Ram’s Reputation Takes a Hit in 2025 Quality Rankings
J.D. Power has just released the results of its annual U.S. Initial Quality Study, which specifically assesses brands on how many problems customers experience with new cars in the first 90 days of ownership.
Brands are ranked on the number of problems per 100 vehicles, with a lower score an indication of better vehicle quality. While brands like Lexus, Nissan, and Hyundai continued to perform above the industry average, what jumped out to us between this year’s study and last year’s one is the dramatic decline in initial quality for Ram. Let’s take a closer look at the numbers.
Ram Initial Quality: From 1st To One Of The Worst
Ram 
In last year’s Initial Quality Study, Ram led all automakers with 148 problems per 100 vehicles. It was better by a fair margin, too, since second-placed Chevrolet registered 159 problems per 100 vehicles. This result saw new Ram vehicles register fewer issues than the likes of Lexus, Honda, and Toyota.
In 2025, the picture couldn’t be more different. Ram is now way below the industry average with 218 problems per 100 vehicles. It’s near the bottom of the list, in fact, with 23 other brands ranked above it.
The study takes into account problems consumers have with infotainment, powertrains, driver-assistance features, controls and displays, and the driving experience. Over 92,694 purchasers and lessees of new 2025 vehicles were surveyed.
J.D. Power does not go into detail to explain exactly what the problems were for all brands, so Ram’s dramatic fall from grace is difficult to explain. It’s worth noting that the 2025 Ram 1500 underwent quite a few changes for the model year, including the controversial discontinuation of the Hemi V8 (which has since been reintroduced for 2026) and a new infotainment interface. Since the 1500 makes up the bulk of Ram sales, it’s safe to assume that customers had issues with the changes applied to the 2025 pickup.
Related: 2025 Ram 1500 Review: Big changes everywhere, but still our favorite
Lexus And Nissan Top 2025 Study As Infotainment Woes Continue
Elsewhere in the 2025 study, Lexus topped all brands with just 166 problems per hundred vehicles, followed by Nissan (169), Hyundai (173), and Jaguar (175). Bear in mind that the average number of problems for this year is 192 per 100 vehicles.
Audi dropped to last position with 269 problems per 100 vehicles. Not performing much better were Volvo (258), Infiniti (242), and Volkswagen/Mazda (both on 222). Dodge, which saw a disastrous 300 problems per 100 vehicles last year, improved significantly to almost half that this year (180). Ford, which has been struggling with more recalls than any other manufacturer this year, declined from 178 problems per 100 vehicles in 2024 to 193 in 2025.
Infotainment remains the most prevalent issue in this year’s study. Consumers are increasingly frustrated by controls for features like garage door openers, climate controls, and the glovebox being incorporated into the touchscreen.
“Customers are having to tap and swipe through multiple screens to access key vehicle functions like climate settings and built-in garage door openers,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. “Owners find these things to be overly complicated and too distracting to use while driving.”
Other key findings include the following:
- Premium models have more defects than mass-market vehicles
- Plug-in hybrids have the most issues, overtaking EVs for the first time
PHEVs have 237 problems per 100 vehicles, more than EVs (212) and a lot more than pure gas models (184). Clearly, automakers are still trying to balance the complexity of PHEVs with the reliability consumers expect.
