Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
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).
My girlfriend's son was driving our 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 going about 35 or 40 miles per hour (he and his girlfriend were taking a ride waiting for a pizza) so just mosing along thank god . He rounded a curve and lost steering he tried to jerk it back and said it made a cracking noise and he had no steering ability. He ran off the road striking trees, knocked himself out by hitting his head on the drivers side window. When he came to, his girlfriend was knocked out. He got her alert and called 911. She was life flighted, 5 broken ribs, major concussion and he had cuts and scratches and a concussion. He was treated and released. I asked the insurance adjuster to check it but he looked at it (never tore the steering column apart) and said it looked OK. They moved it to a salvage yard. Since the accident 3 people have told me they had the same problem with their Ram 1500. …
There was a loud clunking noise in the front over bumps. I had it inspected and was told the sway bar where it mounts to the frame horn on the passenger side was rusted through. Also, the idler arm bracket is in danger of falling off because of the severe rust problem. The drivers side frame horn where the gearbox mounts has a large rust hole also. I had the complete frame inspected for rust. There are rust holes in the frame where the transmission support is mounted to the frame on left and right sides. Is this truck even safe to drive in this rusty condition? It has 146,000 miles on it.. I believe there are many other Dodge veichles out there with the same issues. A class action lawsuit is in order.
In motion the steering is very loose. The steering wheel will travel very often from 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock and hopefully, I am still going straight. The truck will drift to the right and have to oversteer to get the truck in the travel lane. I replaced steering gear box, ball joints, tie rods, steering rod, track bar, rack, and pinion. This is an ongoing problem for a number of years. Transmission plastic part is broken so there has to be replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the driver side air bag erroneously deployed. The contact indicated that during the incident the vehicle had not made contact with anything to cause the air bag to deploy. The driver suffered an injury to the left. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no remedy was offered. The failure mileage was 165,000. Updated 8/28/14 the consumer stated the manufacturer did not offer any assistance. The air bag model necessary for the repair is no longer available. The vehicle was without a horn. The entire steering column needed to be repaired. Updated 11/6/2014
The pivot point in the steering system allows the wheels if not in perfect condition, the opportunity to turn inwards. This inward motion the front wheels perform at 40 MPH-50mph is unacceptable. Also the dashboard cracks like peanut brittle, allowing pieces of sharp hard plastic to fly into the windshield, which as per standard no. 219 is not meeting regulations. In the event of a crash, metal is now exposed to the passengers due to this cracking and breaking apart. Do something before people get seriously injured because Chrysler wants to make money. Help us. This is a lemon 2nd generation Ram model and no one is taking responsibility.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH in reverse, he noticed that the steering wheel had become abnormally loose. The contact attempted to drive forward but he turned the wheel right and the vehicle went left. The contact then exited the vehicle and noticed that the sub frame was rusted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 130,000. Updated 11-04-13 updated 11/8/2013
On July 22nd 2002 I was stopped in traffic, a Ford truck hit me from behind doing 35mph. The impact pushed me into the car ahead of me it ended up being a 5 car pile up. In which my truck front and rear bumper was smashed in. I was thrown forward into the steering wheel causing severe pain days later. I was really surprised the air bags did not deploy. The rear drivers panel bent and also the transmission coolant radiator was smashed in.. It caused 3700.00 damages to my truck and 2500.00 to the car(Honda) in front of me.
Lower steering column separated from the upper steering column. Upon inspection bolt on the universal joint of the lower steering column, bolt was never seated properly from the factory. It was cross threaded in the aluminum u joint. The bolt was never seated all the way, there is black paint on the bolt were this is evident.
3500 at 45 MPH. If truck hits a pot hole or other road deflection steering wheel will shake from left to right 4" each way and continue until you slow to 15 MPH. Shake is violent and driver can only go straigth as wheel will not turn. A bad thing in a curve.
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. …
Steering complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the steering of the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500, 5% of the model year's 520 complaints. The component named most often is steering wheel/handle bar (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering 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 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries to steering 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.