IllustrationDT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE HEADLIGHT COVERS HAVE YELLOWED WHICH REDUCED VISIBILITY ON THE ROAD AT NIGHT. THE SERVICE DEALER OFFERED NO SOLUTION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED.
1998 Dodge RAM 1500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 520.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RAM 1500 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
90–25K
2125–50K
4050–75K
5375–100K
61100–150K
43150K+
227 reports with mileage · 293 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.
- Structure. Review the 102 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 85 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
66 crash reports16 fire reports46 injury reports
Exterior Lighting complaints
6 reportsTHE INTERIOR LIGHTS WILL NOT WORK INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER AND THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH CAME OUT IN THE CONSUMERS HANDS ON TWO OCCASIONS.
CONSUMER NOTICED HEADLIGHT SWITCH WOULD PULL COMPLETELY OUT OF DASH MOUNT WHEN TURNING ON THE SWITCH. ALSO HEADLIGHT SWITCH WOULD NOT COMPLETELY TURN ON HIGH BEAMS UNLESS SWTICH WAS TURNED ON PARTLY. DEALER NOTIFIED AND REFUSED TO REPAIR UNLESS COST WOULD GO TO CONSUMER. *AK
BACK UP LIGHT SWITCH FAILED. YH
REAR TAIL LIGHT WARPED RESULTING IN LEAKING.
TAIL LIGHTS AND DASHBOARD LIGHTS WERE INOPERATIVE.
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.