Vehicle experienced a sudden loss and binding of electric power steering (EPS) assist, creating an unreasonable safety hazard requiring excessive manual effort to control. The dashboard power steering warning lamp is now actively illuminated. While this 2017 Ram 1500 is currently excluded from automated VIN recall lists (S19/VB9), physical inspection confirms it contains the identical contaminated circuit board architecture and part design under federal investigation in the federal safety agency probe RQ 23-003 (covering 2013–2024 Ram power steering failures). Manufacturer is incorrectly denying coverage based strictly on a narrow VIN rollout while identical hardware fails in the field. While no vehicle crash occurred, the sudden loss of power assist and steering binding requires severe physical force to control, directly aggravating driver physical strain and chronic back pain. Component is available for inspection.
2017 Ram 1500: sudden loss of power
63 of the 886 complaints about the 2017 Ram 1500 describe sudden loss of power.
- owner complaints
- 63
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical repair cost reported
- $3,000
- typical mileage
- 61,000
- recalls
- 3
Sudden loss of power by model year
What owners say
The power steering completely stopped working during normal driving conditions. It is not a blown fuse, as those have been checked. My safety and the safety of others on the road was impaired by the sudden loss of power steering. The warning of servicing power steering only came on AFTER the power steering was lost. There were no prior symptoms that would have let us know there was any kind of issue with the steering.
while driving on the highway at 75mph, the pickup engine completely lost power and died. we could not restart the engine. Eventually we were able to put it in neutral and pull it off of the highway with another pickup. The Z46 recall for the high-pressure fuel pump was replaced the prior month. the dealer diagnosis is faulty fuel injectors now
Sudden loss of power steering. Turning off of the main road into my neighborhood I completely lost power steering. The power steering warning light was in the dash at that point. I managed to get the truck home. Checked fuses and all way good. After restarting my truck everything was working as expected. The warning light was gone. Every other model of ram this year has been recalled except this one. This is unacceptable.
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The contact stated that extra effort was needed to maintain control of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19E077000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
EPS rack and pinion failing at 140,000km. Steering gets tight when driving long distances and at higher speeds. Intermittent loss of power steering happening daily. This is super concerning safety wise as this happened when i was on the highway and could have been a serious accident. Not to mention I have to pay over $4000.00 to have this repaired.
The electric power steering system has now completely failed and the steering is fully locked/stiff at all times. The vehicle cannot be safely driven or operated. The issue began as intermittent loss of power steering assist and progressed to total failure without warning. Steering now requires extreme force and is effectively unusable. This creates a serious safety hazard, especially if it occurs while driving or turning. The vehicle is currently undrivable and unsafe. The vehicle has not yet been inspected but is available for inspection upon request.
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality with the steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V198000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 177,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the message "Service Power Steering" was displayed. The vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The contact restarted the vehicle several times to correct the failure, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19E077000 (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 federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was 24,487.
Truck suddenly lost power, and no power steering assistance at all. Had it checked out by mechanic and mechanic stated a new Rack and Pinion was needing costing over 2 Grand.
I was driving my truck today. I went to turn on cruise control and as I got to the mileage that I wanted, I hit set and then after I hit set about a half mile down the road a truck after wanted to lose power and then allowed bang from the transmission then it did it again bang I turned the cruise control off. I pulled over and I looked it up and it told me do not use the cruise control again and try to get home safely and that’s exactly what I did.
Lost all power steering.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Water Pump & Chain Case Cover
- Verify Reman part number availability
- CEL (Check Engine Lamp) C006A-49 Multi-Axis Acceleration Sensor Internal Electronic Failure And C10CC-00...
- Valve
- Cooler
- Throttle Blade Icing Service Fix Customers may experience a Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) illumination
- Suspected engine coolant leak.
- Water Quality When Mixed With Engine Coolant
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Ram 1500 and 2014-2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with 3.0L Diesel engines. The crankshaft position sensor tone wheel may delaminate, causing the engine to lose its ability to synchronize the fuel injector pulses and cam shaft timing, possibly resulting in an engine stall.
- Risk
- An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the powertrain control module software to maintain vehicle propulsion, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed August 3, 2023. Some owner notification letters were mailed October 31, 2023. The remaining owner notification letters will be mailed at a future date, anticipated July 2024. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. FCA US, LLC's number for this recall is 66A. This recall is an expansion of recall 20V‑475.
Recall number 23V411000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: engine: diesel
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2018 Ram 1500 and 2014-2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles equipped with 3.0L diesel engines. The crankshaft position sensor tone wheel may delaminate causing the engine to lose its ability to synchronize the fuel injector pulses and cam shaft timing, possibly resulting in an engine stall.
- Risk
- An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- FCA US will notify owners, and dealers will update the powertrain control module software to maintain vehicle propulsion by reading the camshaft position signal in the event that the crankshaft position signal is lost, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 13, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US customer service at 1‑800‑853‑2002. FCA US's number for this recall is W58.
Recall number 20V475000 · Recall details
Engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: emission control: gas recirculation valve (EGR valve)
- What is wrong
- Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2014-2019 Ram 1500 and 1500 Classic Pickup trucks equipped with 3.0L Eco Diesel engines. The Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) cooler may crack and allow pre-heated vaporized coolant to enter the EGR system. This mixture may combust inside the intake manifold.
- Risk
- Combustion in the intake manifold can increase the risk of a fire.
- Remedy
- Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EGR cooler, free of charge. Dealers will also inspect and, as necessary, replace the intake manifold. The recall began April 16, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1‑800‑853‑1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is VB1.
Recall number 19V757000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2017 Ram 1500 loss of power
Is sudden loss of power a common problem on the 2017 Ram 1500?
63 of 886 owner complaints about the 2017 Ram 1500 (7%) mention sudden loss of power. The model year with the most reports is 2013.
How much does it cost to fix sudden loss of power on the 2017 Ram 1500?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $3,000 (median of 8 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2017 Ram 1500?
There are 3 recalls and 68 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2017 Ram 1500
Power steering loss 95ABS 75Check engine light 57Adaptive cruise 46No deployment 31Knocking 28Stalling 26Fuel gauge 23Fuel pump 23Fire or smoke 18Engine failure 14Jerking 14Steering lock-up 14Key fob 11Won't start 11Hesitation 10Won't shift 10Tire blowout 9Airbag light 8Backup camera 8Fuel smell 8Headlights 8Pulling 7Ball joint 6Shudder 6Water leak 6Brake failure 5Door locks 5Wipers 5
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