10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
14,250 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 1997 Dodge Ram 1500:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #4

Oct 202007

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 57,000 miles
Dashboard cracked/split into pieces causing wires to be cut. Loss of headlamps, taillamps, and brake lights. Unknown if any damage has been done to the airbag system. How do I check that?

- Homestead, FL, USA

Add Complaint
problem #3

Mar 031998

Ram 1500

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
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.

- Germfask, MI, USA

Add Complaint
problem #2

Oct 091998

Ram 1500

  • miles
Driving 30mph another driver noticed flames under vehicle. Owner parked. Got kids out & noticed smoke & then flames shot out. Vehicle totaled. Investigators said electrical wires from engine compartment, but no defects involved. Has pictures.

- Detroit, MI, USA

Add Complaint
problem #1

Apr 151998

(reported on)

Ram 1500

  • miles
An electrical short in the wiring that attaches to brake lights, caused vehicle to catch on fire.

- Del Ray Beach, FL, USA

Add Complaint