Dodge and Ram transmissions

Ram trucks share the Dodge rows with Dodge vans and SUVs. This page explains how to read their rows, what owner manuals say about fluid and what the shop can tell you about your vehicle.

At a glance

• Five models in the table: Ram 1500, Ram 2500, Grand Caravan, Journey and Durango
• Ram 1500: 1,428 power train complaints out of 11,742 (12%)
• Ram 2500: 468 out of 5,225 (9%)
• Owner reports follow sales volume

What the Dodge and Ram rows say

The Ram 1500 has 1,428 power train complaints out of 11,742 for model years 2012 to 2022, a share of 12%, and its busiest year is 2015 with 226. The Ram 2500 shows 468 of 5,225 (9%), busiest in 2018 at 75. Among Dodge models, the Grand Caravan shows 512 of 3,605 (14%) with 251 in 2016, the Journey 325 of 2,689 (12%) and the Durango 260 of 3,651 (7%).

The Ram 1500 has the larger count because far more half-ton trucks were sold than three-quarter-ton ones; it does not follow that the smaller number means a better truck. The shares show how often owners who wrote in about the model mentioned the power train. They do not show how many owners had a problem, what the part was or whether it was repaired.

Heavy-duty trucks and work use

The 2500 class is built for towing and hauling, and owners often use it that way. Hard use is where the owner's manual's severe-service schedule applies. The Ram manual lists the fluid type and interval for each transmission, and a truck that tows a trailer through Reno summers, with a normal July high of 93.9 F (NOAA 1991 to 2020), should be looked at against the severe-service line. The towing and heat guide has the details.

An October 2021 Google review mentions a Ram 2500 in for a full transmission rebuild. That is a customer's account, not a promise about any repair.

Vans and SUVs

Family vans and SUVs from Dodge cover a different kind of driving: school runs, short trips and long highway days. Short trips keep fluid from warming fully, and a vehicle that sits between uses may leak where seals have dried. A delay before the vehicle moves when you select Drive, or a shudder at low speed, are things worth describing when you call; see delay engaging Drive or Reverse and shudder or vibration.

Ask about your vehicle

Call with the year, model, engine and drive type. The shop answers Monday to Friday from 7:30 am, works on foreign and domestic vehicles, and diagnoses first. For recalls and service bulletins that apply to your VIN, NHTSA's lookup is the free place to check.

What owners reported to NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vehicle owner complaints database (api.nhtsa.gov), model years 2012 to 2022, read October 18, 2026.

Owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defect findings. Popular models draw more complaints because more of them are on the road.

On a phone the table shows the key columns. Turn the phone sideways or use a computer to see every column.