2020 Ram 1500 Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2020 Ram 1500 report a wide spread of problems, with electrical and infotainment complaints (dead batteries, dark or rebooting Uconnect screens, dash lights flickering) and engine complaints (cracked exhaust manifolds, ticking and knock noises, stalling) appearing most often. Many reports land in the first few thousand miles, while exhaust manifold and fuel-pump problems tend to show up later, often past 40,000 miles. Several complaints describe repeated dealer visits without a lasting repair, and diesel owners continue to report high-pressure fuel pump failures even after the 22V767000 recall work.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Dead battery, screen reboots and electrical glitches

   • 87 complaints (14%)
   • median 35,000 mi at 1.2 yrs old (27 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2020–2026

   Owners describe batteries draining flat overnight, the Uconnect screen going black or rebooting several times in a short drive, and warning messages such as "Power Surge On USB Detected" or "Service Shifter" appearing. Some report that a data bus failure was followed by a loss of power steering, random dash displays and the wipers and lights cycling on their own. Complaints describe dealers flashing software, replacing batteries or radios, and the symptoms returning. Reported from a few hundred miles up to about 80,000 miles, with many entries in the first 30,000 miles.

   Recall 22V638000Recall 20V191000Recall 19V4070005 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check for a recent battery and ask whether the radio and body-control software updates were applied. Start the truck cold and watch the screen and warning lights for a few minutes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The 2020 Ram uconnect 8.4 screen turns off randomly and reboots and will do it multiple times within a 10-20 minute time span. Sometimes 3-4 times back to back rapidly. I took it in and the dealer said there was an update available (even when uconnect said there wasn't) and they flashed it. Which reset all of my settings. It did it again the same day. Which tells me it has nothing to do with an update issue. Please fix. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11377398, filed 2020-12, 25,000 miles

   “So I am driving on the freeway 70mph and I get a message on my dash that says service shifter then every single light on the dash came on and started to make a beeping noise. I pulled over on the side of the freeway and then all the lights dissappear except check engine. I continued to drive to next exit and this time all lights came on again and truck appeared to be shutting off and turning back on while driving, steering wheel got hard to move all while all lights turning on, on dash. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11656951, filed 2025-04, 85,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Cracked exhaust manifold (ticking or loud exhaust)

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report a loud ticking or rattle from the front of the engine, a strong exhaust smell in the cabin, and an unusually loud exhaust note under acceleration. Dealers in the complaints diagnosed a cracked passenger-side exhaust manifold; several owners said the part was on backorder or that the repair was not covered once the warranty expired. Mostly reported between about 40,000 and 105,000 miles.

   What to check: Listen for a ticking or hissing from the engine bay on a cold start and check for an exhaust smell inside the cab; ask whether the exhaust manifolds have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 45-50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. There was an abnormally loud sound coming from the exhaust. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11615913, filed 2024-09, 48,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at unknown speeds, there was an abnormally loud exhaust sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the exhaust manifold was cracked. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11615917, filed 2024-09, 51,000 miles
3. 3
   Fuel system

   High-pressure fuel pump failure and stalling

   • 38 complaints (6%)
   • median 66,750 mi at 3.7 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • filed 2022–2026

   Complaints describe the "Service High Pressure Fuel Pump" message, shuddering, loss of power and stalling, sometimes at highway speed. Several owners had the pump replaced under the 22V767000 diesel recall and report the same symptoms returning later; others note the replacement part was on a national backorder. Reported from roughly 14,000 to over 100,000 miles, on 3.0L diesel trucks.

   Recall 22V7670002 related service bulletins

   What to check: On a diesel, ask for documentation of the 22V767000 recall repair and whether the pump has been replaced since; check for long crank times or a fuel-gauge that reads inaccurately.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the message Service High Pressure Fuel Pump was displayed. The check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the right side of the roadway. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle operated as intended. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11677542, filed 2025-07, 35,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V767000 (Fuel System, Gasoline, Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.”

   NHTSA complaint #11516877, filed 2023-04, 85,000 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Power steering warning and steering pull

   • 138 complaints (22%)
   • median 18,000 mi at 1.1 yrs old (36 state mileage)
   • 7 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,500 (median of 9 quotes)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe a "Service Power Steering Soon" message, the wheel jerking or the truck pulling out of center and sticking on turns, and in one case a failed steering rack. Some owners say the dealer could not reproduce the problem; others had the rack replaced. Reported from about 8,000 to 62,000 miles.

   What to check: Drive on a straight road and through sweeping turns at low speed, feeling for pull or binding, and check that no power-steering warning appears.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving, out of the blue my truck will pull out of center and sometimes sticks when trying to pull it back. Does this mostly in left turns or on the highway. Is very dangerous and almost crashed on wet road. Took to dealer and they couldn't find problem. Took me only 5 minutes to find numerous complaints on line for the same safety issue. Some said that the rack and pinion was replaced by the dealer and the problem was fixed. I need to have this fixed before someone gets killed.”

   NHTSA complaint #11386749, filed 2021-01, 8,300 miles

   “The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while he was at a stand still at traffic light, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the auto start stop warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he was able restart the vehicle to drive to his destination. The contact stated he had experience the failure on 3 separate occasions. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11387704, filed 2021-01, 30,000 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Tailgate opening while driving

   • 30 complaints (5%)
   • median 5,700 mi at 1.2 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2020–2026

   Owners report the tailgate unlatching on its own while driving, and in some cases RamBox lids popping open on the road. Complaints describe dealers saying no repair was available or that the vehicle was not covered by the tailgate-striker recall, and one notes the truck lacked a tailgate-ajar warning. Reported from under 5,000 miles to about 58,500 miles.

   Recall 22V9040001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the 22V904000 tailgate striker repair was done on this VIN, and check that the tailgate latches firmly and that any ajar warning works.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “VEHICLE IS MISSING TAILGATE AJAR WARNING LIGHT. ACCORDING TO BUILD REPORT ITS LISTED UNDER VIN AND IS IN THE 2020 RAM 1500 MANUAL. I NOTICED THIS AFTER I PULLED AWAY WITH TAILGATE OPEN. REALIZED IT SHOULD HAVE A WARNING LIGHT AND BEGAN TO INVESTIGATE. DEALER SAYS I DON'T HAVE THIS, BUT CUSTOMER SERVICE SAYS I HAVE IT AND PLUS ITS IN THE MANUAL. Consumer like to add, he noticed staining to headliner from water leak. This should be a safety recall since it can be effecting the drivability of vehicle and safety of vehicle occupants. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11329421, filed 2020-06, 4,000 miles

   “Well driving the vehicle the Ram box lid will pop open at any time even after securing the box lid the locking mechanism will pop open and the lid will come open while driving down the road.”

   NHTSA complaint #11378376, filed 2020-12, 4,345 miles

Buying note. A 2020 Ram 1500 can be a solid truck, but check its recall history closely: confirm the tailgate and diesel fuel-pump recalls were completed on this VIN, and budget for electrical and exhaust-manifold repairs as mileage climbs. Ask for service records covering battery, radio-software and steering repairs before buying.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.