I have had my van since 98 got it new the dealership had my van more then I have, they fixed only a few problems I have had other problems they couldn't find. The side passenger doors wouldn't unlock, when coming to a stop seconds after stopping I would feel a hick coming from the back end, on vacation after resting at a wayside while entering highway the you heard a click from the engine then you loss all power it wouldn't go any faster then 30-35 MPH, took van in after this one guy at shop seen my handicap daughter and went in back to get a paper he then gave me, paper was from dodge telling of this problem and not to show to any customers,he gave this paper to me,and to this day I still have same problems,all plastic lining inside of van has cracked about 6 months after getting van, go through brakes like crazy, and van always pulls to right . There are so many problems with this van I can't list them all,tried to return van after 7 months they wouldn't take it back.
1998 Dodge RAM 1500: doors won't lock, open or latch
5 of the 519 complaints about the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 5
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
98 dodge hi top conversion van; the electric door locks' release mechanism has broken for the fourth time. This time the middle side passenger door lock broke. When the door locks' brake, they are jammed locked, and we can not open the door at all. We contacted the dodge dealer and they said that if they unjam the door, the door would then stay open! We have to wait till next week to get it fixed because they have to order the part. This will end up costing us over $200/00 - again. I am amazed at your question "number of fatalities" . But it does bring a chilling thought - if I was to get into an accident with my five children in the back - they would not be able to get out, and if a fire was to ignite, I would not even like to think of the results!!!!!! Your questions should be "number of possible fatalities" - then you would get a more accurate number of the severity of the defect. My (five) children now have to enter and exit through the front passenger door. My six year old daughter had to get out of the passenger side this morning to go to school. She fell out and hurt her wrist! As mentioned before, this is the fourth time one of the locks broke on the doors. Twice on the driver's side door, and once on the passenger's side door. It is obvious to us that the locks are definitely defective - and life threatening! I see first hand what happens in wrecks, being a captain of the local vol. Fire dept and a member of the rescue squad.
Side door will not open from the outside. Dealer states latch has failed.
Driver's side door locking mechanism failed. Door flew open, after being locked, and wouldn't lock back.
Both driver and passenger doors would not latch propery and prevented the doors from closing.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500?
5 of 519 owner complaints about the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500 (1%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2004.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Dodge RAM 1500
No deployment 25Ball joint 14Fire or smoke 13Brake failure 12Seat belt 11Tire blowout 11Transmission failure 10ABS 8Grinding brakes 8Airbag light 7Fuel pump 7Stalling 7Slipping 6Pulling 6Jerking 5
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