2012 Dodge Ram 3500 problems & reliability
365 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 Dodge Ram 3500, alongside 8 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.
2 complaints report injuries (3 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 222 | 61% |
| Electrical System | 45 | 12% |
| Suspension | 36 | 10% |
| Engine | 35 | 10% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 29 | 8% |
| Power Train | 28 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 15 | 4% |
| Wheels | 15 | 4% |
| Service Brakes | 14 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 11 | 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 47,000 miles (middle 50% between 20,000 and 110,386 miles), based on 161 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Driving my 2012 dodge ram 3500, just as I was crossing one of the busiest intersections in my town my truck lost all power and dropped from 35mph to 5 mph. Barley made it acrossed and pulled over. As soon as I pulled over the engine light comes on, checked code, and U010C lost coms with turbo actuator comes up. Turned…”
Engine · filed Apr 30, 2026
“The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Ram 3500. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the steering wheel was loose. The contact pulled over and discovered that the steering shaft had detached. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who repaired the steering shaft. The manufacturer was not made aware of the…”
Steering · filed Apr 13, 2026
“This truck has had to have several high temp burnoffs because of failures in the EGR and Carbon build up. The recent recall for Rams does not cover the 2012, and began at 2013, however, we are experiencing the same exact issues with the same type of system. In addition, we have had repeated airbag issues due to the…”
Air Bags · filed Sep 22, 2025
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Electrical overstress
Engineering Analysis EA19001 · opened Apr 19, 2019 · closed Sep 19, 2024 · led to recall 20V024
Technical service bulletins
312 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2012 Dodge Ram 3500. The 10 most recent:
Trac-Rite Operation Diagnosis, Chatter, Shudder, Moving From A Stop And Turning
S1203000003 REV.A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 26, 2026
Bearing - crankshaft thrust and kit
112906 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 17, 2026
Bearing - crankshaft thrust and kit
112906 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 17, 2026
LAMP - DOME
106241 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 28, 2025
LAMP - DOME
104974 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 12, 2025
LAMP - DOME
103774 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2025
SEAL - OUTPUT SHAFT
102387 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 19, 2024
SEAL - OUTPUT SHAFT
102389 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 19, 2024
GEAR - REACTION SUN
102307 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 17, 2024
Plate - Planetary
101232 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 30, 2024
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 2012 Dodge Ram 3500 has 8 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 2012 Dodge Ram 3500?
- · 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 47,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.