Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Drove my 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 to empty my trash, started back home and had driven less than 1/4 mile when the truck hesitated like it was going to stall out and there was some smoke beginning to come up through dash area on drivers side. Thinking I might have a busted radiator hose I immediately pulled over in the yard of person doing repair work on an old building. When I opened my truck door on drivers side flames shot between the inside of the door and seat. I jumped out of the truck but was not injured. The man saw flames shooting from the truck and I was very fortunate he had a fire extinguisher. He kept spraying the truck under the hood and was able to get the fire under control just as the volunteer fire department truck showed up. There were a lot hot spots and the fireman kept spraying it with water until it finally quit smoking. …
1998 Dodge 1500 fuel line break its the crossover line between the fuel rails on the 5.2 ltr engine a small rubber line. Because I drove my truck 3 miles to a car wash to wash lawnmower on trailer didn't wash truck didn't smell gas started truck to get gas at station drove it 1 block to station turned truck off and at that moment I herd a whoomping noise and then white smoke and flames came out from under the hood on the passenger side between the windshield and the hood big flames then black smoke I had barley had enough time to unhook trailer ran to drivers side black smoke was coming out of the cab put truck in neutral and pushed it away from gas pumps then called 911. From the time I got to the gas pumps and the fire department put the fire out was 15 min and it completely gutted the cab and engine compartment. …
My son, william, was driving our 1998 Dodge pickup on highway 78 when it began to lunge. Since we had to put 2 transmissions in his previous Dodge pickup, he thought something was wrong with this transmission. He started to pull off the road and looked in his rearview mirror for traffic when he saw flames and smoke coming from between the cab and bed. He hurriedly pulled off the road and when he opened the drivers door flames englufed the cab. He had to go out through the fire. About 1 minute after he and his passengers emerged from the pickup, it exploded. The only thing left of the truck was what was metal. Will had second degree burns to his face,ears,neck, hands and arms. He spent one night in the hospital. I contacted Dodge and was told there would be an investagator look at the truck. …
Tl contact owns a 1998 Dodge Ram. While driving 20 MPH, the contact heard a loud bang that sounded like an explosion. He looked in the rear view mirror and noticed that the entire rear of the vehicle was in flames. The flames quickly engulfed the driver's side of the vehicle. He managed to maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road and attempted to extinguish the flames. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a local service station and a large hole was found in the fuel tank. The mechanic stated that the entire fuel system needed to be replaced at the estimated cost of $3,500. A police report was filed. The failure and current mileages were 160,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump had caught on fire, burning and melting the fuel tank. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 120,000.
While driving vehicle smoke suddenly was noticed coming from the gas tank by other drivers. Consumer pulled over and noticed flames around the gas tank. Fire department put the fire out, cause unknown, and the dealer has not been contacted.
From the day I saw that 96 Dodge truck rolling down the street I fell in love. I saved every way possible to purchase the big bad 1500 4x4 5.9(98)with every option avail. Had everything and from week 1 had problems. Front windshield cracked while driving "due to frame stress" it about 2 weeks into it. Brake failure cause serious assault on guard rail, and Dodge said I must have been driving to fast (@ 30 MPH). They refused any warranty because "nothing can touch the wheel" and since the incident occurred after 93 days lemon laws did not apply so after (2) $900 brake jobs two weeks apart everything was fine. Not to mention damage to body I paid for out of pocket. Now I just go through an entire set of brakes every 6 months. But I stop until then.. I replaced the transmission at 38 k miles, note the warranty on that is 36 k miles. …
Rear axles seals leaked lubricant on the brake shoes causing loss of braking. This problem a very serious safety concern when towing a trailer due to loss of braking and could cause a possible accident. The second issue is the fuel sender in the fuek tank failing.the fuel gauge reading willindicate zero to full randomly, thus you never know how much fuel reserve you have. This has been replaced once before under warranty. Upon inspection the the sending unit the wiper mechanism appears to wear out prematurely and sending erroneous signal to the fuel gauge in the dash.
While driving consumer shifted indicator and it failed to work properly. Could not locate what gear transmission was in. Pops out of gear intermittently when gas pedal pressed. Also, whenever applying brakes, vehicle would constantly increase in speed. Took to dealership & each time test driven, but nothing could be found. Transmission was replaced 3 times for faulty gear shifting. In addition, fuel tank assembly was replaced due to problem with transmission. Ongoing problems.
Horn is hard to blow. Rear end makes whining noise and it started using 5 quarts of oil between oil changes. I only have 36000 miles on it. They replaced manifold intake gasket at my expense. The fuel gauge does not work right. Luckily I didn't ruin the engine that I know of. I understand there have been a lot of problems with intake gaskets. How long does it take to get a recall on defective parts?
Fuel System complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500, 4% of the model year's 520 complaints. The component named most often is delivery › fuel pump (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 1998 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 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 150,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 8 fires and 2 injuries to fuel & propulsion system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.