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1998 Dodge Truck problems

The most common problem on the 1998 Dodge Truck is body and structure. It has 1.3 times the complaints of a typical Dodge Truck model year.

Typical year1.3x the typical complaints
Owner complaints
28
Recalls
0
Worst area
Body

The worst 1998 Dodge Truck problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

  • Body
    5
  • Engine
    4
  • Transmission
    4
  • Brakes
    3
  • Electrical
    3

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Body
    5
  • Engine
    4
  • Transmission
    4
  • Brakes
    3
  • Electrical
    3
  • Fuel system
    3
  • Seat belts
    3
  • Suspension
    3
  • Airbags
    2
  • Steering
    2
  • Lights
    1
  • Seats
    1
  • Tires
    1
  • Visibility
    1

Recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

What 1998 Dodge Truck owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Jul 10, 2009 · Body · 135,000 miles · NC

I own a1998 dodge ram truck that I purchased 5 years ago within this past year iv noticed my dash board cracking and it seemed to be getting worse till I was driving home from work a big chunk of dash board blew up and hit me right in the face I almost wrecked my truck it could have been fatal something has to be done about this before someone is killed if there is a defect in these dodge trucks dashboards they should let the owner or public aware so they can be fixed.

Filed Jul 10, 2009 · Body, Seat belts · 97,348 miles · PR

Dodge 1500 ram sport pick up. Dash cover broke in pieces. A while later I notice the two front speakers stop working, the speedometer stop working, every once in a while the dash lights go crazy, the top 12 volt adapter stops working, etc. Also seat belts don't retract correctly, and driver side buckle had to be replaced.

Filed May 3, 2007 · Body · FL

Cracked and broken dash.

Filed Apr 26, 2007 · Seat belts · 65,000 miles · TX

Defective driver and passenger seat belt, in 98 dodge ram. I have contacted the dodge headquarters, when the seatbelts failed the first time two years ago, hq stated that they would pay for labor only, and not replace the part. Dodge replaced the seatbelt sensor which is electronic under the seats, the wires get pinched off, when the seats are moved forward and back therefore creating a short in the wires, and thus the seatbelts fail b/c they are on an electronic weight system. I do not have the money it takes to continually replace these every two years, I think this should be looked into since it is a safety hazard.

Filed Oct 10, 2005 · Engine, Transmission · 42 miles · NY

On march 8,2002 a short time after taking delivery of used 1998 dodge grand caravan se VIN # g with only 41,950 miles. In february ,2002 the engine began making a loud pronounced tapping sound. After I returned the vehicle to the dealer plaza motors of brooklyn inc.(aka) plaza dodge ltd. And was told the engine had to be replace. And the dealer above installed a used engine from VIN#r with 58,310 miles and less then 12 months the second engine head gasket fail. Then the transmission. Base on the information above and the reports from other consumers the federal safety agency should investigate these defects as a real time safety problem.

Filed Jan 14, 2005 · Steering, Suspension · DC

I own 1998 dodge sport full sized pickup that has a loud bang when turning corners. The consumer wants to know if the truck is covered under some recall that was posted in the past. *bf *nm the shaking was coming from the steering. *sc *tc

Filed Dec 29, 2003 · Suspension · 40,000 miles · MO · 1 injury

At approximately 40,000 miles I had to have the ball joints replaced on my 1998 dodge dakota. My mechanic advised me that before change the ball joints that I should take my vehicle to my local dodge dealership and see if they would cover the cost. They responded by telling me that my ball joints were fine. The reason I went to my mechanic was because I had had my vehicle aligned four times in the first 30,000 mile and my truck still pulled to one side. That was when I went to an unbiased party to tell what the problem was. I had this repair work done in late 2002 or early 2003.

Filed Nov 13, 2003 · Suspension · 52,000 miles · AL

I have a '98 dodge dakota pickup truck with approximately 58,000 miles on it. This past june I had to replace a front end ball joint on this vehicle. At that time there was approximately 52,000 miles on the truck. The same symptoms are starting to occur again that accompanied the last ball joint problem. So it's likely I will have to replace another one of the joints on the suspension of this truck in the near future. It seems to me that considering there could be dire consequences with ball joint failure (the suspension collapsing at high speed) that the government would require dodge to fix this problem by improving the design of these joints and issue a recall. I urge the ntsb, ntsa, or whoever to investigate these problems before anyone else gets killed or seriously injured. If you research the web, you will find that this is a widespread problem on these vehicles.

Filed Aug 25, 2003 · Fuel system · 67,741 miles · CA

The primary transfer pump has a defective design in the rotary vans filter wire mess. The ends are not welded. The wire mess weave ends are undo due to normal diesel vibration. The wire mess filter ends are hitting rotary vane pump. The rubber seal material is very hard with no elastic spring to it. This very dangerous pump designed. The main injection will lose power with no warning. The pump unit is made by carter part#43188c27b 12 vdc is power source. The pump is sold through mopar by cummins engine. The new pump #05080885aa pump fuel second #14073001. The replacement cost is $160.88. Its dealer item only. The labor time to install is 1 hour 65$ to $75 is standard charge to install this unit. The fuel pump does not come with new copper gaskets it require at least four to seal the fuel fitting. The part is available for viewing. The dealership would not cover it due to no road side tow. The vehicle mileage was approximately 67,740 miles vid [xxx]. I would like to point out that this vehicle had four major fuel injection pumps replaced due to electronic board failure. In all cases the problem happened with no warning. Gmc has extended their 6.5l diesel pump to 120,000 miles or 12 year time period. *ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Jan 3, 2003 · 20 miles · NY

I, neal darstein, am a proud owner of a 1998 dodge ram 1500 slt laramie. I have a complaint regarding the ability to use my horn. Please bear with me as this is difficult to explain clearly without actually deminstrating exactly what I mean. Since the purchase of my truck the steering wheel pad (which is were the horn is located) is very stiff/solid making it impossible to "use" or "sound" my horn in the event of an emergency. I feel it's a safety hazard. Every vehicle should have easy accessibity and use of horn. Please contact me regarding this issue. Thank you.

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Questions about the 1998 Dodge Truck

Is the 1998 Dodge Truck reliable?

Owners have filed 28 complaints about the 1998 Dodge Truck, 1.3 times a typical Dodge Truck model year.

What is the most common problem with the 1998 Dodge Truck?

Body and structure, with 5 complaints. Next is engine (4).

How many recalls does the 1998 Dodge Truck have?

No recalls on record.

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