2016 Ram 1500 — 3.6L

The 2016 Ram 1500 sits near the peak of an elevated complaint arc that defined the middle years of the fourth-generation lineup. Federal complaints of 1,503 trail only the 2014 model year (1,734) and are essentially flat with 2015 (1,425), while the 17 recalls tie 2014 for the highest count in the dataset, and 604 TSBs rank third among the years shown. The top complaint categories — steering (252), engine (145), service brakes (113), and fuel/propulsion system (107) — combined with 90 crash and 35 fire complaints and 4 open investigations, point to systemic driveline and chassis concerns rather than isolated defects during this period. By contrast, the later fourth-generation years (2017–2018) and the early fifth-generation trucks (2020–2021) each show meaningfully lower complaint volumes, confirming that 2016 falls in a particularly troubled window of the model's history. Given the high complaint volume, heavy recall load, and elevated investigation count, the 2016 should be approached with caution — a pre-purchase inspection focused on steering, powertrain, and brake components is essential, and buyers should verify all recall remedies have been performed before purchase.