IllustrationTHE DASH ON MY 98 DODGE RAM 1500 TRUCK HAS DEVELOPED SEVERAL CRACKS IN VARIOUS PLACES. *TR
1998 Dodge RAM 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 520.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RAM 1500 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
90–25K
2125–50K
4050–75K
5375–100K
61100–150K
43150K+
227 reports with mileage · 293 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Structure. Review the 102 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 85 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
66 crash reports16 fire reports46 injury reports
Structure complaints
102 reportsDASHBOARD CRACKED AND CRUMBLED FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER. *TR
THE DASHBOARD IN MY 1998 DODGE RAM PICKUP IS CRACKING AND FALLING APART. I HAVE NOT YET REPLACED THE DASH, BUT IF IT CONTINUES TO CRUMBLE, I WILL HAVE TO DUE TO SAFETY. *TR
CRACKED , OR SHOULD I SAY FALLING APART DASH ON TRUCK. *TR
DASHBOARD IS CRACKED IN SEVERAL PLACE ON MY 1998 DODGE TRUCK THAT I JUST PAID OFF. THIS BEGAN 2 YEARS AGO AS A RESULT OF THE VEHICLE BEING IN THE SUN. THIS HAS CAUSED THE DASH TO BECOME LOOSE AND DANGEROUS FOR THE INTERNAL PARTS THAT THE DASH PROTECTS. *TR
1998 DODGE 1500 PICKUP TRUCK CRACKED DASH FALLING APART. *TR
MY 1998 DODGE RAM 1500 PICKUP HAS A CHRONIC CASE OF CRACKED DASH. THIS HAS BEEN HEAVILY NOTED FROM 1998 MODELS THROUGH THE 2004 MODELS. THIS IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS TO PASSENGER SAFETY BECAUSE IF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SHOULD DEPLOY THE PASSENGER OF DRIVER COULD BE IMPALED BY SHARP SHARDS OF PLASTIC FROM THE FRACTURED DASH. THESE D…
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MY 1998 DODGE RAM 1500 PICKUP HAS A CHRONIC CASE OF CRACKED DASH. THIS HAS BEEN HEAVILY NOTED FROM 1998 MODELS THROUGH THE 2004 MODELS. THIS IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS TO PASSENGER SAFETY BECAUSE IF THE PASSENGER AIRBAG SHOULD DEPLOY THE PASSENGER OF DRIVER COULD BE IMPALED BY SHARP SHARDS OF PLASTIC FROM THE FRACTURED DASH. THESE DASHES NEED TO BE RECALLED DUE TO THIS EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD. *TR
19980 DODGE RAM 1500 DASH CRACKING, AND FALLING APART CREATING LARGE SHARP PLASTIC PIECES. *TR
1) NOTHING CAUSED FAILURE. NO CAR ACCIDENTS OR CRASHES. JUST STARTED SHOWING UP OVER TIME. 2) TWO SEPARATE CRACKS IN DASHBOARD. ONE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BY VENT THAT LEADS ALL THE WAY TOWARDS THE GLOVE BOX WHILE THE OTHER CRACK IS ABOVE MY GAUGE CONSOLE. 3) THE ONLY REPAIR POSSIBLE IS A WHOLE NEW DASHBOARD WHICH HAS NOT BE…
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1) NOTHING CAUSED FAILURE. NO CAR ACCIDENTS OR CRASHES. JUST STARTED SHOWING UP OVER TIME. 2) TWO SEPARATE CRACKS IN DASHBOARD. ONE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE BY VENT THAT LEADS ALL THE WAY TOWARDS THE GLOVE BOX WHILE THE OTHER CRACK IS ABOVE MY GAUGE CONSOLE. 3) THE ONLY REPAIR POSSIBLE IS A WHOLE NEW DASHBOARD WHICH HAS NOT BEEN DONE AS OF YET. *TR
THE FRONT DASH OF MY 1998 DODGE RAM 1500 QUAD CAB BEGAN CRACKING IN MULTIPLE PLACES WITHIN THREE YEARS OF THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CRACKS HAVE BECOME SO EXTENSIVE THAT A LARGE HOLE RECENTLY OPENED UP IN THE TOP DASH ABOVE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND STEERING COLUMN. INTERNAL COMPONENTS UNDER THE DASH ARE NOW EXPOSED TO …
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THE FRONT DASH OF MY 1998 DODGE RAM 1500 QUAD CAB BEGAN CRACKING IN MULTIPLE PLACES WITHIN THREE YEARS OF THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CRACKS HAVE BECOME SO EXTENSIVE THAT A LARGE HOLE RECENTLY OPENED UP IN THE TOP DASH ABOVE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND STEERING COLUMN. INTERNAL COMPONENTS UNDER THE DASH ARE NOW EXPOSED TO SUNLIGHT. THE DASH IS ESSENTIALLY SLOWLY DISINTEGRATING OVER TIME. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.