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Engine coolingPart report

2018 Ram 1500 Engine cooling Problems

Complaints
46about this part
Share
7%of 667 total for the year
Median mileage
96,500miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 46 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2018 Ram 1500, 7% of the 667 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 96,500 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers. 3 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be repaired under an unknown NHTSA Campaign Number. The contact stated that the vehicle was involved in a collision with the previous owner and was deemed salvaged. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. It was unknown if the manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 60,000. No further information was available.”

NHTSA complaint #11580777, filed 2024-04, 60,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the exhaust manifolds were leaking due to fractured exhaust bolts. The dealer replaced the two exhaust manifold gaskets and bolts. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.”

NHTSA complaint #11597561, filed 2024-06, 99,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after coming to a complete stop and depressing the accelerator, the vehicle hesitated and then abruptly sped off without warning. The contact then received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 19v347000 (latches/ consumer stated vehicle was taken to several dealers to repair the recall no one had the parts. Now manufacturer is calling it normal.”

NHTSA complaint #11350265, filed 2020-08, 1,500 miles

“The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) and 22V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. …”

NHTSA complaint #11545655, filed 2023-09, 79,000 miles

“The contact owns a 2018 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, his granddaughter smelled an abnormal burning odor coming from the vehicle. The contact looked out of the rearview mirror and saw heavy white smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact immediately pulled over and had the occupants exit the vehicle. The contact checked under the hood as white smoke filled the engine compartment. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated prior to the failure. …”

NHTSA complaint #11698554, filed 2025-11, 142,000 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Engine cooling: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202562%
202310%
202241%
202141%
2020102%
2019181%
2018467%
2017324%
2016634%
2015634%
2014503%
201381%

Other parts of the 2018 Ram 1500

Electrical system
159 complaintsFuel system
140 complaintsEngine
110 complaintsOther or unknown
92 complaintsSteering
90 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
60 complaintsBrakes
48 complaintsVehicle speed control
31 complaintsSuspension
22 complaintsAir bags
19 complaintsBack-over prevention (rear camera)
17 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
17 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2018 Ram 1500

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology