One problem related to steering linkages has been reported for the 1997 Dodge RAM. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
My wife was turning vehicle around in driveway when steering broke loose resulting in a complete loss of steering control. Fortunately this did not happen on the highway at high speeds. Mechanic informed me that cause might have been, "a bad batch of locktite. " service manager later told me the bolt was tight and that this sort of thing should not happen.