IllustrationTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE RAM 1500. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE DASHBOARD ONCE BEFORE DUE TO A CRACK. IT HAS CRACKED AGAIN IN JUNE OF 2006 AND MUST BE REPLACED FOR THE SECOND TIME. THE VIN, PURCHASE DATE, AND ENGINE SIZE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 154,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
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
What owners actually said
520 reportsIN THE 1998 DODGE RAM 1500 PICKUP, I HAVE EXPERICENCED 3-4 LARGE CRACKS IN THE DASHBOARD, SOME RUNNING THE WHOLE LENGTH FROM THE FRONT EDGE TO THE WINDSHIELD. *AK
I HAVE A 1998 DODGE RAM 1500, IT HAS A SEVERLY CRACKED DASHBOARD THAT WILL SOON BE A GAPING HOLE THAT WILL CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE.AND MINE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE ! I HAVE CONTACTED DODGE AND THEY MORE OR LESS GAVE ME A RUN AROUND. MY LOCAL NEWS STATION INFORMED ME TO SEND THIS COMPLAINT TO SEE IF MAYBE YOU CAN HELP REMED…
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I HAVE A 1998 DODGE RAM 1500, IT HAS A SEVERLY CRACKED DASHBOARD THAT WILL SOON BE A GAPING HOLE THAT WILL CAUSE SEVERE DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE.AND MINE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE ! I HAVE CONTACTED DODGE AND THEY MORE OR LESS GAVE ME A RUN AROUND. MY LOCAL NEWS STATION INFORMED ME TO SEND THIS COMPLAINT TO SEE IF MAYBE YOU CAN HELP REMEDY THIS SITUATION. THE CRACKS STARTED APPEARING 1 YEAR AFTER I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE AND HAVE PROGRESSED! I UNDERSTAND THAT DODGE KNOWS THAT THE MATERIEL USED IS DEFECTED. I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM PLACE A RECALL TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.
1998 DODGE RAM 1500....DASHBOARD IS CRACKED AND SPREADING ACROSS ENTIRE LENGTH. *TR
DASHBOARD CRACKED ON 98 DODGE 1500 TRUCK. MAYBE DEFECTIVE PLASTIC THAT CAN'T HOLD UP LIKE OTHER DASHBOARDS I'VE HAD IN OTHER TRUCKS. COULD LEAD TO SUN MELTING WIRES AND SHORT OUT HEADLIGHTS AND TAILLIGHTS. THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN PROVEN BY ALOT OF OTHERS WITH SAME VEHICLE. I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS DEFECT. FOR SAF…
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DASHBOARD CRACKED ON 98 DODGE 1500 TRUCK. MAYBE DEFECTIVE PLASTIC THAT CAN'T HOLD UP LIKE OTHER DASHBOARDS I'VE HAD IN OTHER TRUCKS. COULD LEAD TO SUN MELTING WIRES AND SHORT OUT HEADLIGHTS AND TAILLIGHTS. THIS HAS ALREADY BEEN PROVEN BY ALOT OF OTHERS WITH SAME VEHICLE. I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS DEFECT. FOR SAFETY REASONS AND ALSO THERE NAME. *TR
I OWN A 1998 & 2002 DODGE TRUCK. BOTH VEHICLES HAVE CRACKED DASHBOARDS. THIS COULD BE A PROBLEM IN THE FUTURE SHOULD THE DASHBOARD COLLAPSE. THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH MANY OF THESE TRUCKS AND FELT IT SHOULD BE CORRECTED BY THE MANUFACTURER. PLEASE ADVISE. *AK
1998 DODGE RAM 1500 P/U DASHBOARD CRACKING AND POSSIBLE IT WILL COLLAPSE. *AK
DASHBOARD CRACKING AND BREAKING. THE DASHBOARD IN THE 1998 DODGE 1500 CRACKED IN MANY PLACES. MANY OF THESE VEHICLESI WERE AFFECTED FROM THE SAME PROBLEM. *AK
THE DASHBOARD OF OUR DODGE RAM 1500 IS COMPLETELY CRACKED IN AT LEAST 3 PLACES AND IS IN DANGER OF CAVING IN.*AK
CRACKED DASHBOARD. *AKI
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.