IllustrationTRANSMISSION WAS HARD TO SHIFT. DEALER CLAIMED TRANSMISSION WAS BAD. HAD TO REPLACED, COST WAS SPLIT BETWEEN DEALER AND MYSELF. *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 ON HIGHWAY APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION, ANOTHER VEHICLE FAILED TO YIELD THE RIGHT OF WAY WHILE COMING OFF A SIDE ROAD, CAME ACROSS THE ROAD, AND CONSUMER HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE ON DRIVER'S SIDE LEFT QUARTER. UPON IMPACT, NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. *AK
WHEN PARKING APPLIED BRAKES AND STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. ALSO, IT SPEEDED UP TO 20MPH WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES AND GOING AROUND A CURVE. CONTACTED DEALER*AK.
WHILE GOING AROUND A CURVE OR GOING STRAIGHT WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. DEALER SAID IT WAS AN ENGINEERING PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEED STEERING GEAR BROKE, CAUSING THE STEERING TO BE JAMMED DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
WHILE DRIVING IN 5TH GEAR THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER AS IF IN NEUTRAL. THE OTHER GEARS WERE FUNCTIONAL. DEALER SAID A NEW LOCK NUT WAS NEEDED TO HOLD GEAR IN PLACE. *AK
THESE ARE 2 TRUCKS OF THE SAME KIND WE OWNED THAT CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE SAME WAY. *AK
CRUISE CONTROL MALFUNCTIONS RESULTING IN ACCELERATION AND STALLING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. YH
WHILE TRYING TO PUT SEAT BELTS ON THEY LOCKED UP. CONSUMER UNABLE TO PUT SEAT BELT ON. SEAT BELT WOULD NOT COME OUT OF SEAT DUE TO MALFUNCTION IN THE MOTOR. THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF AND REFUSES TO RECTIFY. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT DUE TO A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE MAIN FUSE WIRING HARNESS. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *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.