Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
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 along on highway 70 and had the tire separate and explode. I then went in and has the tire replaced. This then again happen a second time within 500 mile but I was able to stop before the explosion. You can see though the tread where the steel belts are showing and sticking out though the tread. Same make model and life of tire. ~4 years old and ~40000 miles. The tire is 5 year 60000 mile tire. My wear is only half life. I replaced the first tire under there prorating but the second time it happen I try to explain to them they is not just isolated incident. They told me that there tire are good, it your problem not manufacturing defects. They said they will only prorate and will not investigate in to issue of it possibly being a manufacturer fault.
1998 Dodge Ram 1500 truck front left wheel separated from the vehicle then struck a ditch. According to the police report, one of the five studs had broken off and three other appeared to have just lost lug nuts. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0255-89) letter updated 03/17/10
I was driving down I-94 going north in the center lane, suddenly it felt like I had a flat tire on the driver side front tire. I slowly turned into the right lane and suddenly my entire wheel rolled off my truck at about 55 MPH down the highway towards the left lane and then bounced up between the concrete dividers and flew into on coming traffic hitting one car in the front end. I had driven the truck the night before about 50 miles and no problems, I drove the day of the accident about 10-15 miles before the wheel fell off the truck. All but 1 lug on the rotor were broke off and the one lug that was left was bent and the lug nut was gone. I had my tires rotated about 4-6 months prior to this accident and have heard from other friend that certain type rims are prone to the lugs becoming loose and the tire falling off. …
Tl contact owns a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500. The vehicle has cooper dominator sport a/t tires, size 265/75r/16. While driving approximately 55 MPH on normal road conditions, the vehicle began wobbling excessively. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle. He noticed that the front passenger side tire was blistering. The defective tire was replaced with a spare and the vehicle was taken to an independent shop that specializes in tires. The spare tire was replaced with a new tire. The dot number was excluded from NHTSA campaign id number 07t005000 (tread/belt), although the failures were identical. The technician recommended that all three tires be replaced at the owner's expense. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 165,000 and current mileage was 187,627. There was an additional complaint filed for this failure, odi number 10258038.
Tl contact owns a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500. The vehicle has cooper dominator sport a/t tires, size 265/75r/16. While driving approximately 55 MPH on normal road conditions, the vehicle began wobbling excessively. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle. He noticed that the front passenger side tire was blistering. The defective tire was replaced with a spare and the vehicle was taken to an independent shop that specializes in tires. The spare tire was replaced with a new tire. The dot number was excluded from NHTSA campaign id number 07t005000 (tread/belt), although the failures were identical. The technician recommended that all three tires be replaced at the owner's expense. The failure mileage was 187,351 and current mileage was 187,627.
Tl contact owns a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500. The vehicle has Bridgestone dueler a/t 693 tires, size lt265/75r16. While driving at an unknown speed, the tread on the rear passenger side tire began to separate. The rear passenger side door and tire were damaged. NHTSA campaign id number 04t018000 (tires:tread/belt) was referenced. The vehicle was towed to a tire dealer, but was not diagnosed. The dot number was unknown. The vehicle failure mileage was 93,242. The tire failure mileage was 30,000. Updated 06/05/08 updated 05/28/08
Tl contact owns a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving approximately 35 MPH the contact noticed that the back end of the vehicle raised up. The spare tire had detached from underneath the vehicle. When the contact stopped the vehicle to inspect it he noticed the cable which held the spare tire in place had popped and caused the spare tire to detach from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 134,000.
While traveling at 55 MPH the driver accidently hit the curb. While tryng to recover the driver went off the curb and applied brakes, the vehicle skidded violently and locked up as if the anti-lock brakes were not working at all. Vehicle skidded into the curb and the right rear tire hub and wheel seperated from the axle, causing the vehicle to flip four times, and neither side airbag deployed. 7810022 dup od 780994; posted on 09-07-1999.
I was traveling east on the paved portion of nevada state roure 290 at about 50 MPH. The left rear tire blew out. About a 10 inch long portion of the tire just shreded. When I took it to the local Goodyear dealer he refused to make good on it. He claimed I had run over a curb or some other obstacle. I had never rubbed a curb, let alone hit one, or hit any other obstacle. I figured it was not worth the time and effort to contact the manufacturer. I know of two other people in carson city who have had the same problem with Goodyear tires. Firestone has been racked over the coals. I tink it is time to, at least, investigate Goodyear to see how safe their tires are. (dot number: unknown tiresize: p265/75r16)
Right front tire experienced tread separation while driving at 40 MPH with driver and one passgener in a 1998, Dodge, Ram 1500; aftermarket tire installed at 35,000 miles, tire size p265/75r15, dot# 7bhpub286; tire ctr. Notified and willing to exchange tire at a prorated deal. Consumer states since tire failure, the other two remaining tires have began to experience tread separation, all tires have visible bulges on the running tread, causing oscillations of the vehicle at slower speeds and vibrations at higher speeds, one other tire experienced tread separation while driving prior to the one reported, this occurred in September of 2000.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 1998 Dodge Ram 1500, 6% of the model year's 520 complaints. The component named most often is tread/belt (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires 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 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 134,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury and 5 deaths to wheels & tires 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.