1997 Dodge RAM 1500 Structure Problems
Owners have filed 70 complaints with NHTSA about structure problems on the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500, 19% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 100,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “dash cracking” (11% of reports).
- 70structure complaints
- 100,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 60%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Dash cracking: mentioned in 8 of 70 complaints (11%)
- Falling apart: mentioned in 6 of 70 complaints (9%)
- Dashboard cracked: mentioned in 5 of 70 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do structure problems happen?
Based on 36 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 70 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Dodge RAM 1500 structure complaints by model year
| Model year | Structure complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 RAM 1500 | 24 | 3% | 75,500 |
| 2011 RAM 1500 | 23 | 3% | 60,500 |
| 2010 RAM 1500 | 26 | 5% | 70,000 |
| 2009 RAM 1500 | 41 | 6% | 69,000 |
| 2008 RAM 1500 | 11 | 2% | 92,556 |
| 2007 RAM 1500 | 10 | 2% | 58,000 |
| 2006 RAM 1500 | 17 | 2% | 78,000 |
| 2005 RAM 1500 | 24 | 2% | 87,250 |
| 2004 RAM 1500 | 50 | 5% | 68,000 |
| 2003 RAM 1500 | 237 | 20% | 75,000 |
| 2002 RAM 1500 | 278 | 34% | 75,000 |
| 2001 RAM 1500 | 548 | 49% | 75,965 |
| 2000 RAM 1500 | 248 | 48% | 78,000 |
| 1999 RAM 1500 | 240 | 39% | 86,308 |
| 1998 RAM 1500 | 102 | 20% | 96,000 |
| 1997 RAM 1500 | 70 | 19% | 100,000 |
| 1996 RAM 1500 | 35 | 12% | 136,000 |
| 1995 RAM 1500 | 36 | 17% | 93,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists structure for the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
When driving out of a hospital parking structure, when coming to the exit on the lowest level you must make a sharp right turn into the exit booth lane. When turning right, it was as if a "tooth" inside the steering gear broke off causing a collision with the rail while exiting the parking…
Dash board is all cracked and broken apart. With every bump in the road the dash shakes bad and worsens from the lack of no support holding it in place. With the a/c, heat, or defroster blowing out the vents plastic also blows out. Trying to clean out my eye when driving is tough. Just waiting for…
Bare bones of dash cracking/shattering cousins buttons/ instrument cluster/ switches to fall around and on me while driving. Cannot secure any thing in dash due to the cracking/ shattering of internal dash. Cannot secure bolts or clips to bare bones of dash . Cracking/ shattering has cause there to…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Dodge RAM 1500s have structure problems?
No. NHTSA has 70 owner complaints about structure for the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 (19% of the 361 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 structure?
No recall currently lists structure for this vehicle.
At what mileage do structure problems start?
The median reported mileage is 100,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about structure problems on the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500?
The most frequent phrase is “dash cracking”, in 8 of 70 complaints, followed by “falling apart” (6).
Other 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 problems
- Power Train problems (56)
See all 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 problems or structure problems across all RAM 1500 years.