1997 Dodge Ram problems & reliability
398 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Dodge Ram, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
29 complaints report injuries (33 injured, 7 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Dodge Ram vehicles were involved in 89 fatal crashes with 51 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 78 | 20% |
| Power Train | 71 | 18% |
| Air Bags | 38 | 10% |
| Steering | 36 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 30 | 8% |
| Visibility | 30 | 8% |
| Suspension | 24 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 23 | 6% |
| Electrical System | 22 | 6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 22 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 80,000 miles (middle 50% between 61,991 and 107,500 miles), based on 27 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 dodge ram. The contact stated that the fuel tank fractured and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the failure was caused by normal wear and tear. The dealer stated that the contact should have paid more attention to the straps…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed May 11, 2011
“Park position with ignition key in the lock position, vehicle shifter moved out of park , knocked owner down and ran over me, continued to roll back hit second car, continued to keep going until it hit a curb. This was a very dangerous and could have caused other accidents. Consumer sent in a fax copy of the internet…”
Parking Brake · filed Jul 17, 2008
“Tl*the contact owns a 1997 dodge ram. After stopping the vehicle, the engine and oil lights illuminated. The dealer diagnosed the failure on three occasions and stated that the compressor sensors were low and advised the contact to add two quarts of oil per week. However, the oil light continued to illuminate…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Mar 7, 2008
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SEAT BACK FAILURE
Defect Petition DP03006 · opened Sep 23, 2003 · closed Apr 8, 2004
- HOOD LATCH
Recall Query RQ00012 · opened May 3, 2000 · closed Apr 20, 2001 · led to recall 95V056000
- TRANSMISSION QUICK CONNECTORS
Recall Query RQ98002 · opened Mar 10, 1998 · open · led to recall 97V084000
- CLUTCH HYDRAULIC LINE
Engineering Analysis EA98005 · opened Feb 27, 1998 · closed May 24, 1999
- CLUTCH HYDRAULIC LINE FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE97043 · opened Oct 20, 1997 · closed Feb 27, 1998 · led to recall 99V115000
Technical service bulletins
100 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Dodge Ram. The 10 most recent:
Illuminated mil as the result of a diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0420 - catalyst efficiency, or may have failed a california smog or state I/m test but without an illuminated mil, or a rattling sound from the underside…
1100605 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 21, 2005
Flash programming failure recovery. *slc
1802002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 24, 2002
Subject regarding generic scan tool (gst), publication no. 81-170-00008 provided with this technical service bulletin to provide reference information when using generic scan tool on obdii vehicles. *tt
1801201 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 25, 2001
Customer may complain of high oil consumption, grey oil smoke coming out of the exhaust or breather tube, or mechanical knocking. *tt
0900401 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 18, 2001
Automatic transmission fluid usage atf+4. *tt *mj
2100601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 16, 2001
Some customers may experience a situation in which the rear of the vehicle sits too high to attach their fifth wheel or goose neck trailer to the trailer hitch turnable. *jb
0200101 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 19, 2001
Subject regarding wire splice repairs. *sb
0800600REV · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 29, 2000
Subject regarding child seat tether anchors. *tt
2300800B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 24, 2000
Concerns with a buzz noise coming from the front door speaker(s). *tt
081600 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 28, 2000
Subject pertaining to air filter service. *tt
090700 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 7, 2000
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 1997 Dodge Ram has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Dodge Ram?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 80,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.