While driving 70mph on the interstate, the truck randomly shut off. I lost power steering. Luckily I was going straight and there were no curves in the road, and I managed to pull the truck and trailer to the side of the road. All electrical assist, steering and brakes turned completely off, radio turned off, all electrical power was off. The engine shut off as well. As I was pulling over, the electrical turned back on but the engine did not. Once I was stopped, I turned the key off, waited 30 seconds, and then started the truck. It ran fine the rest of the way home, approximately 30 miles. I have not drove the truck since. This has happened 3 times, once parked idling after I pressed the door unlock button and the other time in the middle of an intersection. I took the truck to the dealership, paid for the inspection fee, but they could not recreate or find any wiring problems. It did throw a code when it happened, U0121 (Lost communication with ABS module). The dealer said they had to recreate it to diagnosis. I am fearful if I continue to drive the truck to pull my trailer, this could happen again while I am in a turn and I will not be able to continue to turn or stop the vehicle without electrical assist. Dodge does not seem interested in trying to fix this safety issue.
2011 Dodge RAM 3500: loss of power steering
7 of the 225 complaints about the 2011 Dodge RAM 3500 describe loss of power steering.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 2
Loss of power steering by model year
What owners say
The passenger side tire rod in the steering linkage that connects from one tire to the other fell out of the adjusting tube it was screwed into. This caused both wheels to canter out for a total loss of steering. I had just refueled and was going 2mph turning out of the gas station. Had I been back on the single lane hwy at 50mph the loss of steering would have resulted in a head on collision or dumping me into the forest trees. Having worked on similar front end parts in the past I find this absurd that those parts would simply pull apart, even if it were involved in striking a curb (which was not the case here). I have asked to repair facility to save the parts.
When going on rough roads vehicle shuts off. Have to manipulate ignition to get to start again. My family has 3 of these trucks and all are having these same issues. Just had ignition module replaced on a 2012 ram with 100000 miles because it shut off when going down road and frightened driver. When truck dies you have no power steering or brakes. Search on internet shows this to be a common problem to many with trucks of this year.
Power steering assist is not working. When your moving slow in the vihicle it's very hard to turn the steering wheel, when I took my dodge ram 3500 in for an oil change the dealership said that it was because the power steering assist is not working and that is why you are unable to turn the wheel while sitting or moving very slow. So it makes it almost impossible to pull out of a parking spot. I'm a disabled person so it's very difficult to pull in and out of parking spots, so I drive around to find spots that can be pulled straight into and out of.
Vehicle continues to exhibit extreme and uncontrollable front-end vibration when turning over a bump or groove in the road at speeds over 25 MPH ("death wobble") subsequent to the n49 recall finally being performed on said vehicle on 10/9/14. The vibration continues until the vehicle is slowed to a stop. This vehicle is used to tow a fifth-wheel trailer in excess of 18,000 lbs, which is understood to exacerbate this defect and cause a loss of steering control and crashes that would affect numerous other vehicles on the road at the same time necessarily resulting in serious injury and/or death to the occupants of those vehicles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 dodge ram 3500. The contact stated that the power steering assist failed. The vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 13v529000 (steering) however, the recall had surpassed a reasonable amount of time for repair. The dealer stated the part was not available for repair and that the part that they were using to repair the vehicles was also recalled. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was not available.
Driving at night going about 60 MPH when all systems failed, no engine, no power brakes, no power steering and worst of all, no lights. Engine wouldn't crank, fuse box was making snapping sounds even with key out of ignition. After about 5 min truck started and I was able to drive it home, about 5 miles. Truck ran, but poorly. The next day I attempted to drive it to the dodge dealer, truck did same thing (complete system failure) after driving about 5 miles. I then had truck towed to the dealer. Naturally truck runs fine for service tech, they reset a bunch of codes, but could find nothing definitive. Unable or unwilling to do more. This fills me with absolutely no confidence. In 4 days I need to take this truck pulling a trailer from wa to az for work.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
- What is wrong
- Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 RAM 2500 4X4 and 3500 4X4 trucks, 2008-2012 Dodge RAM 3500 4x2 Cab Chassis, and model year 2008 Dodge RAM 1500 Mega Cab 4x4. The left tie rod assembly may break.
- Risk
- A failure of the tie rod assembly may result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler notified owners on January 16, 2014 that dealers would inspect vehicles and replace the steering linkage assembly, if necessary. On or about February 27, 2014, Chrysler ceased its recall remedy program due to parts quality concerns, and then re-initiated it on or about April 14, 2014. In July 2015, and under a consent order with the federal safety agency, the company agreed to offer owners three options for remedying their vehicles: perform the original remedy, offer to repurchase the vehicle at the fair market value plus 10%, or offer an additional incentive offer towards the purchase of a new Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler, or Fiat vehicle. Chrysler will notify owners of the new recall options in a letter expected to be mailed on August 31, 2015. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1‑800‑247‑9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N49.
Recall number 13V529000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages: tie rod assembly
- What is wrong
- Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 dodge ram 2500/3500 4x4, manufactured from february 14, 2008, through march 28, 2011; model year 2008-2011 dodge ram 3500 cab chassis 4x2, manufactured from february 14, 2008, through march 28, 2011; and model year 2008 dodge ram 1500 mega cab 4x4, manufactured from february 14, 2008, through august 15, 2008, because the left tie rod ball stud may fracture. This condition tends to occur during low speed parking lot type maneuvers when the customer is making a tight turn. Additionally, model year 2003-2008 dodge ram 2500/3500 vehicles may have received the affected tie rod assembly as a replacement part during normal service.
- Risk
- This condition could result in the potential loss of directional stability in the left hand front wheel, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the tie rod ends for relative orientation and replace the left outer tie rod as required and perform a front end toe alignment as needed. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on october 3, 2011. Owners may contact chrysler at 1‑800‑853‑1403.
Recall number 11V350000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2011 Dodge RAM 3500 power steering loss
Is loss of power steering a common problem on the 2011 Dodge RAM 3500?
7 of 225 owner complaints about the 2011 Dodge RAM 3500 (3%) mention loss of power steering. The model year with the most reports is 2007.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2011 Dodge RAM 3500?
There are 2 recalls and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2011 Dodge RAM 3500
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