1998 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT from North America - Comments

98 Dodge 1500 Quad Cab - 140000 miles - no major problems thus far. Recently developed steering fluid leak - did have transmission worked on at about 90000 miles. Truck still looks great and is used every day. We've bought 2 more Dodge trucks since this one and 3 other members of the family have bought them and love them too. We change the oil every 3000 miles and replace transmission fluid every 60,000.

I also own a 98 Dodge Ram, I'm having the problems listed with the battery draining after 24 hours of sitting. Did anyone out there figure out what was causing this? My husband has gone through the whole thing twice and can't find it. Any suggestions?

I have a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 Sport Quad 5.9L V8. Black with grey interior.

I purchased this piece used around 60K miles. 3 weeks after purchase the intake manifold gasket needed replaced.

I don't have the time to list everything that is wrong with this vehicle. But most are already listed on here. Transmission problems, dash cracking horribly, paint on hood coming off, cat converter rattles, air conditioner went out (evaporator core), vent problem with blowing air (probably some type of vacuum problem), and gets about 10mpg on interstate.

I will NEVER buy another dodge again. I wish there was some kind of recall for these pieces.

I own a 1998 1500 2wd 5.9 Liter 360. It has 166,xxx miles, and 3 days ago the overdrive light came on, and then shortly after that the Trans Temp Light came on, so I stopped and checked it out. Nothing out of the normal besides the gauge lights, so I eased it back home.

Well today I decided to take it for a drive and she drove normal like nothing happened, and shifted smooth and stayed in over drive, until I started back to the house. I left from a red light and it hesitated a little kinda sluggish wanting to take off, and didn't want to shift into 2nd so I eased off and she shifted, but no overdrive or trans temp lights have came on since, so I'm wondering if the torque converter is going out... and help would be appreciated...

Thanks Tony Email - army_class_09@yahoo.com.

1998 Dodge 1500 - Everything has been replaced besides the engine. I do have issues with the 1st and 8th mis-firing. If I do not put the gas cap on just right the check engine light comes on.

With these trucks I have come to reality that you cannot drive it like a truck, but more like a piece of glass. (worried about every bump in the road breaking something). Have put too much work and effort into it to get rid of it now.

My mom bought the truck I now have in 98. it's a 6 cyl. truck and she had no problems with it at all. then she gave it to me and all I've had is one problem after another. overheating transmission, paint, interior, the list goes on. good thing it was free or I'd be out of a lot of money.

I also have TWO Dodges that I'm not at all happy with!

My 1998 Ram 4x4 quad cab 5.9 just started leaking again from the freeze plug. This is the second time and the truck only has 101K miles on it. Just started having the paint problems and the vacuum problems with ac vents.

My 1999 Dodge Durango only has 80K miles on it and is on it's 4th water pump! I replaced it myself last time along with the fan clutch and still sounds like crap... sounds like the motor is going 5000 rpm when you start driving due to the fan clutch not being right.

I will never own Dodge again!!! Way too costly to maintain!!!

I have a 97 1500 Ram truck and have had transmission problems since I bought this truck used. First the OD solenoid went out and cost a lot to fix, and now my check engine light is on and I have a PO740 code and it could be simple or I may have to have my transmission rebuilt. If anyone has any suggestions, you can email me at varmit2hunt@yahoo.com thank you

R. Teeters Oklahoma.

Bought a 99 Dogde Ram 1500 5.2 about a month ago. The mileage was 24678 with new motor and transmission. The truck looks great inside and out with a lot of upgrades.

This truck did not have the power I was expecting from Dodge. A few times my overdrive light has come on and I quickly found somewhere to pull over and let the truck rest a minute, this seems to do the trick. Only problem I have is no power at all from initial take off. I can literally floor it from 0 mph and it takes off very slow, but once going has good power. If I'm on a steep hill, the truck will barely or maybe not at all climb it. Even reverse is very weak, almost have to floor it to back in my driveway, which is not that steep. Other than that it shifts outs perfect and cranks right up everytime. Any ideas on what can be causing this?

Rgreen@commandalkon.com.

Clogged catalytic converter is my best guess.

2000 Dodge Ram 1500 2WD 5.9L-power windows sometime won't work, but when I stop shift reverse or forward it works again - What's the problem?

99 Quad Cab Sport, 5.9 (360) with everything except the leather and power seats. Bought new in June 99. I take very good care of my vehicles and service them before scheduled mileage. I only use 100% synthetic engine oil. Over 10 years of maintenance and only driving 6 thousand miles per year...

1. Immediately notice a lot of engine noise. Intake manifold gasket no good from the factory (known issue).

2. Fog lights down. Contamination in wiring harness. Had to have this fixed twice. First time on them... second time on me. (because they didn't fix it right when it was still under warranty the first time).

3. First brake job.

4. A/C stopped working. Evaporator leaking. Mechanic had to remove much of the dash to replace ($800). Years later, I find out from another dodge mechanic that this is common. It appears that many A/C parts are made in Mexico and the quality of the metals are suspect. These things should NEVER go bad.

5. U-joints on the front end go bad.

6. First transmission rebuild at 34,000. Overdrive kicking in and out and torque converter bad ($1,700) Repair shop tech says the inside looks brand new. I had the fluids changed once before with no indication of any problem.

7. 2nd brake job with another set of rotors.

8. Both quad cab doors defective. Bottom side drivers won't latch, bottom side passenger won't release. Because the driver side won't latch, the front door doesn't fully shut and wind noise is noticeable. Many people have had problems with these doors.

9. Coolant leaking from thermostat housing. New gasket.

10. Catalytic converter goes bad. Thank god the converter is still under warranty. (8 years)

11. The truck has always pinged under load since day one. But with the price of gas going up, I'm sick of filling with high octane and have the dealer flash the computer. This is a known issue and explained in a TSB (on my dime).

12. Another set of U-joints on the front end and upper and lower balls. All this work and only 50,000 miles so far. Driven easy and on-road only.

13. I notice that the truck vibrates more than normal in idle. Dealer changes the plugs (2nd time), wires, cap & rotor. Performs a fuel system and injector flush/cleaning. Makes no difference... decide to live with it.

14. The left side of my premium sound system stops working. Decide to live with it.

15. Brake lines rusted out on 3 of the 4 lines. Burst in traffic... almost caused an accident. I ask the mechanic why the 4th line is still good? He says that it's the only one that comes with a protected sheath from the factory. Probably saves the manufacturer 10 bucks.

16. 3rd brake job with another set of rotors. This time I decide to use premium aftermarket rotors and see if they last longer than 2-3 years. Exhaust system from converter back starting to go... have that replaced.

17. Now the truck has a grand total of 63,000 miles and the transmission is starting to act up again. Right now it's sitting at the shop and they're trying to figure this one out.

I don't beat on my vehicles... driven daily. I've had a lot of brake work done, but I always anticipate having to stop. I try and be gentle with the braking, but I still go through these parts.

My research on the transmission problems indicates a poor design from Dodge. The overdrive assembly doesn't get the required cooling. Little things start to add up and failure is nearly inevitable. Dodge doesn't care and refuses to properly address this issue.

Will I ever buy another Dodge?... I think you know the answer.

Bought my 01 Ram 4x4 3 years ago with 48,000 miles. It's a shorty with a 318 and auto trans. A/C lost refrigerant. The tech says it's the compressor. Front CV shaft joints need replaced. I only use it for normal local driving because @ 10MPG I can't afford to feed it.

Just recently the trans started that jerking thing at light load in higher gears. After reading some of the previous posts on this problem, I suppose I'll be getting rid of it soon. I refuse to invest big bucks into something that isn't worth that much anymore.

gcram399@comcast.net