2008 Dodge Ram 1500 problems & reliability
553 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2008 Dodge Ram 1500, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. 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.
29 complaints report injuries (37 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 164 | 30% |
| Steering | 103 | 19% |
| Power Train | 73 | 13% |
| Electrical System | 52 | 9% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 50 | 9% |
| Suspension | 49 | 9% |
| Engine | 35 | 6% |
| Unknown OR Other | 27 | 5% |
| Wheels | 19 | 3% |
| Service Brakes | 18 | 3% |
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 67,726 miles (middle 50% between 36,000 and 102,258 miles), based on 364 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Vehicle diagnosed September 5, 2025 with failed front driver-side CV axle. Covered under factory lifetime powertrain warranty. Manufacturer (Stellantis) has been unable to supply replacement part for over seven months due to “tooling issue” and no ETA. Vehicle continues to operate with worsening vibration and noise…”
Power Train · filed Mar 2, 2026
“I have been trying for over two years to have my local dodge dealership process the recall for my takata airbags (sandy sansing dodge in milton fl). Every attempt is either met with being disconnected from the call or being told I will be called back, and it never happens. I havr also attempted to call fcas takata…”
Air Bags · filed Feb 24, 2026
“Was driving home going 35 the rear end spider gears decided to lock up completely cause loss of control of my vehicle”
Power Train · filed Dec 28, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
- Chrysler's execution of 13V-528 & 529
Audit Query AQ14003 · opened Oct 20, 2014 · closed May 16, 2016
Technical service bulletins
55 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. The 10 most recent:
LAMP - DOME
103774 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2025
Plate - Planetary
101232 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2024
Connector kit Before ordering this connector repair kit 68018957A$, check it in the Mopar Connector Repair Kit Website to confirm part number and applicability. There is an error with the wiring diagrams in Service…
9100226 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2023
Connector kit Before ordering this connector repair kit 68018957A$, check it in the Mopar Connector Repair Kit Website to confirm part number and applicability. There is an error with the wiring diagrams in Service…
9100226 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2023
Transmission Kit with Torque Converter 1. All Promaster (VF) 3.6L/62TE equipped vehicles. If the transmission bracket to the transmission case fasteners are removed during servicing, the fasteners (Part Number…
9004009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2021
GEAR MOTOR, Transfer Case The gear motor assembly is shipped in AWD/2WD position. The transfer case needs to be positioned in AWD/2WD position to properly assemble gear motor to T-Case. Please reference Star Online…
9004350 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2021
GEAR MOTOR, Transfer Case The gear motor assembly is shipped in AWD/2WD position. The transfer case needs to be positioned in AWD/2WD position to properly assemble gear motor to T-Case. Please reference Star Online…
9004350 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2021
Mechanical rocker arm, intake, 1.7 ratio.
9001784 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2021
Mechanical rocker arm, intake, 1.7 ratio.
9001784 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2021
Noise coming from the rear HVAC blower due to interference.
9001764 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2021
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
The 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 2008 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 67,726 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.