This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I was driving on the toll road during afternoon rush hour. Suddenly the -??Service Power Steering-?? message came up on the dash. It was the first time that message came up, no prior symptoms. The steering wheel locked, thankfully I was able to exit the tollway without any accidents. Taking it to an independent mechanic. Fear it-??s the rack and pinion. 2013 Ram 1500, 5.7, approx 185k miles
Electrical power steering failed. I reported this last year to this agency, but somehow it is not available. Cranked up vehicle and the power steering failed on and off. At times it would clear out until the light stayed on and the power steering stopped working.
Steering failed intermittently while driving before going out completely while driving. When it went out it was almost impossible to steer. The truck is presently undrivable because of the steering and it is very dangerous because of the failure while driving.
About 9 month ago parked the truck then the next morning pulled out of my driveway and power steering went out completely. Truck had under 100k mile on it" Dealer kept saying part was on backorder for months and now they say the part has been discontinued" Even aftermarket remanufactured units are no longer being made available due to the high failure rate from speaking to 3 suppliers. Given the high failure rate, a used electronic steering rack and pinion would be a ticking time bomb and was not suggested. I doubt you'll do anything about (lobbyists), but I'd at least make you aware.
- York, PA, USA
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About 9 month ago parked the truck then the next morning pulled out of my driveway and power steering went out completely. Truck had under 100k mile on it" Dealer kept saying part was on backorder for months and now they say the part has been discontinued" Even aftermarket remanufactured units are no longer being made available due to the high failure rate from speaking to 3 suppliers. Given the high failure rate, a used electronic steering rack and pinion would be a ticking time bomb and was not suggested. I doubt you'll do anything about (lobbyists), but I'd at least make you aware.
Power steering stopped working making it very hard to turn my truck. Luckily I was close to home and made it back without crashing into anything. No warnings came up before it happened. I have not taken it to a mechanic yet as I don't have the money to pay for it to be fixed right now. From the research I have done it sounds like the the electric power steering assist has failed.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the "Service Power Steering" message displayed, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified, and a service appointment was scheduled. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 209,260.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed into a parking lot, the vehicle lost power steering assist, causing the steering wheel to become extremely difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the power steering message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the residence and examined by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 145,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle had been driven and 35 MPH, however while parked at a store, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The Service Power Steering warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence without the aid of the power steering feature. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the vehicle was diagnosed with power steering failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 210,000.
Was coming home from work and totally lost all power steering! By the grace of god I managed to pull off the road and stop but I am told that the power steering is electrical and that the whole steering assembly has to be replaced! I was also told that the 2014 and the 2015 ram models have a recall investigation! If the same steering module is faulty in these other year models, so should the one we own! I am fortunate to have been on a side road instead of the interstate which is my normal daily commute! The cost related to this is $2000 for parts and appx $1500 installation! This is totally wrong! We need help with this!
The steering wheel and exclamation warning lights came on and the truck was extremely hard to steer. It was a scary situation being 30 minutes from home when this happened. Luckily we didn-??t get in an accident but very well could have. This happened June 30th 2023. We have since had it diagnosed by a local and trusted auto shop since the wait time the first time we inquired it being checked by the dealership was weeks and then the wait time for the dealership was a month. They confirmed that it-??s the rack and pinion and eps module. Now we have to contact the dealership again to see about bringing it to them to be repaired if the part is even available no telling how long all of this will take not to mention the several thousands of dollars to be repaired. In my research this seems to be a well known problem and is being investigated. The truck in this condition is a danger to be on the road. And the current mileage on this truck is less than 20,000 miles.
Driving at 40MPH and 2013 Ram 1500 experienced total and complete loss of power steering with no warning. I was narrowly able to avoid getting into an accident and cannot drive the truck given the strength needed to turn the wheel. Cost from dealer is estimated to be around $4,500 after parts and labor / taxes and could take months since the part is on backorder. The dealer said there have been multiple issues like this and unfortunately there is not yet a recall other than one from a few years ago that looks very similar to what I experienced. I don't have any other transportation and will likely have to pay to get it fixed. Going to sell it and never buy Ram again.
- Received a low voltage warning light on vehicle and a day later as I was driving the vehicle, the steering wheel seemed to be moving around on its on at times kind of locking up. As I was leaving a car wash exit, the power steering completely locked out and then eventually I was able to move steer the vehicle but the power assist was no longer in there. This was on 12/14/2023 - As I was driving home 12/14/2023, the vehicle eventually locked up on the steering wheel and and all the lights in the vehicle started to dim down and shutting down; radio, parking assist sensor, heat and a/c, acceleration and then it came to a stop as I could keep driving the vehicle as there was no more power and the brakes seemed to not be working. Had to call a tow truck company to get home. Tow truck driver stated my vehicle could not be placed in neutral and the rear brakes were locked up. This was on the highway and could have been terrible to crash to a vehicle or medium and in rush hour. - The vehicle currently sits in my driveway, have not taken to dealership yet. The alternator was replaced, a battery sensor (negative) was replaced and now the vehicle turns on but the steering wheel column service light is on and it is semi locked - low voltage a day before, then steering column service light and then when driving home on 12/14/23 all the lights came on it.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the power steering became inoperable. The contact pulled into a parking lot, turned off the vehicle, and the steering wheel was released. After restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn to the left or the right. The steering symbol was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the rack and pinion had malfunctioned. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Power steering malfunctioned. Wouldn't work when first started vehicle. Now doesn't work at all. Hard to change lanes or when turning off freeway and when tried to turn around a corner vehicle behind me didn't know what I was doing as too hard to turn the wheel. He almost slammed into me. Brought to dealer who said part is discontinued. Warning light comes on that says, ! Service power steering!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Gladwin, MI, USA