10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
77,694 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Dodge Ram 1500 engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Dodge Ram 1500 Owner Comments (Page 2 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #131

Jun 172021

Ram 1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

If I am driving and a lifter gives out and the vehicle shuts down then ANYTHING can happen at any speed. SO wtf are ya'll talking about this is not a safety concern? So if u want to get into how many people are in harms way if this fails we are talking about Thousands to Millions. AS THESE CARS GET OLDER WE WILL ONLY SEE THIS HAPPEN MORE OFTEN. Build a terrible product u need to get called out for the terrible design because u wee trying to screw people out of repair money by the terrible design. These companies should be sued out of existence. They dont care about the longevity of their product and should not be allowed to sell to AMERICANS.

- Vail, AZ, USA

problem #130

Mar 152021

Ram 1500

  • miles
Engine is giving a code that a lifter is bad. With only 170000 miles this should never be a problem unless there is a defect with the parts used to make the engine.

- Vail, AZ, USA

problem #129

May 032021

Ram 1500

  • miles
The lifters are knocking and there's a tick in the engine. I've done some research and there's a whole forum regarding complaints for the Hemi's 5.7L engines in this specific year of my vehicle and other FCA vehicles, stating the notorious "Hemi tick" and the lifters going bad. Yes my vehicle is available for inspection because I can't afford the amount shops are trying to charge. If multiple vehicle's, made by FCA with the Hemi engine for models 2011, are having the same issue I would think it had to do with a manufacturing defect. The vehicle has caused a major vibration and jerking when I try to drive which could in turn cause me to wreck! My vehicle has been inspected at a shop. My check engine light is on and came on after hearing the tick in the engine for awhile previous to the light coming on. The lifters knocking started about a month ago.

- Oregon, OH, USA

problem #128

Feb 102021

Ram 1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Fuel Pump Relay inside the TPIM failed as did in the same unit that has been previously recalled in other vehicles.Chrysler Recall P54. Without warning the relay failed while hiking in the desert. I returned to a dead battery and a 17 mile hike back out to cell signal to get help. If this failure happened while driving down the road the results could have been a very deadly crash. Why is this part under recall on other vehicles and not this one? It is the same part!

- Trout Creek, MT, USA

problem #127

Mar 072021

Ram 1500

  • 180,000 miles
Truck was driving normally until getting on the highway. As truck was driving on the on ramp to highway and trying to merge into traffic it hit 60mph and started to shake violently and engine bogged down, slowing the truck down to under 60 mph. The check engine light came on, flashing. Slowed down and the check engine light went off and truck drove find. After pulling over to side of the road engine shut off and restarted. No issues. Attempted to merge back into highway traffic but again truck shook and bogged down once reaching 55mph. Took into dealership and plugs and coil pack were replaced. This did not solve the issue. Catalytic converters was checked and it was not plugged and functioning properly. Needless to say this was another Ram with a bad lifter that cause the cam shaft to wear out. Engine was replaced. After engine was replaced this led to issues with the seal between the oil pan seal and the engine. The seal failed and was leaking oil. Took right back to dealership and they now have had to put two oil seals on. Please look into this issue as this is the 4th Ram I've heard of listed in the last month with this issue. There are similar issues noted recently on this website.

- Sheboygan, WI, USA

problem #126

Mar 202021

Ram 1500

  • 79,000 miles
Engine code reading misfire on cylinder 3 while driving down the interstate. Vehicle has less than 80K miles. Vehicle starts to shake and is harder to control, and loses acceleration, is random, almost causing a multi-car pileup. Issue is the camshaft and lifters. It is descibed in this communication https://static.NHTSA.gov/ODI/tsbs/2021/mc-10187058-9999.pdf this is apparently a known issue with anything with a 5.7, 6.0 or 6.4 hemi motor. Spark plugs and plug wires were replaced 3/21/21, driven again on 3/22/21, same issue, almost causing another crash due to loss of power on the interstate when merging, and then shaking almost sending the vehicle into bridge.

- Council Bluffs, IA, USA

problem #125

Feb 172021

Ram 1500

  • 118,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Engine would not start. Once started while driving motor would surge like not getting gas and almost stall. Mechanics replaced fuel pump but while driving and parking for dinner engine once again wouldnt start. Mechanics still havent resolved issue

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #124

Apr 012017

Ram 1500

  • 75,000 miles
Truck has a hard time starting first time of the day after that it is

- Marysville, CA, USA

problem #123

Nov 282020

Ram 1500

  • 86,000 miles
I was operating my vehicle when it presented a check engine light. I utilized a code reader to determine it was a cylinder 5 misfire code. The code disappeared after roughly 30 seconds. About an hour later, the check engine light came on and stayed on. The truck started violently shaking, causing me to almost lose control of the steering wheel. I had to quickly pull off to the side of the road from the middle lane, almost causing multiple accidents as my speed rapidly decreased. The shaking continued for another two minutes after which it stopped. I was able to get the vehicle home by traveling at a low rate of speed and keeping the engine speed under 3000 RPM. The issue was diagnosed as a failing camshaft and lifters causing a misfire and the loss of power. This is a serious safety issue, and I am not able to drive my vehicle for fear of the misfire occurring again and me losing control of the vehicle causing an accident.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

problem #122

Oct 012020

Ram 1500

  • 160,000 miles
The check engine light came on while driving and the code was a P305 which is an engine misfire on cylinder 5. we had the truck looked at and the spark plugs were replaced then the coil packs none of which fixed the truck. Finally the dealership said the lifters in the motor failed which damaged the cam shaft. We had to replace the motor in the truck. The dealership even said that the part was faulty and Dodge continued to use them in the engines.

- Corinth, VT, USA

problem #121

Oct 192020

Ram 1500

  • 100,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle loss motive power and stalled without warning. The contact pulled over and the vehicle restarted after several attempts. The contact stated that the failure recurred and after manipulating the key in the ignition, the vehicle started. Towbin Dodge (275 auto mall dr, henderson, nv 89014, (702) 558-3800) was contacted and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with an ignition switch failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted or informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,500.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #120

Oct 072020

Ram 1500

  • 165,000 miles
When I turned my vehicle off and took the key out the fuel pump continued to run for hours because the fuel pump relay is bad. This truck doesn't have an external fuel pump relay like most vehicles do. By having a bad internal relay it can cause gas to continue to pump in an accident and if there is a fire the fuel will continue to pump and not shut off. Also by this fuel relay not shutting off the fuel pump it drains my battery and it will burn out the fuel pump.. the biggest concern by not having an external fuel relay where a person can change it is that when it don't shut off as your driving and get I an accident where fire or heat is involved this could cause an explosion injury or even death, because people don't know this relay is bad and can't change it without changing the whole fuse box or getting the fuse box replaced. The first time it happened I parked the car and removed key and left it for 8 hours while I was at work. I came out to a dead battery, after hooking up jumper cables I could hear a humming sound, which turned out to be the fuel pump continuing to pump gas even though key was out and truck was turned off... I know Dodge recalled other types of vehicles with this same problem.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #119

Sep 242020

Ram 1500

  • 176,199 miles
Wheel bearings transmission brakes alternator battery sitting still with alternator and battery and in motion with wheel bearings brakes and transmission

- Bristol, TN, USA

problem #118

May 012020

Ram 1500

  • 155,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Ram 1500. The contact stated that at vehicle start-up, the engine rattled and vibrated without warning. Over time, the contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated while driving at 35 mph. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who informed him that there was a misfire in cylinder #8. the contact was informed that in order to repair the vehicle, the lifters and possibly the camshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The dealer had yet to be notified of the failure. The manufacturer had been notified and the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The contact was then referred to NHTSA and was offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

- New Castle, PA, USA

problem #117

Aug 242020

Ram 1500

  • miles
Back in August of 2019 I bought my car to the browns 112 dealership and got work done to put in a new engine in the car this work took over 4 months, the check engine light was never off the car now a year later almost and the car is givin me the same problem with the engine shaking and now the dealership is telling me that 27,000 on the new engine the problem is mine and that I wreck the car which I don't understand how I did this

- Islip, NY, USA

problem #116

Jul 152020

Ram 1500

  • 139,900 miles
Check engine light came out and vehicle became sluggish on highway. Cylinders missfiring. Lifter noise so removed and replaced camshaft and solenoid. Found many others with similar issues online: Https://www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/ram_1500/2011/engine/lifter_and_cam_issue.shtml and https://www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/ram_1500/2011/engine/lifter_and_cam_issue-2.shtml

- St. Robert, MO, USA

problem #115

Jun 022020

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 138,700 miles
Check engine light illuminated while driving. Lost power and had to pull over due to vibration. Could not drive even close to the speed limit and caused a traffic backup while driving it to the dealer. Code ws P0305. Misfire on cylinder 5. the dealer changed plugs, and coil pack. Reset check engine light. Drove 12 miles and check engine light illuminated again. Returned to dealer. Mechanic stated it was worn cam. Estimated cost to repair is 4500-5000. This truck only has 140,000 miles on it. I have taken extra care with this vehicle. I'm retired and I planned on this being my last truck. Upon investigation there are literally 10000's of these engines breaking in this manner. It's not only trucks but in all of the various Chrysler vehicles. This started with the first model 5.7 hemi. There is no comment or help from Chrysler. This engine failure needs to be addressed by NHTSA. Individuals have little power to do anything which is why we rely on government organizations such as NHTSA to make our collective voices heard. I'm positive that you have thousands of registered complaints on this issue yet you have done do nothing" I know this will mean millions to Chrysler. Do they have the NHTSA in it's pocket? sure seems to be the case since you are not representing the us citizens harmed by Chrysler using faulty parts in the manufacture of the 5.7 hemi. Where is the quality control" this should have been found if Chrysler had quality control on the parts they use. I thought this was mandatory. I look forward to your response to see how you are wiggling out of this.

- Clarkesville, GA, USA

problem #114

May 222020

Ram 1500

  • 145,000 miles
Driving down the road slowing down heading towards a stoplight and my 2011 Dodge Ram stopped at the stoplight and would not turn over it would crank but would not start. So I had to push the truck into a parking lot call for a tow truck and further inspect the vehicle. Upon looking at the vehicle and left looking under the hood I noticed coolant leaking but was not a problem. When the tow truck arrive 3 1/2 hours later I started talking to him and together his opinion of what happen possible timing or head gasket blown head gasket but that was not the case there was no leakage I still have compression spark and fuel coming to the vehicle. The vehicle was towed all the way back to my property where my brother-in-law assisted who has been a mechanic for the last 18 years has started going through it we have noticed some similar recalls with the timing chain issues which we believe that is the issue because we do have compression and spark ignition and fuel in the vehicle. If you can pleaseshed some light on this I would really enjoy hearing back so I can find out what's going on with the truck and may be a possible recall for this issue.

- Lakeview, NC, USA

problem #113

Mar 112020

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
Coming for the senior center on the freeway. My truck began to shake and the engine light came on & a bell was ringing. I put my emergency light on, I did not know what was going on. Everyone around me had to slow down and I'm in traffic. They will run you over on the freeway. Blowing there horn and they can see something is wrong with you truck. The truck slow down so I keep going. When I got off the freeway I went to O'reilly auto part to see what was going on. The engine light was still on. They put the machine on it and said it was a misfire code 5 and other code also. Now to find out that it the cam/lifter that need fixing. Over $5,000 dollar work for this truck. I look on line to see if it was a recalls for this and found out that almost all the Dodge Ram was having the same problem. Something need to be doing. There are to may Ram driver that coming out there pocket to pay for the same thing.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #112

May 062020

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 134,440 miles
Lifter failures in engine, even when maintained. In motion when incident occurred, city driving. This causes the vehicle to completely stall when in motion. Known mechanical failure by Ram/Dodge, but they have taken no action. This is 5.7 hemi engines. Regarding Ram 1500.

- Erie, CO, USA

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