1998 Dodge Ram problems & reliability
483 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Dodge Ram, alongside 5 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.
39 complaints report injuries (52 injured, 3 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Dodge Ram vehicles were involved in 128 fatal crashes with 72 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 | 107 | 22% |
| Power Train | 80 | 17% |
| Air Bags | 66 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 48 | 10% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 38 | 8% |
| Suspension | 31 | 6% |
| Steering | 28 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 25 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 20 | 4% |
| Structure | 18 | 4% |
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 74,500 miles (middle 50% between 58,925 and 101,750 miles), based on 28 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The spare tire mechanism that hold the tire under the bed broke. This failure was very dangerous since it occurred while I was driving, my spare tire fell onto the street and rolled. Luckily I was in a 35 mph area, but cars still had to move out of the way of the rolling tire. Had I been on the interstate, it could…”
Tires · filed Jan 28, 2012
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 dodge ram van with aftermarket bendix brakes (model number: 13481).the contact was driving 10 mph when the brakes were applied but the vehicle did not respond, causing the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. There were no injuries.the contact did not call the manufacturer of…”
Equipment Adaptive/mobility · filed Jan 20, 2012
“Tl*the contact owns a 1998 dodge ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the brake pedal went to the floorboard when depressed. The brake indicator light also illuminated. The brakes also failed intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership for a diagnostic test and…”
Service Brakes, Hydraulic · filed Apr 13, 2010
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
137 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 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
Generic cummins engine control module (pcm) procedure. *tt this bulletin replaced 18-030-03. *tt this bulletin replaced 18-030-03a dated 10/17/03. To also include 2005 ram truck. *tt
1803003A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2004
Generic cummins engine control module (pcm) procedure. *tt
1803003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 29, 2003
Engine knock or rattle sound when climbing a long grade and towing a heavy trailer. *tt
0900802 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 21, 2002
Revision of flash process for new engine control module (ecm) from cummins. *slc this bulletin supersedes bulletin 18-019-02 dated june 17, 2002. *tt
1801902A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 4, 2002
Information on tampering with vp44 fuel pump on cummins diesel engine. *tt
1400202A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 22, 2002
Subject regarding revision in diagnostic procedures and labor operation times for re transmissions. *tt
2100202 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 8, 2002
Information on tampering with vp44 fuel pump on cummins diesel engines. *tt
1400202 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2002
Flash programming failure recovery. *slc
1802002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 24, 2002
Subject regarding outside rearview mirror glass replacement. *slc
2301502 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2002
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 1998 Dodge Ram has 5 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 1998 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 74,500 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.