Tl*the contact owns a 1998 dodge ram 1500. While driving 75 MPH, the instrument panel and exterior lights flickered on and off and then dimmed completely. As of september 19, 2007, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and stated that the fuse box melted, which be believed was the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000 and current mileage was 145,000.
1998 Dodge RAM 1500 electrical complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 32 of 32, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 dodge ram 1500. While driving 70 MPH the service and ABS warning illuminated and he heard a humming sound coming from the right side of the vehicle. The mechanic stated that there was an electrical short, which caused the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 132,000. Return usps, made 2nd attempt 08/07/07 failed.
Dashboard of my 1998 dodge ram pickup unexpectedly started cracking and it is my understanding, this is causing electrical failures which could cause an accident.
Horn button doesn't work. When it does work, it won't turn off. Horn button is connected to the airbag on my truck.
The horn on my 1998 dodge ram 1500 will only blow with about 50 lbs of pressure applied to the steering wheel and only if you push on the exact spot. This is a big safety issue a guy backed out of a parking spot and right into the side of my truck . I tried to blow the horn but I couldn't get it to work until it was to late.
I have a 1998 dodge ram 1500. The dash cracked in several places a couple of years ago along with the bezel. Also have a problem with horn, it is very hard to activate when pushed. These items are a concern being near or part of the air bag deployment if in a crash. I believe the dash and bezel are cheaply made and dodge needs to replace these at what ever cost to prevent possible injury if persons are in a crash while operating or riding in their vehicles.
Consumer noticed in cold weather horn assembly is hard to depress in an emergency.
Horn is hard to blow. Rear end makes whining noise and it started using 5 quarts of oil between oil changes. I only have 36000 miles on it. They replaced manifold intake gasket at my expense. The fuel gauge does not work right. Luckily I didn't ruin the engine that I know of. I understand there have been a lot of problems with intake gaskets. How long does it take to get a recall on defective parts?
Horn button is impossible to press to actuate horn. This is my second truck of same year and this is a recurring problem.
Horn switch failed intermittently.
My son was driving on hwy 78 when the pickup lunged a couple of times. He was going to pull off the road to check for a problem. He had the cruise set so he thought it might be transmission problems. He looked in the rear view mirror for traffic behind him and saw flames and smoke coming from between the cab and the bed. He immediately pulled off and told his finance to get her baby out because they were on fire. When he opened his door the flames errupted into the cab and he had dive out through the flames. The pickup exploded about one minute after they got out. They lost everything in the truck.
The horn turned on by itself. The battery was disconnected and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer stated that horn assembly has to be replaced.
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.
While my wife was sitting with the truck on, in park, it burst in to flames. The entire front and cab of the truck was burned. It was a total loss. Electrical problems are suspected by the fire dept. Very scary and very dangerous!!!
In the event of an emergency, the horn button cannot be located without taking eyes off the road
When driving, the truck makes clicking sound coming from the engine, but before a loss of power is felt. When we first took in the truck, the mechanics at cal worthington said they could not hear anything or feel any loss of power. After they claimed they fixed the problem, the problem kept coming back. After several times they still claimed they did not know what the problem was, until we got furious and upset. They claimed that they knew what the problem was, and they also claimed that most of their trucks had the same problem. Even though we have taken in our truck several times, they have done nothing to stop the noises and loss of power. To this day the problem is still occuring specially when when going up a small ascent. The problem also occurs quite frequently at the 60-70 MPH range. We have not figured out what the problem is, but they do. From what we have noticed over the past years that we have taken in the truck for repairs they have done absolutely nothing to stop it.
Air bag failed and replaced, during repair dealership damaged vehicle. Yh
The horn is very difficult to use. It must be hit hard at exactly the right spot to function. When in a panic (I.e. When horn use is necessary) it is unlikely that one can hit the right spot. In very cold weather (below freezing) the horn does not work at all.
The horn is almost impossible to work in an emergency. You have to hit it in exacly the right spot for it to work with a sizable amount of force. I took it to the dealer thinking it was a problem with my vehicle alone. They said they tested it and it was the same as all other horns. I have almost been involved in several accidents because I have not be able to warn a person moving into my lane because I could not get my horn to work. Please look into this issue as I feel it poses a threat of danger to anyone who opperates this vehicle.
Little horn buttons that are situated on the steering wheel are too hard to locate, and needs to press in middle of the buttons directly in order to blow the horn, which may be needed in emergency situation. Please provide further information.
Horn replaced due to difficulty in engagement.
Horn is almost impossible to use due to the excessive amount of force needed to make contact within the horn button. The horn unuseable in emergency situations.
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