Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
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).
I was driving down the road at about a bout 50 MPH down the road and started hearing a noise when letting off the throttle and slowed down a lil gave it some gas then let off again next thing I hear is the drive shaft hitting the road and the tires sliding across the road and causing me to slide across the road locally there was no traffic coming towards me I was able to control the slide of the rear tires to a stop on the side of the road. I got out and was looking what happen the pion nut came off the pion gear locking up the rear differential I think this is a safety issue because it could have ended up someone getting hurt and or killing someone in a crash. The truck is very well taking care of and has 108K miles low for its age and there was a recall on this before but on the 05 Dodge Ram truck's that was made in 04 is what someone told me
Truck parked on driveway in park--did not hold and rolled backwards into tree on the lawn causing damage to the rear bumper-luckily it did strike the tree other wise it would have been on the street. I have the same problem of shifting into drive--and reverse the engagement points are no where they are shown to be on the shifter. There is also a hesitation when engaged(sometimes) and will engage roughly with a jerk. I ve been told that there was a defective connector inside the steering column and that there was a safety recall on this part--cannot get a direct answer from a local dealer here --what's the score on this.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that after his wife was parked the vehicle and attempted to shift the gear shifter into park, the gear shifter instead shifted into reverse. The contact's wife exited the vehicle and the vehicle started rolling backwards. The contact used a brick to chock the passenger's side front tire to prevent the vehicle from rolling. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 98,000.
When backing the vehicle out of the garage, I noticed an oily substance in the center of the vehicle directly below the rear differential. Inspecting the vehicle, I could see there is a leak emanating from the drive-shaft and differential where the pinion seal is located. There is a recall on the pinion seal for the 2009 and 2010 model years that does not cover my 2008 Dodge Ram 1500. I believe the recall needs to extend to the 2008 model year also.
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.
I was driving down a 45mph road and the truck was not shifting so I pulled to the side shut it off turned it back on the checked all the gears and everything seemed fine then I tried driving again and it stalled while driving down the road and will not start and the engine makes a weird rumble noise.
When approaching a hill or attempting to pass at highway speeds (75 to 85mph) either with cruise on or off the truck will down shift from overdrive to low gear.(suddenly bringing you to a hault!) it will then cause the engine to overdrive. Then the truck will stay either in low gear or 2nd gear until you shut the key off and restart or by putting it into neutral then back into drive and letting it coast for a bit. This is very dangerous! I have been almost smashed into several times! This transmission has been rebuilt and the problem has been with it since rebuilding. There is only 4000 miles on the rebuild! I have brought it back over ten times for this problem but it will never leave a code! I have now been told there is nothing they can do with it! …
I was driving on a 4 lane highway at 65 miles per hour when I suddenly lost speed and the RPM were heading to redline. I hit my brake in the middle of traffic trying to keep from hurting my engine. When I got pulled to the side of the road I checked to see if I could go and I had no transmission. I only have 78,000 miles on my truck and don't pull heavy loads or load my pick-up with heavy loads. I have talked with other people that have the same year Dodge pick-up and they have had similar problems. I am having my transmission replaced along with the transmission cooler because it has parts of my clutch in it. I found 5 people in my county that have had problems with their 98 pick-ups and have had them fixed and then traded them for another brand of vehicle. I would really like to know why nobody has investigated this or recalled the vehicle because of this problem.
While returning home from seeing my first grandchild, south of hershey pa my transmission died at approx. 50,000 miles. I had to have the vehicle towed from the interstate and the transmission rebuilt. They told me there were a lot of metal shavings in the transmission which clogged up the works. This cost me almost $3,000.00 plus the cost of being stranded out of town for 5 days. I now have 92,000 miles on the truck and have to have the transmission rebuilt again. I do not know the cost to do this yet. Plus I have the cost of obtaining alternate transportation to get to work for about 14 days until I get the work completed. The first repair work was done by aamco and the warranty on their work was for 12 months or 12,000 miles, whichever came first. I had aamco do a diagnostic on the vehicle and they told me the transmission was "toast".
Transmission no longer has reverse. This was repaired once at dealership in February 04 at cost of $2135.41. Now, to rebuild for same problem 13 months and 22K miles later is $3064.47 at same dealer. They blame increase in cost of parts. Contacted Dodge consumer help line and was told that there was nothing they could do due to 12/12 warranty expired. They blamed increase cost on increased labor rate at dealership. Both suggest remanufactured transmission at cost of $3857.95. Called local transmisison repair shops and was quoted $1100 - $1700 for same repair, and both offer same or better warranty. Second shop told me what my problem was by just knowing year and make of my truck. There is a manufacturer's problem with this transmission !!!!!!!!!
Transmission complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 85 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500, 16% of the model year's 520 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (34 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain 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 transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 90,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries and 5 deaths to transmission & drivetrain 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.