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Ram 3500Model year report

2020 Ram 3500 Problems

Compared with other Ram 3500 years

Typical for this model

62/100 1.3× a typical year · 50 = typical

Nearby years with fewer complaints than typical and no open NHTSA investigation: 2021

Based only on NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations. Not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, and not a reliability rating. How this is calculated

Complaints
116filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
26,350miles, 44 complaints with mileage
Recalls
11campaigns on record
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2020 Ram 3500 (complaints, recalls, investigations). Report an error

What owners report

Owners of this model year report most often on the 6.7L Cummins diesel's high-pressure fuel pump (the Bosch CP4), described as stalling or losing power with little or no warning, often while towing. Engine concerns center on oil-system failures and connecting-rod damage, and a smaller group describes power steering assist dropping out at speed. Mileage at the time of these reports varies widely, from a few thousand miles to well over 100,000.

  1. Fuel system

    High-pressure diesel fuel pump (CP4) failure and stalling

    • 49 complaints (42%)
    • median 24,000 mi at 1.5 yrs old (23 state mileage)
    • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $8,000 (median of 6 quotes)
    • filed 2020–2026

    Complaints describe sudden loss of power or engine shutdown, sometimes at highway speed or while towing a trailer, with no warning light beforehand. Several owners say the dealer diagnosed a failed high-pressure fuel pump and, in some cases, metal debris in the fuel system requiring extensive replacement. Others report long waits for parts, with the vehicle out of service for weeks or months, and some mention rough running, surging or hard starting before the failure. Reported from a few thousand miles to over 100,000 miles, most often below 40,000 and frequently while towing or climbing.

    Recall 21V880000

    What to check: Ask whether the 21V880000 high-pressure fuel pump recall has been completed, and request service records for any fuel-system work. Listen for rough idle or surging on a test drive and ask whether a metal-debris fuel-system inspection was done.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “I was driving on interstate 270 nb when all of sudden the vehicle started shaking and lost power. I had to stop in the middle of the interstate and was towed to the exit by the highway response team. Towed the vehicle to the dealership and was told the the fuel system has to be replaced.”

    NHTSA complaint #11374797, filed 2020-11, 29,986 miles

    “I bought my truck just over a month ago and was told I had to add lubricant to my fuel in order to keep my fuel pump from blowing up, as well as only put in 'good diesel.' I know diesel can change from one gas station to another, but to add a lubricant in order to keep my fuel pump from blowing up on and brand new $80000 truck! All because of the cp4 that Ram decided to use for two years, then went back to the cp3 in 2021. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11390819, filed 2021-01, 2,600 miles
  2. Engine

    Loss of power and stalling with exhaust/DEF warnings

    Mentioned in 7 of 60 sampled complaints

    Owners describe the truck dropping into reduced power or cutting out, sometimes with an exhaust brake, diesel exhaust fluid or regeneration message on the dash. Several say the dealer cleared codes, called it a software issue or performed a stationary regeneration, and the problem returned. One complaint notes that after repeated visits the diagnosis moved to a DEF pump or contamination issue. Mostly reported between roughly 10,000 and 40,000 miles, often during highway driving or towing.

    2 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask for any stored diagnostic codes and whether emissions-related software updates were applied. A long test drive that includes highway speed, plus a scan for pending codes, can show whether regeneration or DEF warnings recur.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “I was towing my 5th wheel trailer from rancho cucamonga to san diego. When I was driving on I-15, almost nearby exit 15. Suddenly there is a error on the screen , said 'exhaust brake system failed , ask me go to dealer'. Then I found there is no power anymore . I tried to press the pedal again , still no power. Then I rolled over to the side of the freeway. When the speed came down to about 15mph, the engine stopped. Then I pooled over , and tried to restart it . Nothing happened. I can hear it trying to start, but no start anymore. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11372337, filed 2020-10, 5,700 miles

    “My check engine light went on, along with the DEF warning, early June 13th,2023. The DEF warning stated I had 150 miles to get the Track to a Dealer. After Dealer evaluation, I was told the truck had DEF contamination, from ,Diesel Fuel. I asked how this could happen? I was not given an explanation. To me this is a DEF Pump failure. The DEF Pump did not have enough PSI to inject DEF into the Diesel Fuel, so the Diesel Fuel back flowed into the DEF system. Additional facts, my Truck warranty expired 5/15/2023. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11529554, filed 2023-06
  3. Engine

    Engine oil loss, connecting-rod failure and overheating

    • 17 complaints (15%)
    • median 106,000 mi at 2.4 yrs old (10 state mileage)
    • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2020–2026

    Complaints describe an oil pressure warning, abnormal engine noise, smoke or coolant loss, followed by a dealer finding engine damage or a connecting rod through the block and recommending engine replacement. Some owners mention the engine oil looked thick or sludged, and others describe overheating traced to a failed cooling fan module. In a few cases the reported failure mileage was high. Spread from about 135,000 to over 200,000 miles in several reports, with some overheating reports in the 90,000-mile range.

    Recall 20V511000Recall 21V439000

    What to check: Check the oil level and condition and ask whether the 20V511000 and 21V439000 engine software recalls were performed. Listen for lower-end knocking on a cold start and look for coolant or oil residue under the hood.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “While driving at highway speed a rod came through the engine block. I was fortunate I was able to coast to the shoulder of the highway before coming to a complete stop. I was towing a trailer. The engine gave no indication anything was wrong. The only notable thing was the lost of fuel mileage that begin to decrease earlier in the day. The Ram engineering department is holding up the dealer from repairing the engine. They also have another there with a similar issue. They can't provide a timeframe on when the repair will be done. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11390442, filed 2021-01, 33,000 miles

    “The contact owns a 2020 Ram 3500. The contact stated that after his son started the vehicle, there was a metal-on-metal sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that his son was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. …”

    NHTSA complaint #11487812, filed 2022-10, 135,000 miles

Buying note. Ask for proof that the 21V880000 fuel pump recall and the engine software recalls were completed, and get the fuel-system service history in writing. A pre-purchase inspection that includes a scan for stored codes and a trailer light and brake test is worth the cost on this model year.

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.

NHTSA recorded 116 consumer complaints for the 2020 Ram 3500. 44 of the complaints include a mileage, and 73% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 26,350 miles. Of all complaints, 6 involved a crash, 7 a fire, 4 an injury, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns and 761 technical service bulletins for this model year. Compared with the other 9 Ram 3500 model years that have at least 25 complaints and are old enough to compare, this one scores 62 out of 100, where 50 is a typical year for the model (typical for this model). The comparison allows for the era and for how long each year has had to collect complaints, but not for how many vehicles were sold.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Body and structure (4), Vehicle speed control (3), Air bags (2), Back-over prevention (rear camera) (2), Forward collision avoidance (2), Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors) (2), Lane departure (1).

Example complaints

Fuel system: “I purchased a knew 20 Ram 3500 and all though I haven't had the issue happen to me yet, I'm a nervous wreck that it will and my family and I will be stranded. There are hundreds if not thousands of people having experienced a catastrophic failure of the fairly new cp4 fuel pump. When this goes, it takes out the whole fuel system resulting in $17,000 worth of damage. What's worse is that your stranded ,with out a vehicle. Dealerships are only doing a limited amount of loaners but not a vehicle equal to what you had. …”

NHTSA complaint #11361596, filed 2020-09, 7,000 miles

Engine: “We were driving our 2020 Ram 3500 diesel with a 2000-pound truck camper in the bed on a city street attempting to make a right turn through a yield sign when the engine suddenly stopped completely without the ability to restart it. This resulted in sudden loss of acceleration, power steering, and power breaks, leading to a near collision with a large pole and possibly other vehicles in the in the intersection. Although we missed the pole and other vehicles, it was extremely difficult to avoid due to loss of power steering and braking. …”

NHTSA complaint #11415339, filed 2021-05, 30,900 miles

Transmission and drivetrain: “We were pulling camper to Nashville TN. We pulled off I24 toward I65 North. I noticed the engine was raving and it felt like I was missing gears on the transmission. I was roughly 4 miles from my destination when I noticed smoke coming from under the hood on passenger side and flames coming from under hood on passenger side of the hood. I stopped the truck/ camper. Three of us had extinguishers trying to put fire out. The entire engingine compartment burned and fire intruded into driver compartment.”

NHTSA complaint #11762938, filed 2026-09

Electrical system: “On 12/4/23, at 6:37 am PST, we initiated remote start via the key fob. At 6:40 am pst, a flash and fire erupted from under the hood of the truck. We immediately worked to control the fire using extinguishers and garden hoses until the fire department arrived a few minutes later. They worked to put the fire out that engulfed the engine compartment and then worked to get the hood open to finish putting the fire out. The fire didn’t fully go out until the battery cables were cut.”

NHTSA complaint #11558743, filed 2023-12

Mileage when problems were reported

73% of the 44 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 7,000 and 61,589 miles.

30%0–1018%10–2525%25–505%50–755%75–1009%100–1509%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (44 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 26,350 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

202020213720222023202420252026
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Recalls and investigations

See all 11 recalls for the 2020 Ram 3500 → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 761 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 761 bulletins →

Other model years of the Ram 3500

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
2026281,0004——Too new to compareToo new
2025437505——Too new to compareToo new
2024459,5002——Too new to compareToo new
20231714,0005———Too new
202219027,50012——78 · MoreRising
20216260,0009——15 · FewerRising
202011626,35011——62 · TypicalFalling
201913735,58214——40 · TypicalFalling
201880743,00010——66 · MoreRising
201731532,00012——54 · TypicalRising
201613422,69014——47 · TypicalRising
201513728,00014——37 · TypicalFalling
201420234,00015——53 · TypicalFalling
201311538,82516——24 · FewerFalling
2007678,1281———Not enough data

All Ram 3500 model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2020 Ram 3500?

Owners of this model year report most often on the 6.7L Cummins diesel's high-pressure fuel pump (the Bosch CP4), described as stalling or losing power with little or no warning, often while towing. The issues reported most often: High-pressure diesel fuel pump (CP4) failure and stalling; Loss of power and stalling with exhaust/DEF warnings; Engine oil loss, connecting-rod failure and overheating.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2020 Ram 3500 have?

NHTSA recorded 116 consumer complaints for the 2020 Ram 3500 as of Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2020 Ram 3500 is reported most often?

Fuel system is named most often, in 57 complaints (49% of the total), followed by engine with 27.

Has the 2020 Ram 3500 been recalled?

NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

At what mileage are problems with the 2020 Ram 3500 reported?

Among the 44 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 26,350 miles and the middle half falls between 7,000 and 61,589 miles; 73% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

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.

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.