The 1994 Dodge Ram has no open NHTSA recalls. Owners report 8 recurring issue clusters, led by “Hood latch release while driving.” Dodge uses Stellantis' Oil Change Indicator — it watches engine load and duty cycle and messages when to change oil, capped at 10,000 miles or 12 months. Know your engine: the 3.6L Pentastar V6 goes 100,000 miles on plugs, while HEMI V8s carry sixteen plugs (two per cylinder) on a roughly 30,000-mile interval — that's a real cost difference at the service counter. HEMI models with MDS cylinder deactivation are especially sensitive to overdue oil.
No open recalls on file. NHTSA lists no unrepaired safety recalls for this year, make and model. A recall can be issued at any time, and a specific car can still have one open — check yours by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What drivers and federal regulators have officially reported about the 1994 Dodge Ram.
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
8 NHTSA complaints · 2001-02 → 2016-04
“WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH HOOD LATCH SNAPPED. THIS CAUSED THE HOOD TO FLY BACK ONTO THE WINDSHIELD”
“CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND HOOD POPPED UP AND FLEW BACK AND HIT WINDSHIELD WHICH WAS SHATTERED”
“SECONDARY HOOD LATCH FLEW UP AND HIT DRIVERS FRONT WINDOW”
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
8 NHTSA complaints · 2000-05 → 2024-10
“WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ACCELERATOR PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND VEHICLE STARTED TO SLOW DOWN”
“ACCELERATOR CABLE IS FREYED”
“BECAUSE OF LINKAGE SOCKET THROTTLE LINKAGE UNEXPECTEDLY SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE”
SUSPENSION
16 NHTSA complaints · 2000-04 → 2004-08
“WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED STEERING WILL START TO SHAKE, AND VEHICLE WILL BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL”
“TRACK BAR ON THE FRONT BROKE OFF WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING”
“SPRING SHOCK TOWER SEPARATING FROM FRAME ON DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE/WELDS”
STRUCTURE
6 NHTSA complaints · 2006-02 → 2014-10
“THE DASHBOARD OF THE 1994 DODGE RAM 1500 PICKUP HAD THREE HUGE CRACKS ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE”
“MY 1994 DODGE RAM 1500 DASH HAS EXPLODED INTO 5 SEPARATE PIECES”
“MY RAMS DASH WAS CRACKED WHEN I BOUGHT IT IN 2003 AND THE ORIGINAL OWNER GLUED IT BACK TOGETHER AND IT PROCEEDED TO CRACK”
TIRES
10 NHTSA complaints · 2000-09 → 2013-10
“WHILE DRIVING 55MPH, TREAD SEPARATED FROM LEFT REAR TIRE, TIRE NEVER WENT FLAT”
“WHILE DRIVING 67 MPH, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TREAD HAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE”
“WHILE DRIVING DRIVER SIDE REAR TIRE OUTTER TREAD FLEW OFF AND IMPACTED THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE”
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
28 NHTSA complaints · 2000-06 → 2021-12
“THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH, THE KEY BECAME HARD TO TURN, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS A BURNT WIRE SMELL COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL, AND A BURN HOLE WAS ON THE SIDE OF THE STEERING WHEEL COLUMN”
“WHILE TRAVLING NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM IGNITION . DEALER REPLACED IGNITION SWITCH AND PROBLEM RETURNED”
“Went to crank the truck one day and all of a sidden the igniton switch started smoking . It burnt the whole entire wire from the top all the way to the PCM”
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
12 NHTSA complaints · 2000-07 → 2012-04
“HEADLIGHT SWITCH WOULD OVERHEAT AND WOULD CAUSE THE HEADLIGHTS TO FLICKER OFF AND ON”
“WHILE DRIVING WIRING TO HEADLIGHT SWITCH MELTED THE CONNECTOR WHICH CAUSED THE HEADLIGHTS TO GO OUT”
“HEADLIGHTS WILL FLASH; THEN GO OUT FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS”
POWER TRAIN
8 NHTSA complaints · 2000-05 → 2004-12
“RECALL NO. 97V084000: CONSUMER NOTICED THAT ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS LEAKING ON THE GROUND UNDER THE VEHICLE”
“TRANSMISSION FLUID LINE WAS LEAKING NEAR EXHAUST SYSTEM, CREATING SMOKE WHEN CONSUMER WAS DRIVING”
“TRANSMISSION LINE QUICK CONNECTOR LEAKED”
Issues on other model years
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Complaint data refreshed Sep 20, 2026. Investigation data refreshed Sep 20, 2026.
We display NHTSA's record with attribution; we don't editorialize on what these complaints mean for any specific vehicle.
Critical for safety and preventing major damage
Change when the indicator says so — never beyond 10,000 miles or 12 months. Pentastar 3.6L: 0W-20. HEMI 5.7L: 5W-20 (0W-40 for 6.4L SRT). MDS-equipped HEMIs punish stretched oil intervals with lifter and cam wear.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$120–$160
Shop
~$85–$115
DIY
~$25–$55
Full synthetic costs more than conventional. 5-quart 0W-20 + filter is the typical bill.
Rotate every 8,000 miles. Charger/Challenger R/T and Scat Pack: staggered-width setups can't rotate front-to-rear — budget rear tires accordingly.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$85
Shop
~$60
DIY
Free
Often free at the shop where you bought the tires — worth asking before paying.
Inspect pads and rotors at every oil change. Heavy Durangos used for towing and hard-driven Chargers both run through rear pads faster than the front-pad-first rule of thumb suggests.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$85
Shop
~$60
DIY
Free
Most shops do this free as a courtesy with any service. Don't pay separately if you can avoid it.
Keeps your vehicle running smoothly and efficiently
HEMI 5.7L: sixteen plugs roughly every 30,000 miles — check your year's manual. Pentastar 3.6L (Charger/Challenger V6, Durango V6, Journey, Grand Caravan): 100,000 miles.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$285–$390
Shop
~$200–$275
DIY
~$25–$100
Iridium plugs cost more but last 100k+ miles. V6/V8 access varies wildly — some are tough.
Grand Caravan/Journey (62TE): ATF+4 service every 60,000 miles in family duty. Charger/Challenger/Durango with the TorqueFlite 8-speed: no published normal interval, but specialists recommend service around 60,000-100,000 miles — sooner with towing.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$330–$500
Shop
~$235–$355
DIY
~$60–$180
Some sealed transmissions have no dipstick — fill is precise and best left to a shop. Many drivers can still DIY drain-and-fill.
RWD Charger/Challenger and AWD Durango: replace rear diff fluid around 60,000 miles, sooner with towing or drag-strip duty. Limited-slip units need the friction-modifier additive.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$150–$195
Shop
~$105–$135
DIY
~$20–$50
Drain plug + fill plug — straightforward DIY. AWD vehicles have two; budget for both.
Replace every 30,000 miles. HEMIs pull serious airflow — a clogged filter costs measurable power before it throws a code.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$60–$95
Shop
~$45–$70
DIY
~$15–$40
5-minute job on most cars; the airbox lid usually has clips, no tools needed.
Inspect from 60,000 miles, replace on cracking or glazing. On the HEMI, a shredded belt can take the cooling drive with it mid-drive.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$195–$235
Shop
~$135–$165
DIY
~$20–$50
DIY-friendly if you can reach the tensioner. Inspect for cracks rather than swap on a strict mileage interval.
Extends the life of your vehicle and improves comfort
Replace every 20,000 miles where equipped (behind the glovebox on most models). Some earlier Journeys and Avengers shipped without one — check before buying a filter.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$60–$95
Shop
~$45–$70
DIY
~$15–$40
Usually behind the glovebox. Shops charge labor for a 10-minute job — easy DIY win.
Stellantis OAT coolant is scheduled for 10 years / 150,000 miles; shops commonly refresh by 100,000. OAT-compatible coolant only — mixing chemistries gels the system.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$285–$330
Shop
~$200–$235
DIY
~$25–$60
Use the manufacturer-specified coolant — wrong color/chemistry can damage the cooling system.
Test annually after year 3. Big-audio Chargers and tow-package Durangos lean on the battery hard; weak batteries surface as gremlins in the electronics before they fail to crank.
Estimated cost — typical U.S. ranges
Dealer
~$225–$390
Shop
~$160–$280
DIY
~$130–$250
Most auto-parts stores test and install batteries free with purchase. Skip the dealer markup.
Occupant deaths in fatal crashes (FARS)
405 crashes 1990–2024
How the 405 occupant deaths break down
291
driver deaths
109
passenger deaths
5
not recorded by seat
405
occupant deaths
Crash years covered: 1990–2024 This model year first appears in 1994 crashes. Older models have had more years on the road to appear in these crashes, so a higher count here does not by itself mean a vehicle is less safe.
FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road. How to read this number
FARS 2024 data is an annual report file. NHTSA revises these records when the final file is published, so this count can change.
Every vehicle has exactly one driver seat, so driver deaths line up fairly when you compare one model to another. Occupant deaths include passengers, so a three row SUV can show a higher number than a two seat car simply because it carries more people.
Both figures are plain counts, not rates. A rate would need to know how many of each vehicle are on the road, and that registration data is not public, so we do not publish rates or scores of any kind.
IIHS publishes driver death rates using this same driver only idea, paired with a registered vehicle years denominator we do not have. Their rates and these counts answer different questions, so do not read either number here as a safety rating.
Owner-reported problem signals
Separate from the federal fatality data above: complaints owners filed with NHTSA about this year and model. These are reports of problems, unverified, and are counted here only as signals.
65
complaints mentioning a crash
38
complaints mentioning a fire
Typical U.S. ranges. Actual quotes vary by shop, parts choice, and vehicle condition.
How we estimate: Dealer = OEM parts × 1.4 + labor × $165/hr. Shop = parts + labor × $115/hr. DIY = parts only.
This maintenance schedule for the 1994 Dodge Ram reflects Dodge's published service intervals and the Oil Change Indicator System system. Your actual service needs may vary based on driving conditions, climate, and vehicle usage. Always consult your owner's manual for model-specific recommendations.