How many miles will a 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 last?
Half of the 73 NHTSA owner complaints on the 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 that list mileage came after 144,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 249,000 miles. NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026 holds 291 complaints on this model year; each mileage is the odometer when an owner reported a safety problem, not how long the vehicle lasted.
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See what the paid report includes →Of the 73 complaints on the 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 that list mileage, the middle half came between 94,000 and 200,000 miles; 52 (71%) came after 100,000 miles, 33 (45%) after 150,000 and 17 (23%) after 200,000.
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How many miles will a 1996 Ram 2500 last?
The 73 mileages owners gave run from 40,000 to 340,000 miles. A quarter are at or under 94,000 miles, half at or under 145,000, three quarters at or under 200,000 and nine in ten at or under 250,000; 52 (71%) came after 100,000 miles, 33 (45%) after 150,000 and 17 (23%) after 200,000.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 1996 Ram 2500 wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Lowest mileage listed | 40,000 miles |
| 25th percentile | 94,000 miles |
| Median (50th percentile) | 145,000 miles |
| 75th percentile | 200,000 miles |
| 90th percentile | 250,000 miles |
| Highest mileage listed | 340,000 miles |
| Complaints after 100,000 miles | 52 (71%) |
| Complaints after 150,000 miles | 33 (45%) |
| Complaints after 200,000 miles | 17 (23%) |
Every model year together: Half of the 5,342 NHTSA owner complaints on the Ram 2500 that list mileage came after 61,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Ram 2500 last? →
Common problems with the 1996 Ram 2500
NHTSA's file holds 291 owner complaints on the 1996 Dodge Ram 2500. Owners named the brakes most often: 74 complaints, and half of the 5 that list a mileage came after 93,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 74 | 5 | 94,000 |
| Power Train | 44 | 8 | 105,000 |
| Electrical System | 26 | 11 | 145,000 |
| Tires | 24 | 5 | 160,000 |
| Suspension | 23 | 6 | 176,000 |
Of the 291 complaints, 15 report a crash, 15 report a fire and 8 report an injury (8 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 1996 Ram 2500 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1996 is a good or a bad Ram 2500: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1996 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 291 complaints, the 1996 ranks 10th of the 22 Dodge Ram 2500 model years from 1991 to 2012 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2006 (670). The fewest: the 1991 (16).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 Ram 2500 | 16 | 0 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1992 Ram 2500 | 32 | 5 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1993 Ram 2500 | 39 | 6 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1994 Ram 2500 | 168 | 29 | 114,000 |
| 1995 Ram 2500 | 267 | 52 | 122,672 |
| 1996 (this page) | 291 | 73 | 145,000 |
| 1997 Ram 2500 | 213 | 60 | 97,360 |
| 1998 Ram 2500 | 225 | 79 | 93,000 |
| 1999 Ram 2500 | 313 | 175 | 90,490 |
| 2000 Ram 2500 | 211 | 121 | 80,000 |
| 2001 Ram 2500 | 469 | 317 | 84,000 |
| 2002 Ram 2500 | 155 | 114 | 68,000 |
| 2003 Ram 2500 | 661 | 460 | 77,000 |
| 2004 Ram 2500 | 582 | 406 | 70,000 |
| 2005 Ram 2500 | 422 | 284 | 82,000 |
| 2006 Ram 2500 | 670 | 512 | 78,000 |
| 2007 Ram 2500 | 362 | 272 | 60,000 |
| 2008 Ram 2500 | 317 | 226 | 60,000 |
| 2009 Ram 2500 | 214 | 93 | 55,000 |
| 2010 Ram 2500 | 236 | 133 | 50,000 |
| 2011 Ram 2500 | 298 | 149 | 43,118 |
| 2012 Ram 2500 | 283 | 178 | 52,000 |
Every 2500 year compared on NHTSA’s complaints and recalls: Ram 2500 years to avoid →
1996 Dodge Ram 2500 recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 1 recall campaign that names the 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 (0 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
| Campaign | Report received | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 06E024000 | Mar 15, 2006 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING |
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 1996 Ram 2500 lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 1996 Ram 2500.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 218 of the 291 complaints on the 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: RAM 2500. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: RAM 2500.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
1996 Dodge Ram 2500 questions
How many miles will a 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 last?
Half of the 73 NHTSA owner complaints on the 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 that list mileage came after 144,000 miles, and 1 in 10 after 249,000 miles. Of the 73 complaints on the 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 that list mileage, the middle half came between 94,000 and 200,000 miles; 52 (71%) came after 100,000 miles, 33 (45%) after 150,000 and 17 (23%) after 200,000. These are mileages at a reported problem, not a lifespan: the file holds no 1996 Ram 2500 that never had one.
What are the most common 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 problems?
NHTSA's file holds 291 owner complaints on the 1996 Dodge Ram 2500. Owners named the brakes most often: 74 complaints, and half of the 5 that list a mileage came after 93,000 miles. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 291 complaints, 15 report a crash, 15 report a fire and 8 report an injury (8 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Is the 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1996 is a good or a bad Ram 2500: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1996 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 291 complaints, the 1996 ranks 10th of the 22 Dodge Ram 2500 model years from 1991 to 2012 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2006 (670). The fewest: the 1991 (16).
How many recalls does the 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 1 recall campaign that names the 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 (0 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 1996 Dodge Ram 2500 before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 1996 Dodge Ram 2500.