"How reliable is the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500?"

"Based on 645 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 has a median complaint mileage of 97000 miles. The most common issue is STRUCTURE."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 is STRUCTURE, accounting for a significant portion of the 645 total complaints filed."

1998 Dodge Ram 1500: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 645 complaints

645

Total Complaints

97,000mi

Median Mileage

STRUCTURE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

65,125 25th Percentile

97,000 Median Mileage

130,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STRUCTURE

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

AIR BAGS

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

TIRES

SEAT BELTS

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN

SUSPENSION

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"VEHICLE PULLS TO THE EXTREME RIGHT WHEN BRAKING."

"ENGINE COMPARTMENT HOOD INSULATION PAD WAS IGNITED DIRECTLY ABOVE THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND SMOLDERED UNCONTROLLABLY UNTIL IT WAS EXTINGUISHED."

"CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45-50 MPH WHEN HE HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE HEAD-ON THAT HAD PULLED OUT OF INTERSECTION . CONSUMER'S VEHICLE FRONT END WAS CAVED IN. DRIVER'S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. PASSENGER'S SIDE WAS TURNED OFF. *AK"

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

STRUCTURE 83 complaints

25th: 67,750 mi Median: 91,000 mi 75th: 127,500 mi

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 34 complaints

25th: 61,550 mi Median: 84,750 mi 75th: 113,500 mi

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL 33 complaints

25th: 75,500 mi Median: 93,500 mi 75th: 104,250 mi

AIR BAGS 29 complaints

25th: 82,500 mi Median: 107,500 mi 75th: 134,500 mi

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 24 complaints

25th: 52,500 mi Median: 84,500 mi 75th: 96,250 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 86 FL: 70 TX: 55 GA: 34 MI: 23 AL: 22 OH: 22 NY: 22 IL: 21 SC: 20

Who Files Complaints?

38.6%

Original Owners

61.4%

Second+ Owners

Dodge Ram 1500 — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1994	148	108,250	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH	14
1995	273	114,000	STRUCTURE	14
1996	407	111,500	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	22
1997	467	95,050	STRUCTURE	36
1999	768	85,972	STRUCTURE	85
2000	641	78,175	STRUCTURE	40
2001	1367	70,000	STRUCTURE	84
2002	1004	72,000	STRUCTURE	74
2003	1361	70,000	AIR BAGS	106
2004	1359	70,000	AIR BAGS	114
2005	1624	87,000	POWER TRAIN	162
2006	1080	60,500	AIR BAGS	59
2007	701	72,100	AIR BAGS	46
2008	718	67,000	AIR BAGS	48
2009	882	66,948	POWER TRAIN	42
2011	984	78,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	53
2012	972	68,000	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	51

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