During our year, the truck exhibited several electrical quirks and operating costs that are worth examining.
Warning Lights, CarPlay, and Other Glitches
During the year, the truck sporadically displayed a “Warning Light Illumination Unavailable Service Required” message. These alerts eventually stopped after a recall that reflashed the instrument cluster. Paired phones also didn’t always reconnect with Apple CarPlay, which proved to be a persistent frustration for drivers who rely on seamless integration.
Late in the loan period, the odometer readout began blinking. A search through owner forums suggested this was a CAN-bus communications error. The issue never reappeared after a restart, which offered some relief but left a lingering question about long-term reliability. The battery also went completely flat once, though a software patch applied during the first service stop appeared to cure known power-drain issues.
Two separate invitations to set up a “Phone as Key” feature failed to complete the process. The review notes that the rollout has been paused pending an update, and the feature would be a welcome addition once Ram sorts it out.
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FM radio reception was staticky, though the Detroit office sits between several broadcast towers. The report points out that Stellantis vehicles have had worse FM reception than other brands for years, a pattern that dates back to a 2018 Dodge Durango long‑termer and extends to a recent Alfa Romeo Tonale. It is the kind of recurring issue that feels fixable but never quite gets addressed.
These glitches are not unique to the Ram, but they do highlight how modern trucks are as much about software as they are about hardware. A vehicle that performs brilliantly on the road can still feel compromised when its electronics act up, and owners often have to wait for over‑the‑air patches or dealer visits to restore normal function.
Service Costs and Fuel Economy Numbers
The Ram monitors its own oil life, maxing out at 10,000 miles or 12 months. With a trip to Memphis planned, the team serviced the truck slightly ahead of the maintenance minder at 8,800 miles. When the truck left the fleet, it showed 52 percent oil life, suggesting the next service would be due around 18,000 miles.
Each service stop includes an oil and filter change, tire rotation, and several inspections, including pressure‑washing the running boards and lubricating them with white lithium grease. The first visit cost $127, which sits between the $20–$50 charge for the electric Ford F‑150 Lightning and the $0 cost for the Toyota Tundra and Ford F‑150 Raptor, both of which had free maintenance plans. The Chevy Silverado’s service ran $178.
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Fuel costs totaled $2,626 for 817.5 gallons of regular gas over 13,499 miles. That works out to an average fuel cost of $0.19 per mile and 16.5 mpg, which barely rounds up to the EPA city rating. A 2019 Ram 1500 with the Hemi V8 averaged 15.0 mpg, also matching its EPA city rating, which reinforces the team’s preference for the Hurricane six‑cylinder engine.
The fuel figure reflects the truck’s duty cycle, which mostly involved local driving except for two long road trips. During those trips, the average increased to 17.8 and 19.3 mpg. The vast majority of miles were run in Auto mode with 2WD selected. The dash display logged 266 hours of driving and 71 hours of idling, mostly at traffic lights.
Among half‑ton long‑term pickups recently tested, the Ram beats the hybrid Toyota Tundra TRD Pro at 15.0 mpg and $0.36 per mile, and the diesel Silverado 1500 ZR2 at 19.1 mpg and $0.26 per mile. Those comparisons are admittedly poor, as both were off‑road‑focused trucks running on pricier California fuel. The Ram managed to undercut the per‑mile fuel cost of the electric Ford F‑150 Lightning running in California at $0.20 per mile, though a Michigan‑based Lightning cost just $0.15 per mile.