The Lemon IndexAll cars · Ram · Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty)
2002 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty) problems, engines and recalls.
Owners filed 199 complaints with the government about the 2002 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty), most often about body structure (25%).
Which engine is in it
169 of the 199 complaints have a VIN we could decode, which tells us the engine.
| Engine | Share | Complaints | What they name most |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.9 Cummins diesel | 82% | 138 | body structure 25%, fuel system 21%, steering 14% |
| 5.9 V8 gas | 12% | 20 | too few to split |
| 8.0 V10 gas | 4% | 6 | too few to split |
| 5.2 V8 gas | 3% | 5 | 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 35,100 and 111,000 miles; the middle report was at 69,000 miles (146 complaints with a mileage).
How serious
| Crashes | Fires | Injury reports | Death reports | Towed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
As reported by owners to NHTSA, not verified.
In owners' words
Consumer states that vehicle's steering wanders excessively. has to continously correct steering while driving. dealer has replaced gear box and tires, but problem still exists. ts
2002 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty) owner · NHTSA complaint 8023587
Consumer states that while at highway speeds vehicle shimmy's all over the road. consumer states if you hit a pot hole, could be very dangerous. please provide any further information. mr
2002 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty) owner · NHTSA complaint 8021372
Consumer states while driving at 35mph in a frontal collison none of the airbags deployed on impact. passenger was serious injured. vehicle was badly damaged. nlm
2002 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty) owner · NHTSA complaint 8019397
Recalls
NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year under these names.
Quick answers
Is the 2002 Ram 2500/3500 reliable?
We can't score it per truck (heavy-duty sales aren't reported apart from the half-ton). Owners filed 199 complaints about it, most often about body structure (25% of them). Compare the diesel generations on their engine pages.
What engine does the 2002 Ram 2500/3500 have?
By the VINs in owner complaints: 5.9 Cummins diesel (82%), 5.9 V8 gas (12%), 8.0 V10 gas (4%), 5.2 V8 gas (3%).
How many recalls does the 2002 Ram 2500/3500 (Heavy Duty) have?
0. Recall repairs are free at any dealer; check the truck's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
The whole-line score for 2002, mostly half-tons: 2002 Ram pickup.
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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