Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Dodge Ram owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving at 35 MPH vehicle accelerated in low speed. Consumer put transmission into reverse and then into park, and vehicle sideswiped another vehicle at 15 mph0. Upon impact, driver's side air bag deployed and vehicle started to accelerate at high speed, and and vehicle went out of control. Consumer applied the brakes, and the vehicle wouldn't stop. It fishtailed. And consumer wife, who was pregnant, had to jump out of the vehicle due to vehicle veering into oncoming traffic . Then driver put vehicle into park, and engine continued racing. Turned key off and jumped out and ran behind his wife.
The first repair to the accelerator sticking was done at the Cadillac truck center in Cadillac, michigan. The last two repairs were done at bonney motor sales in lake city, michigan. I notified the Dodge corporate headquarters in auburn hills, michigan, of this problem in November of 1999 with no response. At that time my truck had 56,000 miles on it. The last time I wrote them a letter dated January 5, 2001, and also sent them the bill in the amount of $86.63 for another repair (#3) at 73,000 miles. The main concern I have over this is the safety issue. When the accerator sticks, I have to put the truck into neutral and wait for the accelerator to come down. I have already gone through a red light because of this problem and have had several other near-miss accidents. …
Please delete odi #739665. This is the revised complaint. The first repair to the accelerator sticking was done at the Cadillac truck center in Cadillac, michigan. The last two repairs were done at bonney motor sales in lake city, michigan. I notified Dodge corporate headquarters in auburn hills, michigan, of this problem in November of 1999, and they resolved this by "paying for the repairs." my contact person at that time was [redacted]. At that time my truck had 56,000 miles on it. The last time I wrote them a letter it was dated January 5, 2001, and also sent them the bill in the amount of $86.63 for another repair (#3) at 73,000 miles. We did get a response from that letter last week. Her name was [redacted] and her phone number was [redacted]. …
The thottle stuck in the wide open position and would not return to idle. The brakes were just able to stop the vehicle. Shifting to neutral caused the engine to go well into the redline on the RPM indicator. Pulling up on the accelerator pedal did nothing. The dealer said the linkage was rusted tight. They don't have new parts so they scrapped the rust off, oiled it and put it back together. They said the throttle cable was not the problem as in the recall of "95-96 vehicles. This is a hard truck to get stopped when the throttle is stuck wide open. Good thing my wife wasn't driving it.
Since July of 1997, I have experienced the transmission slipping out of gear into neutral at highway speeds. Also, a thump in the front end intermittently while driving down all types of road, a spark knocked so loud I sometimes wonder if the motor is going to last. There is often the smell of burning wires and burning fluid and sometimes the cab fills with smoke. In addition, cruise control gains speed (sometimes 5 to 8 MPH over what it is set at). The odometer gains miles.
The consumer had a recall #b15, but the throttle was sticking at times. The consumer found out that the bracket for the bell crank was missing, causing the linkages to twist. The accelerator was sticking, and found the tps wiring bracket not bottled up, the tps bolts were loose and rear half of the bell crank were broken causing the bell crank to pull sideways, binding the throttle. The back part of the bell crank was replaced. Scc
A solid steel adjusting rod in throttle linkage has broken three times. Each incident causes vehicle to fall into an idling gear during normal operation of vehicle, and has occurred at various speeds. Dealership was able to examine vehicle on the third incident because it took place in that area. Please provide any additional information / attachments.
After starting vehicle consumer shifted to reverse, suddenly vehicle accelerated and engine revved. Consumer applied brakes, which did not stop vehicle. After about 100 feet consumer shut off engine, and passenger shifted to park. While accelerating on its own, the vehicle damaged the garage doors and part of the house.
Intermittently while driving along accelerator pedal goes to the floor without application, causing unwanted acceleration. This happens with or without cruise control engagement. This has been an ongoing problem for about 18 months. Dealer is not able to determine what is causing this problem.
While driving, throttle linkage has broken in half in same location. Dealer has been notified. Mechanic has repaired this on several occasions; however unable to remedy this problem. Consumer states problem was covered under recall 02V161.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks equipped with diesel engines only, the throttle linkage joints can corrode and cause the throttle to bind or stick.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rod ends and ball studs. Owner notification began July 29, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Acceleration complaints in other Ram years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1997 Dodge Ram?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1997 Dodge Ram, 6% of the model year's 415 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Dodge Ram acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 02V-161 (vehicle speed control, Jun 14, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Dodge Ram acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 26,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.