MODEL
Ram 4500
NHTSA safety across every Ram 4500 model year we cover.
Across the 4 model years of the Ram 4500 we cover (2019 to 2024), no year has an NHTSA crash-test score on record. 24 recalls have been issued across those years.
The Ram 4500 is a Class 4 heavy-duty commercial chassis cab truck aimed squarely at contractors, fleet operators, and upfitters who need serious towing and payload capacity. Sold in cab-and-chassis configurations, it sits above the Ram 3500 in the lineup and is built for work-site demands rather than daily commuting. Its buyers prioritize capability and upfit flexibility, but safety accountability still matters.
At MotorCaliber, we have to be direct: the Ram 4500 has not been crash-tested by NHTSA across any of the 2019 to 2024 model years we cover. That means there are no star ratings, no Safety Index scores, and no independent crash-data benchmarks to evaluate. For a vehicle that often carries crews, hauls heavy loads, and operates in demanding environments, that testing gap is a real limitation shoppers should acknowledge. What we do have is a recall picture that deserves attention. Across six model years, the Ram 4500 has accumulated 24 recalls, including 2 campaigns serious enough that NHTSA or Ram designated them park-outside or do-not-drive directives. Those designations signal elevated risk and mean owners should act immediately when a notice arrives rather than waiting for a convenient service window. On the complaint side, the data is relatively sparse at 13 total owner complaints, with 1 reported crash and 1 reported injury logged. These are unverified allegations, but the low volume likely reflects the truck's limited consumer population rather than an absence of issues. The bottom line here is straightforward: the Ram 4500 carries a meaningful recall burden, has never faced a federal crash-test camera, and serves a professional audience that should stay current on every service campaign without exception.
WHAT REVIEWERS SAYReviewers generally regard the Ram 4500 as a purpose-built commercial workhorse with strong upfit versatility and a cab interior that offers more refinement than older-generation heavy chassis trucks. They tend to highlight its towing and payload credentials as genuine strengths, while noting that ride comfort and driving dynamics reflect its commercial focus rather than passenger-car expectations.
- The Ram 4500 has never been crash-tested by NHTSA across the 2019 to 2024 model years we cover, leaving buyers without any independent star-rating or structural safety benchmark.
- Twenty-four recalls have been issued across covered model years, making it essential to check your VIN on NHTSA's recall database and complete all open campaigns promptly.
- Two of those 24 recalls carried park-outside or do-not-drive designations, the most serious level of recall urgency. Any Ram 4500 owner who receives such a notice should stop driving the vehicle and contact a dealer immediately.
- Owner complaints are low in volume at 13 across six model years, but this likely reflects the truck's specialized commercial buyer pool rather than a clean safety record, and the absence of crash-test data means complaints carry extra weight as a signal worth monitoring.
Most-recalled year on record: 2020 Ram 4500 with 9 recalls.