How Reliable Are 5.7L HEMI Engines? Here's What Owners Have To Say
Chrysler introduced the third-generation HEMI V8 engine in 2003, after the format had sat on the shelf since the early 1970s. The 21st century HEMI debuted with a displacement of 5.7 liters and has since been joined by 6.1, 6.2, and 6.4-liter cousins. Like their fathers and grandfathers, the newer HEMI engines take their name from the hemispherical (half-dome) shape of their combustion chambers.
This design allows the energy from the power stroke to be more efficiently transferred to the head of each piston. The 5.7-liter HEMI first appeared under the hoods of 2003 Ram pickup trucks and replaced the 318 and 360 cubic inch Magnum V8s, which had been around for a decade. In the 5.7-liter HEMI's two decades in production, enough owners experienced a valvetrain-related ticking noise that it prompted a class-action lawsuit. Owners have also reported that the 5.7-liter HEMI stalls at speed and makes a squealing noise at startup, but these issues don't seem to diminish the long-term reliability of these engines. There are dozens of forum posts from owners of cars and trucks with these engines claiming that they have driven them hundreds of thousands of miles with no major issues.
[Featured image by Greg Gjerdingen via Wikimedia Commons|Cropped and scaled|CC-BY SA 2.0]
Some owners say they'd buy another vehicle with the 5.7-liter HEMI
A 2020 post to Allpar Forums from a potential RAM truck buyer querying HEMI 5.7 owners about the engines' reliability got more than a dozen replies, most of them encouraging. An owner named DougD commented that he had "14 years and [271,000] miles on mine and she still purrs." Another user chimed in that "I have a 5.7 in my 2016 Charger R/T with 148,000 miles on it. Zero problems. Runs as good as the day I bought it. Would definitely buy another with no hesitation." A mechanic calling themselves Panteras9 called HEMIs "very solid engines" and stated that they had "plenty come into my shop with 200k plus miles."
A few owners mentioned that allowing these engines to idle for long periods can lead to oil starvation and the dreaded lifter tick, but most acknowledged that normal driving conditions should result in a long service life for the 5.7. One 2011 Ram owner wrote that they had the lifter issue addressed at 75,000 miles and have since enjoyed another 70,000 or so trouble-free miles. They concluded that they were happy with their truck and were "considering getting another myself."
These engines often run past 300,000 miles
Another potential Ram truck buyer posted a similar query to the outdoor enthusiast forum Walleye Central asking about the reliability of these engines. CPD Fisherman replied, "The 5.7 Hemi is rock solid. You can't get anything better." Another commenter mentioned that members of their family had driven several 5.7-powered Ram trucks past the 100,000 mile mark with no engine-related problems.
Some owners mentioned that the two spark plug per cylinder design led to expensive tuneups, but noted that keeping up with regular maintenance made their 5.7-liter HEMI last a long time. Many commenters reported more than 100,000 problem-free miles, and one even claimed to have put 309,000 miles on their truck with just fluid and filter changes. We quickly tracked down a half-dozen listings for used Ram trucks with 5.7-liter HEMI engines with 340,000 miles or more on their odometers, including a 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie that had racked up 410,000 miles in its short lifetime.