From being the truck of the year to having one of the best interiors in the game, Ram trucks are known for a lot of things. That said, it’s not only known for good things, Ram trucks also have some notable issues. There’s one big issue that many owners of Rams don’t know about though, and that’s the fact that a certain model year of the Ram gets stolen a lot.

The 2001 Dodge Ram

According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, or the NICB, the 2001 Dodge Ram was one of the most stolen vehicles in America. Rest assured though, it was only in eight place on the NICB’s list. The Ford F-150 and the Chevy Silverado were both higher up on the list than the Ram was. The F-150 was in third place, and the Silverado was in fourth place.

On top of that, sedans, such as the Honda Civic or the Honda Accord, topped the list and were the majority of the cars stolen in the NICB’s study. That said, the 2001 Dodge Ram was the oldest truck to make the list, which could mean that the thieves are targeting older or used trucks. Similarly, the 2006 F-150 and the 2004 Silverado were much older than some of the other cars on the NICB’s list.

Why is this happening?

It’s not known why the 2001 Dodge Ram in particular made the list, but here are two possible explanations for it. The first explanation is that older Rams weren’t equipped with many smart safety and security features. Modern Rams can be equipped with those features, and although it won’t stop every thief, it can stop or prevent many of them. 

Secondly, the NICB’s report is based on the total number of stolen vehicles of that model year. This means that the NICB isn’t taking into account how many of those vehicles are on the road. Obviously, the more vehicles of a certain type that are on the road, the more likely it is that they’re going to be stolen. It’s not a surprise that sedans, which are one of the most popular car types in America, dominate the NICB’s list.

However, that said, even modern cars and trucks can be stolen. The NICB says that for just the 2017 model years, the Ram 1500 is still the seventh most stolen vehicle in America. Similarly, the 2017 model years of the F-150 and the Silverado are once again more stolen than the Ram 1500 is.

This can all be explained by the fact that most of these trucks are bought as work trucks, and work trucks won’t have as many safety or security features a more premium trim of the truck will have. 

What you can do to prevent your truck from being stolen

The NICB recommends several ways to help fight this problem. One of them is free, but the other ones aren’t. The first thing you can do is just have some common sense of locking your Ram and keeping hold of the keys. It’s simple, but many people forget to do this, and thieves can exploit it as a result. 

The other things you can do will involve modifying your truck in some way. If you’re not knowledgeable about this, then you’ll have to talk to someone who is. These modifications can range from simply putting a GPS tracker in your Ram to upgrading your truck to the point that it can be stopped by you at your command.

Which one of these modifications is possible will depend on the truck. That said, putting a GPS tracker in it will be the safest and easiest way to make sure your Ram, if it gets stolen, gets found too.