Check a VIN

2005 Dodge RAM 3500 engine problems

13 complaints (7% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 89,000. 1 crash reported.

owner complaints
13
of this car's complaints
7%
typical mileage
89,000
crashes
1
recalls
0

Which part fails

  • Engine: diesel
    2
  • Engine
    2
  • Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
    1
  • Engine: gasoline
    1
  • Cooling system: fan
    1
  • Cooling system
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Dodge RAM 3500 engine problems in other years

19911995200020052012

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 2005 Dodge RAM 3500 owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jul 29, 2023 · Engine, Fuel system · TX · fire

Driver ran over tire rubber debris causing a thud under truck. Five minutes later a very loud thud noise occurred, no warning lights on dash, driver pulled off the highway immediately and exited truck. The grass was on fire underneath the truck. Explosion occurred. The entire inside of truck was gutted. Local fire department responded and put out the fire. Texas Department of Safety refused to respond since collision not involved. The truck is at a towing company awaiting salvage and has been inspected by a mechanic.

Filed Oct 26, 2017 · Engine · 183,000 miles · MA · fire

On july 20, 2017 family and I were riding in our meticulously maintained 2005 ram 3500 at highway speed in the cape cod region of massachusetts. After an hour truck running great, outside temp 92 degrees. 30 seconds later we had a catastrophic event which put us on the side of the road.12 quarts of oil on the ground, flames under the hood, and a hole in block. Removed wife and daughter from vehicle, extinguished fire thanks to a state trooper, fire and police apparatus. Given this is my daily driver and a business vehicle I was forced to replace motor costing $18k. Cummins and chrysler inspected vehicle. Did not investigate cause. Refused copies of inspection reports. Cummins tied up vehicle for a month. Delayed repair and use as daily driver and critical business need. Attached chrysler/cummins responses show negligence. Research has exposed latent defect whereby dodge application of cummins does not use adequate fuel filtration. Results in over fueling of the injectors that melt or hydro lock pistons, overloading rods, destroying block, spilling of oil, resulting in fire. Many on line examples of severely damaged engines well before b50 life of 350k miles. Repeated requests to address safety issue that could result in severe injury or death ignored. Personal engine inspection showed puddled fuel on cracked piston 3 and piston 4, indicating the hydro locked piston caused the rod and block failure. Refer to youtu link https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_bkdzxo6uno that demonstrates consequences of over fueling. Sudden failure on well maintained vehicle resulting in fire on highway warrants root cause investigation. Cause is likely inadequate fuel filtration latent defect.7 micron instead of 3.there are no chrysler diagnostic tools or maintenance procedures to protect the customer. Latent defect liability is not limited by warranty period. Must address safety!

Filed May 14, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 143,000 miles · TX

Driving down highway car in front was slow when I passed car fan cut my wire on clutchfan engin light came on got home a few minites after look under hood seen wire was cut this is the 2nd time this happened in 2 days

Filed Dec 16, 2013 · Engine · 124,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge ram 3500. The contact stated that the wires to the clutch fan were severed by the fan. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be diagnosed. The vehicle was personally repaired by the contact. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Filed Nov 8, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 89,000 miles · NY · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 dodge ram 3500. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department was called and a report was filed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and had an engineer inspect the vehicle. The engineer determined that the fire began in the engine compartment due to the battery. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000. Updated 05/16/2014*lj status update. 02/26/15.*jb

Filed Sep 5, 2012 · Engine, Transmission · 75,000 miles · MT

Experienced puff puff sound from underside of motor. Upon inspection one of the manifold bolts to the exhaust system was broken off. No accident/incidence caused this. Upon repair, mechanic found 3 and 4 gaskets on each port (to the exhaust system) not one gasket as it should be. The manifold had warped and bolt holes between the manifold ports and exhaust no longer lined up. Since the manifold had never been touched before this, it was incorrectly installed and/or manufactured with multiple gaskets to force the bolts to incorrectly line with the exhaust. When heated the manifold then warped and the first bolt broke off. Upon contacting dodge customer care, they claimed the warranty had expired (basic if 5 yrs or 150,000 km) and since it was now 7yrs with only 120,000km they would not cover repair under warranty. Clearly a manufacturers defect. Customer care inquired why this had not been discovered earlier; their ignorant attitude reflected that they believed customers should check the bolts as often as they checked their oil! Such an obvious manufacturer's defect should be covered by dodge, as it contradicts current vehicle emission regulations.

Filed Mar 25, 2011 · Engine · 62,000 miles · TX

No physical harm was caused, but on my 2005 dodge p/u the A/C quit blowing cold, and started making a loud rumble, after checking on the internet, I noticed 100's of people blogging about the same problem, some people say they paid to have it fixed and it re occurs, evidently the door on the AC unit is falling off blocking cold air and causing the AC not to function as well, although no bodily harm has been caused it seems like this problem occurs more then not, dodge should be responsible.

Filed Nov 19, 2010 · Engine, Fuel system · 290,000 miles · AL

Exhaust manifold cracked along center causing exhaust to enter cab area unknown to driver until sickened later. After consulting with several parts suppliers and mechanics it was discovered that this is a common problem among these model years and chrysler corp. Has done nothing about the problem.

Filed Jul 22, 2010 · Engine, Fuel system · 81,000 miles · NM

2005 dodge ram 3500 4x4 cummins diesel engine #4 injector tube (line) cracked and sprayed entire engine compartment with fuel due to the fact that it happened wile driving the under carriage was fuel soaked also. I had it towed to a dealer for repair. Dealer said it was not covered by warranty and I was charged for repair.

Filed Aug 14, 2007 · Engine, Transmission · 76,000 miles · CO

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 dodge ram 3500. When he started his vehicle when it idled high and would not shut off. This caused the bell housing to blow out, which caused damage to the bottom of the cab. It also ripped the exhaust from under the cab and ripped out some wiring. The clutch and other parts disengaged from the vehicle. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were 76,000. Updated 09/18/07

Questions about the 2005 Dodge RAM 3500 engine

Does the 2005 Dodge RAM 3500 have engine problems?

Owners have filed 13 complaints about the engine of the 2005 Dodge RAM 3500, 7% of all its complaints.

At what mileage do 2005 Dodge RAM 3500 engine problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 89,000 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2005 Dodge RAM 3500 engine?

There is no recall for this problem on this model year.

What year does the Dodge RAM 3500 have bad engine?

The Dodge RAM 3500 model years with the most engine complaints are 2012 (44 complaints), 2007 (33 complaints) and 2011 (25 complaints).

Other 2005 Dodge RAM 3500 problems

Steering 61Airbags 33Transmission 32Suspension 17Electrical 15Fuel system 12Brakes 9Visibility 9Lights 7Acceleration 5Tires 5Wheels 3Body 2Locks 2Seat belts 2Seats 2

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2005 Dodge RAM 3500?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history