1998 Dodge Ram Van problems
NHTSA has received 38 complaints about the 1998 Dodge Ram Van, and 18% of them involve brakes. After that come electrical system (18%) and suspension (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 38 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 10 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 123,000 miles 17 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 2 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 3 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 4 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 17 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 123,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 7 complaints mention a fire; 10 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 94% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 6 model years of the Dodge Ram Van with enough data (17 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
When applying brakes in an emergency situation, driver's/passenger's seat belts did not lock. Neither did the seat belts that held passengers in rear seats and 3 younger children. The driver and all passengers were injured. The dealer is aware of the situation. The seat belts have not been repaired.
Consumer has experienced front brake problems, first the caliper brake bolt was pulled out and rested inside the drum, then both front brake hoses bursted at the same time while driving on highway resulting in a three car collision. Nlm
The verizon vehicle had an underhood fire while being driven. The fire originated in the ABS module area. The ABS module and wiring connector, truck battery, and various underhodd components were burnt. Verizon has had similar fires in this model van and feels that this is an unsafe condition that warrants further investigation.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 dodge ram van. While pulling into a parking space at an unknown speed, the contact felt a hard vibration and heard a loud bang. He exited the vehicle to locate the origin of the sound, but was unsuccessful. He re-entered the vehicle to continue to park when another loud sound occurred. The steering did not respond. He exited the vehicle again and located a failure with the steering control arm and its components. The contact also noticed that the entire front end was completely rusted.