At 58,000 miles, the steering column in my dodge ram 1500 pick up needs to be replaced. There is a noise when the wheel is turned in either direction. I was told by the dealer that the entire steering column needs to be replaced. I wrote a letter to chrysler about the problem because my extended service contract does not cover the steering column. The letter was written on april 5th of this year and I just called chrysler to inquire about an answer and was told my request for "good faith" assistance has been denied. I do not use this vehicle for commercial or off road driving and do not feel the steering column should fail with only 58,000 miles of normal driving. The manufacturer wants nothing to do with the repair other than take my $400-$500 for the repair. I have searched your database and have found no other issues similar to mine with the year and model of my truck. I am also receiving no assistance from the dealer. According to the service manager at the dealer this is not a safety issue and I do not need to worry about any failure.
1998 Dodge Ram steering problems
28 complaints (6% of all complaints for this car). 5 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 28
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- crashes
- 5
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Steering wheel/handle bar7
- Gear box (other than rack and pinion)5
- Hydraulic power assist: hose, piping, and connections3
- Linkages: tie rod assembly2
- Column locking: anti-theft device2
- Linkages: rod: relay: connecting1
- Linkages: knuckle: spindle: arm1
- Hydraulic power assist: pump1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Dodge Ram steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Dodge Ram steering
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 1998 Dodge Ram owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
When the temperature was cold outside it was difficult to steer the vehicle. The problem continued until the outside temperature warmed up. The dealership replaced the parts 3 times but the problem still occurred. *ak
Vehicle has had excessive sterring drift since purchased. Dealer has been unable to help correct problem. "they all do that" is the attitude. Seems to effect most dodge 4 x 4 trucks. Probably a design defect as they seem to all do this from discussions with other owners. Very dangerous at highway speeds.
When driving at 40 MPH steering wheel and column suddenly collapsed, causing vehicle to become inoperable. Consumer pulled off to the side of the road. *ak while vehicle was involved in accident air bag didn't deployed.
Air bag warning light and alarm sounds . Returnde truck to moss motors (dodge dealer in riverside) they reset the alarm and light but did not have an answer sa to what was wrong . The warning light and alarm returned the following day. They charged me $50.00 to reset the alarm? With no fix! Now what. Shouldn't the dealer fix safty items at no charge!!!! Please return an answer via e-mail thank you l.w. Baker?
This problem has been reported to dc several times. Many other dodge ram owners have the same problem. Now my vehicle is out of warranty and I will be forced to pay to have what I believe is a deffective steering gear box. This is an issue that dc should pay for.
While driving 45mph, hit another vehicle unexpectedly at a frontal impact which caused steering to lock up, and brakes to fail. Upon impact, driver and passenger airbags did not deploy, which did not protect the occupants. No prior problems with the airbag system.
Premature wear of front bearings. Front wheel bearings have failed five times. Dealer has replaced the spindle, hubs and bearings on both sides.
"as far as I am concerned the truck is a piece of junk, the truck is currently in service for 4 days so far this week for all the above problems(this is the reason I do not have the VIN number), on top of the already accumulated 25-30 days of service. The chrysler corporation has been notified, as well as my state's attorney generals office, oh and by the way I need 4 new tires as well, after only 25,000 miles."no safety defect listed within summary.
I have not had an accident as a result of this yet. The steering wheel makes alot of noise when you turn it either direction. Had dodge check it out. They said that they have replaced alot of steering columns because of this, but not sure what causes it. Said that most have this problem with lower mileage. Warranty cover the steering column. Seems my warranty is up, they tell me to try and get use to the noise. Said that the noise will get 5 times worse, but didn't think it was a safety issue. It they don't really know what causes it, how can they be sure it isn't a safety issue. If this is a recurring problem, then it is obviously a factory defect
Questions about the 1998 Dodge Ram steering
Does the 1998 Dodge Ram have steering problems?
Owners have filed 28 complaints about the steering of the 1998 Dodge Ram, 6% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1998 Dodge Ram steering problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 1998 Dodge Ram steering?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Dodge Ram have bad steering?
The Dodge Ram model years with the most steering complaints are 2001 (53 complaints), 1995 (48 complaints) and 1996 (41 complaints).
Other 1998 Dodge Ram problems
Brakes 113Transmission 80Airbags 66Electrical 48Engine 38Suspension 31Acceleration 25Fuel system 24Body 18Tires 18Seat belts 15Visibility 15Lights 14Wheels 13Locks 4Seats 4
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