Three problems related to axle assembly have been reported for the 1997 Dodge RAM. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
The rearend in the Dodge truck makes a clunk when shifting from park to drive and drive to reverse it will make the same clunk (ring) when driving down the road when the trans. Shifts through the shift pattern. I took it to a dealer to get it checked out they said play in the rear end was normal but tey reprogramed the power control module to lower the rpms so that the clunk would not be heard, they put a $1. 65 sticker on the truck some where . The clunk is still there and sounds louder . I know of three other Dodge trucks with the same noise.
The dealer has the same belief as I, that the defect occurred at the assembly plant due to the fact the rear gear housing is sealed and no moisture could have entered, the housing assembly from the highway. This vehicle has highway driving only, to its credit.