1994 Dodge Ram 1500 problems & reliability
116 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1994 Dodge Ram 1500. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
11 complaints report injuries (13 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 22 | 19% |
| Steering | 17 | 15% |
| Suspension | 16 | 14% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 11 | 9% |
| Exterior Lighting | 8 | 7% |
| Structure | 8 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 7 | 6% |
| Power Train | 7 | 6% |
| Visibility | 7 | 6% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 108,250 miles (middle 50% between 73,750 and 206,396 miles), based on 28 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Went to crank the truck one day and all of a sidden the igniton switch started smoking . It burnt the whole entire wire from the top all the way to the PCM”
Electrical System · filed Dec 7, 2021
“I have has issues with electrical ony dodge truck, the light switch for headlights burning wires from nowhere when driving from light switch.aril of 2020 I was involved in an auto accident which was a result of my air bag steering wheel went off by itself, the light for the air bag was on for air bag was intermittent…”
Exterior Lighting · filed Oct 21, 2020
“Lower intermediate steering shaft broke, causing complete loss of steering control. Fortunately, was just moving farm pickup out of barn and not on road at the time. Barely moving when control was lost trying to turn.”
Steering · filed Sep 8, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SEAT BACK FAILURE
Defect Petition DP03006 · opened Sep 23, 2003 · closed Apr 8, 2004
- STEERING COLUMN SEPARATION
Defect Petition DP03002 · opened May 7, 2003 · closed Jul 22, 2003
- HEADLIGHT CIRCUIT
Engineering Analysis EA98010 · opened May 8, 1998 · closed Dec 10, 1999 · led to recall 99V024000
- ALLEGED FAILURE OF STEERING PITMAN SHAFT
Preliminary Evaluation PE96022 · opened Mar 22, 1996 · closed Jul 31, 1996
Technical service bulletins
3 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1994 Dodge Ram 1500.
Valve Body. These may cause over drive cycling.
R2118796A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 26, 2016
Part Description: Insulator on Lever Assy Manual Valve - Valve Body - RWD Transmission Issue Description: The manual valve insulator, attaching rivet and instruction sheet are now available as a kit. If the insulator…
9002849 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 3, 2014
68069384A$, R8069384A$, 68086182A$, R8027067A$, RL002012A$ - Gasket, Cylinder Head Cover Before replacing injectors for Diagnostic Trouble Codes P0201, P0202, P0203, P0204, P0205, and/or P0206, please make sure that the…
9002688 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 13, 2013
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1994 Dodge Ram 1500 in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1994 Dodge Ram 1500?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 108,250 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.