At least the third time I have replace the headlight switch, twice the harness because it melted together. And now today having to replace marker wire (green with white stripe) and it is to hot to touch, the wire has gone stiff and hard and I am afraid it will cause a fire this time.
1998 Dodge RAM 3500: headlights failing or too dim
16 of the 105 complaints about the 1998 Dodge RAM 3500 describe headlights failing or too dim.
- owner complaints
- 16
- of this car's complaints
- 15%
- typical mileage
- 93,500
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
Headlights failing or too dim by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 dodge ram 3500. The contact stated that the headlights and running lights failed to activate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the wiring melted to the connector and the internal switch was melted. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
This incident involved failure of the headlight switch as described in safety recall #819 for 1995-1997 model vehicles, resulting in smoke and melting of connector and wires. Inaction by dodge and a copy of the complaint follows: thank you for contacting the ram customer assistance center in regards to your 1998 ram 3500. Your concerns, particularly in view of the expense and inconvenience involved in this issue, are understandable. However, your request for consideration in this matter must be declined, because the vehicle in question has exceeded the time or mileage limitations of the manufacturer's warranty at the time the expense was incurred. Although a more favorable reply could not be provided, sharing your concern with us is appreciated. Thanks again for your email. [xxx] customer service representative ram customer assistance center for any future communications related to this email, please refer to the following information: reference number: [xxx] email case number:[xxx] reply link: http://www.chrysler.com/wccs/brand_forms/us/reply.jsp?trk_id=kmm7555581v19546l0km& original message follows: ------------------------ us customer service - dodge brand site brief description: recall #819 headlight switch failure comments: although my dealer rep said that recall #819 did not apply to my vehicle, I experienced an identical failure on november 23, 2011 after driving the vehicle for 16 hours with the headlights on. The headlight switch connector and several wires were burnt. Because it is obvious that this issue was not resolved for my vehicle (I am the original owner), I believe that dodge should provide support for the repair. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 dodge ram 3500. The contact began to notice a burning plastic smell from the headlight area when the headlights were turned on for an extended period of time. The failure occurred five times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership but no repairs were performed; the failure was repaired by the contact. The current mileage was approximately 220,000. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Dashboard cracked and caved in when I hit a bump while driving approx 68 MPH on the freeway (I- 15 northbound through las vegas). Plastic falling into the dashboard area disconnected several wires causing the headlights to go out as well as several other electrical accessories. Freeway was well lit enough for me to stop safely and call for assistance.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 dodge ram 3500. Over the past five years, the contact has replaced the headlight switch seven times. The switch currently needs to be replaced for the eighth time. His VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number 99v024000 (exterior lighting: headlights: switch). The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 280,000 and failure mileage was 75,000.
Tl*- the wiring of the headlight harness switch burned on the contact's 1998 dodge ram 3500. There was a recall for this failure, but this vehicle was not included due to the VIN. The dodge dealer refused to acknowledge that the prior years vehicles and this truck were having the same failures and refused to honor the recall. He called dodge, and they also refused to honor the recall. He had to repair the vehicle at his own cost.
Plastic headlight lenses have become cloudy in my 1998 dodge ram 3500, reducing the amount of light substantially. The dealer where it was purchased wants to charge me $186 to replace them. This is a safety issue. Dodge used inferior materials in the manufacture of the truck and they should replace them free of charge. They are familiar with the problem, so it is not an isolated incident.
Headlight switch overheat/fire no headlights, driving lights. Failure without warning replaced wiring and headlight switch with factory new parts. No recall available for my model, previous years had recall for headlight switch burnout.
Headlight switch failure while driving down highway at 65 MPH. Forced to drive down highway w/o lights, putting myself and my family at risk. Cause: headlight swich failure, told at dealer this is a common failure. Burnt harness wire block. Replaced switch, and was told the only part available for the burn wire block--to replace the entire wire harness. Cost over $1000 plus labor.
Burning odor and light smoke from dashboard. All lights going on and off. Turned of headlights and burning odor and smoke stopped. Went to dodge dealer to check for recall - manufacturer's recall 819 was for similar problem but only applied to model years 1994 - 1997. This truck was 1998 model. Purchased new headlight switch and replaced the burned switch along with some burnt wiring.
The electrical wires became very hot and melted, and shorted out the head light switch and disabled the parking lights. *jb
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1998 Dodge RAM 3500 headlights
Is headlights failing or too dim a common problem on the 1998 Dodge RAM 3500?
16 of 105 owner complaints about the 1998 Dodge RAM 3500 (15%) mention headlights failing or too dim. The model year with the most reports is 1997.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Dodge RAM 3500?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 1998 Dodge RAM 3500
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