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Trucks & SUVs

The Ford F-150 Lasts Longer Than the Ram 1500

When it comes down to dependability, currently, the Ford F-150 is the more reliable option to choose over the Ram 1500. When it comes to having a truck that lasts 200,000 miles, you have a better chance of making it there in the F-150 than its biggest rival, the Ram 1500.  The Ford F-150 is …
by Allison Barfield
Published on
2 min read

When it comes down to dependability, currently, the Ford F-150 is the more reliable option to choose over the Ram 1500. When it comes to having a truck that lasts 200,000 miles, you have a better chance of making it there in the F-150 than its biggest rival, the Ram 1500. 

The Ford F-150 is more dependable than the Ram 1500 

Recently, TruckTrend released a list of the longest-lasting pickup trucks on the road, and the Ford F-150 came in at two spots higher than the Ram 1500. The list was based on research performed by iSeeCars in 2019. They researched over 16,000 vehicles to determine which trucks last the longest based on used trucks for sale that had over 200K miles. People tended to go for high milage Ford trucks instead of the Ram 1500.

All-new 2021 Ford F-150 Lariat trim parked in dirt
All-new F-150 Lariat in Space White. | Ford

The Honda Ridgeline is the overall winner on this list with 3.0% of truck sales occurring with over 200k miles. However, today we’re focusing on trucks with the most beef. The Ford F-150 is the number one selling truck in America and has had 1.9% of sales occurring with trucks that had over 200k miles.

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It’s main rival, the Ram 1500 only had 1.1% of sales with trucks that had over 200k miles. So what exactly makes the Ram 1500 more unreliable than the Ford F-150? Why are people avoiding high mileage Ram trucks? Upon doing a little digging, we did find potential Ram 1500 issues. 

A burgundy Ram 1500 Laramie sits in the curve or a dirt road.
2020 Ram 1500 Laramie | FCA

Why is the Ram 1500 unreliable? 

Predicted reliability ratings are provided based on previous model years. So, if an older truck model, like the 2014 Ram 1500 for example, has a lot of issues, it can carry over to bring down the ratings of newer models, like the 2019 Ram 1500, which is rated at slightly above average. 

Also, reliability ratings are based on actual driver reviews. People can share their experiences about how often their truck needed to be services, emergency repairs, and how expensive the issues were. 

Based on CarComplaints reviews for the 2014 Ram 1500, we can see that it was one of the worst Ram 1500 models released in recent years. Over 296 complaints were listed for the 2014 model on CarComplaints, and the NHTSA had even more issues reported. 

A red Ram pickup truck on display at an auto show.
Ram 1500| Scott Olson/Getty Images

Most of the issues include transmission problems such as having hard shifts, bumps in the transmission while accelerating, a delay in accelerating, and more. Some drivers had their transmissions automatically shift into park and struggled with their trucks vibrating. 

Then Ram 1500 models showed a significant decrease in issues from 2015 to 2018. The 2018 Ram 1500 only has 12 complaints listed, which helped bump up the reliability rating for 2019. 

Are Ram 1500 trucks becoming more reliable? 

While Ram 1500 models improved from 2015 to 2018, the 2019 Ram 1500 seems to be sliding backward. It has more problems and complaints listed, which could bring down the reliability rating for 2020 and 2021. 

A silver Ram 1500 on a dirt road climbs over the peak of a hill.
2020 Ram 1500 Rebel | FCA

The 2019 Ram 1500 got a total redesign, so it’s not surprising that it has a few more issues. The number one problem seems to be with the electrical system, but transmission and engine problems are listed as well. 

It’s a little too early to tell if the 2020 Ram 1500 has corrected these issues or not. We will have to wait for drivers to test them out for a while first. Until then, avoid the 2019 Ram 1500 for the 2018 model or the Ford F-150 instead.

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Staff Writer

Allison Barfield

Allison Barfield joined MotorBiscuit in 2020 and covers all things trucks, SUVs, and Jeeps. Having grown up on a farm in Rock Hill, South Carolina, she’s no stranger to the “Best in Class” truck and SUV debates; people in her hometown were always gathering to help work on vehicles together, and deliberation would naturally arise.

Allison graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in Media Arts. She has helped bring awareness to issues Women In Trucking face and has promoted Truckers Against Trafficking, an anti-trafficking NGO.

A fan of creatively dark literature, Allison appreciates the works of Shirley Jackson and Emily Dickenson. She lives in a mountainous area of the country and enjoys off-roading and camping. Her dog, Bruce, often joins her in testing trucks and SUVs for our site.