IllustrationDASHBOARD CRACKING AND NOW HAS HOLES WHICH COULD LEAD TO ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS DUE TO WIRE DAMAGE UNDER THE DASH. INCIDENT DATE BELOW IS WHEN I FIRST NOTICED THE CRACKING. THIS IS ON A 1998 DODGE RAM 2500. *TR
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
Structure complaints
22 reportsPLASTIC DASHBOARD MATERIALS ARE DEFECTIVE. 1998 YEAR MODEL DODGE RAM 2500HD 24V DSL 4X4 QC SB TRUCK...DASH STARTED GETTING VERY BRITTLE AFTER ONLY 6 YEARS OF USE... RECENTLY HAD TO ACCESS THE A/C EVAPORATOR CORE...AND THE DASHBOARD LITERALLY CRUMBLED. I'VE SEEN MY SHARE OF COSMETIC DASHBOARD CRACKS...BUT THIS IS COMPLETE AND…
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PLASTIC DASHBOARD MATERIALS ARE DEFECTIVE. 1998 YEAR MODEL DODGE RAM 2500HD 24V DSL 4X4 QC SB TRUCK...DASH STARTED GETTING VERY BRITTLE AFTER ONLY 6 YEARS OF USE... RECENTLY HAD TO ACCESS THE A/C EVAPORATOR CORE...AND THE DASHBOARD LITERALLY CRUMBLED. I'VE SEEN MY SHARE OF COSMETIC DASHBOARD CRACKS...BUT THIS IS COMPLETE AND UTTER STRUCTURAL FAILURE. *TR
DASHBOARD CRACKING AND FALLING DOWN INSIDE THE CONTROL PANEL. *TR
1998 DODGE RAM 2500, DASHBOARD CRACKING IN SEVERAL PLACES. FEEL IT COULD BECOME A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD AS IT DEGRADES AND LOSES STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY. *TR
THE DASHBOARD IN MY 1998 DODGE 2500 PICK-UP LOOKS LIKE A PUZZLE. I T HAS BEEN LIKE THIS FOR ABOUT THREE YEARS AND IS JUST GETTING WORSE. I CAN NOT FIND A REPLACEMENT BECAUSE EVERY ONE I FIND LOOKS THE SAME. MANY DODGE OWNERS ARE SAYING THE SAME THING. *JB
DASHB OARD OF VEHICLE BECAME BRITTLE AND WAS FALLING DOWN INTO ISTRUMENT WIRING. DASH BOARD CRACKED AND BREAKE OFF IN LARGE PIECES THAT COULD POSSIBLE CAUSE INJURY IF VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A TRAFFIC CRASH.*AK
DASHBOARD IS CRACKING. *TR
CRACKED DASH ON 1998 DODGE RAM 2500 PICKUP TRUCK. CRACK IS ABOUT 6 INCHES LONG AND WORKING ITS WAY DOWN TO WHERE THE AIRBAG IS STORED. NO PARTICULAR EVENT LED TO THE DASH CRACKING, IT JUST STARTED ONE DAY AND HAS INCREASED IN SIZE OVER TIME. THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE AND SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME VEHICLE HAVE THE SAME PR…
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CRACKED DASH ON 1998 DODGE RAM 2500 PICKUP TRUCK. CRACK IS ABOUT 6 INCHES LONG AND WORKING ITS WAY DOWN TO WHERE THE AIRBAG IS STORED. NO PARTICULAR EVENT LED TO THE DASH CRACKING, IT JUST STARTED ONE DAY AND HAS INCREASED IN SIZE OVER TIME. THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE AND SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME VEHICLE HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I WOULD LIKE DODGE TO REPLACE THE DASH AS I AM CONCERNED ABOUT AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. *JB
WORST TIRES I HAVE OWNED. 4 FAILED SINCE I OWNED VEHICLE IN 24,500 MILES. THE LAST ONE IS STILL ON THE TRUCK BUT HAS BARE PATCHES. SIDE WALLS DEVELOP UNEVEN DIMPLES. LOOKS LIKE POOR MANUFACTURER AND/OR DESIGN. I WON'T BUY GOODYEAR AGAIN . *AK (TIRESIZE: 16-245-75)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 16-245-75 )
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.
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.