Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Dodge Ram 2500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 2500. The contact stated the vehicle failed to start intermittently. The contact also stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 168,000.
The exhaust manifold bolts on both sides of the engine warp due to two different metals being put together under heat. Steel and aluminum expand at different temperatures. This causes the bolts to break off of the exhaust manifold creating an exhaust leak into the engine bay. Yes, this can be inspected upon request. The safety of myself and the general public is at risk due to the exhaust leak into the engine bay being pulled into the cab via the heating or airconditioning system. The exhaust fumes are pulled into the cab of the truck via the heating and airconditioning system. When running, the truck has a very noticeable smell inside the cab. It has caused me headaches as well. This poses a risk to the public if the driver were to pass out from said fumes. The problem can be reproduced and is a known issue with Dodge. …
We purchased our 2012 Dodge Ram heavy duty with tow package new. At just over 152000 miles, the engine started knocking while on vacation. We were not towing at the time. We put in injector cleaner to try and help the knocking. During our vacation, we were on the freeway when we suddenly lost power, the service engine light popped on, and the engine died. We were literally driving one minute and the next were trying to get out of the traffic lane with no control. We restarted the engine, the knocking had stopped and power was restored. Two days later, another episode of power decrease but with no engine service light. We used premium gas, injector cleaner and listened for the knocking that came and went, to drive home. We were told by our local dealership it is a lifter failure and the truck needs a replacement engine.
My Dodge Ram 2500, 2012 Hemi engine started making a ticking sound so got a tune up. The machinic changed the spark plugs and distributors around after I complained. Nothing he was able to do enable the truck to function properly. I spoke with the Dodge dealership, the spoken informed me that when Dodge merged with MERCEDE the problem persisted and to this date a fix was not provided. I spoke with other Dodge owner who experience the same problem. The engine was not functioning properly because of internal damage. The cost of repair would cost between $8K and $10K to replace or repair the engine. The dealership stated that NHTSA nor Dodge have provided a fix and that the problem still persist to this day.
The bolts holding the exhaust manifold to the engine cylinder head, are breaking off. This has occurred in the past, on the drivers and passengers side. I had the problem repaired, by a dealer, which required the replacement of the passenger side cylinder head as well. This issue has re-occurred on the drivers side, which has been confirmed by a Ram dealer, as shown in the attached documentation. In every instance, the issue starts with a tapping noise, as the exhaust manifold pulls away from the head. Passengers in my truck have complained about the smell of exhaust fumes, which is a safety and health issue. This truck only has 85,000 miles, yet this is the 3rd incident of this issue occurring.
Engine has been making a ticking noise on the passenger side for the past few months. The passenger side exhaust manifold warped and broke two bolts in the engine block. This caused an exhaust leak and made the truck run rich due to the leak before oxygen sensor. Fuel efficiency declined. Replaced the exhaust manifold, gasket, and bolts to repair the problem.
Have a shake in the truck! Have taken it in many time to be fixed! For four years have heard it normal to you will have to live with it. Finally after 6 or 7 dealer one decided it would open it up. The hooked it up to this machine that would tell them were it's coming from. They tell me the only thing they can find is a trans mount. So after that they open the rear end they had to rebuild it. Then they had to put all new from rear end up to the engine while power train. It still had a shake! Then they got an OK to open the engine from Chrysler. So they adjusted the value lash. O almost forgot the dealer had my truck 7 months to fix the problem. So when I picked it up from szott m-59 on Thursday at around 7 pm and buy Saturday morning truck is on fire in drive way at about 9 am. I drove it on Friday ,I parked it by 4 pm . So it was off for about 17 hours or so. …
Back in September 2017 I was at work at offutt air force base when I received several messages from the papillion fire department, the la vista police department, and my apartment staff had been desperately trying to get ahold of me to let me know that my Ram 2500, which I had not driven in over 10 days, had caught fire under the hood in its parking spot near my apartment building. My first thought after being completely blown away by the fact that a lightly used truck that hadn't even been driven could spontaneously catch itself on fire was that thank goodness the truck was parked outside and not in my garage. When I got to my truck I saw that the fuse box was melted as well as all the wires leading to and from the fuse box. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Ram 2500. The contact stated that the vehicle shook while driving highway speeds. The contact took the vehicle to the dick huvaeres dealer where it was diagnosed that the ticking in the motor was due to a faulty water pump. The dealer replaced the water pump; however, the failure recurred. The contact returned the vehicle to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. After returning home from the dealer, the vehicle suddenly caught fire while parked in the driveway. The contact called the berlin township and elmont fire departments to extinguish the fire. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was salvaged. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened case number: [redacted]. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 Dodge Ram 2500. The contact stated that while the vehicle was on and in park, the undercarriage area of the cabin caught fire which causing the vehicle to become engulfed in flames. The contact did not disclose if a police report was filed or not or how the fire was extinguished. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact received NHTSA campaign id number: 14V635000 (engine and engine cooling, fuel system, diesel) after the failure was experienced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.
Engine complaints in other Ram 2500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2012 Dodge Ram 2500?
NHTSA has 51 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2012 Dodge Ram 2500, 18% of the model year's 283 complaints. The component named most often is engine › diesel (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2012 Dodge Ram 2500 engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2012 Dodge Ram 2500, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2012 Dodge Ram 2500 engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles, and 24% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 6 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.