1998 Dodge RAM 1500 Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 85 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500, 16% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 90,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “rear differential” (9% of reports).
- 85power train complaints
- 90,000median miles at failure
- 8mention a crash
- 5mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $4,850typical repair cost reported by owners
- 49%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.
- Rear differential: mentioned in 8 of 85 complaints (9%)
- Transmission failed: mentioned in 6 of 85 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 at $4,850, and half of them between $2,850 and $5,400.
Based on 8 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2000–2009), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 33 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 85 complaints, 8 mention a crash, 5 an injury.
Dodge RAM 1500 power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 RAM 1500 | 92 | 13% | 65,500 |
| 2011 RAM 1500 | 176 | 26% | 44,000 |
| 2010 RAM 1500 | 229 | 47% | 60,000 |
| 2009 RAM 1500 | 231 | 34% | 69,000 |
| 2008 RAM 1500 | 73 | 13% | 84,459 |
| 2007 RAM 1500 | 61 | 12% | 63,500 |
| 2006 RAM 1500 | 100 | 13% | 89,500 |
| 2005 RAM 1500 | 593 | 51% | 110,967 |
| 2004 RAM 1500 | 181 | 16% | 120,678 |
| 2003 RAM 1500 | 125 | 11% | 74,000 |
| 2002 RAM 1500 | 99 | 12% | 82,500 |
| 2001 RAM 1500 | 95 | 9% | 57,570 |
| 2000 RAM 1500 | 45 | 9% | 60,000 |
| 1999 RAM 1500 | 59 | 10% | 70,000 |
| 1998 RAM 1500 | 85 | 16% | 90,000 |
| 1997 RAM 1500 | 56 | 16% | 70,001 |
| 1996 RAM 1500 | 52 | 17% | 106,000 |
| 1995 RAM 1500 | 30 | 14% | 86,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 1998 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 dodge ram 1500. The contact stated that after his wife was parked the vehicle and attempted to shift the gear shifter into park, the gear shifter instead shifted into reverse. The contact's wife exited the vehicle and the vehicle started rolling backwards. The contact…
I was driving down the road at about a bout 50 mph down the road and started hearing a noise when letting off the throttle and slowed down a lil gave it some gas then let off again next thing i hear is the drive shaft hitting the road and the tires sliding across the road and causing me to slide…
In motion the steering is very loose. The steering wheel will travel very often from 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock and hopefully, i am still going straight. The truck will drift to the right and have to oversteer to get the truck in the travel lane. I replaced steering gear box, ball joints, tie rods…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1998 Dodge RAM 1500s have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 85 owner complaints about power train for the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 (16% of the 520 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 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 90,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500?
Owners report a typical cost of $4,850 (half paid between $2,850 and $5,400), from 8 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500?
The most frequent phrase is “rear differential”, in 8 of 85 complaints, followed by “transmission failed” (6).
Other 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 problems
See all 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 problems or power train problems across all RAM 1500 years.