IllustrationWHILE DRIVING STEERING WHEEL LOCKS UP. PLEAS EPROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
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
What owners actually said
105 reportsWHILE DRIVING STEERING WHEEL WOULD LOCK UP. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. OCCURS ON UNEVEN ROADS OR WIND (NATURAL OR SEMI TRUCK INDUCED) CONDITIONS. SUDDEN SHIFT IN DIRECTION SUFFICIENT TO CAUSE LANE CHANGE. DEALER CLAIMS THIS "NORMAL".
WHEN APPLYING THE ABS, PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE AND RESULTING IN A COLLISION. *AK
DRIVESHAFT FAILED. YH
POWER STEERING FAILED. YH
OIL PRESSURE SENDING UNIT FAILED. YH
(RAM MAXIVAN); WHILE CONSUMER WAS SITTING STILL IN VEHICLE ATTEMPTED TO START ENGINE AND BOTH AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. DEALER CONTACTED AND AWARE OF PROBLEM, MANUFACTURER TO REMEDY PROBLEM. AIRBAGS WERE NOT REINSTALLED. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS.*AK
ENGINE HAS LOW POWER AND POOR FUEL ECONOMY. 15.5MPG ON THE HIGHWAY WITH EMPTY TRUCK. WHILE PULLING 6000# TRAILER, 11MPG AND LIMITED TO 65 MPH SPEED. MUCH SLOWER ON SMALL INCLINE.
NO SUMMARY PROVIDED BY CONSUMER.
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.