Most common 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 problems
Share of the 1,172 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Dodge Ram 1500 complaints by model year
Best Ram 1500 years: 1997, 2005, 1998. Years to avoid: 2001. Compare all years →
2005 Dodge Ram 1500 recalls (4)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) expanded the affected population to include 73,712 2005-2009 RAM 2500 trucks produced at the St. Louis North Assembly Plant. With this change, Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 RAM 1500, 2005-2009 RAM 2500, 2006-2009 RAM 3500, 2007-2010 RAM 3500 Cab Chassis, 2008-2010 RAM 4500 and 5500 Cab…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM owners. Mitsubishi owners will be notified by their company.
Air bags › Frontal › Driver side › Inflator module
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Dodge Ram 2500, 2004-2008 Dodge Ram 1500 and Durango, 2006-2009 Dodge Ram 3500, 2008-2010 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500, 2007-2008 Chrysler Aspen, 2005-2010 Chrysler 300, 300C, 300S, and SRT8, 2006-2010 Dodge Charger, 2005-2008 Magnum, 2005-2011 Dodge Dakota, and…
Remedy: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the recall repair is complete. Chrysler will notify the affected Chrysler and Dodge owners and Mitsubishi will notify the affected Raider owners.
Power train › Driveline › Differential unit
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 trucks manufactured January 28, 2004, to August 3, 2005. In the affected vehicles, the rear axle pinion nut may loosen due to an undersized spline on the pinion gear.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a retention feature to the pinion nut, free of charge. The recall began on June 26, 2015, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Air bags
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2004-2005 Dodge Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500, 2004-2005 Dodge Durango, 2005 Dodge Dakota, 2005 Dodge Magnum and 2005 Chrysler 300, 300C and 300 SRT8 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. For vehicles that were sold, or are currently registered, in Florida, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and the U.S.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 5 possible defects involving the 2005 Dodge Ram 1500:
Rear Differential Failure
On December 16, 2014, Chrysler Group LLC submitted a Safety Recall Report to NHTSA describing a defect in the rear differential of approximately 256,956 model year (MY) 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup trucks (NHTSA Recall No. 14V-796, Chrysler Recall No.
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
From 2000 through 2017, Takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("PSAN") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004L. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited.
Air Bag Inflator Rupture
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-016 in June 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.All six vehicles were operated in Florida or Puerto Rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by Takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag…
ENGINE STALL
Analysis of the complaint, field report and warranty data shows that the majority of stalling incidents in the subject vehicles appear to be related to the engine calibration concerns that daimlerchrysler addressed with service bulletins releasing revised PCM software.analysis of the complaints and odi's survey of owners of vehicles that received engine management software updates under TSB #18-013-05 show that…
What 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 owners say
Transmission & drivetrain all 594 →
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the rear wheels locked up and the vehicle abruptly stopped unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear drive shaft had separated from the rear axle. The contact was aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V796000 (Power Train). The contact was advised by the dealer that the parts were no longer manufactured. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V796000 (Power Train). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for the recall repair. During inspection, the dealer determined that there was additional damage to the differential, and the parts for the repair were on backorder. The dealer informed the contact that the differential oil was contaminated and there was no coverage for the additional repairs. The manufacturer was contacted and was able to expedite the parts, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 238,000.
Air bags all 375 →
The contact owns a 2005 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V313000 (Air Bags) and the vehicle was repaired by the dealer. Despite the recall repair, the contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had offered any further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
My vehicle was involved in a severe frontal collision where I T-boned another vehicle that failed to yield the right-of-way while I was traveling at approximately 30 mph. The impact caused significant structural front-end damage to my truck. Despite a direct frontal collision at a clear deployment speed threshold (30 mph), the airbags completely failed to deploy. This vehicle's airbag system was previously repaired under an official manufacturer safety recall. The remedy was completed by an authorized dealership several years ago. The replacement components installed during that recall service failed to function as intended during this qualifying crash event, pointing to a critical remedy failure or long-term component degradation. Prior to the collision, the vehicle's onboard diagnostic system indicated the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) was fully operational. …
Engine & cooling all 153 →
Tensioner for timing chain broke at highway speed truck stalled with no control or power steering to steer or breaks to immediate stop instead had to slow roll lucky live in small farm town with low population not alot of traffic could have been bad. Took to dealer dodge service department they noticed oil pan gasket was leaking when removed oil pan the tensioner and timing chain pieces were all in the bottom of oil pan..just like the challenger and charger cars the next group to have same motor as my truck and same issues with the MDS Being the problem on the tensioner why breaks in first place. Why theres recalled and not my same motor and problem? Any ways it failed and had to pay out of pocket on a faulty tensioner that is a very big safety concern and it I'm afraid caused more damage then that to other internal parts of my engine...
I want to make a complaint because the engine in my 2005 dodge ram 1500 Magnum stalling very often, engine stalling on the traffic freeway couple of times that I have to restart the vehicle quick, good thing cars going slow. The most scary time was when I was making a right turn on this busy avenue and the engine stalled and almost got hit by other's cars the engine stalling very often that already know when it dies I put it on P and restart it as quick as I can before I get hit by other car. The next issue. It makes a grinding sound underneath when taking off at very low speed. I not sure if it is the differential or a wheel but it something there I took it to the mechanic he fix something that was woren it connects to the differential but still makes the noyse. Too many problems with this truck.
2005 Dodge Ram 1500 engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.7L 6-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 3.7L 6-cyl | 6-speed manual | RWD | 14 / 20 / 16 |
| 4.7L 8-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 13 / 17 / 14 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 12 / 17 / 14 |
| 4.7L 8-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 12 / 17 / 14 |
| 4.7L 8-cyl | 6-speed manual | RWD | 13 / 17 / 14 |
| 4.7L 8-cyl | 6-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 12 / 16 / 14 |
| 5.7L 8-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 12 / 16 / 13 |
| 8.3L 10-cyl | 6-speed manual | RWD | 9 / 14 / 10 |
| 8.3L 10-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 8 / 11 / 9 |
EPA ratings. Class: Full-size pickup.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 a good car?
Based on 1,172 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2005 Ram 1500 rates average: 35% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Ram 1500 at the same age. It is one of the best Ram 1500 years by this measure. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2005 Dodge Ram 1500?
The transmission & drivetrain — 594 complaints, 51% of all complaints for this model year, most often about driveline › driveshaft. Next are the air bags (375) and engine & cooling (153).
How many recalls does the 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 have?
There are 4 recalls for the 2005 Dodge Ram 1500, the most recent from May 24, 2016 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Dodge Ram 1500?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 1997, 2005 and 1998. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2001. See the full Dodge Ram 1500 years comparison.
At what mileage do 2005 Dodge Ram 1500 problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 86,000 miles; 24% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.