Noticed a high pitched whine coming from the rear of the vehicle about 30-40 seconds before the rear axle assembly locked up. Traveling on a secondary to a city street slowing to 30 MPH. Axle assembly locked up at 45 MPH causing a skid that was controlled. Axle housing split, drive shaft detached, gear lube drained out and tires are severely flat spotted. Skid length was 115 ft.
The worst 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Body70
- Transmission56
- Brakes53
- Fuel system29
- Airbags24
- Electrical23
- Engine23
- Steering23
- Suspension21
- Lights17
- Tires16
- Acceleration14
- Visibility14
- Locks10
- Wheels9
- Seats6
- Seat belts2
Specific symptoms reported on the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500
Brake failure 20Headlights 16Transmission failure 12Fuel pump 11ABS 9No deployment 9Stalling 9Fuel smell 8Adaptive cruise 7Check engine light 7Ball joint 6Fire or smoke 6Harsh shifting 6Power steering loss 6Slipping 6Pulling 6Grinding brakes 5Tire blowout 5
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Defect investigations
Seat back failure
Odi has identified 30 incidents where it is alleged the seat back collapsed in a rear impact crash.these incidents are alleged to have contributed to 23 injuries and two deaths.the data presented to odi show that the seat back strength of the front seats comply with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 207. Seating system.according to daimlerchrylser the front seats were designed to collapse rearward in rear impact crashes as part of the energy absorptioncapabilities of the seating system to reduce the chance of serious injury to the occupant.rates of occurance were compared to peer vehicles, and it was shown that the performace of the subject vehicle was comparable to those vehicles.in view of the forgoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification remedy of a safety defect in the subject vehicles as defined by the petitioner at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therfore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's mission, the petition is denied.for further details, refer to odi's response to the petition published in the federal register vol.69, no. 60 , dated march 29, 2004.
DP03006
Technical service bulletins for the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 13
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Charging System, Battery Diagnostic Tools and Warranty
- Repair Parts Used For Structural Repairs
- Use of Salvage/Recycled Parts
- Use of Aftermarket Parts
- Valve Body
- Part Description: Insulator on Lever Assy Manual Valve
- Part Description: Filter Assy
- When replacing the transmission pan: Replace 52118804 pan with 52118780AD pan AND 52118789 filter
- 68069384A$, R8069384A$, 68086182A$, R8027067A$, RL002012A$
1997 Dodge RAM 1500 fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.9L 6‑cyl | RWD | 14 | 18-20 | 15-16 |
| 5.2L 8‑cyl | RWD | 12 | 17 | 14 |
| 5.2L 8‑cyl | 4WD | 11-12 | 16-17 | 13-14 |
| 5.9L 8‑cyl | RWD | 11 | 16 | 13 |
| 5.9L 8‑cyl | 4WD | 11 | 15 | 12 |
What 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My 97 ram has about 95% of the dash missing. I have saved pieces of it and parts if the instrument panel is broken off. I can be driving down the road,, hit a bump, and dash pieces will fall on the floor. Dodge needs to fix this.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 dodge ram 1500. While the vehicle was parked with the engine running, the cabin spontaneously filled with smoke and caught fire without warning. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.
The dash is completely busted and I think that it needs to be replaced and the reason why is if I get into a wreck who am I going to blame whenever it short of my plastic dash comes to hit somebody in the face the neck or any other part of their body
While driving down the road the clip attaching the accelerator cable to the throttle body snapped causing a total loss of steering and effectivness of the brake. I had a 2 month old and my 3 year old in the truck as well.
The dashboard is falling apart. There are numerous cracks and several pieces have broken off of it. I have contacted chrysler motor company. They have refused to replace the dashboard. They will not recall the dashboards on any ram pickup even though this has been going on for over 20 years. If a piece comes off the dash and hits you in the face, it could cause you to swerve you truck and crash. There in lies the possibility for bodily injury.
"takata recall" todays date 4-29-2016,I have a 1997 dodge ram 1500 and I would like to know all the recalls on this truck.I have a few problems coming on with my truck.im needing a replacement air intake system its called engine and engine cooling. Suddenly I felt some shaking in front tires.I still don't know what it was but my steering pump with out and now the steering gear box.everytime im finish working on one problem the next is right behind.my dash board is fall apart.dash board is all in pieces.getting worst and worst everyday.last problem my air bag blew out and busted in my face.my truck was parked when it happened with the air bags,but I was driving down the road when the power steering with out. Please help me get my recalls on my truck and thank you so much.
In 3/8/2006 I was driving my 97 dodge ram and suddenly I felt a shaking in rear tires and after that I tried to slow down braking but I lost the control of my truck and I saw my left rear tire passing beside me. The nuts were missing . I can see now that it's a manufacturer problem. How it can be corrected?
The hub went out on the vehicle and was replaced immediately with a new one. Drove approximately 10 miles and the brand new hub did the same exact thing. I can not figure out what keeps causing the issue nor can I afford to keep replacing them. I have had several dodge rams over the years and while the hub does go out on them I have never had one go out right after putting it on. I have done my research and noticed this is a very common occurrence with this year model truck. Something needs to be done.
Head lights go out when driving or sometimes flickers on/off when driving, traced wiring and noticed that wiring was burnt at pig tail connector which is the head light switch at the part called bezel... Never had any trouble with it until this year and couldn't understand why wire burnt, the plastic/bezel melted first rather than fuse tripping. This occurs when driving anywhere but it occurred first when I was headed to work at 3am in highway 74 which is mountainous and very curvy road... Extremely dangerous. I believe this is a defective part and is safety risk.
Compare the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500
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Questions about the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500
Is the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 reliable?
Owners have filed 361 complaints about the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500, fewer than a typical RAM 1500 model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500?
Body and structure, with 70 complaints, typically around 100,000 miles. Next is transmission (56).
How many recalls does the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 have?
No recalls on record.
What year does the Dodge RAM 1500 have the most body problems?
The Dodge RAM 1500 model years with the most body complaints are 2001 (548 complaints), 2002 (278 complaints) and 2000 (248 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 get?
Official estimates for the 1997 Dodge RAM 1500 range from 12 to 16 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.9L 6-cyl, RWD) gets 14 city and 18-20 highway.
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