Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2016 Ram 3500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The Government Owned Vehicle (GOV) was traveling North on 31E in Nashville, when truck shuttered then truck passenger side wheel fell off. Tire/wheel pinned to truck and caught fire. Drive pulled truck off to side of roadway and called 911.
On February 3, 2022 I had my truck serviced at my local dealership to address SAFETY RECALL Y26. According to the service manager, the work was completed per the Safety Recall instructions. On Feb 22, 2022 while traveling at highway speed, all eight wheel studs broke on the left rear dually wheels which led to the wheel/tires separating from the vehicle without warning. This catastrophic failure could have caused serious injury, or death to the occupants of the vehicle, as well as other motorists/pedestrians. It was by the GRACE OF GOD the driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle until it was safely off the highway. The vehicle was transported by a flatbed wrecker to a dealership near the final destination it was en-route to, to inspect the damage and make all necessary repairs. …
Pursuant to a manufacturer-issued safety recall (V06) on a steering assembly component, the manufacturer's remedy permanently damaged an otherwise functioning, adjustable steering component and created a financial barrier to basic vehicle maintenance. The component, post remedy, now would have to be replaced in order to allow adjustment to put the vehicle steering system into correct alignment. Driving a vehicle without proper front end alignment can cause premature tire wear contributing to tire failure and/or pulling to the right or left contributing to a possible accident condition. The manufacturer is refusing to pay for the replacement parts/repairs that, but for the recall remedy, would be necessary.
I was driving home, my truck began to vibrate or wobble hard, next thing it begins staggering upon a jolt, and then I noticed my two rear drivers side tires passing me on the highway. I safely get out of traffic somehow, and upon inspection both tires came off, and all my lug nuts but one are missing. There was no warning, I had to call a tow truck to pick my vehicle up and bring it home , it cannot be repaired due to the manufactory is not sure what the specs are, mean while I am without a vehicle and have missed several days of work.
December 28, 2018 was approaching a roundabout traffic island when turning left and right the truck when out of control and bounced off curb and over center island one over concrete planting box under construction.blew passenger side tire and damaging wheel,front differential training arm, drag link jam nut completely losse and causing steering wheel to 90 degrees left.close to home usedfriens flat bed trailer to take home. Newer truck did not want to brand title with insurance claim. It took two months to save money as a repair approximately $2300. The mechanic said the drag link was completely loose. Got truck repaired. Approximately 30days later a recall for the drag link defect. I feel lucky for not being killed. Lucky I was going 25mph.
I bought 2017 Ram 3500 in January 2017 as a new car. After 1300 ml I bought after market wheels and tires from discount tire. They did installed them and checked them after. Car drow almost four thousand ml did not have any problems at all. Last weekend front passenger side wheel came off while traveling at 80 miles per hour on the freeway. No single sine that anything was wrong whith a car before the incident, all eight studs were broke off whithin a split second, tire was lost. I notified dealer and a tire company and wheel manufactur about this incident to investigate . Each company blames others. I'm personally believe that problem defected studs or wheel. I asked discount tire and car manufactur to investigate, nothing done yet.
I purchase a 2016 Dodge Ram 3500 duall limited with 2K miles on it. The truck has garbage nexan tires on it. Nexan claims it is a 40K mile warranty tire. Funny though, at 11K miles I had one nexan tire failure due to tread separation. Took truck to dealer, dealer got with nexan, working with nexan like 'going to the dentist to get anything done. Said they would reimburse me for the tire that failed at 11K miles, that was two months ago still no refund and I call every week looking for my refund. Couple months go by and another nexan tire failure at 13K miles. You guessed it another tread seperation. Take truck to dealer, they say can't help. Call nexan they say you need to ship all 6 tires back so we can test them. Im testing them for you and they are crap! Two tire failures well under 40K, this is not a coincidence these tires are garbage. …
Purchased the vehicle new in 2016. No heavy towing. Air pressure and tire rotations were current, managed by rancho Ram san diego, ca and discount tire in rancho san diego. Vehicle was equipped from the factory with 6 all season nexan tires. During a recent trip to tx all 6 nexan 235/80/17 tires separated in different locations across the tread. Limped through the night at 55 MPH from ft stockton tx to corpus christi, tx. Had to replace all 6 nexan tires at discount tires store located at 6654 s. Staples st. Service advisor stated 'this is the worst case he had seen with this brand. Replaced with bfg commercial t/a as 2. I am not happy with the tire choice the factory choose, as my 2004 Ram 2500 came OEM with Michelin's that lasted 6 years before cracking.
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 Ram 3500 equipped with nexen roadian htx tires, size: lt235/80/r17. While driving 45 MPH, the low tire pressure warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent tire shop where it was diagnosed that the rear inner passenger side tire had approximately 32 holes in the center of the tire. The contact also mentioned that during the week of July 3rd, the front driver's side tire had to be replaced by an independent tire shop. The vehicle was taken to prince frederick Chrysler Jeep Dodge (265 solomons island rd, prince frederick, md 20678) and repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate tire and vehicle failure mileage was 42,000. The dot number was unknown.
Brand new vehicle with less than 1,000 miles on it has a violent shake at highway speeds between 62-72 MPH. Three different Ram dealers and Ram customer support team states that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle and it's operating as designed. Potentially a safety issue as the shake seems to make the truck unstable at times. This is occurring specifically on smooth highways and seems to be even worse around curves. Seems to be a fairly common issue among late model year Ram heavy duty pickup trucks and should be worth an investigation. I purchased this vehicle to tow my travel trailer with my entire family in the truck and I'm not comfortable doing that with this defect.
Related recalls
Wheels › Lugs/nuts/bolts/studs
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2012-2021 RAM 3500, 3500 Cab Chassis, 4500 Cab Chassis, and 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles. Incorrect information in the Service and Owner's Manuals may cause the flanged lug nuts to be over-tightened, which could result in a broken wheel stud and possible wheel separation.
Remedy: Dealers will update the torque specification in the owner's manual and other published service documents. Dealers will also inspect the vehicle's wheel studs, replacing them if necessary, free of charge.
Wheels
Streetcar ORV LLC, dba American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) is recalling certain 2013-2017 RAM 2500 and 3500 heavy duty trucks, modified by AEV to be equipped with cast aluminum Katla 8.5" road wheels. The outer surface of the wheel may fracture, resulting in rapid air loss.
Remedy: AEV will notify owners, and dealers will replace the wheels with wheels of similar value, free of charge. The recall began on August 30, 2017. Owners may contact AEV customer service at 1-248-926-0256 extension 500.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other 3500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2016 Ram 3500?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2016 Ram 3500, 19% of the model year's 134 complaints. The component named most often is sidewall (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2016 Ram 3500 wheel & tire problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 21V-398 (lugs/nuts/bolts/studs, May 27, 2021); NHTSA recall 17V-499 (wheels, Aug 10, 2017). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2016 Ram 3500 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 20,000 miles, and 78% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to wheels & tires 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.