Four problems related to engine and engine cooling have been reported for the 1997 Dodge Ram 1500. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The contact owns a 1997 Dodge Ram 1500. While the vehicle was parked with the engine running, the cabin spontaneously filled with smoke and caught fire without warning. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.
While driving down the road the clip attaching the accelerator cable to the throttle body snapped causing a total loss of steering and effectivness of the brake. I had a 2 month old and my 3 year old in the truck as well.
1997 Dodge Ram 1500 exploded and caught my mother in laws house on fire.
1997 Dodge Ram 1500. Mfg claiming needing engine replacement due to sludge build-up from poor maintenance, however, maintenance has been kept beyond recommendation and is documented. I have had this vehicle in the shop since purchased used 3 years ago, all with oil issues and only now is the issue w/ sludge mentioned. After checking complaints on the internet I have found thousands of other complaints similar to this one where people were told they need an engine replacement due to sludge. Multiple class action lawsuits seem to be pending on this as well. I have talked with many mechanics who advise that most Dodge ram trucks they see have this exact same problem because the engine's compression is set to high and it causes the oil to sludge up. Maintenance has been kept, oil changes every 1500 miles. Less than 10k miles put on the vehicle since purchased with extended warranty (which will not cover this. ) .