1998 Dodge Ram: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 644 complaints
644
Total Complaints
74,000mi
Median Mileage
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
Top Issue
94
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

50,100 25th Percentile
74,000 Median Mileage
112,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
64
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
47
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
40
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
34
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC
22
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
20
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
18
AIR BAGS
16
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
13
TRAILER HITCHES
12

Severity Assessment

94
Crashes
9
Fires
65
Injuries
3
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"CONSUMER'S WIFE EXPERIENCED ACCELERATION AFTER SHIFTING GEAR INTO DRIVE. VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL, CAUSING CONSUMER TO STRIKE A TREE. ALSO BOTH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER/MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. *AK"
"CONSUMER'S WIFE EXPERIENCED ACCELERATION AFTER SHIFTING GEAR INTO DRIVE. VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL, CAUSING CONSUMER TO STRIKE A TREE. ALSO BOTH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER/MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED. *AK"
"HAVE TO PUT EXTREME PRESSURE ON THE HORN PAD IN ORDER FOR THE HORN TO SOUND. WHEN DRIVER NEEDS THE HORN TO GO OFF QUICKLY IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28