1998 Dodge Ram 3500: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 134 complaints
134
Total Complaints
93,500mi
Median Mileage
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
Top Issue
13
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

75,000 25th Percentile
93,500 Median Mileage
154,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
9
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
9
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:SWITCH
8
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
5
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
5
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
4
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
4

Severity Assessment

13
Crashes
17
Fires
14
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHEN COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP AND PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE REAR BRAKES WILL LOCK UP AND THE BRAKES WILL FADE OUT. *AK"
"CONSUMER HAD AN ACCIDENT AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.-ALSO THE REAR BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE, CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOSE CONTROL AND COLLIDE, RESULTING IN 3 INJURIES. *AK"
"CONSUMER HAD AN ACCIDENT AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.-ALSO THE REAR BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE, CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOSE CONTROL AND COLLIDE, RESULTING IN 3 INJURIES. *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