general problems of the 1997 Dodge Ram 1500

Three problems related to exterior lighting have been reported for the 1997 Dodge Ram 1500. The most recently reported issues are listed below.

1 Exterior Lighting problem

Failure Date: 09/08/2015

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.

2 Exterior Lighting problem

Failure Date: 10/04/2011

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.

3 Exterior Lighting problem

Failure Date: 11/10/1999

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.


Other Exterior Lighting related problems of the 1997 Dodge Ram 1500



Ram 1500 Service Bulletins
Ram 1500 Safety Recalls
Ram 1500 Defect Investigations