AutoUtility currently tracks 163 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2020 Ram 2500. Fuel & Propulsion System issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 71 complaints (43.6% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 5 filings cite a crash, 4 cite a fire, 4 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 163 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Fuel & Propulsion System (71 reports • 43.6% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (21), Electrical System (20)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 5 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 4 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 4 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
163
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
5
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
4
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
4
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2020 Ram 2500

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 43.6% of complaints

Fuel & Propulsion System

71 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 1 crash report 🩹 1 injury report entry
#2 Problem Area 12.9% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

21 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 2 official safety recall campaigns for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 1 fire report
#3 Problem Area 12.3% of complaints

Electrical System

20 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🔥 3 fire reports
#4 Problem Area 9.2% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

15 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 1 crash report 🔥 1 fire report
#5 Problem Area 8.6% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

14 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

  • Campaign #22V140000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE
*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 3 crash reports 🩹 2 injury report entries
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2020 Ram 2500

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 8.6% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

14 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2020 Ram 2500

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Driver Assistance & Safety Tech NHTSA ODI ID: #11758545
Filed: 08/21/2026

"The contact owns a 2020 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank or inverted image. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V552000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet..."

Incident Date: 07/01/2024 • Raw NHTSA Component: BACK OVER PREVENTION
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11755737
Filed: 08/09/2026

"RAM COMPLIANCE RECALL PORTAL DROPPED (MOPAR Y78) VIN:[XXX] / Miles:110,862 Static 1.Driveway photo [XXX] proves 50PSI idle oil pressure, 0 warning lights on June 30. 2.Video [XXX] captures raw CP4 pump shards in filter housing. 3.Dealer faked portal closure July 7 without flush. Forced engine start..."

Incident Date: 06/30/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11748901
Filed: 07/07/2026

"The contact owns a 2020 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, a tapping sound was heard, which gradually grew louder. The next day, the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a piston 5 failure, and the dealer determined that the..."

Incident Date: 10/01/2024 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Engine & Cooling NHTSA ODI ID: #11748863
Filed: 07/07/2026

"The contact owns a 2020 RAM 2500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that the engine was running unusually rough and the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a..."

Incident Date: 05/10/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: ENGINE
Body & Structure NHTSA ODI ID: #11743463
1 Injury Entry Filed: 06/11/2026

"The contact owns a 2020 Ram 2500. The contact stated that while standing directly behind the tailgate, the contact heard an audible "click", and the tailgate independently unlatched and opened, striking the contact's chest, and the contact was forcefully knocked to the ground. Due to the severity..."

Incident Date: 06/25/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Ram 2500

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2023)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2015 Ram 2500 214 13 15 View 2015 Problems →
2016 Ram 2500 257 15 14 View 2016 Problems →
2017 Ram 2500 684 12 12 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Ram 2500 2555 37 10 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Ram 2500 191 8 12 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Ram 2500 Current Page 163 5 10 Current
2021 Ram 2500 105 6 8 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Ram 2500 0 0 12 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Ram 2500 0 0 8 View 2023 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2020 Ram 2500

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 52 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL 25 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 17 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 14 1 0 0 0
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 11 0 0 0 0
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 9 1 1 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 7 0 0 0 0
Steering NHTSA category: STEERING 7 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6 0 2 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 5 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 5 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 4 0 0 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 2 0 0 1 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
Equipment & Accessories NHTSA category: EQUIPMENT 2 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL,POWER TRAIN 2 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 2 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 0 0 0 0
Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 1 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL,SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 1 0 1 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
SEAT BELTS,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 1 0 1 0
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,POWER TRAIN 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 1 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 0 0 1 0
SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY 1 0 0 0 0
VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (163). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.

Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (2)

1 OPEN 1 CLOSED

Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Official Federal Inquiries: NHTSA opens a defect investigation when safety screening or consumer defect trends indicate a potential unreasonable safety risk. An open investigation is a formal inquiry and does not by itself confirm a defect or result in a mandatory recall.
OPEN Engineering Analysis (EA) ODI Action #EA23001
Opened: 2023-03-17 • Currently Active

High pressure fuel pump failure

Affected Component: FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE21-021 on October 14, 2021, to investigate incidents alleging a stall/loss of motive power as a result of high-pressure fuel pump failures in certain model year (MY) 2019-2020 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 heavy duty trucks equipped with 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel engines. During the investigation, ODI sought to determine if the related defect allegation was limited in scope to the recalled popula...

✓ Resulted in Safety Recall Campaign: 24V957 Official NHTSA File →
CLOSED Preliminary Evaluation (PE) ODI Action #PE21021
Opened: 2021-10-14 • Closed: 2023-04-14

High pressure fuel pump failure

Affected Component: FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE21-021 on October 14, 2021 to investigate allegations of stall/loss of motive power as a result of high pressure fuel pump failures in certain model year (MY) 2019-2020 RAM 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 heavy duty trucks equipped with 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel engines.On November 12, 2021, FCA filed vehicle recall 21V-880 and equipment recall 21E-094 on the subject population, identifying an `interna...

Closed without associated recall campaign. Official NHTSA File →
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.