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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2016 Ram 3500 Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
19about this part
Share
14%of 134 total for the year
Median mileage
15,400miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 19 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2016 Ram 3500, 14% of the 134 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 15,400 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 2 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.

“We have several Ram 3500 vehicles. All the rearend fail way beyond the time that they should be in service. These units fail with less than 200,000 miles and should go well beyond that mileage. I feel these units have a on going issues that the mfg knows about but fails to do a recall to fix the issues. These same issues have occurred in our 2012, 2014 and 2016 models. This is all a safety issue should these rear ends come apart while towing a load.”

NHTSA complaint #11101226, filed 2018-06, 191,791 miles

“My truck, with the aisin transmission and single rear wheel, has a horrible throttle delay. Pulling out into an intersection or in front of oncoming traffic is terrifying, because if the delay kicks in, I can put the pedal down and the truck will literally not react for 3-5 seconds. This is also true when trying to accelerate to pass on the highway, avoid another vehicle, etc. It's like the throttle pedal doesn't know you're pushing it for quite a few seconds, and then and only then it will react. …”

NHTSA complaint #11075765, filed 2018-03, 42,000 miles

“Daily occurrence. While dead stopped at light or idling along after lifting foot off of brake pedal, then slowly depressing accelerator pedal, there is a 2-4 second delay before truck starts to accelerate. Feels like a dead pedal. This has become worse as the truck accrues miles. When needing to accelerate quickly, the pedal response is slow to respond and has caused many anxious moments with vehicles bearing down on my rear end. I press the pedal and wait for engine to respond. The truck is a diesel and it does not feel like turbo lag. I had a 2007 diesel and this was not a problem at all. …”

NHTSA complaint #10954371, filed 2017-02, 2,124 miles

“The truck was loaded with approximately 1,400 pounds of hay in the bed. The vehicle was stopped on a slight incline toward the rear. It was placed into park as witnessed by the 2 passengers. The vehicle was stationary as the driver exited the vehicle and closed the door. A couple of seconds later, the vehicle slipped out of park and started rolling backwards.”

NHTSA complaint #10852461, filed 2016-03, 8,500 miles

“When accelerating from a dead stop the engine has a 3 to 4 second lag. Normal response resumes after the initial lag. This condition has been consistant throughout 2016. Truck was purchased new. Present mileage is 4500.”

NHTSA complaint #10930080, filed 2016-12, 45 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026518%
2025819%
2024613%
202316%
202211460%
20211118%
20201210%
20191813%
2018233%
2017279%
20161914%
20153223%
20143919%
20131210%

Other parts of the 2016 Ram 3500

Steering
29 complaintsEngine
21 complaintsWheels
21 complaintsOther or unknown
16 complaintsBrakes
12 complaintsElectrical system
10 complaintsSuspension
10 complaintsAir bags
8 complaintsFuel system
7 complaintsVehicle speed control
7 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaintsTires
4 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2016 Ram 3500

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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