IllustrationWHILE TRAVELING AT NIGHT, BOTH HEADLIGHTS WOULD GO OUT. DEALER NOTIFIED. PH
1998 Dodge RAM 3500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Dodge RAM 3500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 124.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RAM 3500 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
20–25K
425–50K
650–75K
1475–100K
8100–150K
12150K+
46 reports with mileage · 59 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.
- Power Train. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
12 crash reports10 fire reports7 injury reports
Exterior Lighting complaints
14 reportsHEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT BECAUSE A WIRE IS MELTING THE SWITCH. CONSUMER STATES HEADLIGHT DOESN'T HAVE A RELAY. THERE IS A RECALL FOR 1997. *AKCONSUMER WAS ADVISED BY THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT SOME OF THE EARLY 1998 MODEL DIDN'T HAVE THE RELAY PROTECTION ON THE LIGHT SWITCH. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON THE 1997 MODELS, THE PR…
Read full complaint
HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT BECAUSE A WIRE IS MELTING THE SWITCH. CONSUMER STATES HEADLIGHT DOESN'T HAVE A RELAY. THERE IS A RECALL FOR 1997. *AKCONSUMER WAS ADVISED BY THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT SOME OF THE EARLY 1998 MODEL DIDN'T HAVE THE RELAY PROTECTION ON THE LIGHT SWITCH. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON THE 1997 MODELS, THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED ON THE 1998'S. THEY REFUSE TO CORRECT THE RELAY SWITCH ON CONSUMERS VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE THE CORRECTED SWITCH. CONSUMER HAS PAID FOR THREE NEW SIWTCHES PLUS PIGTAILS. THE LAST TIME THE SWITCH BURNED OUT IT CAUSED A DEAD SHORT IN THE WIRING. *JG
THREE TIMES WITHIN PAST YEAR; MAY/ NOVEMBER 2000, AND MAY 2001 HEADLIGHTS/ DASHBOARD LIGHTS WENT OUT WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION. DEALERSHIP HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE, AND COULD NOT DETERMINE CAUSE OF THIS DEFECT. *AK *SLC
THIN STREAM OF WHITE SMOKE EMITTING FROM DASHBOARD. HEADLIGHT SWITCH SHORTED OUT CAUSING WIRES TO BURN BEHIND DASH. VERY CLOSE TO AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. HAVE HEARD OTHER DODGE PICKUP OWNERS HAVING SAME DIFFICULTY (AT LEAST 3 THAT I KNOW). PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM!*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
1PE02049 · Tire Valve
Opened Jun 3, 2002 · Closed Oct 1, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Tires
No summary supplied.