Total Complaints
20 filings
DODGE RAM · model year
20 NHTSA complaints, 3 crash reports. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1986DODGERAM carries 20 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 3 crashes, 5 fires, 4 injuries, and 1 fatality. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1986 RAM is seat belts:front:buckle assembly with 6 filings, followed by electrical system:wiring (3) and tires (2). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 20 investigation files overlapping the 1986 RAM, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
Total Complaints
20 filings
Crashes Reported
3 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY | 6 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 3 |
| TIRES | 2 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| WHEELS | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY:FILLER PIPE AND CAP | 1 |
| TIRES:TREAD/BELT | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
VEHICLE ENGINE FIRE. NAR 07/02/2003.*MR WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE RAN OUT OF GAS. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, AFTER PUTTING SOME FUEL IN IT, A FIRE ERUPTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT (OHIO TRAFFIC CRASH REPORT). *NM
WHILE IN MOTION, CONSUMER NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. CONSUMER STOPPED VEHICLE AND REALIZED THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AT THE SCENE INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY THE WIRING TO THE AUDIO EQUIPMENT FROM THE BATTERY. *JG
TIRE TREAD AND BELT SEPARATION. BELTS EXPOSED; RAPID DEFLATION. TIRE DESTROYED. NOT THE FIRST SIMILAR PROBLEM I'VE HAD WITH THIS MODEL OF TIRE. IT HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE A FEW YEARS AGO. *AK (DOT NUMBER: M3H3 AKYX TIRESIZE: 205-70R15)
THERE IS A SEAT BELT RECALL FOR SEAT BELT COMING UNLATCHED WHILE DRIVING. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL DUE TO VIN ALTHOUGH IT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK
I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM VISITING FRIENDS WHO LIVE ABOUT 13 MILES FROM ME ON A HOT SUN. AFTERNOON ON A 2-LANE COUNTRY ROAD. I BEGAN TO NOTICE SOME SWAY ON THE CURVES ABOUT 1/3 OF THE WAY HOME. AS I WAS DRIVING INTO THE CITY LIMITS I REALIZED THE REAR TIRE HAD GONE FLAT BUT DROVE ABOUT 1 BLOCK SO I COULD PULL OFF SAFELY. AS A RESULT THE TIRE RECEIVED SOME DAMAGE WHICH MADE IT DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE FLAT. I HAD IT REPLACED AT THE SAME FIRESTONE DEALER I BOUGHT IT FROM BUT WAS PUZZLED BECAUSE IT SEEMED TO BE VERY CHEWED UP FOR THE SHORT DISTANCE I CONTINUED TO DRIVE ONCE I NOTICED THE FLAT. THE TIRE WAS ONE OF FOUR I BOUGHT TOGETHER LESS THAN A YEAR AGO BUT THE ONE WHICH WENT FLAT WAS REPLACED BEFORE WORD OF THE PROBLEMS WITH SIMILAR TIRES WAS PUBLICIZED. I AM STILL DRIVING ON THE OTHER 3 PLUS THE REPLACEMENT. I AM VERY CONCERNED BECAUSE ONE OF THE TIRES (LEFT FRONT) HAS NEVER HELD AIR WELL, IN SPITE OF TAKING IT BACK FOR REMOUNTING, AND IT IS ONCE AGAIN LOSIN
NO SUMMARY
FUEL TANK SEEMS TO BE LEAKING FROM THE BOTTOM AND NEAR THE SEAM OF THE TANK. IF AN IGNITION SOURE WAS PRESENT IT COULD CAUSE A FIRE. THIS WAS FOUND WHEN OIL WAS BEING CHANGED. ABOUT A YEAR AGO, FUEL WAS LEAKNG FROM FILLER TUBE. OWNER WAS NOT ABLE TO FIND A REPLACEMENT. FUEL TANK HAS NOT BEEN REPLACED. OWNER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO REACH THE MANUFACTURER. *AK
SEAT BELT RELEASE BUTTON BROKE--REPAIRED AND LATER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE. WANT REFUND.
CENTER SEAT BELT WAS NOT PROPERLY INSTALLED AFTER RECALL REPAIR.
ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH DO NOT FUNCTION, INCLUDING THE WIPERS. DEALER WILL NOT FIX. *AK
SEAT BELT RELEASE BUTTON BROKE PRIOR TO RECALL.
WHEEL FELL OFF, CAUSING AXLE DAMAGE. ( NEW JERSEY STATE POLICE REPORT)
FIRE STARTED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, CAUSING THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TO BURN. PLEASE GIVE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. (OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT)
DOOR LATCH FAILURE. *AK
THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PARK POSITION AND THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. *AK
DEALER INDICATES PER MFR. COMPUTER INFO, VIN'S NOT INVOLVED IN RECALL CAMPAIGN 95V103003, EVEN THOUGH BELTS DISPLAY TK ON THEM. *AK
FRONT RIGHT SHOULDER/LAP BELT LATCH BROKE UPON IMPACT; RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW; VEHICLE HIT DIRT BANK; TUMBLED OVER.; VEHICLE TOTALED. TT
FRONT RIGHT SHOULDER/LAP BELT LATCH BROKE UPON IMPACT; RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW; VEHICLE HIT DIRT BANK; TUMBLED OVER.; VEHICLE TOTALED. TT
TAKATA SEAT BELT. HIT OBJECT IN HIGHWAY, LOST CONTROL PASSENGERS SEAT BELT FAILED AND OCCUPANT WAS EJECTED. TT
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1986 DODGE RAM; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.