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2010 Dodge RAM 1500 problems

The most common problem on the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500 is transmission and drivetrain, typically around 60,000 miles. It has fewer complaints than a typical RAM 1500 model year.

Fewer complaintsAmong the best years of this model
Year score
80/100
Owner complaints
488
Recalls
4
Service bulletins
217
Worst area
Transmission
Fuel economy
15-16mpg

The worst 2010 Dodge RAM 1500 problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500

Engine failure 27Stalling 20Knocking 15Check engine light 14Whining noise 14Grinding brakes 10Headlights 9ABS 8Ball joint 8No deployment 7Loss of power 7Fuel smell 6Jerking 5Key fob 5Power steering loss 5Warning lights 5Won't start 5

Recalls 4

Fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly: mountingReported March 8, 2018 · 218,617 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Dodge Ram 1500 trucks currently, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Exposure to environmental conditions such as water mixed with road salt may cause the front fuel tank strap frame "T-Slot" bracket to corrode, possibly causing the fuel tank to drop and make contact with the ground.
Risk
If the fuel tank were to drop and contact the ground, a fuel leak may result. Additionally, in the event of a crash, the fuel tank may not remain secured to the vehicle, possibly causing a fuel leak. A fuel leak in the presence in an ignition source, can increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy
Chrysler will notify owners and dealers will bolt a bracket reinforcement to the frame, free of charge. The recall began May 2, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is U04.

Recall number 18V160000 · Recall details

Power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shiftReported December 20, 2017 · 1,482,874 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Ram 3500 Cab Chassis with a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of less than 10,000 lbs, 2011-2017 Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles, 2009-2017 Ram 1500 and 2010-2017 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks, all equipped with a column shifter. Pushing the brake pedal for prolonged periods when the vehicle is running and in PARK may cause the Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) pin to stick in the open position. With the pin in the open position, the transmission can be shifted out of PARK into any gear without pushing the brake pedal or having the key in the ignition.
Risk
Being able to shift the transmission without pushing the brake pedal and/or without a key in the ignition can increase the risk of an unintended vehicle rollaway that may result in personal injury or a crash.
Remedy
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle software, inspect the BTSI, and, as necessary, replace it, free of charge. The recall began February 26, 2018. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T79.

Recall number 17V821000 · Recall details

Power train: driveline: differential unitReported February 6, 2013 · 278,674 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Ram 1500 trucks manufactured from February 27, 2008, through June 30, 2009, and from December 1, 2009, through October 20, 2011; model year 2009-2011 Dodge Dakota trucks manufactured from February 27, 2007, through June 30, 2009, and from December 1, 2009, through September 30, 2011; model year 2009 Chrysler Aspen trucks manufactured from January 3, 2008, through December 18, 2008; and model year 2009 Dodge Durango trucks manufactured from January 3, 2008, through December 18, 2008. The rear axle pinion nut may loosen due to an undersized pinion spline that can allow relative motion between the nut and companion flange.
Risk
If the rear axle pinion nut loosens, the axle can lock up and cause a loss of vehicle control and/or a vehicle crash with little warning.
Remedy
On November 7, 2013 Chrysler notified owners that dealers would install a pinion nut retainer, free of charge. In July 2015, and under a consent order with the federal safety agency, the company agreed to offer owners three options for remedying their vehicles: perform the original remedy, offer to repurchase the vehicle at the fair market value plus 10%, or offer an additional incentive offer towards the purchase of a new Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, or Fiat vehicle. Chrysler will notify owners of the new recall options in a letter expected to be mailed on August 31, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1‑800‑247‑9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N08.

Recall number 13V038000 · Recall details

Power train: driveline: differential unitReported October 2, 2012 · 44,300 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2009-2010, Ram 1500 and Dodge Dakota trucks, manufactured from July 1, 2009, through November 30, 2009, because the rear axle pinion nut may loosen due to a lack of adhesive.
Risk
If the rear axle pinion nut loosens, the axle can lock up and cause a loss of vehicle control and/or a vehicle crash with little warning.
Remedy
Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will install a pinion nut retainer, free of charge. The recall began on June 17, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1‑800‑247‑9753.

Recall number 12V474000 · Recall details

See all 4 recalls for the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500

Defect investigations

Electrical overstressOpened April 19, 2019, closed September 19, 2024

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect. During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications.  The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V‑668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU.  In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment. FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle.  Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW. These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes. An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time.  In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU. This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners.  Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW. The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation. The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage. There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation. The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU. If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC. Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC. All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled. In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V‑668, 18E-043, 18V‑137, 18V‑363, and 20V‑024. With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.

EA19001

Technical service bulletins for the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500 217

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 217 bulletins for the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500

2010 Dodge RAM 1500 fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
5.7L 8‑cylRWD142016
3.7L 6‑cylRWD142016
5.7L 8‑cyl4WD131815
4.7L 8‑cylRWD141915
4.7L 8‑cyl4WD131815

What 2010 Dodge RAM 1500 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Oct 19, 2026 · Engine, Steering · MI

I went to the car wash in the afternoon, I parked truck in driveway when I got home. Ate lunch with my kids and went outside after and was enjoying the summer weather and unexpectedly my truck started rolling in the driveway and crashed into trees on my property. I got a stick stuck in my leg trying to get my truck out of the woods that became infected. Truck went to dealership and 2 recalls were fixed. The Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) described in the recall is exactly what happened in this incident. Causes a rollaway vehicle that may cause crash or injury unexpectedly with no warning. I reported it to Mopar and Stellantis and made claims with both.

Filed Oct 14, 2026 · Fuel system · CO

RECALL COMPLIANCE FAILURE & RECALL REPORTING FRAUD BY AUTHORIZED DEALER Vehicle: Dodge Ram Truck Stellantis Corporate Case #: XXX/ XXX Authorized Dealership: The Faricy Boys Chrysler Jeep ([XXX]) Safety Defect & Non-Compliance Description: On XXX, my vehicle was brought to an authorized Mopar dealership (Faricy Chrysler Jeep) to complete a mandatory federal safety recall involving the fuel tank straps and bolts. Per official protocol, executing this safety work requires handling and disassembling elements of the fuel tank and surrounding fuel infrastructure. Upon completing the recall work, the dealership left the vehicle with newly cracked fuel lines, a bent gas line vent, a missing hose, and a broken Evaporative Emission System (ESIM) module connector completely unhooked and undone beneath the vehicle. The truck entered the shop with zero active fuel system faults or emissions codes, and it is now sitting unfinished at the shop in an unsafe, non-compliant operating condition. Federal Violation & Reporting Discrepancy: The dealership left the vehicle in this hazardous condition, called me, and stated it would cost at least $2,000 out-of-pocket to repair the fuel lines and connect the infrastructure. Under federal law, safety recalls must be completed effectively and entirely at no cost to the consumer. Furthermore, the dealership has issued communications claiming the recall is officially complete, yet the official federal the federal safety agency database explicitly flags my VIN as incomplete. The dealership appears to be falsely reporting the completion of a federal safety recall to the manufacturer/government while holding a physically non-compliant, unsafe vehicle on their lot. Stellantis Corporate is dragging out an internal arbitration process to pressure me into taking the unfinished vehicle back to evade liability. I have recorded audio admissions from the service department confirming these details. Reporting Consumer: [XXX] | 719 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 28, 2026 · Transmission · 262,420 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driveshaft detached. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 13V038000 (Power Train) however, the part to complete the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rear axle pinion nut needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 262,420.Â

Filed Nov 18, 2025 · Transmission · WA

During unrelated work, a mechanic discovered the retaining ring for recall N08 (rear axle pinion nut) was not installed and the pinion nut was loose enough to turn by hand. He stated the recall had either been performed incorrectly or not at all, and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The recall shows “completed” in 2013, but the defect is still present. I contacted Stellantis Customer Care, submitted photos, and they confirmed in writing that if the defect still exists, the recall must be performed free of charge regardless of age, mileage, or ownership. I sent the photos of the missing ring, screenshots showing the recall marked completed, and Stellantis’ confirmation to the dealership before having the vehicle towed to verify coverage. The truck was towed to Time Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Portland. My initial contact was [XXX] at that location. However, all recall decisions and communication later came from [XXX] , who works at a different dealership. Over the next month, the dealership repeatedly stalled the recall, saying they were waiting on approval from the district manager and then from the recall department, but no action was ever taken. Despite having Stellantis’ written confirmation and clear photographic evidence of the unresolved defect, the dealership refused to perform the recall. They insisted on treating it as a “warranty” issue and cited reasons such as mileage, age, and not being the original owner—none of which apply to safety recalls. They then stated that teardown and diagnosis “would run $1000,” even though the defect has already been documented by both the mechanic and Stellantis. All communication, including photos, the mechanic’s findings, Stellantis’ confirmation of coverage, and the dealership’s refusal, is available upon request. The truck has now been sitting at the dealership for over a month with an unresolved safety defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Nov 5, 2025 · Engine · IA

Was just driving and the engine shut off and a check engine light came on and won’t start again believe timing chain failed

Filed Sep 15, 2025 · Transmission · OH

2010 Dodge Ram 1500 truck purchased used late May 2025 with 57000 miles. Late August 2025 with 60000 miles rear axle fell off when driving on Freeway at 60 miles per hour. Very serious accident was narrowly avoided as could not steer vehicle.Truck was serviced at dealership for recall of a pinion nut coming loose at 36107 miles in September 2013. Per this recall, the loose pinion nut can cause the axle to fail. The recall maintenance done in September 2013 at 36107 miles only lasted 24000 miles and serious safety issues reoccurred. In my opinion, on my vehicle the recall did not fix the problem. Now I am stuck with a $5000 repair on a vehicle with known recalls and safety issues that was supposedly fixed.Perhaps a second recall should be considered regarding this issue.

Filed Aug 29, 2025 · Suspension, Transmission · OK

Me and my husband were driving down the road to go see a friend and all of a sudden the wheel hub assembly broke in half causing us to have to slam on our brakes and keep from crashing. The wheel almost ended up under our truck making the truck look like it was kachowing like Lightening McQueen from the movie Cars

Filed Jun 26, 2025 · Electrical · 228,863 miles · PA

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2010 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to obtain an auto warranty from Car Shield, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 125,526 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 228,863.

Filed May 28, 2025 · Transmission · NY · crash

I was driving to work on [XXX] when my rear end locked up and I slid sideways down [XXX]. I was going slower than normal due to slippery road conditions. The mechanic told me it was the pinion nut that froze up and locked up the gears and snapped the drive shaft. If it had been clear roads the truck probably would have flipped over. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Apr 25, 2025 · Fuel system · CA

took the vehicle to the dealer on 2/27/25 on invoice # chcs169951 and they have refused to fix the issue. i was given a proof of correction paper without doing any or the work and told that they are no responsible to fix the issue because it is an older vehicle. I have been trying to register the vehicle but am unable to because it will not pass the brake and light inspection. I was told that it would take 2-3 weeks to update the system and has now been close to 2 months and still no update.

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Questions about the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500

Is the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500 reliable?

Owners have filed 488 complaints about the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500, fewer than a typical RAM 1500 model year.

What is the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500 year score?

The 2010 Dodge RAM 1500 scores 80 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Dodge RAM 1500: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500?

Transmission and drivetrain, with 229 complaints, typically around 60,000 miles. Next is engine (75).

How many recalls does the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500 have?

4 recalls, covering fuel system, gasoline and power train.

Was there a recall on the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500 transmission?

Yes, 3 recalls: 17V821000, 13V038000, 12V474000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Dodge RAM 1500 have bad transmission?

The Dodge RAM 1500 model years with the most transmission complaints are 2005 (595 complaints), 2009 (231 complaints) and 2010 (229 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500 get?

Official estimates for the 2010 Dodge RAM 1500 range from 15 to 16 mpg combined. The most efficient version (5.7L 8-cyl, RWD) gets 14 city and 20 highway.

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