The Lemon IndexAll cars · Ram · Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty)
1999 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty) problems, engines and recalls.
Owners filed 417 complaints with the government about the 1999 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty), most often about brakes (21%).
Which engine is in it
336 of the 417 complaints have a VIN we could decode, which tells us the engine.
| Engine | Share | Complaints | What they name most |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.9 Cummins diesel | 75% | 252 | brakes 21%, body structure 16%, transmission & drivetrain 16% |
| 5.9 V8 gas | 13% | 44 | too few to split |
| 8.0 V10 gas | 9% | 29 | too few to split |
| 5.2 V8 gas | 3% | 11 | too few to split |
Each diesel's page: Cummins 5.9 (Ram).
Nearby model years
What owners complain about
Share of this year's complaints that name each area.
When problems show up
Half of the owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 60,000 and 125,000 miles; the middle report was at 95,000 miles (226 complaints with a mileage).
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports | Towed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 1 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA, not verified.
In owners' words
Abs system doesnt work at all. front brakes when appplied will lock up and rear wheels dont work at all they just roll along. put two set of barke pads on front. almost had four collision.
1999 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty) owner · NHTSA complaint 9006495
Front brake pads were replaced at 11,000 miles to stop the severe pulling when the brakes were applied---"lockup" started the front wheels lockup and the rears roll free---master cylinder was replaced--porportioning valve was replaced--rear drums were turned & rear shoes were replaced
1999 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty) owner · NHTSA complaint 9005146
Almost impossible to drive. the brake caliper were not properly attached. bad ball joints which had to be replace.
1999 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty) owner · NHTSA complaint 9002672
Recalls
NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year under these names.
Quick answers
Is the 1999 Ram 2500/3500 reliable?
We can't score it per truck (heavy-duty sales aren't reported apart from the half-ton). Owners filed 417 complaints about it, most often about brakes (21% of them). Compare the diesel generations on their engine pages.
What engine does the 1999 Ram 2500/3500 have?
By the VINs in owner complaints: 5.9 Cummins diesel (75%), 5.9 V8 gas (13%), 8.0 V10 gas (9%), 5.2 V8 gas (3%).
How many recalls does the 1999 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty) have?
0. Recall repairs are free at any dealer; check the truck's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
No Lemon Index score: automakers report heavy-duty pickup sales together with the half-ton (one F-Series, Ram or Silverado number), so there is no honest per-truck denominator. These are counts and shares of owner complaints, not failure rates. Complaints: NHTSA owner complaints filed under the truck's 2500/3500 (F-250/F-350) names, all years filed, one per complaint number. Engine: decoded from the complaint's VIN (position 8 is the engine code) with NHTSA's vPIC decoder. Complaints filed as just “Silverado” or “Sierra” are left out (they mix 1500s and HDs). Older trucks have had more years to collect complaints, and popular years draw more because more were sold.
Updated · Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com)
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