Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
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).
Park position with ignition key in the lock position, vehicle shifter moved out of park , knocked owner down and ran over me, continued to roll back hit second car, continued to keep going until it hit a curb. This was a very dangerous and could have caused other accidents. Consumer sent in a fax copy of the internet voq.
While driving the vehicle at 35 MPH, first the ABS brakes did not work. Then a frontal impact accident occurred, the air bags did not deploy on impact. No injuries occurred. Dealer sent out investigation team that stated the air bags were okay. Reports from the fire department and police department stated the air bags should have deployed. Dealer cannot duplicate the problem.
Brakes; driving approximately 25mph in wet conditions attempted to stop and there was poor brake response. Had brake pedal completely to the floor, and the vehicle continued moving. Could not stop and hit another vehicle. The only thing the dealer is saying is that there is a problem with the anti-lock brake system, and they don't have an answer as to how to solve it.
While driving about 65 MPH and barely touching the brakes to slow down, all four wheels locked up. Truck was towed to the dealership. Brake failure had occurred once before, and resulted in an accident. Dealer could not duplicate the problem, but they replaced the power brake booster. Brake failure has not occurred since.
While driving at approximately 45 MPH consumer applied brake and skidded about 10 feet,hit another vehicle head-on. Upon impact,driver airbags did not deploy which have caused injuries. The inspectors from the manufacturer indicated that the air bags did not deploy because the impact dissipated.
Applied the brakes and felt no response nor any decrease in speed other than releasing the accelerator, resulting in hitting the vehicle in front. After applyning the parking brake only the left front locked as I swerved to the left, replace pads and changed the brake fluid.
Had to make a accident avoidence manuever. The brakes would not stop the truck, had to run off the road to avoid impact. Resulting in damaging a front lawn in a residential neighborhood. The next episode was pulling a small 8' trailer with a Honda 4-wheeler. Light turned red and when I went to stop, I ended in the middle of the intersection. After the second incident I contacted the dealership and took it in for inspection. No problems were found. The service manager mr. Web ( I believe that's his name) drove my truck and agreed it seemed to take longer to stop, but upon inspection no problems were found. After 3 more incidents of the same nature, the dealership did replace all the brakes, telling me there was an update to a different pad for the rear brakes. The truck at the time had approximately19000 miles. I then was tols it was normal for the brakes to wear out at 19000 miles. …
Made three trips to dealer for engine light over a period of 45 days. First trip was on 10/3/01with a charge of $132.25 tech found torque converter not working. Cleaned torque converter solenoid. Second trip to dealer was made on 10/30/01 with check engine light on again. Tech found same problem again and replaced torque converter solinoid for charge of $246.58. Third trip was made on 11/13/01 with check engine light again on. This time tech said probably an internal leak "somewhere" but don't know where. Said OK to drive until transmission starts slipping. Check engine light came on again on the way home and trans began slipping next day. Returning to dealer on 11/15/01 the transmission gave out completely and had to be towed. Dealer called on 11/16/01 stating that the front plate in transmission had failed and probably could never get all the metal out of transmission. …
While operating brake pedal, brake pedal travel suddenly increased when I applied brakes. I stopped along the shoulder of the rural road upon which I was traveling and checked for a brake problem. I discovered that the front passenger side brake hose connecting the steel brake line to the brake caliper assembly had burst where visible wear indicated the hose had repeatedly made contact with the truck frame during right turns. On 07/20/2002 I spoke to the dealer from whom I'd purchased the used vehicle and suggested we check the right front hoses on the other used Dodge trucks for sale on his lot. One of the vehicles had wear on its right front brake hose in a manner similar to mine. He said he would have to replace it 07/22/2002 and thanked me for informing him of the problem. I replaced the hose and retained the failed hose. …
The truck has had chronic brake pull problems - either to the right or left side. The dealer hasn't been responsive to resolve the problem in question. No parts were replaced by the dealer; Chrysler has been very unresponsive to the problem. The pull is so bad that the truck will actually change lanes while braking. I am not sure if NHTSA really does anything, but if they stand for safety, then this problem should be very seriously looked into. Many other people have complained about this same problem. For more information concerning the brake pull problems, please refer to: http://www.cartrackers.com/forums/messages/164.mechgoblins.html. There are many people there that have experienced the same problem I have.( dot number: tire size: 245/75 )
NHTSA investigations
Clutch hydraulic line failure
Alleged clutch line May melt and leak hydraulic fluid in the vicinity of the exhaust manifold.leaked hydraulic fluid could ignite and cause a vehicle fire.
Clutch hydraulic line
Alleged plastic clutch tube May fail from exposure to exhaust heat, resulting in loss of clutch function and possible vehicle fire.
Brake complaints in other Ram years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 1997 Dodge Ram?
NHTSA has 81 complaints about the brakes of the 1997 Dodge Ram, 20% of the model year's 415 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (39 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Dodge Ram brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 1997 Dodge Ram, though it has 7 recalls for other components. 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 1997 Dodge Ram brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 106,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 8 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to brakes 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.