Selling a junk Ram 1500
Any 1500 sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Ram 1500
NHTSA has 15,627 owner complaints on file for the Ram 1500, model years 2009 to 2022, the 25th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are steering (2,617, 17%), engine (2,230, 14%), electrical system (2,036, 13%). 871 complaints involved a crash, 277 a fire, and 985 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 51,000 miles. The 2014 model year has the most complaints (2,426). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is steering, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to deciding whether to repair or junk: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Ram 1500 by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 47 | Transmission and drivetrain | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 2013 | 1,613 | Steering | 108 | 15 | 12 | 62,141 |
| 2014 | 2,426 | Steering | 151 | 38 | 17 | 63,000 |
| 2015 | 1,994 | Steering | 113 | 88 | 18 | 65,209 |
| 2016 | 2,120 | Steering | 126 | 60 | 17 | 52,000 |
| 2017 | 1,203 | Steering | 110 | 20 | 13 | 37,000 |
| 2018 | 918 | Electrical system | 34 | 12 | 15 | 34,000 |
| 2019 | 2,173 | Electrical system | 113 | 17 | 30 | 22,000 |
| 2020 | 925 | Electrical system | 36 | 13 | 14 | 33,000 |
| 2021 | 1,151 | Engine | 41 | 7 | 15 | 36,000 |
| 2022 | 1,057 | Engine | 39 | 7 | 16 | 40,000 |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Ram 1500 recalls
NHTSA lists 83 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (13), transmission and drivetrain (12), driver assistance (10). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2019 model year, seat belts (campaign 26V495000, Jul 2026): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 vehicles. The second-row center and left-side seat belt buckle anchors may have been improperly installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the re…
- 2019 model year, air bags (campaign 25V824000, Dec 2025): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019 Ram 1500 Classic, Ram 2500, and Ram 3500 vehicles. The right and left side curtain air bag inflators may rupture due to a manufacturing defect.
- 2021 model year, air bags (campaign 25V765000, Nov 2025): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Ram 1500, Ram 2500, Ram 3500, Ram 4500, and Ram 5500 vehicles. The steering column control module may cause the driver's side air bag not to deploy as intended. As su…
- 2018 model year, air bags (campaign 25V592000, Sep 2025): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2018 Ram 1500, Ram 2500, and Ram 3500 vehicles. The right and left side curtain air bag inflators may rupture due to a manufacturing defect.
- 2019 model year, air bags (campaign 25V298000, May 2025): Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2024 Ram 1500 vehicles. The driver's side air bag may not be connected properly, which can cause the air bag not to deploy as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to com…
What a Ram 1500 is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk 1500 on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
Should you junk or repair your car? 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Ram models
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- Ram 3500 3,177
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Questions people ask
- What is a junk Ram 1500 worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same 1500 gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Ram 1500 that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Ram 1500?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Ram 1500 numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.