Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Traveling 30 MPH on city street, when small 2003 Toyota 4wd pickup pulled out in front of me. I hit his drivers tire in middle of my grill. The airbags did not deploy. The seat belt locked and kept me from being seriously injured. The driver was cited by the police. My vehicle is totalled. Please see pictures. It has never been in an accident before.
Typical problems with cracked plastic dashboard on 1999 Dodge Ram pickups (2) combined with failure of airbags to deploy. Both seem to be epidemic in proportion, unfortunately have experienced both. Dash is not safe with cracked, jagged plastic edges waiting to impale or slice you, assuming that flying peices wouldnt do even more harm if airbag had gone off. Same problem in dash on two personal vehicles, now reluctant to go anywhere in one that wasnt wrecked because airbag probably wont work in it either if something were to happen. I know mine isnt the only one, whover has controlling interest of Dodge this month needs to step up and address these issues. Ridiculous to think of replacing dash for $800 - 1200 with a part of no better integrity than the one it already had. …
Dt*: the contact stated while traveling 20 MPH, with prior braking, the vehicle struck a tree. When this occurred, the airbags did not deploy. The front center of the vehicle was damaged and the vehicle was towed to a salvage yard. There was a police report taken at the scene. Although the seat belt was worn, the driver sustained a fractured neck. The manufacturer sent a representative who determined based on the speed and damage, the airbags should not have deployed. The insurance company deemed the vehicle totaled.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving 35 MPH on a dirt road, the contact approached a curb and lost control of the vehicle. He struck a tree and the air bags failed to deploy. The entire front end of the vehicle was severely damaged and the contact was injured. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop for repairs. The weather was sunny at the time of the crash. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Tl contact owns a 1999 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving 50 MPH, the contact rear ended another vehicle and the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed. The occupant of the other vehicle stated that her neck was hurting and the contact's insurance company issued a settlement. The current and failure mileages were 175,000.
Driving along highway 70 near quicny ca. When right rear axle broke sending the vehicle into the road embankment over turning the vehicle onto its roof, then flipping it again onto the remaining three wheels. The vehicle had front impact and the air bags did not deploy.
The air bag warning light stays on all the time. The dash cracked and pieces fell into the electrical systems. The ball joints failed. All around 120,000 to 130,000 miles. The fuel injectors began to fail at 120,000 miles.
The dash in my Dodge Ram 1500 truck began with a hairline crack at about 40,000 miles. I began by taking it to the Dodge dealer, who said the regional service manager would call me. No one ever called back. Since then, the dash as literally fallen apart. The immediate safety issues are (1) the air bag and its ability to deploy, and (2) pieces of the dash flying apart and into occupants in the event of a motor vehicle accident. I have emailed Chrysler; after Chrysler's 2nd reply, no one would respond via email. I have called Chrysler's toll free customer support phone line. I spoke with a very young and adamant young man, who refused to budge on the reply I obtained via email. He eventually terminated the converstation by hanging up on me. Neither party (email or toll free support line) were interested in actually seeing digital photos of the problem. …
I bought this 1999 Dodge Ram in 2002 with about 40,000 miles on it. I now have 79,000. Shortly after purchase, the dash cracked. After about 10 cracks across the top of the dash in every horizontal direction. I went to the "5 star" local Dodge dealer and showed them the problem. They said that they had never heard of the problem and estimated $1500 to repair. Until now, I thought that I was the only one with the problem and assumed that this certainly wasn't a widespread problem that May be in line for a class action lawsuit. I ordered a custom fit mat to put over the cracks. The cracks have continued and are now going vertical on the instrument panel bezel. There are probable 15 cracks in all. In addition, the glove compartment plastic door frame hinge pin (part of the dash) broke off on the lower left side. I epoxied in a piece of wood dowel rod to make the glove box door work. …
Our seat belts locked up on our 1999 Dodge Ram 1500. Took our Dodge truck to Dodge dealership 06/05/2017 who said our seat belt control module had gone out. We paid $400 to replace. Pickup on 06/26/2017. 3 days later 06/29/2017 while towing our 20 ft north river boat across charleston harbor bridge on the down hill side to port launch ramp our vehicle power shut down, seat belts locked up again and our boat weight pushed hitch into our truck destroying the hitch and wheel jack. The boat had to be towed ( $399) to be repaired and $150. In hitch repairs. The truck itself would not start until the battery negative wire was removed. Vehicle was driven directly to dealership about 5 miles away. A local police officer was following behind our vehicle and stopped to help; calling a tow truck. No report was filed or required. …
Airbag complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 1999 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 61 complaints about the air bags of the 1999 Dodge Ram 1500, 10% of the model year's 610 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (42 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 1999 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 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 99,000 miles, and 5% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 42 crashes, 0 fires and 27 injuries to air bags 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.