2012 Dodge RAM 1500: misfire or rough idle

Filed Apr 17, 2026 · Engine · MD

My 2012 Dodge developed an engine issue at 129,000 miles. The issue was rough idling and no acceleration. I took it to a Dodge dealer. They diagnosed it as a chronic cam issue with this generation Chrysler hemi engine. I had the cam and replaced at Waldorf Dodge. The cost was at $3400. I believe this is a known problem and Dodge is aware of exactly why it happens. Lack of oil pressure to two of the cylinders that are dropped while driving for fuel economy. This should be Dodge problem not the consumer. I take excellent care of my vehicles. I also have a 2004 Dodge truck but that’s over 450,000 miles on it same engine same transmission.

Filed Mar 20, 2026 · Engine · 80,000 miles · WI

The contact owns a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light was flashing, and the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was shaking and continued decelerating. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. A certified mechanic was contacted and advised the contact to drive the vehicle approximately 45 MPH with the hazard lights flashing to the repair shop. The mechanic diagnosed a misfire in cylinder #2, lifters failure, causing the camshaft failure, which allowed metal debris to enter the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Filed Aug 1, 2025 · Engine · MD

The vehicle finally became inoperable at 119,000 miles due to lifter failure. Lifter issues started when the vehicle had about 106,000 miles on it. There were multiple misfire and gas mileage became worse. There was a loud ticking noise coming from the engine as well. Vehicle has been well maintained and only 1 owner, purchased new. With the lifter failure, this caused damage to the camshaft and which led to an excess amount of metal shavings to be spread throughout the engine. The vehicle ultimately had to get a engine replacement because of the excess metal shavings in the engine.

Filed May 15, 2025 · Engine · AL

The engine has lifters ticking when cold and a loss of power during operation. The engine hesitates during driving at different times and runs rough. There is no warning before this happens and no warning lights/sensors activated. The truck only has 76k miles on it.

Filed Dec 5, 2021 · Engine · OH

Camshaft lobe warn down from, from faulty rocker arm roller (needle bearing) (there is no to very little compression in cylinder 5), apparently engine is lubricated "by splash oil design" and people smarter then me have diagnosed that it is a design flaw.(having to do with the well and the height of the bores that accept the rocker arms) The engine only had 118,000 miles when the engine light came on, resulted in a severe knocking sound and misfiring. I expected a well taken care of motor with regular oil changes would last 200,000 miles. My choices are to rebuild the motor and or replace, both are costly. Thanks for taking the time to read my complaint. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Filed Mar 23, 2021 · Engine · 129,000 miles · VA

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate forward driving at various speeds. The check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle began to misfire and shudder. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. No dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.

Filed Sep 26, 2020 · Engine · 138,300 miles · TN

Vehicle has 138,358 miles and has had regular maintenance. However, the cam shaft has worn and rocker arm has become loose and is causing cylinder 5 to misfire (p0305). This failure has caused the truck to lose power while driving on freeway or times of acceleration to cross traffic or climb steep road grades. Initial investigation by auto mechanic states that cam shaft and rocker arm need replacing. Additional investigation is needed to see if valvles are deteriorating and need replacing.

Filed Aug 25, 2020 · Engine · 20 miles · NJ

Lifters on truckand camshaft failed causing loss of power and misfire.trick has about 115,000 miles on there now. Had no power off the line on the highway.

Filed Apr 1, 2020 · Acceleration, Engine · 1,000 miles · TX

In the morning while starting truck no problem, all of a sudden while driving on street the truck just turned off. It had happened before on 3 other occasions but the first one was far apart then the other 2 in the last 2 weeks. When I got on the freeway I noticed a had to push harder on the gas pedal to gain speed but it felt like it was hard to press on and I wasn't getting to the speed (60mph) so I just took it slowly to gain speed. That lasted about a week. The following week after trying to gain speed at about 45-50 MPH the truck started shaking really bad so I let go of the gas pedal and took it slow again. So I took it to my mechanic to get a basic tune up since I had just gotten an oil change he would just do spark plugs on3/5/20 to see if it would solve the problem. After explaining to him what it was doing he told me right away that it's probably the camshaft and hydraulic lifters worn out with my truck mileage of 108,000 it was unbelievable because I always make sure my truck is up to date with everything. By this time no check engine light had turned on. So I drove it another week and half with the same issues; finally on 3/16/20 the check engine light turned on and I took it to get it checked at autozone and oreilys and both computer finding were code p0385 which is a misfire on cylinder 5 which is hydraulic lifter, camshaft, and possible ignition coil gone bad. I decided to not use my truck until I took it to the mechanic which I did on 03/24/20. His finding were the worn out camshaft and hydraulic lifter on cylinder 5. I did some research on the internet and of course there is a lot of people complaining about the same problem and it starts with trucks from 2011 and some with only of 58,000 miles. This is very costly to repair when you expect a truck to last a long time especially if you take care of it.

Filed Jan 11, 2020 · Airbags, Engine · 96,300 miles · TX

I bought this vehicle and have noticed multiple problems with it. Please help me to have chrysler - fiat honor their responsibility and buy back this vehicle. It is a death trap and a lemon. *dt to start, there's a cylinder misfire code that is a problem across the ram hemi line up. All you need to do is google search and it and you come across a plethora of links addressing the same problem. It is possible for one vehicle to have a problem but when there are countless forums online for the same problem over and over the problem is the manufacturer. Cylinder 3 misfire nightmare https://www.ramforumz.com/threads/cylinder-3-misfire-nightmare.241581/ the truck can start without pressing on the brake pedal the truck takes multiples crank attempts in order to start https://www.carcomplaints.com/ram/1500/2012/engine/engine_stalls_shuts_down_while_driving.shtml engine stalls/shuts down while driving 2012 ram 1500 https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a15353911/more-than-1-million-ram-pickups-recalled-for-accidental-airbag-deployment/ accidental airbag deployed (my vehicle has a deployed airbag on the driver's seat) the truck loses power while driving https://www.carcomplaints.com/ram/1500/2012/electrical/loss_of_power_while_driving.shtml please help me with this problem under the lemon law and safety laws. The vehicle should not even have been available for me to purchase it in the first place. Unfortunately not a lot of people know about the problems and buy it in good faith. I thank you in advance for your help and guidance regarding this matter. Should you need to call me, my number is [xxx] sincerely, [xxx] redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Dec 2, 2019 · Engine · 148,000 miles · MS

Cylinder misfire at high RPM. Roller lifters getting stuck or wearing and causing grooves or excessive camshaft wear. Random cylinders and lifters becoming stuck or bearings on lifters failing causing excessive and premature camshaft wear or failure of lobes on camshaft. 2012 hemi 5.7l engine. Happens when engine put under a load such as getting onto highway or passing a slower moving vehicle. Under load or higher RPM engine fault light illuminates and will blink on and off for a few seconds. Purchased on 11/16/19 as used vehicle. Odometer 147514.

Filed Aug 15, 2019 · Transmission · 91,000 miles · AZ

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ram 1500. While driving 45 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the front driver's side of the motor. The contact stated that the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to jim click chrysler dodge ram (located at 850 w auto mall dr, tucson, az 85705, (520) 292-3850) where it was diagnosed that cylinder three misfired. The vehicle was also taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 91,000. *bf consumer stated this failure in the motor is apparent in multiple reports across a multitude of forums. The collapse of lifters is a severe safety issue and chrysler knows it! They refuse to accept responsibility over their known defect! These motors must be called for the safety of all!