Total Complaints
14 filings
DODGE RAM CLUB CAB · model year
14 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1998DODGERAM CLUB CAB carries 14 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1998 RAM CLUB CAB is air bags:frontal with 2 filings, followed by steering (2) and engine and engine cooling (2). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.
NHTSA currently has 20 investigation files overlapping the 1998 RAM CLUB CAB, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
14 filings
Crashes Reported
2 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 2 |
| STEERING | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 1 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 |
| STEERING:COLUMN | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM | 1 |
| STRUCTURE | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM | 1 |
I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY PICK-UP SINCE DAY-1.MY ROTORS WERE WARPED FROM THE BEGINNING(THIS BEING A BRAND NEW VEHICLE). THERE WAS A RATTLING NOISE FROM MY ENGINE; I THOUGHT WERE THE VALVES. SIX YEARS LATER I FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. IT OVER HEATED MY ENGINE,TRANSMISSION, AND RADIATOR. I WAS PAST MY WARRANTY PERIOD SO IT COST ME OVER 3,000 DOLLARS BECAUSE OF A DEFECTIVE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE YEAR BEFORE AND AFTER MY MODEL WERE ON RECALL,QUIT PUZZLING OR DENIAL FOR PROFIT. I AM NOW ON MY FOURTH RADIATOR WITH ONLY 116,000 MILES. MY TRANSMISSION HAD TO HAVE MAJOR WORK DONE ON IT FROM THE HEAT CAUSED FROM THE CAD PLUGGING UP. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO MY RADIATOR,WATER PUMP,VALVES,PISTON RINGS,AND SEALS. I HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF OUT OF POCKET DOLLARS BECAUSE OF THEIR DEFECTIVE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. I LOVE MY TRUCK BUT I AM PISSED THAT A SIMPLE PART RUINED SO MUCH OF MY TRUCK,ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY RECALLED THE SAME PART IN THE YEAR PRIOR TO MINE AND THE YEAR FOLLOWING.
Mileage: 12
I HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY PICK-UP SINCE DAY-1.MY ROTORS WERE WARPED FROM THE BEGINNING(THIS BEING A BRAND NEW VEHICLE). THERE WAS A RATTLING NOISE FROM MY ENGINE; I THOUGHT WERE THE VALVES. SIX YEARS LATER I FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. IT OVER HEATED MY ENGINE,TRANSMISSION, AND RADIATOR. I WAS PAST MY WARRANTY PERIOD SO IT COST ME OVER 3,000 DOLLARS BECAUSE OF A DEFECTIVE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE YEAR BEFORE AND AFTER MY MODEL WERE ON RECALL,QUIT PUZZLING OR DENIAL FOR PROFIT. I AM NOW ON MY FOURTH RADIATOR WITH ONLY 116,000 MILES. MY TRANSMISSION HAD TO HAVE MAJOR WORK DONE ON IT FROM THE HEAT CAUSED FROM THE CAD PLUGGING UP. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO MY RADIATOR,WATER PUMP,VALVES,PISTON RINGS,AND SEALS. I HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF OUT OF POCKET DOLLARS BECAUSE OF THEIR DEFECTIVE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. I LOVE MY TRUCK BUT I AM PISSED THAT A SIMPLE PART RUINED SO MUCH OF MY TRUCK,ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY RECALLED THE SAME PART IN THE YEAR PRIOR TO MINE AND THE YEAR FOLLOWING.
Mileage: 12
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 DODGE RAM CLUB CAB WITH COOPER FUTURA DAKOTA H/T TIRES, LINE SIZE 33X/12.5/R15. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. THE CONTACT MERGED ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND STOPPED THE VEHICLE. AFTER INSPECTING THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TREAD OF THE TIRE HAD SEPARATED BUT THE TIRE WAS NOT FLAT. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE TIRE WITH THE SPARE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO MAIL THE TIRE IN FOR FURTHER INSPECTION. THE DOT NUMBER WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF FAILURE WAS 93,250. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE OF THE TIRE WAS 4,800.
Mileage: 93,250
MY 98 DODGE RAM PICK DASH IS COMPLETELY FALLING APART I'VE SEEN MANY OTHER DODGE TRUCKS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM THE WIRING IS EXPOSED IN THE DASH AND APPEARS TO BE A SAFETY HAZARD IF YOU WHERE TO BE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR
Mileage: 54,000
ENGINE WOULD NOT THROTTLE DOWN ALMOST CAUSED ACCIDENT. HAS HAPPENED ON THREE DIFFERENT DAYS BEGINNING 06/17/2006. CURRENTLY DRIVING OTHER VEHICLE UNTIL PROBLEM IS RESOLVED. *JB
Mileage: 181,000
STEERING WANDERS. *AK
WHILE PASSING A VAN ON 4 LANE HIGHWAY WAS HIT BY ANOTHER VAN THAT RAN STOP SIGN AND PUSHED FRONT END OF 1998 DODGE CLUB CAB P/U INTO THE FRONT SEAT AREA. MY VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED RESULTING IN INJURIES TO MYSELF AND STEP SON. NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. INFORMED CHRYSLER OF ACCIDENT AND THE RESULTS(INJURIES) AND THEY MORE OR LESS LAUGHED AT ME BECAUSE THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAD ALREADY SOLD MY VEHICLE FOR SCRAP. WITHOUT THE VEHICLE THEY SAID THEY COULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH AIR BAGS ON THIS CHRYSLER PRODUCT. I INFORMED CHRYSLER THAT I HAD PICTURES OF THE TRUCK BUT THAT WASN'T SUFFICIENT FOR THEM. THEY ARE SORRY PEOPLE IF THS IS THE WAY THEY TREAT CUSTOMERS AND DO BUSINESS.
DURANGO RADIAL A/T 285/75R16
DURANGO RADIAL A/T 285/75R16
NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG DURING COLLISION CAUSED CONSUMER TO HIT HEAD ON STEERING WHEEL UPON IMPACT RESULTING IN A MILD CONCUSION. NLM
FUEL SENDING UNIT FAILED. YH
SPEED CONTROL SERVO FAILED. YH
TILT COLUMN JOINT GETS LOOSE. YH
VEHICLE JUMPS OUT OF DRIVE GEAR INTO NEUTRAL DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, DUE TO DESIGN OF VEHICLE'S V-10 WHICH IS SO HEAVY CAUSING THE FRAME TO FLEX AND THE TRANSMISSION IS DESIGNED WITH NO "DETENT" TO KEEP THE VEHICLE IN DRIVE (DESIGN FLAW). MJS
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.