IllustrationDRIVING DOWN THE ROAD WONT ACCELATE THEN LOOSE POWER , THEN AFEW A FEW MINUTES DRIVES GREAT THEN NEVER KNOW WHEN IT WILL NOT ACCELATE DRANGE LOSING POWER LIKE THAT
2002 Dodge RAM 2500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Dodge RAM 2500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 275.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RAM 2500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
170–25K
2225–50K
2650–75K
1775–100K
20100–150K
12150K+
114 reports with mileage · 41 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Structure. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
10 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
5 reportsCRUISE CONTROL WAS ON AND USED ACCELERATOR PETAL TO ACCELERATE, ENGINE RPM WENT TO MAX AND SPEED INCREASED 20 MPH AND CONTINUED. TAPPED ACCERATOR AND TURNED OF SPEED CONTROL, SPEED CONTINUED. PUT GEAR IN NEUTRAL AND WORKED MY WAY TO ROAD SIDE. FOUND THAT CABLE FRAYED AND JAMMED AT HIGH RPM. DISCONNECTED CABLE AND HAVE NOT FOU…
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CRUISE CONTROL WAS ON AND USED ACCELERATOR PETAL TO ACCELERATE, ENGINE RPM WENT TO MAX AND SPEED INCREASED 20 MPH AND CONTINUED. TAPPED ACCERATOR AND TURNED OF SPEED CONTROL, SPEED CONTINUED. PUT GEAR IN NEUTRAL AND WORKED MY WAY TO ROAD SIDE. FOUND THAT CABLE FRAYED AND JAMMED AT HIGH RPM. DISCONNECTED CABLE AND HAVE NOT FOUND REPLACEMENT CABLE YET. PART DISCONTINUED
WHILE TRAVELING ON I-5 IN PORTLAND, OREGON, I LOST CONTROL OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, IT WHEN INTO A "DEAD PEDAL MODE". I WAS ON A VERY BUSY SECTION OF THIS INTERSTATE AND HAD TO IMMEDIATELY FIND A LOCAL OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD NEXT TO AN ON RAMP. IT WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. IT WAS AN ELECTRONIC PROBLEM.
WHILE ACCELERATING THE TRUCK START THE DECELERATE AND REACCELERATE MULTIPLE TIMES WITHIN A 2-3 SECOND TIME PERIOD AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FOR LARGE EVAP LEAK. THIS ISSUE HAPPENED A NUMBER OF TIMES THROUGHOUT A COUPLE WEEK TIME PERIOD. WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER THEY SAID THERE WAS DEBRIS IN THE TANK THAT COULD HA…
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WHILE ACCELERATING THE TRUCK START THE DECELERATE AND REACCELERATE MULTIPLE TIMES WITHIN A 2-3 SECOND TIME PERIOD AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FOR LARGE EVAP LEAK. THIS ISSUE HAPPENED A NUMBER OF TIMES THROUGHOUT A COUPLE WEEK TIME PERIOD. WHEN I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER THEY SAID THERE WAS DEBRIS IN THE TANK THAT COULD HAVE CLOGGED THE LINES, FLUSHED OUT THE LINES AND CONTINUED ON. THE ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER AND CONTINUED FOR WEEKS. I BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER THEY SAID THE PUMP WAS BAD AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACE, REPLACED PUMP CONTINUE ON. AFTER ABOUT 8 MONTHS THE ISSUE CAME BACK AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON FOR LARGE EVAP LEAK. HAD SYSTEM CHECK FOR LEAKS AND FOUND NONE. THE ISSUE STILL CONTINUE MONTHS LATER A RANDOM INTERVALS. LUCKILY THE ACCELERATION ISSUE HAS BEEN MOSTLY WHEN I WAS ACCELERATING FROM LOW SPEEDS AND FROM STOP LIGHTS. IF I HAD THIS ISSUE WHEN TRYING GET A CROSS A BUSY INTERSECTING I COULD BE KILLER. *TR
VEHICLE IDLES AND DOES NOT ACCELERATE WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS STEPPED ON. ALSO, VEHICLE TENDS TO DECELERATE OFTEN WHEN IT IS TRAVELING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS ON THE ROAD. TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A TOTAL OF 10 TIMES, BUT THE CAUSE WAS STILL UNDETERMINED.*AK THE VEHICLE NEVER RAN RIGHT AFTER THE WIRING ON THE STEERING WAS REPLACED. C…
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VEHICLE IDLES AND DOES NOT ACCELERATE WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS STEPPED ON. ALSO, VEHICLE TENDS TO DECELERATE OFTEN WHEN IT IS TRAVELING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS ON THE ROAD. TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A TOTAL OF 10 TIMES, BUT THE CAUSE WAS STILL UNDETERMINED.*AK THE VEHICLE NEVER RAN RIGHT AFTER THE WIRING ON THE STEERING WAS REPLACED. CRUISE CONTROL OR GAS PEDAL DOES NOT WORK. TRUCK CAUGHT FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE VEHICLE ENGINE SHUT OFF BY ITSELF AND STARTED BACK UP BY ITSELF TWICE. *TC
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.