IllustrationWHILE WAITING AT A STOP LIGHT, I HAD THE CLUTCH PEDAL DEPRESSED AND THE TRUCK IN FIRST GEAR. THE TRUCK SUDDENLY STARTED TO DRIVE OFF AS IF I HAD RELEASED THE CLUTCH. I HAD TO STRUGGLE TO SHUT OFF THE ENGINE AND REGAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. NLM
1998 Dodge RAM 2500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Dodge RAM 2500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 275.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RAM 2500 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
70–25K
925–50K
1450–75K
1575–100K
15100–150K
19150K+
79 reports with mileage · 146 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.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
19 crash reports3 fire reports14 injury reports
What owners actually said
225 reportsNHTSA RECALL 02V161000, THROTTLE LINKAGE; NORTON MOTORS IN CALIFORNIA WILL NOT ACCEPT APPOINTMENT FROM THIS CONSUMER 2 TO 3 WEEKS FROM TODAY. OWNER DIDN'T PURCHASE VEHICLE IN CALIFORNIA BUT IN FLORIDA WHERE THEY RESIDED. THEY DIDN'T SAY THAT REFUSAL WAS BECAUSE OF NOT HAVING THE PARTS AVAILABLE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
FRONT BRAKE PADS AND SHOES WEAR EXCESSIVELY AND CAUSE TRUCK TO PULL WHEN DEPRESSING BRAKE PEDAL. OTHER FAILURE INVOLVED A BOLT THAT HOLDS 5TH GEAR IN PLACE FELL OFF WHILE TRUCK WAS BEING DRIVEN. HAD ITEM REPAIRED, AND IT FELL OFF AGAIN. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
WHILE DRIVING, THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER. THE TRANSMISSION COOLING LINES HAD BEEN RUBBING TOGETHER, WHICH CAUSED THEM TO LEAK. THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK *SCC
AT 45MPH THE VEHICLE WILL VIBRATE HEAVILY. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER NOTIFIED. COMPONENT:SUSPENSION. *AK
TIRE BLEWOUT WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE. GOODYEAR, WRANGLER, HT P235/75R15. *AK
THIS IS A "LOAD RANGE E" GOODYEAR TIRE PROBLEM. AT 30081, 30805, 35213, AND 38060, MILES ONE EACH OF THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES FAILED DUE TO SIDEWALL SEPARATION AND WAS REPLACED AT VARYING CHARGES BY DEALERS. NOW, AT ABOUT 50,612 MILES, ONE OF THE REPLACEMENT TIRES HAS FAILED FOR THE SAME REASON. GOODYEAR IS GIVING ME A "…
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THIS IS A "LOAD RANGE E" GOODYEAR TIRE PROBLEM. AT 30081, 30805, 35213, AND 38060, MILES ONE EACH OF THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT TIRES FAILED DUE TO SIDEWALL SEPARATION AND WAS REPLACED AT VARYING CHARGES BY DEALERS. NOW, AT ABOUT 50,612 MILES, ONE OF THE REPLACEMENT TIRES HAS FAILED FOR THE SAME REASON. GOODYEAR IS GIVING ME A "RUN AROUND" AS HAS BEEN THE CASE IN ALL PREVIOUS OCCURRENCES VARIOUSLY CLAIMING THAT THE TIRE IS "NO LONGER AVAAILABLE" "ON BACKORDER" "NO LONGER MANUFACTURED" "NOT ADJUSTABLE" ETC. IT HAS NOW BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE THE LAST FAILURE WAS SHOWN TO GOODYEAR, AND THEY CLAIM NOT TO BE ABLE TO LOCATE A REPLACEMENT. I HAVE COMPLETE DOCUMENTATION OF EACH OF THESE SITUATIONS, DEALER NAMES AND LOCATIONS, AND AM READY TO ASSIST YOU IN WHATEVER WAY IS APPROPRIATE. *AK (DOT NUMBER: MK11 TIRESIZE: LT24575R16)
THERE WAS A SQUEAK NOISE WHEN BRAKING. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY STATED THAT ROTORS NEEDED TURNING. AT 9000 MILES DEALER STATED ROTORS WERE CRACKED. CAUSE WAS UNKNOWN. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE, CONTACTED DEALER FOR SETTING UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE RECALL BUT STILL HAS NOT HEARD FROM DEALER REGARDING RECALL, THE DEALER STATED THEY WOULD CALL CONSUMER BACK TO LET HER KNOW IF THE PART WAS AVAILABLE. *JG
WHEN BACKING UP A CLUNKING NOISE EMITTED FROM DIFFERENTAL. DEALER REPLACED FLUID AND ADDED SOME "ADDITIVE". DID NOT CORRECT PROBLEM. THEY KEPT TRUCK TO DISASSEMBLE DIFFERENTAL, FOUND NOTHING AMISS, REPLACED FLUID AND ADDITIVE. AT THIS TIME, ALL SEEMS OK. THE COST WAS $83.90. WHEN THEY DECIDED TO KEEP THE TRUCK OVER NIGHT T…
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WHEN BACKING UP A CLUNKING NOISE EMITTED FROM DIFFERENTAL. DEALER REPLACED FLUID AND ADDED SOME "ADDITIVE". DID NOT CORRECT PROBLEM. THEY KEPT TRUCK TO DISASSEMBLE DIFFERENTAL, FOUND NOTHING AMISS, REPLACED FLUID AND ADDITIVE. AT THIS TIME, ALL SEEMS OK. THE COST WAS $83.90. WHEN THEY DECIDED TO KEEP THE TRUCK OVER NIGHT THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. HOWEVER, IT WAS OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE.*AK
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.