IllustrationTHE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT LOCKED UP, THE DEALER FOUND THAT THE SEAT BELT SOLENOID SHORTED OUT. *SLC
1998 Dodge RAM 2500
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Dodge RAM 2500 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 275.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all RAM 2500 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
70–25K
925–50K
1450–75K
1575–100K
15100–150K
19150K+
79 reports with mileage · 146 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.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 37 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
19 crash reports3 fire reports14 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
37 reportsREAR (ABS) BRAKES WOULD CAUSE A SHIMMYING EFFECT WHEN APPLIED. PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED TWICE BEFORE. FRONT (ABS) BRAKES WERE THREE TIMES REPLACED, INCLUDING PADS AND SHOES/ROTORS AND CALIPERS. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP & WAS INFORMED THAT DRUMS NEEDED TO BE CUT. THE PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT. DEALER OFFERED TO ACCEPT VEHICLE AS …
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REAR (ABS) BRAKES WOULD CAUSE A SHIMMYING EFFECT WHEN APPLIED. PROBLEM HAD OCCURRED TWICE BEFORE. FRONT (ABS) BRAKES WERE THREE TIMES REPLACED, INCLUDING PADS AND SHOES/ROTORS AND CALIPERS. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP & WAS INFORMED THAT DRUMS NEEDED TO BE CUT. THE PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT. DEALER OFFERED TO ACCEPT VEHICLE AS A TRADE-IN. *AK *ML
WHEN CONSUMER APPLIES BRAKES, VEHICLE PULLS TO TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT. VEHICLE HAS REAR ABS BRAKES ONLY. *AK
I HAVE HAD THE STEERING DAMPER REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES. IT IS UNKNOWN TO ME WHY THIS HAPPENS AND THE DEALER HAS NO ANSWER EITHER. ALL THE COMPONENTS ON THIS VEHICLE ARE "HEAVY-DUTY". BRAKING IS BECOMING MORE OF A PROBLEM AS THE BRAKES WEAR DOWN. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 21,000 MILES ON IT. THE POWER DOOR LOCKS I HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT…
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I HAVE HAD THE STEERING DAMPER REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES. IT IS UNKNOWN TO ME WHY THIS HAPPENS AND THE DEALER HAS NO ANSWER EITHER. ALL THE COMPONENTS ON THIS VEHICLE ARE "HEAVY-DUTY". BRAKING IS BECOMING MORE OF A PROBLEM AS THE BRAKES WEAR DOWN. THE TRUCK ONLY HAS 21,000 MILES ON IT. THE POWER DOOR LOCKS I HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT THEY JUST STOPPED WORKING ONE DAY, BUT, THEY DO WORK W/ THE REMOTE ENTRY. I ALSO NOTICED THE HORN ACTUATOR IS HARD TO ACTIVATE DUE TO THE HARD "LEATHER" FOR THE AIRBAG COVER. THE DRIVER'S DOOR KEEPS GETTING MISSALIGNED, I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A VEHICLE HAVING THIS MUCH OF A PROBLEM LIKE IT.
WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH AND APPLYING THE BRAKES CAR VIBRATES. *AK
WHEN APPYLING ABS BRAKES ON WET OR DRY PAVEMENT BRAKES LOCK UP ,CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER CANNOT IDENTIFY THECAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.
BRAKES EXPERIENCE HANG UP AND PULLING CONTINUALLY, REPLACEMENT OF THE BRAKES DID NOT RECTIFY PULLING PROBLEMS. MJS
BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER LEAKS. YH
MY TRUCK BRAKES PULL SEVERELY TO THE RIGHT WHEN BRAKING. THIS PROBLEM EXISTS IN ALL RAM 2500 4X4 TRUCKS I HAVE ENCOUNTERED. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED ROTORS; CALIPERS;ALIGNMENT; ETC. I HAVE HAD THE TRUCK IN 9 TIMES (I HAVE DOCUMENTATION) ON THE SAME PROBLEM WITH NO RELIEF. DEALER NOW REFUSES TO LOOK FURTHER INTO THIS PROBLEM. BRAK…
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MY TRUCK BRAKES PULL SEVERELY TO THE RIGHT WHEN BRAKING. THIS PROBLEM EXISTS IN ALL RAM 2500 4X4 TRUCKS I HAVE ENCOUNTERED. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED ROTORS; CALIPERS;ALIGNMENT; ETC. I HAVE HAD THE TRUCK IN 9 TIMES (I HAVE DOCUMENTATION) ON THE SAME PROBLEM WITH NO RELIEF. DEALER NOW REFUSES TO LOOK FURTHER INTO THIS PROBLEM. BRAKES PULL TO RIGHT HARD ENOUGH TO SLIDE TRUCK SIDEWAYS ON WET PAVEMENT. BRAKE PADS WEAR OUT FASTER ON RIGHT FRONT - THERE HAS BEEN EVIDENCE OF THE RIGHT ROTOR GETTING HOT (BRAKES DRAGGING). THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE IN A LARGE TALL AND HEAVY TRUCK! ALL DODGE RAM 2500 4X4 OWNERS I HAVE TALKED TO REPORT PERIODIC OR CONTINUOUS SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THEIR BRAKES. *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES VEHICLE SEVERELY PULLS TO THE LEFT, CAUSE UNKNOWN. 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.