2019 Ram 1500: jerking or lurching

Filed Oct 5, 2026 · Steering · FL

At very low speeds, like 0-10 miles an hour, trying to turn the steering wheel left or right, cause the steering wheel to suddenly violently jerk back. Example. Im driving straight at 2 mph, try to turn left, and the steering fights me and jerks back to straight very violent, hurting my wrists.When you increase the speed, the steering appears to work, but Im afraid to test it at higher speeds. This also happens when parked.

Filed Aug 24, 2026 · Steering · VA

My truck's electric power steering (EPS) gets stuck in a left-hand turn and does not return to center. I have to physically turn the steering wheel to get it to return to center which causes the vehicle to over-steer, causes jerky movements and makes drives at highway speeds very unsafe. The steering system gets stuck mostly in a left-hand turn but less so in a right-hand turn. This appears to either be a faulty design of the EPS or faulty equipment, but either way, it is unsafe and should be recalled.

Filed Apr 24, 2026 · Brakes, Steering · PA

ABS warning comes on then steering wheel jerks. Additionally, traction control and 4WD is shut off

Filed Mar 26, 2026 · Transmission · WA

Transmission won't go into reverse at times, auto shifting back to park before check engine light comes on. Vehicle initially started with hard shifts at low speeds about 25 mph. Issue progressed to the point where vehicle has to be put into reverse. Otherwise vehicle would not shift at the same point about 25 mph and would be stuck in the low gear until vehicle is shut off and restarted then put into reverse before proceeding. The issue has continued to grow where shifting into reverse causes the vehicle to noticeably lurch back with a very heavy thunk before putting it into drive. Reverse takes time engaging. However the issue will persist and it will not go into reverse before Auto shifting to park and the check engine light comes on. Vehicle would drive for a little while before the transmission would stop shifting and go into limp mode where I wouldn't be able to drive over 30 miles per hour without very high RPMs. During some of those times the vehicle would take a long time before the transmission would engage and shift which would cause the vehicle to jerk abruptly forward. And at times back tires have lost traction. Recently the vehicles transmission has disengaged entirely while driving. At times it'll be 40 mph where it will disengage or in one case about 15 mph as I was making a turn and in the intersection it disengaged. First time the vehicle went to a dealership. They were unable to replicate the problem and that was approximately 30,000 mi on the odometer. The second time it went in with the issue it was diagnosed as being a service bulletin which was then updated and issue remained. The third time it was brought in there was a code that showed that the clutch gear ratio was incorrect. Mechanics have said the vehicle needs a new transmission and this has been a known issue with the 8-speed 8 HP75 by ZF transmissions. Transmission has also surged and lunged while braking at various points. While completely stopped, vehicle has lurched forward.

Filed Aug 13, 2025 · Electrical, Transmission · 16,000 miles · MO

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the vehicle jerked violently and downshifted unintendedly. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the gear shift indicator and speedometer were malfunctioning. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact stated that the failure had recurred while driving at various speeds, and the vehicle stalled on several occasions. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was able to be restarted after 5-15 minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with loose wires. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that while his son was driving 65 MPH, the failure recurred, and the vehicle shut off. The contact's son was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact’s son was unable to remove the ignition key when the vehicle shut off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.

Filed Apr 28, 2025 · Electrical, Steering · TX

While driving the freeway at 70 mph, the truck flashed a message to service shifter. Windshield wipers starting going on their own, all messages popped up on dashboard, and the vehicle started gradually slowing down posing a safety issue. Speedometer was going from 0-50 mph back and forth and steering wheel was hard to maneuver. I was able to get off the freeway and into the frontage safely. However, turning the vehicle was a hassle and even more so when I tried to drive in to a parking lot to get to a safer area since the truck wouldn’t respond to the gas pedal nor would the steering wheel cooperate. If I wanted to turn it left it jerked on its own to the right. Vehicle shut off on its own and wouldn’t power back on after that. Tow truck had to be called and was told this was a cause of rfh by rear window(shortage caused by leak on third brake light) this happened after it being repaired. Truck was in shop for over two weeks. Today I’m being told it is the rack and pinion system causing this shortage and issue. Awaiting repair quote for that

Filed Apr 20, 2025 · Engine, Fuel system · CA

Engine failure after fuel pump recall replacement(37,500 miles). My fuel pump had a mandatory recall. I drove my truck in and everything was running perfect. I drove the truck less than 100 miles after the fuel pump replacement recal and it started to make nocking sounds and the gas was lagging , not accelerating normal. The gears were not shifting normal but rather jerking in and out of gears at different RPM's. I was on the highway in CA and I was scared that I was gonna hit someone or be hit myself from the gas lag and jerky shifting. I drove back into the dealership again 100 miles after the fuel pump replacement. I was charged $288 dollars for them to tell me I needed a new engine. No engine lights or warnings. Now 100 miles after the fuel pump replacement and 2 months out of warranty they wanted $22,000 to replace my engine. They said they would do me a favor and replace it for $4300 since I was 2 months and 1500 miles past my warranty. Now I'm left without a truck 100 miles after the fuel pump replacement. I couldn't afford a rental car and they didn't have any for me to rent at the dealership. I was soon fired from my job as I was scrambling to find $4300 just laying around. Now I don't have a job and $4300 plus $288 in debt on my credit card at 22% interest. These same fuel pumps have already had class action lawsuits on them for earlier models. Metal shavings were being produced within the fuel system. The other problem being reported was over heating from the connector rod to the crankshaft. The connection was overheating and causing bearings at the connection to fail. Once that happens 1 or more cylinders stop pumping correctly and the engine blows. So there are 2 possibilities for this engine failure. I am certain that my car was damaged by 1 or both of these poor engineering mistakes. They could have hurt or killed someone and they are hiding the real problem until they get caught.

Filed Mar 19, 2025 · Steering · 58,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly jerked to the left and to the right and lost power steering functionality. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that a fee would be charged for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V812000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

Filed Jan 5, 2025 · Steering · KS

When driving in wet road conditions the truck will jerk the steering wheel to the left into oncoming traffic. When the condition happens it’s impossible to hold the steering wheel straight to keep in the proper lane. During dry road conditions the steering works and will remain in the proper lane with no issues

Filed Dec 28, 2024 · Brakes, Transmission · WI

Vehicle behaved erratically before repair and still does. It seemed a bit better after the repair but issues are still there. It lurches forward when coming to a stop and accelerates in a delayed manner, starting slow and then jumping forward. The 4 wheel drive issues system errors like overheated and function diminished. At times it just doesn't work. Systems turn themselves on. (axle lock) These issues existed since the vehicle was new with the dealership telling me they didn't know what could cause them.

Filed Jun 17, 2024 · Brakes, Driver assistance · PA

Quick hard accel (less than 5 seconds), followed by emergency braking, caused the brakes to not respond for more than one second. Brakes would not emergency brake, only had minor stopping force. This occurs on the first time, so brake fade is ruled out. Starting the vehicle, than rapidly putting into gear D or R, while brakes are applied causes vehicle to lurch forward or backward depending on the gear chosen. Movement of over a full truck length is possible. I suspect it's a problem with the logic in the electronic braking. I can reproduce it whenever I'd like, but no accidents have occurred yet.

Filed Mar 25, 2024 · Steering · 120,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality intermittently. The message "Service Power Steering" was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 45 MPH around a curb, the failure recurred. The contact forcefully turned the steering wheel and continued driving; however, the steering wheel jerked while the power steering became functional again, nearly causing the contact to drive into oncoming traffic. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V812000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.