IllustrationRIGHT FRONT BRAKES WORE OUT FASTER THEN OTHER SIDE. CONSUMER COULD HEAR NOISE COMING FROM BRAKES. NOISE DUE TO INSIDE BRAKE PAD LINING WEARING DOWN TO METAL. MANUFACTURER WARNING SYSTEM FAILED, DRIVER/OWNER UNAWARE PROBLEM EXISTED UNTIL FAILURE OCCURRED. *AK
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
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
56 reportsBREAKS FAILED AT 45 MPH. REAR-ENDED CAR IN FRONT. AIRBAGS NEVER DEPLOVED. 2 PASSENGERS IN VAN HURT, DRIVER IN FRONT CAR HURT. *AK
BRAKE PADS WORE PREMATURELY AT 18000 MILES.THOMPSON DODGE WHO IS DOING THE WORK SAID DODGE WILL PAY FOR PARTS BUT NOT LABOR WHICH WILL BE 100.00 LABOR.THEY ALSO INFORMED ME THE NEW PADS ARE OF A BETTER DESIGN AND SHOULD LAST BETWEEN 40000 AND 50000 MILES UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS.75%OF THE 18000 MILES ON MY TRUCK ARE HIGHWAY MILES…
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BRAKE PADS WORE PREMATURELY AT 18000 MILES.THOMPSON DODGE WHO IS DOING THE WORK SAID DODGE WILL PAY FOR PARTS BUT NOT LABOR WHICH WILL BE 100.00 LABOR.THEY ALSO INFORMED ME THE NEW PADS ARE OF A BETTER DESIGN AND SHOULD LAST BETWEEN 40000 AND 50000 MILES UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS.75%OF THE 18000 MILES ON MY TRUCK ARE HIGHWAY MILES SO I FEEL THAT THE PADS SHOULD NOT HAVE WORN OUT SO SOON.I THAT DODGE SHOULD REIMBERSE ME THE 100.00 THAT I PAID OUT OF MY POCKET FOR LABOR.DODGE'S DECISION ON THIS MATTER WILL DICTATE IF MY NEXT VEHICLE PURCHASE WILL BE A DODGE PRODUCT. *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE WILL SLOW DOWN AND THEN GO FREE FOR ABOUT 10 FEET. DEALER HAS SEEN AND REPLACED THE BRAKES TWICE, AND PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK
TIRE SEPERATED FROM TRUCK, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL, ROLLED ? TIMES, EVERYONE WAS EJECTED AND KILLED EXCEPT FOR 1. I DO NOT WANT MY INFORMATION RELEASED TO THE MANUFACTURER, PENDING LEGAL MATTERS.
VEHICLE OUT OF ALIGNMENT, CAUSED EXCESSIVE WEAR TO TIRES. MJS
AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS BRAKING WILL TRANSFER TO FRONT BRAKES, CAUSING BRAKES TO FADE , TAKES ABOUT 190 FEET BEFORE IT STOPS . *AK
RRONT PADS WEARING AT A EXCESSIVE SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH CONSUMER REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE WHEN APPLYING BRAKES ,AND THEY FAILED TO STOP VEHICLE, CAUSIN CONSUMER TO REAR END THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. DRIVER'S SIDE/PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY. ALSO, DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT DIDN'T HOLD CONSUMER FROM BOUCING ONTO THE STEERING WHEEL. *AK
FRONT DISC BRAKE PADS FAILED.
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.