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.
Intermittent and random loss of electric power steering. Fuse coming off of positive battery terminal for power steering is good, and when power steering is working it functions without issue. Without sign or warning service power steering icon will flash on the dash, resulting in complete loss of power steering. This has been happening for 3 days now, and the power steering system has come back and gone back down countless times at random.
2016 Ram 1500 sports with 68k miles power steering failed randomly after never having problem. Was out on a fishing trip in Alaska and was packing up to leave and started the truck and the service power steering come on!Tried turning vehicle off and on but nothing worked and I didn-??t have good service so it took me a while to contact family! I-??m aware of a previous recall for this model/year but to be at 68k miles and leaving me stranded is terrible will be contacting dealership soon
my 2016 ram 1500 lost power to power steering while driving never regained power back it has been in the shop since may 15 the power steering box has a recall i keep fighting with the dealership i-??ve had to pay for rentals since may 22 the part is on back order from mopar makes you wonder why should i have to pay 5k out of pocket for a recall that should be repaired
The contact's husband owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at slow speeds, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist while making a turn. The contact stated that the steering shaft and shaft pinch bolt had previously been replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the steering shaft and shaft pinch bolt were replaced a second time. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
I was driving truck to doctors office and the steering wheel would not turn, I slammed the brakes and barely missed a disabled women in the parking lot. A red light started flashing on the dash saying service power steering. Towed to mechanic with scan tool and said it needs a complete power steering rack. The truck only has 37,181 miles on it and is garaged since I had it. The dealer quoted 3400 dollars for repair. Called Chrysler customer service, and they said normal wear and tear. I told them I almost ran over someone and they didn't seem to care.
- Rockport , IL, USA
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While driving my 2016 Dodge RAM 1500 at between 25 and 30 MPH on the street behind [XXX] my steeling wheel locked up - or loss of power steering could not turn the vehicle to the left or right. Also a large emergency light and what looked to be like a steering wheel light flashed on my dash. I stopped turned off the truck where I was and turned on the emergency flashers. Uncertain of what happened I got out of the vehicle to see if something was leaking or if I might have lost a belt. Seeing no issues i got back into the truck and started it again. The steering returned so I drove straight home. I contacted the local Ram dealer service department and they had not heard of this issue. So i google it and found that this was an issue with the 2015 2016 1500 RAM i reached out to Stellantiis and was informed to have the truck towed to the RAM dealer to have the truck evaluated. Which i did I was informed by the dealer that it was the electric steering module was defective I reached out to Ram customer service and they said it did not fall within the VIN numbers for the issue. I have the part saved if needed and I have a video of the dash on the day of the incident but can not upload it. Part Number Description My Dodge part number is P68242957AE which I guess before or just after the recall parts number. 68242957AG Unit, Electric Power Steering (DS41) (sales codes 5ZK and 5ZE) or (DS62) (sales codes 5ZJ and 5ZF) or (DS91) (sales codes 5AX and 5ZE) or (DS98) (sales code 5AX and 5ZG) 68242958AF Unit, Electric Power Steering (DS61) (sales codes 5ZJ and 5ZE) 68256617AC Unit, Electric Power Steering (DS98) (sales codes 5AX, 5ZG and AWL)
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and making a turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact forcefully steered the steering wheel, and the vehicle regained power steering functionality shortly afterward. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving and occurred increasingly while driving at slow speeds. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering). The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
My electric power steering quits all of the sudden while I'm driving. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. This is a big concern for me considering I have a wife and child who drive with a lot.
1. The vehicle has steering issues and is no longer drive able. Steering difficulty began in mid to late August 2023. The steering is now impossible to use and vehicle to l is rendered inoperable. 2. Since purchasing the vehicle I have noticed the transmission is having issues shifting gears. The rpm will be high at speeds of 40-60mph, and the vehicle will only shift to a different gear if I take my foot off the gas pedal for an extended period of time. I had auto mechanic troubleshoot and repair what he thought was a dirty or faulty sensor. Issue continues.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel had become very difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Initially while driving the steering wheel would intermittently become stiff. Noticed some difficulty backing into the carport. Yesterday, while driving, the steering wheel became stiff. When going around curves the vehicle would veer off road or into the oncoming lane. Making turns left or right was extremely difficult as there was no steering assist. NHTSA knew about the problem back in 2016, why not inspect all potential threats to life; not just 440 vehicles when a safety risk was known to exist? NHTSA Recall No. : 16V-1
When driving and making turns, steering wheel will lock up and sometimes try and jerk the in the opposite direction as if to try and straighten itself. -??Service Power Steering-?? warning will pop up on screen for a brief moment and go away. This problem has almost become predictable, happening with a harder turn or when at speed. Never happens when sitting still, rolling steering wheel back and forth. And it happens every day, not just a single incident.
The power steering completely stopped working. I originally noticed it was acting differently a few days prior. At that point, it was still working but, steering was ackward. The best way I can think of to describe it, is the steering wheel moved in the positions of seconds on a clock. Similar to a stepper motor. Luckily I was not driving when the complete failure happened. There would be no way to steer effectively. Today I went out for lunch, and the steering was locked up. When I tried to turn the wheel a load buzzing noise seemed to be coming from behind the steering wheel. It is currently at an auto shop but, I may move it to a dodge dealer to have a record of the problem, being there is an ongoing investigation with the NHTSA. The service power steering warning light came on after the total failure. It did not show up when it started acting up. I could possibly make it available for inspection if needed but, I need to get it back in action as soon as possible. Being I have no other vehicle.
Power Steering System Failure Complete Engine Failure Complete Lack of Power Check Engine Light came on March 19, 2024 and the Engine failed within 5 min of it coming on.
The electronic power steering (EPS) module failed and the vehicle lost all power steering making it unsafe to drive the vehicle. The issue was confirmed after being brought to a Ram dealership to be inspected, the inspection for the vehicle confirmed an "Active" code for C2217. I was told by the dealership that the EPS Module had failed and needed to be replaced, and that the ENTIRE Rack and Pinion MUST be replaced.
While driving at approximately 35 mph, the electric steering just quit working. There was a message on the dashboard that said something like "power steering fault, service needed" I was able to steer the truck with extreme difficulty into a parking lot. Called a tow truck which took 2 hours to arrive. At the time the truck arrived the power steering started functioning again. I had tried starting up the truck multiple times before the tow truck arrived with no luck in getting the electric steering working again. It just magically "fixed" itself. I feel I can't let my wife drive the truck since there would be no way she would have the strength to steer it should the truck loose steering again.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon the start of the vehicle, the steering wheel independently steered to the left and seized in place. The contact stated that steering wheel icon started to flash on the instrument panel with the "Power Steering Service" and "Service Power Steering" messages displayed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The dealer determined that the Electric Power Steering (EPS) control circuit board had caused a short which resulted in the loss of power steering assist. The contact was then notified of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering) however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 130,900.
The power steering suddenly and entirely ceased to function with no prior warning whatsoever. Prior to that sudden failure there had never been anything wrong with the power steering or the steering function itself. There were no prior warning lights to the failure. Luckily the failure occurred while pulling out of a parking space at 1 mile per hour. The vehicle could then be steered only with great effort. We had the car towed to a dodge dealer and they said the rack and pinion unit needed replacement. I read online that the NHTSA opened on August 4, 2023 an investigation RQ 23-003 into this exact problem that I experienced. This ODI Resume/Investigation report indicates that this sudden or intermittent power steering failure applies to approximately 1.1 million vehicles of 2013-2016 Ram 1500s.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Aurora , MN, USA