THE FRONT WHEELS WENT INTO A TRAMBLE AND VEHICLE WAS NOT CONTROLLABLE. ALSO SEEMED THAT THE DISC BRAKE ROTORS HAD WARPED OR CRACKED. NO WARRANTY. DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
1998 Dodge Ram complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1998 record →
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WILL STALL, AND WHILE IN REVERSE POSITION THE VEHICLE WILL ALSO STALL. ALSO, THERE IS A TRANSMISSION LEAK WHICH MAY CAUSE A FIRE. DEALER REPLACED PARTS OF THE TRANSMISSION. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. *AK
DUE TO BUILD UP OF PRESSURE IN THE AIR BAG MODULE, THE HORN SENSORS ARE EXTREMELY HARD TO APPLY. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTS OUT OF DRIVE INTO NEUTRAL GEAR. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK
WHILE TRAVELING AT 70 MPH, THE ENGINE SPUN A ROD AND THREW A BEARING, LEAVING VEHICLE INOPERABLE.
THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS WARPED. HAD TIRES ROTATED. NOTICED BRAKE PADS IN FRONT WORN UNEVENLY AND REAR DRUMS OUT OF ADJUSTMENT BY 80%, ACCORDING DEALER'S MECHANIC. *AK
POWER STEERING HOSE AND CLAMP NOT INSTALLED PROPERLY RESULTING IN HOSE SEPARATING.
ANTI LOCK BRAKES EXPERIENCE INTERMITTENT FAILURE ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.
WHILE DRIVING THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT STAYS ON. DEALER SAYS THAT IT'S THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT. *AK
CONSUMER COMPLAINING OF DRIVING VEHICLE ON THE STREET AT 40 MPH, ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS, WHEN CONSUMER WENT TO APPLY THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. DEALER NOTIFIED, BUT STILL WANTS CONSUMER TO PAY EVEN WITH WARRANTY. *AK PROPORTIONING VALVE WAS REPLACED. CONSUMER STATES THERE IS A SNAPPING NOISE IN THE STEERING COLUMN, DEALER REPLACED FRONT AXLE TRACK. STEERING WHEEL WAS OFF CENTER. LOWER RADIATOR HOSE WAS RUBBING THE FRAME AND WAS WORN, DEALER REPLACED. *SLC
CONSUMER HAS EXPERIENCED PROBLEM CONCERNING POWER STEERING PUMP HOSE RUBBING AGAINST FAN BELT, CAUSING LOSS OF FLUID WHILE DRIVING. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND CORRECTION WAS MADE WITHOUT COST TO THE CONSUMER. *AK
CONSUMER KEEPS EXPERIENCING UNKNOWN ENGINE FAILURE. BEEN IN/OUT OF DEALER SHOP MORE THEN THREE TIMES. DEALER UNABLE TO RESOLVE PROBLEM. *AK
FRONT END SUSPENSION VIBRATION.
ANTI-LOCK BRAKES FRONT DISCS STARTED SMOKING, CAUGHT ON FIRE AND BURNED, REPAIR WORK WAS DONE TO REPLACE THE CALIPERS. THE VEHICLE STARTED LEAKING BRAKE FLUID. THE DEALER CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
DUE TO THE LOCATION OF THE HORN ASSEMBLY, WHEN ATTEMPTING TO DEPRESS THE HORN PAD IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO LOCATE THE HORN. *AK CONSUMER STATES THAT DUE TO THE AIRBAG LOCATION, IT IS DIFFICULT TO LOCATE AND TO HONK. *SLC
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A 30 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
IN COLD WEATHER DEFECTIVE PCM PART WITHIN COMPUTER BECOMES INOPERATIVE, CAUSING THE FUEL/OIL PUMP AND WATER GAUGE TO GO OUT. ALSO DRIVER IS UNABLE TO SHIFT GEARS. CHRSYLER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. *AK
THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY ABS ON THE REAR BRAKES,WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE VEHICLE SKIDS. AS A RESULT, 2 COLLISIONS HAVE OCCURRED. DEALER SAYS THERE IS NO PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ABOUT 35 MPH CONSUMER TRIED TO STEP ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND STOP VEHICLE. VEHICLE DID NOT STOP, AND KEPT ROLLING A FEW FEET AWAY/ALSO LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
ENGINE MAKES NOISE.
BRAKES CONTINUALLY PULL WHEN APPLYING, REPLACEMENT OF PADS AND CALIPERS DID NOT RECTIFY PULLING PROBLEMS.
FONT SEAL ON GEAR BOX LEAKS.
WHILE DRIVING, THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE TRUCK WAS TORN UP. *AK
NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG DURING VEHICLE COLLISION.
STEERING LINKAGE TO FRONT RIGHT WHEEL FELL OFF, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL.
FAILED ACCELERATOR PEDAL, CAUSING SUDDEN LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.
PROBLEMATIC STEERING AND BRAKING SYSTEMS.
VEHICLE WAS IN FRONTAL COLLISION DRIVING AT 40MPH, AND DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER SAID CAR LEVEL ON DECELERATION WAS NOT ENOUGH. *AK
POWER STEERING PUMP HOSE FAILED.
THE DRIVER HAS TO PRESS DOWN ON THE HORN PAD EXTREMELY HARD BEFORE THE HORN WILL BLOW. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. *AK
HAVE TO PUT EXTREME PRESSURE ON THE HORN PAD IN ORDER FOR THE HORN TO SOUND. WHEN DRIVER NEEDS THE HORN TO GO OFF QUICKLY IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. *AK
VEHICLELOSES ACCELERATIONAND HAS GASPS IN THE GAS PEDAL UPON ACCELERATION. *AK
CONSUMER'S WIFE EXPERIENCED ACCELERATION AFTER SHIFTING GEAR INTO DRIVE. VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL, CAUSING CONSUMER TO STRIKE A TREE. ALSO BOTH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER/MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. *AK
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1998 Dodge Ram → · Every Ram year → · How the figures are calculated →