Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On 1/27/2018 my dash board shattered while I was attempting to wipe clean it with moist towel. I bought this vehicle used from Dodge dealership in June 1998 with 45120 miles. At present it has only 83000 approx. The vehicle at the time was stationary. I have the photos, unfortunately I do not know how to upload it.
Dashboard started cracking in 2010 and broke off into sharp pieces. I have about 25% of my dashboard left. This was not caused by anything I did. I kept a sun reflector in the windshield and have never been in an accident.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the hood flew open while driving approximately 35 MPH. The contact was able to close the hood, which seemed to be secure however the failure recurred once he reached 60 MPH. The hood violently struck the front windshield and caused the glass to shatter. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that there was a manufacturer's recall for the failure but he believed that the recall was expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 193,000.
I bought a 96 Dodge Ram 1500 ext cab brand new from michigan I have been the sole owner of this vehicle and take care of it as need be. My dash board started out cracking then more cracks that grew larger and larger until they just broke into pieces, so now I have no dash at all. You can buy new dash boards from Dodge but also have to buy the bezel because the bracket pattern has changed. That's going to cost around $400 plus have someone install it. This is obviously a factory defect that Dodge should be held responsible for. My vehicle is not the only vehicle like this I have seen many others just in my area.
While driving south on the new jersey turnpike on 0/22/08, the hood on my Dodge Ram 1500 opened crashing my windshield completely and damaging the hood itself. I was able to drive all the way to my destination in texas. While in texas, I was trying to find a replacement hood but was never successful until I decided to look for information online about my truck and came to the carfact website where I found the was a recall on the secondary hood latch on it. When I contacted the Chrysler company about the recall the decided not to replaced the damaged hood and re-imburse me for the damaged windshield.
My Dodge Ram 1500's dashboard is completely falling apart. It started 5 years ago and has accelerated over the past three, no matter how protected the dash board is from the sun. It has multiple cracks which are causing the dash board to collapse and become lose and is becoming a safety hazard as well as very unappealing. I purchased this truck new and have taken excessively good care of it. There is no reason that this problem occurred due to my actions. It is a quality of manufacture and materials.
1996 Dodge Ram 1500's sway bar link broke while driving. Prior to the sway bar breaking, the vehicle began to shake violently. The vehicle was brought to a stop on the side of the road. Subsequent inspection of the truck showed that the sway bar plate had never been machine welded to the frame and had been held on only by three spot welds. The problem was brought to the attention of the manufacturer but they were not interested and provided no assistance.
Tl-contact owns a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500. Contact stated that while driving approximately 40, vehicle hood independently. This caused the windshield to crack and there was damage to the hood. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who repaired the latch on the hood under their independent recall. The damage to to the hood and replacement of windshield was not done by dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 83,458. Rg.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the hood latch detached unexpectedly which caused the hood lid to release and crash into the windshield glass. As a result, the front windshield shattered upon impact. In addition, the hood lid was slightly bent. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 176,000.
Tl contact owns a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500. Seven years ago, the contact noticed the vehicle's dashboard beginning to crack at approximately 20,000 miles. The dashboard was not repaired and the contact put a padding down to protect it from the sun. The dashboard is still cracking. The contact has pictures. The current mileage is 73,000 and failure mileage was 20,000.
Body complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1996 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 35 complaints about the body & structure of the 1996 Dodge Ram 1500, 12% of the model year's 298 complaints. The component named most often is body (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 1996 Dodge Ram 1500. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 137,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.