Showing the 2026 1500 Tradesman. We haven't verified this trim's engine; the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version
Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
12–22 mpgcombined; city 10–20, highway 14–25; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$14,760–$33,540U.S. average; Ohio $13,190–$31,600 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2026 1500. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 101 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 1500. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Electrical system
49
0
1
0
Unknown or other
16
0
1
0
Engine
12
0
0
0
Power train
10
0
0
0
Exterior lighting
9
0
0
0
Service brakes
9
0
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
6
1
0
0
Visibility/wiper
6
0
0
0
Visibility
4
0
0
1
Air bags
3
1
0
1
Lane departure
3
1
0
0
Structure
3
0
0
0
7 more parts
Suspension
3
0
0
0
Back over prevention
2
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
2
0
0
0
Steering
2
0
0
0
Seat belts
1
0
0
0
Seats
1
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 9 recall campaigns for the 2026 1500 over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2026 Ram 1500 vehicles. A connector for the driver and front passenger side air bags may not be secured properly, which can cause the air bags not to deploy as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection" and 214, "Side Impact Protection."
Risk: A side air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the sensor connections, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 27, 2026. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 94D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 6, 2026.
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2026 Ram 1500 vehicles. The tire pressure monitoring system sensors may fail to detect low tire pressure and/or fail to illuminate the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) warning light as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System."
Risk: A TPMS warning light that fails to notify the driver of low tire pressure increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the tire pressure sensors, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed October 27, 2026. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 51D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 6, 2026.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Ram 1500 vehicles. A radio software error may cause the rearview camera image not to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: The radio software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2026. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 83D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov on September 9, 2026.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2026 Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Gladiator, Jeep Compass, Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Jeep Grand Wagoneer L, Ram Promaster, Ram Promaster EV, Ram 1500, Ram 2500, Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid, Chrysler Voyager, and 2026-2027 Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Charger vehicles. The rearview camera image may fail to display when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview camera image that fails to display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Radio software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning September 2, 2026. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 78D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 20, 2026.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2026 Ram 1500 vehicles. The second-row center and left-side seat belt buckle anchors may have been improperly installed. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages."
Risk: An improperly installed seat belt buckle anchor may fail to properly restrain occupants, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and attach the seat belt buckle anchor to the body structure as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 18, 2026. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 67D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 6, 2026.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2026 Ram 1500 vehicles. The headlight wiring may cause the parking lights and daytime running lights to flicker on and off, or fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: Parking lights and daytime running lights that fail to illuminate properly reduce the vehicle's visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the headlight assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 17, 2026. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is 62D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 9, 2026.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, Ram 4500 Cab Chassis, and Ram 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles. A software error may cause the instrument panel display to fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards numbers 102, "Transmission Shift Position Sequence," 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems," 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment," 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems for Light Vehicles," 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems," 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring System," and/or 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as gear selection and warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will update the instrument panel software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 5, 2026. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA's number for this recall is 35D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning April 16, 2026.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Jeep Wagoneer S, 2025-2026 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, Ram 4500 Cab Chassis, Ram 5500 Cab Chassis, and 2026 Jeep Cherokee vehicles. Due to an improperly designed trailer tow module, the trailer lights may fail to illuminate and the trailer brakes may fail.
Risk: Trailer brake lights and turn signals that do not illuminate reduce visibility to other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, trailer brakes that fail increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the trailer tow module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning March 17, 2026. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 03D. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 10, 2026.
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Ram 1500 Pickup, Ram 2500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Pickup, Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, 4500 Ram Cab Chassis, and Ram 5500 Cab Chassis vehicles. A software error may cause the instrument panel cluster display to be blank. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems," 105, "Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems," and 102, "Transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock, and transmission braking effect."
Risk: An instrument panel display that does not show critical information, such as warning lights or gear selection, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and update the instrument panel software or replace the instrument panel cluster, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 18, 2025. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403. Chrysler's numbers for this recall are B4C and B8C. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning December 4, 2025.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 339 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2026 1500, the latest on Oct 9, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (187), structure (67), engine (34), power train (26), unknown or other (26).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2026 1500.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: standard pickup trucks. EPA greenhouse gas score: 1–4 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
1500 Rear-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 8-spd
Regular Gasoline
20 / 25 / 22
1500 Rear-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turbo
Automatic 8-spd
Regular Gasoline
18 / 25 / 21
1500 4-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 8-spd
Regular Gasoline
19 / 24 / 21
1500 4-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turbo
Automatic 8-spd
Regular Gasoline
18 / 24 / 20
1500 Rear-Wheel Drive
5.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 8-spd
Midgrade Gasoline
17 / 22 / 19
1500 4-Wheel Drive
5.7 L, 8 cyl
Automatic 8-spd
Midgrade Gasoline
16 / 20 / 18
1500 All-Wheel Drive
6.2 L, 8 cyl, supercharged
Automatic 8-spd
Premium Gasoline
10 / 14 / 12
1500 HO 4-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turbo
Automatic 8-spd
Premium Gasoline
15 / 21 / 17
1500 RHO 4-Wheel Drive
3.0 L, 6 cyl, turbo
Automatic 8-spd
Premium Gasoline
14 / 16 / 15
1500 Warlock 4-Wheel Drive
3.6 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 8-spd
Regular Gasoline
17 / 18 / 17
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data