Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 05/30/2012 | 98000 | ||
| The contact owns a 1998 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated the structure body of the vehicle has rotted away. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic for routine maintenance and was informed that the structure was rusted and corroded. the vehicle was undrivable. the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 98,000. mw | |||
| 01/02/2012 | 90000 | ||
| Transmission slips into neutral when turning corners. we have to let the engine idle down and wait 15 to 30 seconds before transmission catches. | |||
| 02/20/2006 | 99000 | 2 | 08/25/2000 |
| Loud drive train noise coming from truck. serviced at 70k by dodge dealership, replacing rear differential/bearings. truck is now making same noise at 99k and first estimate of repair indicates rear differential/bearings again. *nm | |||
| 03/21/2003 | 17 | ||
| From the day i saw that 96 dodge truck rolling down the street i fell in love. i saved every way possible to purchase the big bad 1500 4x4 5.9(98)with every option avail. had everything and from week 1 had problems. front windshield cracked while driving due to frame stress it about 2 weeks into it. brake failure cause serious assault on guard rail, and dodge said i must have been driving to fast (@ 30 mph). they refused any warranty because nothing can touch the wheel and since the incident occurred after 93 days lemon laws did not apply so after (2) $900 brake jobs two weeks apart everything was fine. not to mention damage to body i paid for out of pocket. now i just go through an entire set of brakes every 6 months. but i stop until then.. i replaced the transmission at 38 k miles, note the warranty on that is 36 k miles. i have had steering linkage become so loose instantaneously (or 3 separate occasions) that it felt like i was running over my own axle, which is another $1000 each time. for the past three emissions inspections the on board computer fails so i have to take it to the dealer while they charge $200 to fix it, but will not give straight answer to what is problem. and to night as i type, i spread the grime of engine crud across my keyboard as i try to figure out why the fuel filter suddenly stopped. amazingly i have had this truck for 5 years because it has kept me too broke to buy something else. any legal suggestions on what can be done would be appreciated. i recognize i have spent more than $15,000 trying to keep this thing running right, and that is too much for a late model truck. i would love to blame a dealer but i have been to just about all of them around here and with the smiles on there faces i hear that will be another $950 sir.. good grief. *nlm | |||
| 2 | 03/01/1998 | ||
| Trip odometer malfunctions, resets when vehicle shuts off. yh | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 03/03/2010 | 168534 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1998 dodge ram 1500. the contact stated the reverse gear is not operational. the vehicle was taken to the mechanic where he was told the reversed gear retention clip came out and disentergrated. the dodge manufacturer was not called and the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. there is no recalls or warranty for this failure and the vehicle have not been repaired. the failure mileage was 168,534...mw. | |||
| 11/30/2009 | 148000 | 1 | |
| I drive a 98 dodge ram. the transmission slips out of overdrive on it's own. i will be replacing this transmission at a cost of $2000.00. it does it at speeds of 70 mph and could be dangerous if towing a trailer. dodge trucks are known for faulty transmissions. *tr | |||
| 02/15/2009 | 124000 | 1 | |
| My transmission have failed. intake manifold gasket blew out. *tr | |||
| 12/23/2008 | 150000 | 1 | |
| 1998 dodge ram 1500 truck transmission failure twice in three years. have seen numerous complaints over various internet sites with same problems. first transmission failed, then all the sensors failed on transmission, and now torque converter. *tr | |||
| 02/10/2007 | 110000 | 1 | |
| Truck parked on driveway in park--did not hold and rolled backwards into tree on the lawn causing damage to the rear bumper-luckily it did strike the tree other wise it would have been on the street. i have the same problem of shifting into drive--and reverse the engagement points are no where they are shown to be on the shifter. there is also a hesitation when engaged(sometimes) and will engage roughly with a jerk. i ve been told that there was a defective connector inside the steering column and that there was a safety recall on this part--cannot get a direct answer from a local dealer here --what's the score on this. *tr | |||
| 03/07/2006 | 1 | 11/15/2004 | |
| (1) started to pull as if it were not getting fuel (2) the trans temp light came on (3)the overdrive light came on (4) periodically there was a grinding noise (5) truck would delay or jerk when put in drive (6)will no longer go in drive or reverse (7) truck has stalled and is no longer running. *jb | |||
| 04/28/2003 | 108650 | 0 | 04/21/1998 |
| We have not had a crash, but my dodge ram has been in our garage since april we are afraid to drive it, the abs breaks are on and the transmission is going out also smells like fire crackers at times. *nm | |||
| 09/30/2004 | 78000 | 1 | 11/16/1998 |
| I was driving on a 4 lane highway at 65 miles per hour when i suddenly lost speed and the rpm were heading to redline. i hit my brake in the middle of traffic trying to keep from hurting my engine. when i got pulled to the side of the road i checked to see if i could go and i had no transmission. i only have 78,000 miles on my truck and don't pull heavy loads or load my pick-up with heavy loads. i have talked with other people that have the same year dodge pick-up and they have had similar problems. i am having my transmission replaced along with the transmission cooler because it has parts of my clutch in it. i found 5 people in my county that have had problems with their 98 pick-ups and have had them fixed and then traded them for another brand of vehicle. i would really like to know why nobody has investigated this or recalled the vehicle because of this problem. *nm | |||
| 08/07/2004 | 91987 | 2 | 05/14/2002 |
| While returning home from seeing my first grandchild, south of hershey pa my transmission died at approx. 50,000 miles. i had to have the vehicle towed from the interstate and the transmission rebuilt. they told me there were a lot of metal shavings in the transmission which clogged up the works. this cost me almost $3,000.00 plus the cost of being stranded out of town for 5 days. i now have 92,000 miles on the truck and have to have the transmission rebuilt again. i do not know the cost to do this yet. plus i have the cost of obtaining alternate transportation to get to work for about 14 days until i get the work completed. the first repair work was done by aamco and the warranty on their work was for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever came first. i had aamco do a diagnostic on the vehicle and they told me the transmission was toast. *jb | |||
| 03/18/2004 | 60200 | 1 | 03/11/1998 |
| 1998 dodge ram 1500 transmisson; the tranmission failed on my truck at 60,000 miles! evidently, there is a problem with these dodge transmissions and this is a very common problem.*ak nobody can say that 60,000 miles is resonable for such a major repair (about $3,000 in my case). i want dodge to acknowledge this problem (recall probably) and reimburese me for this repair. | |||
| 06/10/2003 | 1 | ||
| While driving at 40mph transmission broke. *ak | |||
| 05/30/2003 | 16 | 09/08/1998 | |
| Automatic transmission did not engage to next gear after driving slow. when you step on gas pedal, it seems that the transmission does not want to engage into next gear. had to push down on gas pedal as if trying to get into passing lane in order for transmission to engage. chrysler could not find any problem. *tt | |||
| 04/12/2003 | 67000 | 1 | 06/17/1998 |
| Transmission overheats. as near as i can tell, from reading the numerous complaints on message boards, the problem is due to two possible things. a bad torque converter (frequent problem)and/or clogged cooling system lines as the lines and passageways are too narrow and filter is insufficient. *nlm | |||
| 01/04/2003 | 71000 | 3 | 07/01/1998 |
| At 71,000 miles transmission failed for the second time. first time was at 34,000. $3200 to repace with rebuilt unit. also, the rear differential needs rebuilding for another $1600. | |||
| 10/02/2002 | 1 | 02/01/2098 | |
| Noticed a vibration while driving. took to dealer. advised transmission needs overhaul. $2400.00. mr | |||
| 07/19/2002 | 1 | 07/01/2097 | |
| I was on the freeway, and as i went to pass a slower vehicle, i felt the transmission slip and watched the rpm's increase dramatically, while my speed actually decreased. i slowed down and tried to continue to drive at a slower speed, however this became impossible very quickly. i also smelled something, probably the clutches slipping so i pulled over and called for a tow truck.*ak | |||
| 10/10/2001 | 1 | 05/01/2098 | |
| I reported the failure to chrysler who agreed to a diagnosis. a representative verbally agreed that chrysler would pay for diagnosis and repair if problem was caused by factory defect. a diagnosis showed that the failure was caused by a factory defect. at least one metal part was missing from the transmission causing the failure. chrysler then said i was responsible for $350 of the repair cost, going against their earlier agreement.*ak | |||
| 09/03/2001 | 1 | 04/01/1998 | |
| Was loading boat at dock ramp when came out of park injured leg badly. no safety defect listed. *ak | |||
| 03/01/2001 | 2 | 10/11/1998 | |
| After vehicle is warmed up it will intermittently not shift into drive. consumer has to shift it into neutral, then, back into drive before vehicle responds. consumer is concerned about vehicle rolling backwards when this occurs.*ak *yd | |||
| 06/25/2001 | 3 | ||
| Consumer can shift vehicle into any gear. stepped on gas pedal and vehicle would not move. rpms revved high or low before vehicle had a delayed response by lurching forward in whatever gear it was in. diagnostic test showed no codes and shifted as normal. problem had to duplicate to be remedied. *ak | |||
| 11/17/2000 | 07/01/1999 | ||
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 10/20/1998 | 1 | 10/01/1997 | |
| I really enjoy this dodge ram1500 ,but i feel that since it is out of warranty it will not hold up to my expectations. no safety defect listed in summary. *ak | |||
| 05/12/2000 | 7 | 09/01/1998 | |
| I have contacted chrysler too many times about these problems, especially the brakes, which i admit is an intermettent problem. however i have demonstrated the problem to the service manager at riverhead dodge. no repairs were ever made. apparently after searching on the internet i find i am not the only one who has these same problems. how many people have to be hurt before dodge does something about this? does this have to evolve into another firestone problem before anything is done? *ak | |||
| 05/09/1999 | 2 | 11/01/1998 | |
| A visiting relative from the east coast mentioned that the dodge pickup was not held in high esteem due to the transmissions not holding up under snow plowing work. this didn't cause me alarm since my truck is used for passenger use only. exactly 10 days later my transmission went out. the dealer reconditioned it and it lasted less than 1000 miles before failing again. to be continued. *ak | |||
| 1 | 05/01/1998 | ||
| Automatic transmission failed. mjs | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES | |||
| 05/01/2004 | 13100 | 1 | 04/21/2004 |
| Transmission leakage..axel fluid leakage..this is the third vechile that this dealership has put us in in 15 months!!the truck we have now isnt safe and they refuse to fix it and they are responsible because they did not give us a warranty like they told us when we bought truck in april. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | |||
| 2 | |||
| Consumer noticed while shifting vehicle out of park into drive gears position were switched around, making it impossible for consumer to shift to correct gear. vehicle was serviced, technician noticed steering column needed to be replaced. *ak | |||
| 02/25/1998 | 14 | 02/25/1998 | |
| Transmission slips out of park into reverse. the lever must be jiggled to lock into park. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - COLUMN SHIFT | |||
| 09/09/2003 | 63000 | 1 | 11/02/2002 |
| The auto transmission linkage that connects to the frame bolt sheered off. when this occured the vehicle remained in the gear it was in at the time of the failure. the cause of the failure is undetermined. *ph the bolts shearing off the frame caused the linkage bracket to fall off the truck frame disabling the transmission from being shifted. *ts | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH | |||
| 08/31/2001 | |||
| Vehicle was in reverse, attempted to drive back in reverse, but vehicle was still in drve. consumer slammed on brakes, and went back to reverse, and drove. but vehicle was stil the same. consumer had to turn vehicle off to get it correctly into gear. service manager referred the consumer to to another mechanic, who had to replace steering column.*ak | |||
| 04/10/2001 | 1 | ||
| Transmission gear can be pushed into drive without putting foot on brake first. concerned because consumer has small children. *ak consumer was not informed of this feature prior to purchase of vehicle. *slc | |||
| Vehicle has no interlock safety mechanism. vehicle can be placed into gear without applying the brake. the dealer has been contacted. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY | |||
| 10/19/2001 | 41642 | 1 | 05/01/1998 |
| The rear axle bearings and seal had to be completely replaced. the problem was detected from hearing some rear axle noise. ph *jb **dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut over to artemis**753546 | |||
| 1 | |||
| Gear selector shaft broke inside steering column housing, 3 dealers could not fix the problem because the entire steering column has to be replaced. *tt . zlso, steering column/track bar for front axle, and catalytic converter malfunctioned. *ak | |||
| 01/01/2002 | |||
| During normal operation of the vehicle at any speed, there is a loud humming noise coming from rear of truck. an independent mechanic diagnosed that bearings and gears for the rear axle have to be replaced. please provide any additional information / documentation.*ak | |||
| 10/20/1998 | 1 | 10/01/1997 | |
| I really enjoy this dodge ram1500 ,but i feel that since it is out of warranty it will not hold up to my expectations. no safety defect listed in summary. *ak | |||
| 12/20/1999 | 1 | 07/01/1998 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak | |||
| 03/21/1999 | 1 | 10/01/1997 | |
| Tire seperated from truck, causing loss of control, rolled ? times, everyone was ejected and killed except for 1. i do not want my information released to the manufacturer, pending legal matters. | |||
| 05/04/1999 | 1 | 06/01/1998 | |
| Driver proceeding along interstate at 60 mph with cruise engaged when felt a jolt in rear end and truck started fishtailing. truck struck side barrier, spun, crossed 3 traffic lanes and came to stop. right rear wheel assembly was detatched and had come to rest along shoulder. subsequent department mechanic inspection revealed what appears to be shearing of axle, with center of axle appearing porous. *ak | |||
| 10/02/1998 | 07/26/1998 | ||
| Rea raxle failed, causing the tire wheel and hub to seperate from the axlle. also, the anti-lock brakes failed,causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle,resulting in a collision. upon impact, neither driver's or passenger's airbags deployed, even after vehicle rolled over four times. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT | |||
| 04/05/2002 | 2 | ||
| A loud hummimg noise would come from vehicle while driving. dealer notified and informed consumer that rear bearing axle shaft needed to be rebuilt. *ak consumer states that this is the second time the rear bearing axle shaft failed. *tt | |||
| 08/07/2001 | 1 | 01/01/1998 | |
| Standard maintenance followed as recommended by dealer, jack caroll lynnwood dodge. premature rear axle bearing failure. common light duty use of vehicle and all fluids changes and maintained on schedule. | |||
| 12/01/2000 | |||
| Front axle started making a noise at 35,000 miles. it was taken to dealer, but problem couldn't be dulpicated for repairs. currently, at 39,000 miles bearings are shot at u-joint. dealer offers to pay for part at both sides.*ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT - SEAL | |||
| 02/19/2008 | 64437 | 1 | |
| Rear end lockup gears worn to lockup. *tr | |||
| 02/01/1999 | 2 | 05/17/1999 | |
| Axle seals failed. yh | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE HUBS | |||
| 05/01/2004 | 13100 | 1 | 04/21/2004 |
| Transmission leakage..axel fluid leakage..this is the third vechile that this dealership has put us in in 15 months!!the truck we have now isnt safe and they refuse to fix it and they are responsible because they did not give us a warranty like they told us when we bought truck in april. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 08/22/2011 | 130000 | ||
| I own a 1998 dodge ram 1500 extended cab. i bought the vehical new. for several years the dash has been cracking and the plastic air conditioning vents are falling apart. i have made no repairs and it needs fixing. also the rear end is roaring probably from a bearing going bad. other than this problem, it has been a good truck. | |||
| 08/12/2005 | 39898 | 1 | |
| The driver seat belt became unbuckled various times. i have replace the buckle side of it on my own. also the rear end is making noise right after warranty expired, now i'm supposed to replace it onmy own. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | |||
| 04/09/2003 | |||
| While driving the rear differential broke. the dealer was notified. *nlm | |||
| 04/12/2001 | 1 | 12/01/1997 | |
| No summary listed for above vehicles. *ak | |||
| 02/01/2001 | |||
| While traveling at speeds above 25 mph and taking foot off accelerator, there is a whining noise coming from rear axle of vehicle, specifically rear differential. please provide any additional information/attachments. *ak | |||
| 04/12/2001 | 1 | 11/01/1999 | |
| While starting to proceed through intersection at appox. 5 mph, felt jolt from rear of truck and heard something break. wheels locked up and truck came to immediate stop. it had to be drug onto flatbed as rear-end was locked-up. dealer claims that problem was caused by defective gear.*ak | |||
| 12/12/2000 | 1 | 04/01/1999 | |
| Rear differential began growling at 39k miles. dealer reported it needed overhaul ($1100 cost). complained to manufacturer and they agreed to pay for the repair. seems to be a common problem with 9.25 in. dodge rear ends. rumor is defective pinion bearings or understrength equipment compared to engine size. *ak | |||
| 11/15/1999 | 1 | ||
| The rear differential was found bent by the dealership, which required replacement, noise from the unit prior to replacement. *mjs | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DRIVESHAFT | |||
| 04/26/2001 | 1 | 07/01/1998 | |
| We were taveling on hwy. 400 at approx. 65mph, when the driveshaft fell out of the truck, due to a broken bolt head. being that it is out of warranty , chrysler doesn't want to do any thing about it. i feel that this is a safety hazard, and should be covered under something other than a typical warranty, since the truck has been well maintained and taken care of. by the grace of god we were able to steer the truck into the median without getting hit. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 03/01/2003 | 37000 | 3 | 05/30/2001 |
| Transmission failed at aprox 80,000 mile. lost all gears execpt for 4th. could have resulted in a major accident had it failed on the freeway which we had just exited. also the clutch has been replaced three times since the truck was new. one at 37000, 56,000 and 81,000. *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| Gear selector shaft broke inside steering column housing, 3 dealers could not fix the problem because the entire steering column has to be replaced. *tt . zlso, steering column/track bar for front axle, and catalytic converter malfunctioned. *ak | |||