10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
92,250 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1997 Dodge Ram 1500 lights problems

lights problem

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1997 Dodge Ram 1500 Owner Comments

problem #8

Sep 082015

Ram 1500

  • 150,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Head lights go out when driving or sometimes flickers on/off when driving, traced wiring and noticed that wiring was burnt at pig tail connector which is the head light switch at the part called bezel... never had any trouble with it until this year and couldn't understand why wire burnt, the plastic/bezel melted first rather than fuse tripping. This occurs when driving anywhere but it occurred first when I was headed to work at 3am in highway 74 which is mountainous and very curvy road... extremely dangerous. I believe this is a defective part and is safety risk.

- Lake Elsinore, CA, USA

problem #7

Dec 082015

Ram 1500

  • 155,000 miles
The low beam headlights cut out while I was driving at night to the store a motorist flashed their lights at me while I was at a light.. checked all fuses and had mechanic look it over. They narrowed it down to the steering column it will be 400$ to fix. The wire harness pin plug had overheated and melted. Almost caused a fire. I had smelled burning electric smell. Was only able to hold hi beam lever to keep hi beams engaged to be able to drive with lights till problem is fixed.

- Valley, WA, USA

problem #6

Oct 042011

Ram 1500

  • 150,000 miles
Dash starting cracking and falling apart, wires got messed up and some things don't work. Parts of the plastic of the dash come out the vents when you turn on the heat or air. Part with the VIN went somewhere to parts unknown.

- Bean Station, TN, USA

problem #5

Nov 101999

Ram 1500 8-cyl

  • 105,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I am the second owner of this vehicle the night after I bought it I repositioned the steering wheel closer to my lap and the headlamps went out causing me to not be able to see I flicked on the high beams and was able to see again. But if I hadn't done that I could have had an accident.

- Canton , MI, USA

problem #4

Sep 132011

Ram 1500

  • 83,500 miles
The contact owns a 1997 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the headlight switch malfunctioned. The tail lights, dashboard lights, and exterior running lights also would not activate when the headlights were engaged. The contact did not call the manufacturer nor was the vehicle taken to the dealer for inspection or repairs. The contact stated the faulty headlight switch made it difficult to drive at night. The failure mileage was 83,500.

- South Lake Tahoe, CA, USA

problem #3

Apr 012011

Ram 1500

  • miles
The contact owns a 1997 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the headlight switch would operate intermittently. The dealer was contacted and determined that there were no recalls for the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The failure mileage was unavailable and the current mileage was 200,000.

- Springfield, OH, USA

problem #2

Jan 032011

Ram 1500

  • 94,500 miles
The contact owns a 1997 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving approximately 40 mph, the headlights were abnormally dim. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed an unusual yellow film on the headlights lens. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact did not call the manufacturer regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 94,500 and the current mileage was 95,000.

- Botaraton, FL, USA

problem #1

Aug 202006

Ram 1500 4WD

  • miles
I own a 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 4 wd pickup. I have had it for 3 years and have had numerous problems with the head lights cutting on and off, and then going off and not coming back on. I spent several hundreds of dollars to have the problem fixed, but it still does it. I have been told by mechanics that do this type of work for a living that this is a manufacturers defect in the wiring somewhere. And that there are several vehicles( Dodge trucks) with this same problem. I believe that Dodge needs to put out a recall on this issue and got the problem resolved. I like many people take my chances having to drive at night.

- Weatherford, TX, USA

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