IllustrationTO DATE, NOTHING HAS HAPPENED, HOWEVER A RECALL WAS ISSUED SAYING THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH MUST BE REPLACED, AS IT CAN FLY OPEN. WE WERE UNAWARE OF THE RECALL.
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
Unknown Or Other complaints
24 reportsYOU SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO PULL THE GEAR SHIFTER FROM PARK TO REVERSE WITHOUT YOUR FOOT BEING ON THE BREAK. PLUS THE EMERGENCY BREAK DOES NOT WORK AS WELL.
WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK AND MY PINYON NUT COME OFF OFF DRIVE SHAFT AND PINYON GEAR BUSTED THROUGH THE REAR END HOUSING
DASH CAP AND BEZEL ARE CRACKED SO BAD THAT IF THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED, EVERYONE IN THE VEHICLE WOULD GET A FACE FULL OF SHARP PLASTIC.
THE DASH ON MY 98 RAM 1500 IS VERY CRACKED AND FALLING IN... I ALSO OWN A 96 RAM 1500 WITH SAME PROBLEM... ALSO HAVE 2 - 97 RAM 1500 WITH SAME PROBLEM... THIS IS VERY BAD... I LOVE DODGE RAMS BUT THE DASH IS TERRIBLE...
THE DASHBOARD HAS FALLEN APART SHORTLY AFTER BUYING PICKUP.
I LIKE MANY OTHERS HAVE A DASH THAT HAS CRACKED AND NOW POSE'S A PROBLEM. AFTER DOING SOME ON-LINE AND LOCAL RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND EVERYONE THATS A '98 - '01 DODGE RAM HAS HAD THE SAME REPORTED PROBLEM. LOCAL DODGE SAID THEY CAN BE REPLACED OR REPAIRED BUT THEY WILL CRACK AGAIN.. DASH CAPS ARE BEING USED TO COVER THE PROBLEM. "C…
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I LIKE MANY OTHERS HAVE A DASH THAT HAS CRACKED AND NOW POSE'S A PROBLEM. AFTER DOING SOME ON-LINE AND LOCAL RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND EVERYONE THATS A '98 - '01 DODGE RAM HAS HAD THE SAME REPORTED PROBLEM. LOCAL DODGE SAID THEY CAN BE REPLACED OR REPAIRED BUT THEY WILL CRACK AGAIN.. DASH CAPS ARE BEING USED TO COVER THE PROBLEM. "COVERING" THE PROBLEM IS NOT A FIX. I WANT TO KNOW WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL FROM DODGE ON THIS ISSUE. JUST HOW MUCH DAMAGE WILL A DAMAGED DASH CAUSE IN THE EVENT OF A "JUST RIGHT" ACCIDENT THAT CAUSE A BODY PART THAT IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF DRIVER AND PASSENGER(S) IF IT SHATTERS? BROKEN PLASTIC CAN BE AS DAMAGEING AS GLASS.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF CRACKS ON THE DASHBOARD. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL; THEREFORE, THE CONTACT WOULD ONLY HAVE TO PAY FOR THE LABOR AND NOT FOR THE PARTS. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT UNDERSTAND…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WERE A LOT OF CRACKS ON THE DASHBOARD. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS A RECALL; THEREFORE, THE CONTACT WOULD ONLY HAVE TO PAY FOR THE LABOR AND NOT FOR THE PARTS. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE DEALER STATED OTHERWISE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 97,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 102,000.
DASHBOARD CRACKS. I FIRST NOTICED THE DASHBOARD CRACKS SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE TRUCK IN JULY 2007. THE CRACKS CONTINUED IN BOTH THE NUMBER AND LENGTH. AFTER READING ABOUT OTHER DODGE RAM OWNERS WHO HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND THE ASSOCIATED ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WHEN THE DASHBOARD DETERIORATED FURTHER, I THOUGHT IT PRUDENT TO I…
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DASHBOARD CRACKS. I FIRST NOTICED THE DASHBOARD CRACKS SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE TRUCK IN JULY 2007. THE CRACKS CONTINUED IN BOTH THE NUMBER AND LENGTH. AFTER READING ABOUT OTHER DODGE RAM OWNERS WHO HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS AND THE ASSOCIATED ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WHEN THE DASHBOARD DETERIORATED FURTHER, I THOUGHT IT PRUDENT TO INSTALL A PLASTIC DASHBOARD COVER TO PREVENT ANY ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTIONS AND/OR FIRES. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A 10-INCH CRACK ON THE DRIVER SIDE DASHBOARD, AND A 3-INCH CRACK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DASHBOARD. AS OF FEBRUARY 25, 2008, THE DEALER HAD NOT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VEHICLE. THE …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE RAM 1500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A 10-INCH CRACK ON THE DRIVER SIDE DASHBOARD, AND A 3-INCH CRACK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DASHBOARD. AS OF FEBRUARY 25, 2008, THE DEALER HAD NOT INSPECTED THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 96,000.
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.