1998 Dodge Ram Pickup

Routine

Owners filed 18 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the air bags › frontal. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Structure3
000
Air Bags › Frontal3
101
Structure › Frame and Members › Underbody Shields1
000
Steering › Linkages › Tie Rod Assembly1
000
Service Brakes, Air › Disc1
000
Seat Belts › Front1
000
Power Train › Manual Transmission1
000
Power Train › Automatic Transmission1
000
Fuel System, Gasoline1
010
Exterior Lighting › Headlights › Switch1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Structure
Filed Mar 31, 2012138,839 milesCA

THE DASH HAS STARTED CRACKING IN TWO PLACES. *JS

Structure
Filed Aug 26, 2011120,000 milesFL

1998 DODGE RAM PICKUP 1500 THE DASH HAS CRACKED SO BAD IT IS UNSAFE. IT HAS SHARP EDGED FRAGMENTS. *TT

Power Train › Manual Transmission
Filed Sep 7, 2009135,000 milesAZ

I WAS IN A HOSPITAL PARKING AREA IN TUCSON AZ., ROLLING IN 2ND GEAR, AFTER ATTEMPTING TO DEPRESS THE CLUTCH IT FAILED WITHOUT ANY WARNING LEAVING THE 7200 LB. TRUCK SILL UNDER POWER. LUCKY FOR ME AND NOTHING ELSE I WAS ABLE TO STOP IN A NEAR BY FIELD. THIS IS THE FIRST EVENT FOR ME BUT I HAVE TALKED TO ANOTHER DODGE OWNER AND THE SAME PROBLEM (HE ALMOST BACKED THOUGH A WALL ) THE FAILURE WAS REPAIRED WITH A NEW HYDRAULIC ASSY. PART. THIS HAPPENED WITH 135K MI. ON THE ODO. THE OTHER OWNER SAID HIS BROKE AT APPROX. 75K MI. *TR

Fuel System, GasolineFire
Filed Sep 14, 2008160,000 milesAS

I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD AFTER DRIVING UP AND DOWN THE STEEP HILL,WHEN I HEARD POP, AND LOOK AT MY REAR VIEW MIRROR AND MY TRUCK WAS ON FIRE MOSTLY AROUND THE LEFT HAND REAR TIRE AND AROUND RIGHT BEHIND THE DRIVER'S SIDE. I DROVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND GOT, THAN I CALL THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPT. FOR ASSISTANT/HELP. *TR

Structure
Filed Jun 5, 2008TX

DASH BOARD ON 98 TRUCK. *TR

Air Bags
Filed Aug 31, 2007125,000 milesIL

AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON SEVERAL TIMES DURING OPERATION MEANING THE AIR BAG WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY. *TR

Air Bags › Frontal
Filed Dec 7, 200551,200 milesIL

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. HE DID NOT HIT ANYTHING PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT. CHRYSLER SENT AN INVESTIGATOR ON 11-29-05 AND TOOK PICTURES INSIDE AND OUT OF THE TRUCK. THEN, STATED THE TRUCK DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT; THUS, THE TRUCK WAS NOT DAMAGED. CHRYSLER SENT THE CONTACT A LETTER ON 12-5-05 STATING THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED FOR A SUBSTANTIAL PERIOD OF TIME. THEREFORE, THEY WERE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIRS. THE CONTACT STATED THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS NOT ON PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, AND THAT HE WAS AWARE THAT IF THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED IT WAS AN INDICATOR THAT THE AIR BAG WAS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. THEREFORE, IT SHOULD NOT HAVE DEPLOYED PREMATURELY. WHEN HE HAD THE CAR SERVICED AT A LOCAL DEALERSHIP THEY DID NOT MENTION THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATING. *AK UPDATED 02/07/06. *JB

Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Mar 28, 200511,000 milesIL

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHCILE WA TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT THE GOVERNOR PRESSURE SENSOR AND THE GOVERNOR PRESSURE SOLENOID FAILED. THE TRANSMISSION ALSO SLIPPED MOMENTARILY. *AK THESE PARTS WERE REPLACED TWICE. *BF

Seat Belts › Front
Filed Aug 10, 200450,000 milesGA

BOTH FRONTAL SEAT BELTS STUCK IN THEIR HOLSTER AND WOULDN'T RELEASE. THE SEAT BELT SHOWED NO SIGN OR ABUSE OR WEAR WHEN THIS OCCURRED. DEALERSHIP REPLACED BOTH SHOULDER BELTS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Cooling System
Filed Dec 2, 200340,000 milesCO

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED CONSUMER NOTICED THAT VEHICLE USED A LARGE AMOUNT OF COOLANT. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN AN INDEPENDENT SHOP FOR A NEW CLUTCH MECHANIC DISCOVERED THAT THE CYLINDER HEADS HAD SEVERAL CRACKS. THE CYLINDER HEADS WERE SCHEDULED TO BE REPLACED. *AK

Exterior Lighting › Headlights › Switch
Filed Oct 15, 2003TN

I HAVE HAD TROUBLE WITH THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH IT HAS BURNED OUT TWICE AND I HAVE HAD TO HAVE IT REPLACED TWICE MY SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T WORK UNTIL IT SAYS THAT I AM GOING 25 MILES PER HOUR THE BRAKE LIGHT ON THE DASH IS NOW ON ALL THE TIME I HAVE ALSO NOTICED THAT MY DOOR LOCKS ARE POWER AND AS LONG AS YOU LOCK AND UNLOCK THEM FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE THEY WORK FINE BUT THE DRIVER SIDE DOESN'T WORK ALL THE TIME I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF ANY OF THESE COULD BE SOME KIND OF DEFECT THAT HAVE OR WILL BE RECALLED *LA

Steering › Linkages › Tie Rod Assembly
Filed Sep 11, 2003MO

TIE ROD FELL OUT WHILE DRIVING.*AK

Service Brakes, Air › Disc
Filed Jul 30, 2003126,481 milesCA

FRONT BRAKES WEAR OUT, WHILE REAR BRAKES ARE STILL NEW.SEVERAL REPLACEMENTS WITH IN SIX MONTHS MOSTLY HIGHWAY MILES

Structure › Frame and Members › Underbody Shields
Filed Jun 17, 2002CA

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE SCREW ATTACHING THE HEAT SHIELD TO THE EXHAUST IS RUBBING AGAINST FUEL LINE. *YH

Air Bags › Frontal1 injured
Filed May 15, 2002NH

ATTORNEY IS WRITING ON BEHALF OF MR. RICKER WHO STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING, MR. RICKER MOVED TO THE RIGHT ALLOWING A LARGE TRUCK MORE CLEARANCE. AT THIS POINT, THE FRONT RIGHT TIRE OF THE VEHICLE CAUGHT A LARGE AMOUNT OF SNOW PULLING THE VEHICLE TO THE RIGHT AND INTO AN UTILITY POLE. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE CENTER FRONT OF VEHICLE AND UNKNOWN DAMAGE TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE, BUT THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. MR. RICKER COMPLAINED OF NECK AND BACK PAINS. *TT

Exterior Lighting › Fog Lights
Filed Feb 1, 1999CA

FOG LIGHT / REAR TURN SIGNAL FAILED. *YC

Air Bags › FrontalCrash
Filed Jan 11, 1999PA

CONSUMER EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAGS ALONG WITH REAR ANTI-LOCK BRAKES. UPON APPLYING BRAKES WHILE GOING 50 MPH, REAR ANTI-LOCK BRAKES WENT OUT, CAUSING CONSUMER TO REAREND ANOTHER VEHICLE. DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT SAID THEY COULD NOT DO ANYTHING TO HELP. CONSUMER HAS SINCE RID HIMSELF OF THE VEHICLE, AND BOUGHT A DIFFERENT ONE. *AK *ML

Electrical System › Horn
Filed Oct 18, 1998CT

HORN PAD ON STEERING WHEEL IS VERY HARD TO PUSH.

18 of 18 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1999
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
200314010Routine
200222110Routine
200120000Routine
20008000Routine
199933000Routine
1998 — this page18010Routine
199717010Routine
19966001Fatalities reported
19957020Routine
19942000Routine
19923000Routine

Compare every Ram Pickup year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.