2009–2024 · Platform code DS
The generation that moved the 1500 to a multi-link coil-spring rear suspension in place of the leaf springs the previous truck used — Chrysler called it first-in-segment at launch — with an air suspension available later as a factory option. It launched on a 3.7L V6, a 4.7L V8 and the 5.7L HEMI; by the end of its run the range was the 3.6L Pentastar V6, the 5.7L HEMI and an optional 3.0L EcoDiesel V6, with an eight-speed automatic as standard. From 2019 it was sold alongside the new fifth generation as the Ram 1500 Classic, so the model name on a listing does not on its own tell you which of the two you are looking at.
By engine and transmission
Complaint and recall counts from NHTSA, retrieved 2026-08-11. A complaint count is not a failure rate — it scales with how many were sold and how much attention a problem drew.
Community and source review
The alternator charges the battery while the engine runs and powers everything electrical. Both are consumable parts with a service life, and on a used car at least one of them has usually been replaced already — or is due.
The compressor is the pump in the air conditioning loop. When it seizes it can send metal debris through the whole system, which turns a component replacement into a system job.
Bushings, ball joints, link rods and strut mounts are rubber and grease components that wear continuously. They rarely fail suddenly; they get gradually noisier and vaguer, which is why a test drive on a rough road tells you more than one on smooth pavement.
A turbocharger runs at very high speed on an oil-fed bearing, driven by exhaust gas. Its condition is tied directly to the engine's oil history, which makes service records more informative here than on most components.
One of the largest recalls in American history — 4,815,661 vehicles — and one of the simplest to settle before buying. A short circuit in the wiring could stop the cruise control being switched off. The fix is a free software flash at a dealer, and recalls do not expire, so an unrepaired truck can still be put right at no cost. The only work here is checking the VIN.
