The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that one of the brake calipers was locking up, causing the vehicle to veer from side to side while accelerating. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where a technician diagnosed the vehicle with a seized brake caliper. The service center confirmed the failure. Due to the constant dragging, the brake pads became excessively worn and failed to perform as needed. The brake parts were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact was able to control the vehicle; however, the steering wheel was firmer than normal.
2013 Ram 1500: engine failure
42 of the 1,283 complaints about the 2013 Ram 1500 describe engine failure.
- owner complaints
- 42
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- typical mileage
- 100,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 51 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Engine failure by model year
What owners say
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The steering wheel seized, and the power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The failure was intermittent. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 232,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, the steering wheel seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. After restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel unlocked for two seconds and then seized again. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,092.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to turn to the right, the steering wheel seized. The contact used excessive force to maneuver the vehicle. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired and remained at the residence. The contact called and notified the manufacturer of the failure. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19E077000 (STEERING). However, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 220,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the steering wheel seized. No warning lights were illuminated. In addition, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road using excessive force on the steering wheel, ran into a culvert, then ran over the culvert into a driveway and crashed into a trash can, where it came to a stop. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered no injuries. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired and remained at the residence. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,359.
The contact owns a 2013 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while coasting to an idle stop at a red light, the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the ABS module had failed. The dealer still had not received the part due to the part being on back order. After having the vehicle diagnosed while driving approximately 75 mph, and coming to slowed traffic, the contact attempted to decelerate. Suddenly, another vehicle cut in front of them, and the contact slammed the brake pedal down. The left front tire seized, causing the vehicle to spin counterclockwise. The left front side of the truck hit a nearby guardrail. The vehicle continued to spin, causing damage to the front-end and rear-end. The air bag did not deploy. The contact was able to maneuver the vehicle to safety. The contact was able to continue driving after restarting the vehicle at their home. There were no injuries. No medical attention was needed. No police report was filed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer after the incident occurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
My steering on my 2013 Ram 1500 completely seized while the vehicle was in motion, with no warning. I was leaving a drive through luckily at low speed, I am reporting this because if this had happened 2 minutes later, I would have been on a 55mph 2 lane highway, and possibly caused an accident harming me or other drivers. I had a few mechanics look at it and state they thought it was the steering rack, and how unsafe it was that it seized completely. The vehicle is open to inspection. I hope this at least gets looked into, I don’t want anybody to get hurt.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 50 MPH, the service power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that his wife pulled over to the side of the road, stopped, and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized twice after restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted again, and the warning light was still illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.
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)
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel seized with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle off to the side of the road. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with an electrical power steering gear failure. The independent mechanic contacted several local dealers and was informed by each dealer that the part for the repair was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 45MPH, the steering wheel seized, and the contact depressed the brake pedal because the steering wheel could not be turned. The vehicle was turned off and restarted; however, the steering functionality had not returned. The steering assist fault message was displayed. The contact towed the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 5 MPH leaving a parking space, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that extra effort was needed to steer the vehicle in either direction. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stopped and turned off and restarted the vehicle several time however, the power steering functionality had not returned. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the electric power steering assist gears and sensors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the independent mechanic had related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.
Service bulletins that may apply
- CEL (Check Engine Lamp) C006A-49 Multi-Axis Acceleration Sensor Internal Electronic Failure And C10CC-00...
- Throttle Blade Icing Service Fix Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination
- Water Quality When Mixed With Engine Coolant
- WiTECH Small Leak Verification Test (SLVT)
- Adapter
- Adapter
- Customer complaints may include abnormal engine noise, rough idle, lack of power, misfire
- Issue involves overheating, running hot, coolant leaks and related symptoms after a Mopar replacement...
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2013 RAM 1500 trucks manufactured manufactured June 25, 2012, through December 12, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the coolant bypass valve may stick in a position that does not allow coolant to flow into the heater core. Thus, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Vehicle Motor Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."
- Risk
- Without a properly working windshield defrosting system, a buildup of mositure or ice could limit the driver's ability to see, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace replace the suspect coolant valves along with an updated calibration, free of charge. The recall began on June 25, 2013. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1‑800‑247‑9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N25.
Recall number 13V177000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2013 Ram 1500 engine failure
Is engine failure a common problem on the 2013 Ram 1500?
42 of 1,283 owner complaints about the 2013 Ram 1500 (3%) mention engine failure. The model year with the most reports is 2015.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 Ram 1500?
There is 1 recall and 51 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2013 Ram 1500
Power steering loss 272Loss of power 119Steering lock-up 63ABS 53Check engine light 46Stalling 30Knocking 28Jerking 28Adaptive cruise 27Airbag light 27Headlights 26Key fob 24Won't start 19Door locks 18No deployment 16Ball joint 13Wipers 13Misfire 11Overheating 10Brake failure 9Fire or smoke 8Grinding brakes 7Won't shift 7Backup camera 6Fuel smell 5Rollaway 5Tire blowout 5Warning lights 5
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