The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received almost 400 complaints about Ram 1500 trucks losing power steering. Now, it is opening an investigation into the unsafe occurrence with its electronic steering system. If a Ram 1500 recall is necessary, it could affect over 1.1 million Ram 1500 pickups. 

The Ram Trucks that are part of the investigation are from 2013 to 2016. So far, the NHTSA says there are three reported crashes from the sudden loss of power steering. Stellantis already issues a Ram 1500 recall for 440 trucks in March 2016 for issues with the electrical power steering. The recall was only for certain 2015 and 2016 trucks. 

What issues do Ram 1500 drivers have?

But the NHTSA says the issue goes way beyond those 400-plus trucks. It says it wants “to determine if the scope of the (2016) recall is correct, or if another defect might exist.” The agency has a lot of consumer complaints backing up its concerns.

Many of the complaints were over very expensive repair bills, while others dealt with the serious safety risks from the sudden loss of steering. Still, others said the repairs took a long time due to parts not being readily available. 

What do some of the Ram 1500 complaints say?

According to Reuters, a Florida driver of a 2013 Ram 1500 suddenly could not turn left or right. The parts alone cost over $2,000 to fix the steering. Another California driver of a 2014 Ram 1500 truck was on a freeway when suddenly the steering wheel “seized and became immobile. Using tremendous force, I was able to get the truck through traffic and to the side of the road.”

Yet, another reports the driver of a 2015 Ram 1500 lost power assist. This caused him to drive “into a ditch, which caused minor damages to the front end of the vehicle.” 

Should this turn into a recall, it will be the second for the Ram 1500 this year. Already 132,000 2021 pickups are part of a recall over engine stalling. Only trucks with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with eTorque hybrid engines are part of this recall. 

Where to find recall information

As for the 2016 Ram 1500 power steering recall, the electronic steering control circuits were short-circuiting from contamination. For these cases, Ram was replacing the EPS gear at no charge.

If you have questions or concerns and want more information, you can contact the Stellantis or NHTSA through their websites. Be sure to have your VIN handy to put into their respective systems. 

Since Ram’s completely new 1500 pickup first came out in 2019, there have been 56 recalls for various reasons, including two already in 2023. The two this year are for fuel pump issues for its 3.0-liter diesel models and malfunctioning trailer reverse steering control modules affecting rear camera images.