IllustrationTHE ELECTRICAL WIRES BECAME VERY HOT AND MELTED, AND SHORTED OUT THE HEAD LIGHT SWITCH AND DISABLED THE PARKING LIGHTS. *JB *TS
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 reportsTHE AIR BAG ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH BOARD. *JB
WHILE TRAVELING AT NIGHT, BOTH HEADLIGHTS WOULD GO OUT. DEALER NOTIFIED. PH
LOSS OF FIFTH GEAR (MANUAL TRANSMISSION) WHILE GOING UP A MOUNTAIN ON INTERSTATE 25 IN WYOMING RESULTING IN RAPID DECELERATION OF VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM WAS RECOGNIZED BY CHRYSLER IN 1994 AND SERVICE BULLITENS WHERE ISSUED TO DEALERS. I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS WITH NUMEROUS OWNERS OF THIS SAME MODEL AND HAVE FOUND IT TO BE A COMMON PR…
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LOSS OF FIFTH GEAR (MANUAL TRANSMISSION) WHILE GOING UP A MOUNTAIN ON INTERSTATE 25 IN WYOMING RESULTING IN RAPID DECELERATION OF VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM WAS RECOGNIZED BY CHRYSLER IN 1994 AND SERVICE BULLITENS WHERE ISSUED TO DEALERS. I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS WITH NUMEROUS OWNERS OF THIS SAME MODEL AND HAVE FOUND IT TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM ENCOUNTERED AT VARIOUS MILEAGES. CHRYSLER REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT DUE TO "OUT OF WARRANTY" STATUS, THE REPAIR WOULD BE PERFORMED NO QUESTIONS ASKED IF WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD.
THE FUEL PUMP BROKE CAUSING A FUEL LEAK AND BLACK SMOKE OCCURRED. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. TS
THE SEAT BELTS WILL NOT EXTEND. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE LITTLE PIN IS BROKEN AND WILL NOT LET THE BELTS EXTEND. WHY WOULD THIS PIN BECOME DEFECTIVE? WHY WOULD BOTH SEAT BELTS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AT THE SAME TIME? THE PASSANGER SIDE IS RARELY USED. THIS PROBLEM WAS NOTICED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS NEW BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS THE …
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THE SEAT BELTS WILL NOT EXTEND. THE DEALER ADVISED THAT THE LITTLE PIN IS BROKEN AND WILL NOT LET THE BELTS EXTEND. WHY WOULD THIS PIN BECOME DEFECTIVE? WHY WOULD BOTH SEAT BELTS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AT THE SAME TIME? THE PASSANGER SIDE IS RARELY USED. THIS PROBLEM WAS NOTICED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS NEW BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS THE TEMP. IN THE TRUCK WHICH WAS RATHER HIGH. THE DEALER ADVISED THE COSTS TO REPLACE THE SEAT BELTS WOULD BE OVER $600.00. THESE SHOULD NOT GO BAD AND BECOME UNUSABLE. DT
ELECTRIC BRAKES ON BOTH AXLES OF THE FIFTH WHEEL, HYDRAULIC BRAKES ON MY TRUCK W/ ABS ON THE REAR DUELS--NO ABS ON THE FRONT WHEELS--APPLIED THE BRAKES FAILED TO SLOW DOWN--MANUALLY APPLIED THE ELECTRIC BRAKES--CONTROL HEAD OF THE ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES MALFUNCTION, NO ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES--THE INCREASED PRESSURE ON THE FOOT…
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ELECTRIC BRAKES ON BOTH AXLES OF THE FIFTH WHEEL, HYDRAULIC BRAKES ON MY TRUCK W/ ABS ON THE REAR DUELS--NO ABS ON THE FRONT WHEELS--APPLIED THE BRAKES FAILED TO SLOW DOWN--MANUALLY APPLIED THE ELECTRIC BRAKES--CONTROL HEAD OF THE ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES MALFUNCTION, NO ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES--THE INCREASED PRESSURE ON THE FOOT BRAKE LOCKED UP THE FRONT WHEEL LEAVING ME SKIDDING ON THE FRONT TIRES W/ LOSS OF CONTROL OVER STEERING--WHEN THE FRONT WHEELS LOCKED THE REAR DUEL ABS FAILED TO FUNCTION AND I SKIDDED INTO THE CAR IN FRONT AT AROUND TWO TO THREE MPH
CONSUMER STATES THAT THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF PARK AND INTO REVERSE. DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*MR *JB
WHILE DRIVING 10-15 MPH BACK BRAKES LOCKED UP, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT .*AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION WITH A TREE AT 50 MPH AND NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. DEALER AND MANUFACTUERER WERE NOTIFIED. *AK CONSUMER STATED THAT BEFORE HITTING TREE HEAD ON, TRUCK HIT PICKUP AT 70 MPH AND AIR BAGS ALSO FAILED TO DEPLOYED. THERE WERE 2 INJURIES. *YH
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.