RoadVitals

1998 Dodge Dodge Truck

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
28
Latest Jul 10, 2009
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
2
5 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 28 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Dodge Dodge Truck, most frequently naming the body & structure, seat belts and engine categories.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Body & structure512.8%
  • Seat belts410.3%
  • Engine410.3%
  • Transmission410.3%
  • Suspension37.7%
  • Electrical37.7%
  • Fuel system37.7%
  • Brakes37.7%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Body & structure
Filed Jul 10, 2009

I OWN A1998 DODGE RAM TRUCK THAT I PURCHASED 5 YEARS AGO WITHIN THIS PAST YEAR IV NOTICED MY DASH BOARD CRACKING AND IT SEEMED TO BE GETTING WORSE TILL I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK A BIG CHUNK OF DASH BOARD BLEW UP AND HIT ME RIGHT IN THE FACE I ALMOST WRECKED MY TRUCK IT COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED IF THERE IS A DEFECT IN THESE DODGE TRUCKS DASHBOARDS THEY SHOULD LET THE OWNER OR PUBLIC AWARE SO THEY CAN BE FIXED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10276363
Incident
Jun 15, 2009
Mileage
135,000 mi
Body & structureSeat belts
Filed Jul 10, 2009

DODGE 1500 RAM SPORT PICK UP. DASH COVER BROKE IN PIECES. A WHILE LATER I NOTICE THE TWO FRONT SPEAKERS STOP WORKING, THE SPEEDOMETER STOP WORKING, EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE THE DASH LIGHTS GO CRAZY, THE TOP 12 VOLT ADAPTER STOPS WORKING, ETC. ALSO SEAT BELTS DON'T RETRACT CORRECTLY, AND DRIVER SIDE BUCKLE HAD TO BE REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10276346
Incident
Jul 10, 2007
Mileage
97,348 mi
Body & structure
Filed May 3, 2007

CRACKED AND BROKEN DASH. *TR

NHTSA ID
10189637
Incident
Jan 1, 2007
Other / unspecifiedSeat belts
Filed Apr 26, 2007

DEFECTIVE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT BELT, IN 98 DODGE RAM. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DODGE HEADQUARTERS, WHEN THE SEATBELTS FAILED THE FIRST TIME TWO YEARS AGO, HQ STATED THAT THEY WOULD PAY FOR LABOR ONLY, AND NOT REPLACE THE PART. DODGE REPLACED THE SEATBELT SENSOR WHICH IS ELECTRONIC UNDER THE SEATS, THE WIRES GET PINCHED OFF, WHEN THE SEATS ARE MOVED FORWARD AND BACK THEREFORE CREATING A SHORT IN THE WIRES, AND THUS THE SEATBELTS FAIL B/C THEY ARE ON AN ELECTRONIC WEIGHT SYSTEM. I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY IT TAKES TO CONTINUALLY REPLACE THESE EVERY TWO YEARS, I THINK THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO SINCE IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

NHTSA ID
10188901
Incident
Feb 13, 2007
Mileage
65,000 mi
EngineTransmission
Filed Oct 10, 2005

ON MARCH 8,2002 A SHORT TIME AFTER TAKING DELIVERY OF USED 1998 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN SE VIN # G WITH ONLY 41,950 MILES. IN FEBRUARY ,2002 THE ENGINE BEGAN MAKING A LOUD PRONOUNCED TAPPING SOUND. AFTER I RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER PLAZA MOTORS OF BROOKLYN INC.(AKA) PLAZA DODGE LTD. AND WAS TOLD THE ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACE. AND THE DEALER ABOVE INSTALLED A USED ENGINE FROM VIN#R WITH 58,310 MILES AND LESS THEN 12 MONTHS THE SECOND ENGINE HEAD GASKET FAIL. THEN THE TRANSMISSION. BASE ON THE INFORMATION ABOVE AND THE REPORTS FROM OTHER CONSUMERS NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE THESE DEFECTS AS A REAL TIME SAFETY PROBLEM. *NM

NHTSA ID
10139217
Incident
Mar 8, 2002
Mileage
42 mi
SteeringSuspension
Filed Jan 14, 2005

I OWN 1998 DODGE SPORT FULL SIZED PICKUP THAT HAS A LOUD BANG WHEN TURNING CORNERS. THE CONSUMER WANTS TO KNOW IF THE TRUCK IS COVERED UNDER SOME RECALL THAT WAS POSTED IN THE PAST. *BF *NM THE SHAKING WAS COMING FROM THE STEERING. *SC *TC *JB

NHTSA ID
10108702
Incident
Jan 1, 1901
Suspension
Filed Dec 29, 2003
1 injury reported

AT APPROXIMATELY 40,000 MILES I HAD TO HAVE THE BALL JOINTS REPLACED ON MY 1998 DODGE DAKOTA. MY MECHANIC ADVISED ME THAT BEFORE CHANGE THE BALL JOINTS THAT I SHOULD TAKE MY VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL DODGE DEALERSHIP AND SEE IF THEY WOULD COVER THE COST. THEY RESPONDED BY TELLING ME THAT MY BALL JOINTS WERE FINE. THE REASON I WENT TO MY MECHANIC WAS BECAUSE I HAD HAD MY VEHICLE ALIGNED FOUR TIMES IN THE FIRST 30,000 MILE AND MY TRUCK STILL PULLED TO ONE SIDE. THAT WAS WHEN I WENT TO AN UNBIASED PARTY TO TELL WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. I HAD THIS REPAIR WORK DONE IN LATE 2002 OR EARLY 2003. *AK

NHTSA ID
10051281
Incident
Jan 1, 2003
Mileage
40,000 mi
Suspension
Filed Nov 13, 2003

I HAVE A '98 DODGE DAKOTA PICKUP TRUCK WITH APPROXIMATELY 58,000 MILES ON IT. THIS PAST JUNE I HAD TO REPLACE A FRONT END BALL JOINT ON THIS VEHICLE. AT THAT TIME THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 52,000 MILES ON THE TRUCK. THE SAME SYMPTOMS ARE STARTING TO OCCUR AGAIN THAT ACCOMPANIED THE LAST BALL JOINT PROBLEM. SO IT'S LIKELY I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE ANOTHER ONE OF THE JOINTS ON THE SUSPENSION OF THIS TRUCK IN THE NEAR FUTURE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT CONSIDERING THERE COULD BE DIRE CONSEQUENCES WITH BALL JOINT FAILURE (THE SUSPENSION COLLAPSING AT HIGH SPEED) THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD REQUIRE DODGE TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BY IMPROVING THE DESIGN OF THESE JOINTS AND ISSUE A RECALL. I URGE THE NTSB, NTSA, OR WHOEVER TO INVESTIGATE THESE PROBLEMS BEFORE ANYONE ELSE GETS KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED. IF YOU RESEARCH THE WEB, YOU WILL FIND THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM ON THESE VEHICLES. *LA

NHTSA ID
10046843
Incident
Jul 15, 2003
Mileage
52,000 mi

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Dodge Dodge Truck by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2003150039.0
2002220037.6
2001390034.4
2000200038.5
1999510036.8
1998Viewing280038.4
1997180036.0
1996350037.2
1995160036.6
1994190035.7
1993601
1992140144.1
1991100131.1
1990501
1989201
1988400
1987401
1986301
1985002
1984102
1981100
1980100
1979000
1977010
1976110
1973100
1972010
1971030
1970030
1969030
1968010
1967010

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.