1997 Ram 1500 Problems, Recalls & Reliability
468 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 1997 Ram 1500, alongside 1 recall campaign and 1 defect investigation. It scores 23/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Body & structure leads the reports, typically around 100,000 miles.
Typical
Where 1997 sits among all 1500 years
What owners report
“Handle used for entering and exiting vehicle on passenger side pulled out of the roof causing person holding it to fall to the ground.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 1500
“Transmission problems headlight switch problems front hub assembly oxygen sensors paint chipping and fading burns oil worst than advertised fuel mileage excessive tire wear prematurely excessive brake wear prematurely”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 1500
“Front brakes have repeatedly shown excessive wear. Five repairs have been made - 5 sets of linings, 2 sets of rotors, and 2 sets of brake calipers. All repairs have been made between 1000 and 22000 miles and a 7 month period.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 1500
“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…”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 1500
“My 97 ram has about 95% of the dash missing. I have saved pieces of it and parts if the instrument panel is broken off. I can be driving down the road,, hit a bump, and dash pieces will fall on the floor. Dodge needs to fix this.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 1500
“The gas tank strap rusted out on the 1997 dodge ram 1500 extended cab that we own. It was being held up by only one strap.”— owner report to NHTSA, 1997 1500
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 178 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 99,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 62,000 and 140,770 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (1)
CERTAIN REPLACEMENT K&N FUEL PERFORMANCE KITS, P/NOS. 57-1509, 57-1511, 57-1511-1, 57-1517, 57-1517-1, 57-1527, AND 57-1530. ALSO, A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THESE KITS WERE SOLD UNDER THE MOPAR PERFORMANCE PARTS BRAND NAME (P/NOS. P5007069 AND P5007070). ALL…
Fix: K&N WILL PROVIDE OWNERS WITH A FREE REPAIR KIT ALONG WITH REPAIR INSTRUCTIONS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 20, 2006.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
14 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and transmission & drivetrain — are on file for the 1997 Ram 1500. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 1997 Ram 1500 reliable?
The 1997 Ram 1500 drew 468 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 23/100, scored against the model's worst year (2014).
What are the most common 1997 Ram 1500 problems?
The top reported problems for the 1997 Ram 1500 are body & structure (70 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (61), and brakes & stability (56).
At what mileage do 1997 Ram 1500 problems show up?
Owners most often report 1997 Ram 1500 problems around 99,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 62,000 and 140,770 miles.
Does the 1997 Ram 1500 have recalls?
1 recall campaign applies to the 1997 Ram 1500. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.