Forward: While pulling out of a mall parking lot my steering failed causing me to momentarily block traffic. There were no warning lights, messages or audible alarms at this time. I was able to safely pull back into the parking spot, turned the vehicle off and turned it back on. Power Steering was restored and no messages/alerts were present. I assumed at that time that maybe the steering wheel lock got hung up. When we got home and went to use the vehicle again the same thing happened except this time it didn’t correct itself and the flashing “Service Power Steering” light came on. The vehicle has not been driven since. After researching this situation I learned that this is a known issue that has not been resolved and I believe this to be a safety impacting defect. (1) Electronic Power Steering (EPS) failure. Vehicle is available for inspection. (2) Loss of vehicle control had the failure occurred on the open road could have led to a crash (3) We have not towed the vehicle to the dealership yet as we will be out of town for a couple of weeks (4) Vehicle has not been inspected by any party at this time (5) There were no warning lamps prior to this failure. After the second failure there is now a blinking “Service Power Steering” message but no fault codes Supplemental: we are the original owners of this vehicle and all maintenance to include known recalls have been kept up-to-date and the vehicle has been well maintained.
2013 Ram 1500 steering complaints
Page 7 of 23: complaints 161 to 190 of 643, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Electronic power steering intermittently fails while driving. This truck has had this issue for months, happens regularly once or twice a week or every 100 so miles. Two repair shops could not replicate the issues. And there is no codes on the scanner. After researching this seems to be a common concern and safety issue on this model/year of ram 1500.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that upon turning off and restarting the vehicle several times, the power steering became operable. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring intermittently. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring an increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The service steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 52,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while reversing into the driveway at 10 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering inadvertently, and the steering became significantly difficult to turn. The contact's husband assisted the contact in reversing the vehicle into the driveway. The message "Power Steering Service" was displayed. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19E077000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Power steering went out while driving and power steering light came on dash.
My 2013 ram 1500 has an electronic power steering system. That unit has completely failed and the steering is locked up. It can't be turned. I was backing out of my driveway when it happened. If I had been going down the road at 60mph someone would have been killed. The truck is unsafe and can't be driven. There is a warning lamp for a power steering issue. Dealer says I have to buy a new steering rack. And that part has been discontinued.
While driving the power steering made a loud clanking noise and the service power steering light came on. Rack and pinion failed. We were driving and no way to turn our vehicle.
While driving, steering locked up and forced me into oncoming traffic during a turn. Both parties had to emergency stop to avoid collision. Vehicle now has no assisted steering, and is near impossible to steer. Ram dealership states a $2600 eps rack, with unkown ETA as they are unable to source one at this time, before $500 in labor.
The electronic power steering locking up and can’t turn the steering wheel
Upon starting the RAM 1500 on or about May 1, 2024, the electric power steering rack and pinion failed to operate. There was no steering assistance at all and it was extremely difficult to turn the steering wheel. The truck was not safely drivable. I observed a check engine light illuminated so I drove it carefully to a shop very close to my residence. The code indicated a failed power steering system but I do not recall the specific code. I contacted my local dealer for assistance. They indicated that since the vehicle was older than 10 yrs old, they did not offer any replacement steering racks or offer any service to the rack. They offered no alternative solution. I did some research, shopped around, and purchased a reconditioned rack and pinion for nearly $2,000. I installed the reconditioned electric rack and pinion assembly myself and power steering control returned as before. Since May 2024, the reconditioned power steering system has been functioning normally. The original rack and pinion is not covered under the limited previous recall. It's barcode reads - P68079506AG and TIC1393C5057 if this is helpful. I have carefully inspected the boots and seals of the unit and all appear very good ruling out any likelihood of water intrusion. Given my electrical engineering background and curiosity, I removed the cover from the circuit board and it does not show any visual damage. It's clean and dry inside. I purchased the truck brand new and it has been garage kept since purchase. It only had approximately 50,000 miles on it when it failed, therefore I am confident that there's a manufacturer defect or long term reliability issue with the electronic circuit design or components used in it that needs to be addressed.
The truck is experiencing intermittent complete loss of power steering
The Electronic Power Steering Module is intermittently cutting in and put, resulting in loss of power steering. This is highly dangerous and should be recalled.
I was parked in the Costco, and when I went to leave, I started the truck, and it said Service Power Steering. The steering wheel was hard to turn.
While making low speed turns steering wheel rips out of hand and is momentarily uncontrollable, and very hard to handle. This issue has caused me to almost crash numerous times.
I was driving on my way to my house when suddenly I lose the power steering on my truck and the wheel started to get hard to turn luckily I was the only person in the street
Lost complete steering with no warning or lights on the dash At risk none was parked and steered perfectly prior to parking There is a recall open for other vin numbers associated with the same issue
Electronic power steering fail. The steering wheel completely locks up. Scared it will lock up while driving. Spoke with dealerships and this is a very common problem in this truck model.
Driving 60 mph and my power steering went out on me and I almost missed the curve and into oncoming traffic. Could have cost some lives! Took it to dodge dealer and the guy told me it was a huge problem with trucks like mine and there are no new parts to fix it. My truck has 60,000 miles on it and I cannot drive it and Dodge will not repair it! Not happy at all!
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed, with the "Service Power Steering" warning light illuminated. The contact made various attempts to repair the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact of an undisclosed recall; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with the same information as the dealer. The approximate failure mileage was 208,000.
I have a dodge ram and the EPS (Electric power steering) had went out making it impossible to steer the while while I was driving I looked up to see if there is a recall for it and Google said there is a recall for the EPS on my make and model truck but when i look at my recalls it says there is no recalls for my truck
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Electric Power Steering (EPS) system has completely failed, resulting in loss of power steering assistance. The system is still installed in the vehicle and can be made available for inspection upon request by the manufacturer, dealer, or regulatory body. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The failure of the power steering system makes the vehicle extremely difficult to control, especially at low speeds or in emergency situations. This increases the risk of crashes, particularly in tight turns, intersections, and highway merging scenarios. I have experienced a near-misses and difficulty maneuvering the vehicle after power steering failure. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Many Ram 1500 owners have reported the issue to dealerships and independent repair shops, some of whom have confirmed that the EPS system fails intermittently or completely stops functioning. Some dealers have replaced the EPS unit, while others have indicated that no official recall has been issued and repairs are at the owner’s expense. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others?
Electric steering assist Is available for inspection No accident Steering failure while driving, stopped vehicle, turned off vehicle and resumed working. This happened 3 or 4 times within an hour. Then quit working completely. Drove a local shop and had it looked at. There was a warning light for the steering on the dash. He reset the light and the steering came back immediately, then went out again. This happened several times. He unable to get the steering back without actually working on the truck. he said issue is with the electric steering.
While driving the power steering suddenly completely went out without warning.
The electric power steering stopped working. The service power steering message appeared on the dash. Unable to turn the steering wheel without great difficulty.
There has been a significant amount of complaints in regards to 2013 dodge ram 1500. Mechanics are aware that the manufacturer has been dodging these issues with allowing unsafe vehicles to be on the road. My power steering all of sudden went out while driving. This should be on recall and not at the consumers expense. Why should I pay for something not caused by myself? Big companies like Dodge/Ram could care less
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the steering wheel with an exclamation and power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact attempted to pull over to the of the road however, the steering wheel failed to function. The contact had the vehicle towed to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with rack pinion and electrical power steering assist failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was pending repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.
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.
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.
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.
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