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.
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH and attempting to make a right turn, the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 105,000.
This has happened 3 time now and basically has been parked since. We have had it to the repair shop and they couldn't find anything. Repair shop even has contacts who work for Chrysler in CO. We live in SD, it's winter. So vehicle need to warm for some time before driving. On all 3 occasions vehicle was warmed up for 15-30 mins. Hop in pickup to leave our yard and shift into drive. Steering wheel acts as if it's still locked. 1st time it lasted 5-10 seconds, I forcibly tried with all of my might to turn the wheel but could not get it too. Also tried shifting though gears while rolling. It just suddenly unlocked. The 2nd and 3rd time it lasted 30-60 seconds before it unlock. As a parent this vehicle isn't safe. What if it locks up while driving at 80mph on the interstate while my kids are in the car with me? I do have a video of it but it won't allow me to upload it.
COMPLAINT/INCIDENT.On February 9th 2024, I was making a right hand turn onto main Street. My speed was under 10mph, closer to 5mph.. Without any warning or MIL, my truck suddenly went from easy steering to unable to move the steering column and jerked/locked the wheel by 90 degrees to the left. In other words, the steering wheel went from the 3:00 position and locked into place at the 12:00 position at the apex of the right turn. This put me on a path to driving into a 2story brick building. I was unable to accelerate and I was unable brake momentarily. The engine sputtered a few times; and that is when the MIL lit up on my dashboard stating -??electronic power steering service-?? and -??low battery voltage-??. After the lights came on, the steering was brought back to normal along with the acceleration and my brakes. After the MIL displayed, steering resumed enough to pull into a parking spot. All of this occurred within 80ft from the apex of the corner to where the truck finally locked up. Total distance traveled 195 ft from start of turn to parked. The steering column and wheel completely locked up once in parking spot. I weigh about 230 lb and I could literally hang off the wheel without the wheel moving an inch.. At home, the power to the truck did not turn off like it normally would after 30 secs. The manual neutral transmission switch was pulled, which normally does not interfere with shutdown. After disengaging the truck powered off. However, I was unable to restart and only a clicking noise was heard. A battery booster jumpstarted successfully. No MIL on dash on startup. Surprisingly, the steering came back to normal. PART NUMBERS. The EPS numbers on the outside casing are P68242957AD and TIC2794A8134. Neither of these numbers have been listed in any of the documentation provided by the NHTSA on the power steering recall nor the reopened investigation.
Whenever the ambient temperature gets below 40 deg F, the "Service Power Steering" warning message appears and the steering doesn't work. The fuse is OK. The battery is OK. The connections going to the steering rack don't have any corrosion on the pins. I opened the steering rack to see if there was any water infiltration that might be causing a short on the circuit board, but it is dry. I saw the 2015 Ram 1500 had a recall for steering issues, but my VIN didn't qualify for the recall. There are no parts available to fix this problem, which tells me this is a widespread issue with the Ram 1500 trucks.
My power steering has suddenly became very stiff when turning left or right and the suddenly loosens up causing the truck to quickly shift left or right. It is every turn into a road or stop sign and there-??s hesitation or a glitchy jerky feeling around curves going normal speed limit. There were no warning signals lights or errors before during or after the incident.
My husband was driving the vehicle when the power steering failed momentarily. It went back to normal but since it is going in and out intermittently. The mechanic will be giving it this week
Drove the truck to work, parked it and the steering was normal. When i left work the steering was very heavy. I have not yet had it looked at by a repair shop.
Power steering very stiff, doesn't return to center. Intermittent normal to very stiff steering while driving. Reading that some have had steering totally " lock " up and not turn at all.
While driving down the road, power steering light came on and lost all steering on the truck. Was luckily able to avoid another car and safely get the truck to the side of the road to get it towed.
Electric power steering randomly stops working. Can be very dangerous when you-??re turning sharp and expecting it to return to center after the turn and it doesn-??t.
going around a curve and the steering wheel locked up. The steering wheel is unresponsive at times and seems to have dead spots when turning. There is also a dry screech when turning the steering wheel at low speeds.
The electric power steering fails when in low temperatures, Usually below 40 degrees. After the truck gets up to temperature the power steering starts working. It has not been inspected by anyone and it is unknown if it could be available for inspection. I have read on multiple forums of people having the same issue. There were no warning lamps present. It is a safety issue because it will happen when you are first taking off. For example it power steering will work coming down the driveway then when you get on the road it will go out, and after the truck gets to running temp. It will start working again.
Power steering service warning came on while turning at low speed.Experienced jerky and erratic steering at lower speeds. Adviced by mechanic to have towed for service, not safe to drive.
*Intermittent/Random Loss of Power Steering. Yes, available for inspection. *When it fails vehicle becomes extremely difficult. Several of near crashes due to steering fail. I currently am not driving to the high risk and awaiting results and actions from NHTSA/Governments current investigations. *Dealer said my VIN is not covered under the current recalls. asked my dealer to inspect during oil change and tire rotation service. I do not know if they documented it in their system. It currently was not failing when they checked for codes/errors. warning steering wheel indicator on dash during failures.
The contact owns a 2015 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel became firm which made the vehicle difficult to operate. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to the electric power steering assist being inoperable. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 179,000.
Electric power steering has failed on the vehicle. We are aware of a recall on trucks manufactured at the same time and wonder if our vehicle should be included in the recall.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Saint Charles, IL, USA