Components overlap. This measures complaint composition, not failure probability.

Failure mileage by component

Median and middle 50% of usable owner-reported mileages. Ranges require at least five records.

Component failure mileage distribution
Component	Mileage range (25th–75th percentile)	Median	Usable records	Examples
Seat Belts	Too few reports for a range	115,589 mi	1 (sparse)	ODI 11183457 · 115,589 mi THE SEAT BELT FOR BOTH PASSANGERS, DOES NOT LOCK TO HOLD PASSANGERS IN PLACE IN CASE OF SUDDEN IMPACT. Look up ODI 11183457 at NHTSA ↗
Electrical System:Wiring	Too few reports for a range	62,000 mi	1 (sparse)	ODI 10066922 · 62,000 mi THE ENGINE GROUND WIRE WAS INSTALLED INCORRECTLY, CAUSING THE SENSORS TO BURN OUT. THE GROUND WIRE SHOULD HAVE HAVE BEEN MOUNTED ON THE ENGINE BLOCK. INSTEAD, IT WAS MOUNTED ON THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. AK (PARTS AFFECTED: THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR/IDLE SPEED CONTROL MOTOR POSITION SENSOR/ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSER) SC *JB Look up ODI 10066922 at NHTSA ↗

Complaint and recall timeline

Explore monthly filing activity alongside recall announcements. Up to ten years of monthly history is available.

ComponentPeriod

Solid line: filed complaints. Dashed amber lines: recall announcement dates for this vehicle selection; markers include all recall components. The latest month is partial. Temporal proximity does not establish causation.

Monthly counts, recall campaigns and complaint examples

Monthly complaint and recall timeline
Month	Campaigns announced	Examples
2024-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2024-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-10	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-11	None	No examples available for this selection.
2025-12	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-01	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-02	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-03	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-04	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-05	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-06	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-07	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-08	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-09	None	No examples available for this selection.
2026-10 (partial)	None	No examples available for this selection.

Emerging complaint spikes

Complete months in the latest six months with at least 10 complaints, at least twice the preceding 12-month average, and at least three square-root deviations above that average.

This is a descriptive screening rule, not a statistical defect finding. Publicity and reporting changes can increase submissions.

No complete months meet the spike thresholds for this selection.

Equal-age model-year comparison

Model-wide cumulative reports during the first three or five calendar years, starting with the model year (age 0). Only fully elapsed windows are compared.

Observation windowFirst model yearSecond model year

1990: 0 complaints · 1991: 0 complaints

Equal observation windows
Model year	Through age 0	Through age 1	Through age 2
1990	0	0	0
1991	0	0	0

Date coverage across each selected cohort

Date basis for all complaints in selected model years
Year	Incident dates used	Filing date fallbacks	Excluded dates
1990	4	0	0
1991	1	1	0

Incident date is preferred when valid and no later than filing; otherwise filing date is used. Model year approximates age. Equal observation time does not adjust for sales, distance driven or reporting delays. One complaint linked to multiple model years can appear in each cohort.

Components reported together

Each cell counts unique complaints naming both components. Open a nonzero cell for examples.

Component co-occurrence matrix
Component	Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly	Seat Belts	Electrical System:Wiring	Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	Fuel System, Gasoline:Carburetor System	Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly	Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Mounting
Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly	—	0	0	1 ODI 966338 CARBURETOR FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. *AK Look up ODI 966338 at NHTSA ↗	0	1 ODI 966338 CARBURETOR FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. *AK Look up ODI 966338 at NHTSA ↗	0	0
Seat Belts	0	—	0	0	0	0	0	0
Electrical System:Wiring	0	0	—	0	0	0	0	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine	1 ODI 966338 CARBURETOR FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. *AK Look up ODI 966338 at NHTSA ↗	0	0	—	0	1 ODI 966338 CARBURETOR FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. *AK Look up ODI 966338 at NHTSA ↗	0	0
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline	0	0	0	0	—	0	0	0
Fuel System, Gasoline:Carburetor System	1 ODI 966338 CARBURETOR FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. *AK Look up ODI 966338 at NHTSA ↗	0	0	1 ODI 966338 CARBURETOR FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. *AK Look up ODI 966338 at NHTSA ↗	0	—	0	0
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly	0	0	0	0	0	0	—	0
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Mounting	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	—

Co-reporting does not establish that one component caused another concern.

Recurring narrative patterns

Specific keyword mentions beyond broad component labels. Matching includes negations and comparisons and does not confirm a diagnosis.

Search patterns

1 patterns with matching reports.

Brake response concerns

1 mentions · 3.2% of complaints

Median mileage: Unavailable (0 usable records).

ODI 515444

ANTILOCK BRAKES FAILED.

Look up ODI 515444 at NHTSA ↗

Matching rule