10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
18 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
28,330 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2013 Ram 1500 steering problems

steering problem

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2013 Ram 1500 Owner Comments (Page 1 of 23)

problem #449

Dec 132024

1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY OVERPASS MY STEERING WHEEL "LOCKED UP" ON ME AND I COULD NOT SAFELY STEER MY VEHICLE. i SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND WHEN I MOVED OFF AGAIN IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS WAS VERY FRIGHTENING AS I COULD HAVE EASILY DRIVEN OFF THE OVERPASS AS THE ROAD TURNED AND I HAD NO OTHER OPTION BUT TO PUT ON MY FLASHERS AND STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY PUTTING MYSELF AND MY OCCUPANTS AND ANY OTHER DRIVERS IN THE AREA AT SERIOUS RISK. ITS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS PROBLEM IS UNDER INVESTIGATION PRESENTLY AND THAT SOME RECALLS HAVE BEEN ISSUED HOWEVER THE WEBSITE RECALL LOOKUP IS NOT SHOWING UP FOR MY VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE IS CURRENLTY AT THE DODGE DEALERSHIP FOR OVER 1 MONTH WHERE THE PROBLEM WAS CONFIRMED TO BE A FAULTY POWER STEERING ASSEMBLY/RACK AND PINION. NO WARNING SIGNS EXISTED UNTIL AFTER THE STEERING WHEEL "LOCKED UP". AFTER WHICH THE STEERING DASH LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE IS IMMOBILE AND STILL AT THE DEALERSHIP.

- Miramar, FL, USA

problem #448

Nov 162024

1500

  • miles
While driving my truck the power steering completely went out and caused me to run off the road. Luckily no injuries and no damage to the truck. But if traffic would have been coming towards me it would have resulted in a crash most likely. Took the truck to a repair shop and told it need a complete steering system including rack and pinion and steering gears. I got online and seen where your dept is investigating this problem with other trucks.

- Leesburg, GA, USA

problem #447

Jan 032025

1500

  • miles
I bought this truck for my father and her was drinking it and fortunately he got home and then with no warning the electric power steering went out when he tried to go back out. No serious harm but he could have easily been in traffic seeing that he uses this truck to drive to his caner appointments.

- Urbana, OH, USA

problem #446

Jan 082025

1500

  • 90,080 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available The approximate failure mileage was 90,080.

- Quakertown, PA, USA

problem #445

Jan 052025

1500

  • miles
Power steering failure with no warning. Vehicle is currently with dealer. Dealer said the the electrical power steering unit failed. It is not a serviceable issue, it must be replaced.

- Yukon, OK, USA

problem #444

May 122023

1500

  • miles
My 2013 Ram pick-up truck has the same problem as everyone else's the electric rack and pinion which it went out last year. I think I might have a blown head gasket. My truck is broke down infront of my home. I'm disabled I can't afford to get it fixed at the moment

- Covington, GA, USA

problem #443

Dec 292024

1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Electronic power steering intermittent failure. Vehicles power steering -??service now-?? light comes on and abruptly shuts off power steering and will abruptly turn back on several miles/ days later. This causes a severe safety risk as the module will autocorrect steering mid turn or shutdown completely causing the vehicle to lose control. The problem has been reproduced by a third party mechanic stating that the EPS needs to be replaced at a cost of $3700 and the part is on back order/ unsure when they can get the unit.

- Sandy, UT, USA

problem #442

Nov 212024

1500

  • miles
Brought this vehicle and drove it for 1 month before power steering went out. I was driving on the interstate at a high speed when the power steering light came on. I was unable to steer the vehicle off the road so I had to stop on the interstate and call a tow truck.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #441

Dec 282024

1500

  • miles
Electric steering assist failure, no previous warnings. Alert on dash to have steering system checked when putting truck in drive. Restart of engine did not correct. Extreme difficulty steering the vehicle. Will take to dealer for initial diagnosis.

- Hillsborough , NC, USA

problem #440

Nov 042024

1500

  • miles
Truck became undrivable when power steering failed without warning. I was lucky to not have been on the road, otherwise it would've likely been a serious accident.

- Saint Johns, FL, USA

problem #439

Nov 042024

1500

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Lost my eps while I'm driving on school zone and can't turn the wheels snd i end on crash

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #438

Dec 032024

1500

  • miles
Was driving and steering just locked up. Power steering stopped working and it-??s so hard to turn or parallel park. Drove right into this big hill. The dealership wants $4,500 for parts and labor to repair it.

- Philadelphia , PA, USA

problem #437

Nov 202023

1500

  • 143,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. No further information was available. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering control module (PSCM) and the electric power steering unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

- Hilham, TN, USA

problem #436

Dec 072024

1500

  • miles
2013 RAM 1500. The power steering has failed on the RAM. The check engine light came on and produced a code for the ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING MODULE. Have had to leave it sit until the entire rack & pinion with module can be replaced. This occurred around 104,000 miles on truck. Fortunately, was not driving at a high rate of speed or turning when it failed. Because this seems to be a fairly common issue with 2013-2019 Dodge RAMs, I fail to understand why a recall has not been issued.

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA

problem #435

Dec 092024

1500

  • miles
Power steering lost. Difficult to steer. No warning signs displayed prior to incident. Vehicle has been inspected at repair service center, but was unable to get diagnosis. Told it needed to go to dealer. Brake light is also

- Ormond Beach, FL, USA

problem #434

Dec 042024

1500

  • miles
On [XXX] I drove my 2013 Ram Big Horn Crew Cab 4x4 on a 5mile trip, on a cool sunny 70' day, & parked it -I experienced no issues. I returned after 1.5hrs, started truck, & attempted to leave parking space when the steering wheel seized up. After noticing flashing warning light, I shut off & restarted engine several times, but light remained flashing & steering wheel was extremely hard to turn. I slowly (with great physical muscle stress) cautiously drove truck approximately 7miles to my independent mechanic shop in Oviedo Florida where my electrical steering gear assembly was diagnosed needing removal & replacement -total repairs estimated at $4k. My service rep said this steering problem is under a safety recall for many trucks like mine, & that the failure could have been deadly had it happened while exiting/entering the I-4 highway. I'm now waiting for back ordered replacement parts -they'll take approximately 6 weeks to arrive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #433

Nov 282024

1500

  • miles
Loss of power Steering on start up and while driving. Started out on start up a couple times, turned vehicle off started back up and it will work. Today loss of power while driving.

- Sterlington, LA, USA

problem #432

Nov 232024

1500

  • miles
On November 23, 2024. I was going to back out of the driveway, but the steering was locked up and the power steering light came on. I was unable to turn the wheel. The truck only has 150,000 miles I am the original owner. It was taken to a repair shop, and they determined the electronic power steering had failed and needed to be replaced. Since then, the dealer has told us the parts are unavailable and not being manufactured. The truck is now undrivable, cannot be repaired and I am without a vehicle. While researching online there are hundreds of reports of the same issue with this truck. This could have been deadly had I been driving!

- Roosevelt, MN, USA

problem #431

May 012024

1500

  • miles
In May of this year, 2024, the Power Assisted Steering System failed completely without warning or other symptoms. Fortunately it failed while not driving but would have caused a serious safety issue. I am a strong male driver and it was extremely difficult to turn the wheel. The dashboard displayed a steering system warning light and the OBDII port reported a C2219-00 error. I am the sole owner of the truck and have owned it since 2013 with only 51,000 miles on it. I reported this to the dealership where purchased it and they offered no assistance since it was well out of warranty. I inquired about purchasing a replacement steering rack or bringing it in for repair. They responded that the entire steering assist unit had been discontinued with no inventory available anywhere in their nationwide system. Therefore, they could not repair the truck or offer to sell me the rack and pinion assembly. They also recommended I contact a junk yard - ridiculous for a modern vehicle with a known defect such as steering. I eventually purchased a remanufactured steering rack on eBay and repaired the truck myself. The price for the steering rack was over $2,100! I have seen where there were other reports of this failure on NHTSA so I thought it would be helpful to report the failure on my truck as well. I have uploaded the part number and serial number of the steering rack in case that's helpful. Thank you.

- Kernersville, NC, USA

problem #430

Oct 242024

1500

  • miles
I was driving on a highway on my way to work the other morning and the power steering light came on out of nowhere and I had to limp it to work with next to impossible steering conditions. I have not had it checked for service but have looked up that multiple people have encountered the same issue with this year truck and it has caused multiple accidents now. I believe with as many issues as people have encountered with this that it should fall on Ram and not the people for such an expensive component especially with so little miles put on the vehicle.

- Talbott, TN, USA

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