1999 Dodge Ram Van problems
NHTSA has received 56 complaints about the 1999 Dodge Ram Van, and 21% of them involve electrical system. After that come brakes (18%) and body & structure (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 56 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 11 and 11
- Injuries and deaths
- 9 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 71,000 miles 34 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 | 9 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 10 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 34 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 71,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 75,000 miles (11 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 11 complaints mention a crash; 11 complaints mention a fire; 9 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 98% 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 1999 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 6 model years of the Dodge Ram Van with enough data (24 complaints in that window).
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.
On sunday april 23,2000 around 2 pm I was travelling north on manhattan ave. No safety defect listed within summary.
Vehicle went into a skid and flipped forward. Upon imapct, airbags did not deploy, resultinf in minor injuries. Vehicle was totalled.
Both airbags failed to deploy in frontal collision, resulting in severe structual damage, including firewall of vehicle. Vehicle declared to be a total loss by insurance company. Could not be repaired to a safe condition.
While driving on the expressway my oil pressure gauge dropped to 0 psig. It had been approximately 2000 miles since my last oil change. When I stopped at the gas station to check the oil, I discovered my oil was about 3 quarts low. I purchased 3 qts of oil and installed it in the engine and continued to have problems the rest of the way home (gauge dropping to 0 psi, but no real noticeable clacking of lifters).
Severe rusting in unibody construction. Has rusted so severely van is unsafe to drive. Vehicle has 133513 miles on it. Rust on under carriage is extremely excessive.