Problems with 2013 RAM 1500 STEERING

Truck has a type of electric assisted steering. while driving steering just quits working and very difficult to turn, takes a lot of strength, very dangerous, especially at speed. after shutting off ignition, it will sometimes return to normal, but will again just unexpectedly stop working, very dangerous especially for people that do not possess above average arm strength

The power steering failed on my wife while she was driving. this problem is the same problem as the 2015 ram recall. why do we not qualify for recall. luckily she was able to stop and not crash. what is being done about this?

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. while the contact was driving and making a left turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. the contact was able to depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. the contact parked in a nearby parking lot and the power steering warning indicator was illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the dealer and manufacturer were not notified. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 63,969.

While backing into my parking space at work my 2013 ram 1500 express lost power steering. the service power steering light came on and i lost the ability to steer. the electric motor could be heard trying to turn the rack and pinion but the tires where extremely difficult to turn. this happened at 60,000 miles within 2 weeks of sending my vehicle in to the dealership to fix recalls i had.

Upon starting engine and backing from carport i noticed steering was stiff and 'service power steering' notice and symbol were displayed on dash. absolutely no electric power steering assist. tried restarting engine but problem persisted. i had no warning signs whatsoever, as the power steering had been operating exactly as usual the evening before. thankfully the failure happened as i started the vehicle instead of negotiating a curve or driving in traffic. this failure happened with approximately 46,000 miles on the vehicle. these miles were almost exclusively normal highway miles on good, pothole and construction free roads. a part as integral to the safety and operation of a vehicle as the entire steering rack should not fail within 46,000 miles without some responsibility shouldered by the manufacturer, in my opinion. the steering rack alone was $1875.00 not including labor or taxes.

Our 2013 ram 1500 suddenly lost it's power steering. vehicle had been driving fine but had a "rubbing" noise when turning. took to mechanic and said "this is typical of ram's". wondering if that was precursor to electronic power steering (eps) unit to fail. son had driven truck to school without issue. when started to come home service power steering light came on dash and he was unable to turn the steering wheel. luckily this failed while parked, because loss if power steering on such a large vehicle would have certainly resulted in an accident. after investigation, this is a noted problem with ram 1500 and has even resulted in recalls for other model years but not 2013. 2013 was the first model year for eps and it is clearly faulty. with a replacement part costing ~$2100 with labor an additional $600, this is a costly repair for an essential element for safe driving. this really should be up to fiat-chrysler america (fca) to own up to this defect and issue a recall before a serious accident causing injury/death occurs.

Vehicle was in motion backing out of my driveway. when i backed into the street and attempted to roll the steering wheel to the left to align myself in the direction of desired travel, the steering suddenly became extremely hard to turn and a red flashing light (bright red steering wheel followed by an exclamation mark) appeared on my dash. i immediately pulled back into my driveway and the steering wheel was all but impossible to move in any direction. the truck has less than 30k miles on it. my online research shows that at least 44 other 2013 ram1500 trucks have had the same problem. this is a latent safety issue and the manufacturer should have already issued a recall on this problem. will it take a person, or persons, being killed as a result of this issue before it is addressed? additionally, the repair costs for this issue have varied from $1800-$2700 to consumers owning these trucks. consumers should not be having to pay for something that is a major safety issue. nor should these components be going "bad" on a vehicle with such low mileage.

Complaint involving power steering: on june 16th when i was about to head home from a restaurant the car gave me a power steering error and the steering wheel wouldn't move. i had to turn off the car and start it back up for it to go away. i made it home that night but the next morning when i was leaving to work in the morning it gave me the same error and i wasn't able to get the code to go away nor drive the car. since i couldn't take the chance of it happening while i'm out of town working. i haven't been using the truck. this also happened to my friends 2014 ram and his charger. the same week it happened to my truck.

This vehicle had a catastrophic failure to the steering rack in may of 2019. the vehicle had only 8400 miles and had been in like new condition. the electronic power steering failed, which locked up making it near impossible to handle. if exiting a highway at normal speed there would have been a major crash. recalls have been done on later models but not the 2013, which was the first year of install. the repair bill was in excess of $2400.00. right after the warranty of the vehicle. this should not have happened with this mileage in factory like new condition. besides the danger involved the repair for same is absurd and should be repaired at the expense of dodge. there are numerous blogs about the failure of this part and should be investigated.

I was driving home from mccall, id on feb 4th in heavy snowy/ winter conditions in my 2013 ram 1500 when my electronic power steering completely went out going around a corner. thankfully i was able to manage the steering avoiding a guard rail and going into a river. i was towing a 1967 volkswagen bug behind me as well. the dash lite up and was showing a service power steering light. i pulled over and turned my truck off and restarted it. after restarting it the light when away and my power steering came back. fast forward one week, feb 11th. i had just gotten to hailey, id. approximately 2.5 hrs from meridian, id where i live. once again snowy conditions. the power steering failed again, this time it would not come back. i had to drive home the next 2.5 hrs with zero power steering. my 2013 ram 1500 has 32,100 miles on it. i have done some research and it shows that i need a new steering rack, that retails at $1,800 and is currently on back order. to me this hints a problem with the part. there is multiple people online having the same issue with there 2013. it would be nice if dodge would stand behind this failing part before it claims someones life.

Turned the ignition on and the "service power steering " light came on and when i started the truck there was no power steering. the truck has 49985 miles and now i believe i must pay for the repairs. i was going to buy another dodge but this has changed my mind my next truck will be a chevy 2500 for sure.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. while the contact was warming up the vehicle, the power steering failed. the vehicle was taken to swope chrysler dodge jeep ram (located at 1012 n dixie hwy, elizabethtown, ky 42701, (270) 765-2181) where it was diagnosed that the module in the rack and pinion malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 149,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. while operating the vehicle, the electric power steering became inoperable and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. the local dealer (arrigo dodge, 5851 s. us hwy 1, fort pierce, fl) and the manufacturer were notified, but no assistance was offered. the failure mileage was 4,800. the vin was unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. while operating the vehicle in cold temperatures, the power steering failed and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. also, the "service power steering" message displayed. the vehicle was taken to crown dodge (2120 chatman rd, chattanooga, tn) where it was diagnosed that the electric rack and pinion was faulty and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified and did not assist. the failure mileage was 107,000.

Dashboard reads "check power steering fluid". there is no power steering fluid reservoir on the 2013 dodge ram, it has an electronic power steering. took to dealer for diagnostics who states the eps and radio use the same module and the eps module requires replacement. the steering wheel is locked up. the vehicle is inoperable with this fix. it cannot simply be wear and tear on a 5 year old vehicle. the eps module should be made to last a lifetime, and if not, then the consumer should be made aware that it will have to be replace within 5 years of purchase at an expense of up to $3k. i feel this is a manufacturer failure and should have a recall. i was lucky my vehicle was stationary at the time of the failure or serious injury could have been caused since the steering wheel locked up entirely. it does not turn whatsoever. if i was traveling at a high rate of speed on a highway or in heavy traffic, this could have resulted in not only serious injury, but possible fatalities.

Electric power steering rack went out 26500 miles 2700.00 to replace.this is a safety issue! recalled 2015 model but not 13&14! and they had problems. i guess it will take a death.

When starting truck a dash indication of "service power steering" is displayed. attempt to turn steering wheel and it manual steering. no assist. turn vehicle off for 5 minutes and start again and issue returns. vehicle is unsafe to drive without power steering.

Driving vehicle when digital instrument cluster went black and engine stopped total loss of braking and steering assist. loss of control of vehicle which rolled to stop. no collision or damage to vehicle. vehicle restarts and driveable no digital information displayed. dealer says digital instrument cluster failure. concern definite safety risk if happened in traffic or when turning or stopping. did the failure of the digital instrument cluster kill the engine or did something else kill the engine and the cluster. if the vehicle is driveable is it safe to drive or can expect repeat of same incident?

Electric power steering quit working on 6/28/18. vehicle had only 29000 miles at time of problem. dodge would not cover replacement for steering rack. dodge ram 1500 had a recall on this steering rack in 2015. but would not cover the 2013. the coast for replacement was 2617.00 vehicle was in motion on city street.

Driving 2013 ram 1500 with only 36,623 miles on the odometer. made a right hand turn at major intersection, without any warning, the steering wheel would not turn, reacted instantly applying brakes to prevent collision. at that point, the dash light illuminated steering wheel, indicating problem after the occurrence. this could have been catastrophic to others and myself, by not having steering control. after taken to the dealer, it was diagnose as electric steering module failure and part was non serviceable. to make the repair, this would require complete steering rack replacement, along with front end alignment. having no recalls and being out of warranty, estimated repair cost $2,200. it is a disgrace, that consumers are being put into danger and then charged for poorly design product. after checking, the electric steering is a problem and other complaints have been filed. there should be a class action submitted concerning this issue, demanding compensation for this inferior steering control.

Driving assistance features were rendered unavailable during a software update which i believe contributed to a collision. the vehicle was in motion on a highway when control was lost resulting in a crash.

Turned the ignition on and the "service power steering " light came on and when i started the truck there was no power steering. the truck had 38000 when this happened.

Truck lost electric steering when i was driving the vehicle. safety issue, steering very hard to do manually

Power steering modular went bad thay had to replace the entire power steering rack went out when i was driving down the interstate could not turn the wheels at all

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. while attempting to reverse out of the driveway, the power steering seized. the vehicle was towed to mark dodge (3777 gerstner memorial blvd, lake charles, la 70607) where it was diagnosed that the entire front end needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired on january 23, 2018. on march 28, 2018, while driving approximately 35 mph, the steering ability seized again. the vehicle was towed to the same dealer where the front end was repaired again. the manufacturer was not notified of the failures. the approximate failure mileage was 45,958. *bf *jb

Steering wheel stopped working went round and round while driving. truck has 31000 miles but out of warranty because of years. i could not steer but was fortunately barely moving in parking lot. dodge refused to acknowledge issue of pay for repairs. *bf *tr

Vehicle has electronic power steering. the computer controlling the power steering has failed at 92,000 miles. pretty dangerous due to the size, weight & tires on a big truck like this. i understand that at 92,000 mile things fail but the computer that controls steering is dangerous. i called chrysler and they said can't help me. it happened when the weather got cold here in atlanta.

Vehicle randomly loses the power steering at both high and low speeds and can't be safely controlled. sometimes the light comes on and sometimes it doesn't. however, it's very dangerous trying to steer such a heavy truck. this causes it to be almost impossible to steer the vehicle and if you get stuck on a highway. good luck if you lose it and you need to make a quick turn.

The complaint had to do with the complete failure of the power steering. on the morning of october 30 while driving at approximately 45 mph the steering wheel seemed to lock in place for a split second and then no power steering, i was lucky traffic was light and not in a curve, i was able to manually pull of to the side. had this been in traffic and or a curve this could have been disastrous of myself and any nearby drivers.

While driving 35mph, the electronic stability control light came on. my wheel alignment was not longer straight. i went to a alignment shop and the tech said the rack and pinion is no good, the bushings are worn and they can not align the vehicle. rack and pinion bolts are not straight. bushings are worn. pictures are attached.

I was driving down a city street at 45 mph and my power steering suddenly failed causing my steering wheel to lock up. the steering was so locked up i had to put all my strength into pulling over onto a side street. i had to drive into oncoming traffic lanes and park on the wrong side of the roadway. after several google searches my vehicle a 2013 dodge ram 1500 has electric power steering and after taking the vehicle to the dealership they said the electric power steering module had failed and needs to be replaced completely. that one piece costing $1700. my truck still has power train warranty and extended "limited" warranty that does not cover the cost or the labor for the fix. after searching the web several people with the same vehicle has had the same issue. i believe that this should recalled. what happened to me was very dangerous and i was about to hit the highway going speeds of 70-75 mph. i'm just glad it happened to me in the area it did. so the total cost of labor and repair at my local dodge dealership is $2500! i'm in no financial situation to afford this. dodge has to have known there was a problem and for your power steering to lock up peoples lives are at stake and something needs to be done or investigated. in the mean time my ram truck that is only a few years old will be at the dealership until i can find a way to pay for this. thank you for your time. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Eps failure - an indicator light that is not in the manual mind you, suddenly appeared and the power steering completely stopped working. occasionally the light will cut off and it will work again for a short time then cut back on. this is very dangerous so the truck is undrivable. there was a recall for this on some 2015 and 16 models but not 2013. i ask that mine be included. to service this will cost $2300.

All steering wheel electrical function not working,including horn,air can not deploy, vehicle had this issue when new and clock spring and wiring was replaced 3 years ago, then recall was done for air bag and now the same problem. last week almost involved in accident and could not use horn to alert other driver. cruise control functions also do not operate, i am afraid to let wife drive with kids since air bag will not function if accident happens.

The electric power steering (eps) failed without warning july 7, 2017at 28559 miles while traveling at 55mph. the vehicle became dangerously difficult to steer almost resulting in an accident. out of warranty the repair cost was $2175

The passenger side front wheel bearing was iniquitously greased at time of manufacture, causing failure without warning,and the front wheel came off, damaging the upper and lower control arms,break caliper,rotor, hub and wheel assembly, causing the truck to go out of control with no breaks. i have observed similar complaints on makeitsafer.com ,this is a lie safety issue and could have caused a fatal accident had this happened on the highway. fortuitously it happened on a city street at 35 mph, with no warning

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. after starting the ignition on the vehicle, the power steering failed. at times, the power steering appeared to work properly. the contact felt that this was a safety issue and was dangerous if the failure occurred while the vehicle was in motion. the dealer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 70,000.

Shortly after buying this pickup it would stall, the dash had an red electrical indicator exposed. the power steering shut down, the brakes were no longer power brakes.. this happened at speeds up to 45 miles an hour. never happened at high speeds. i live & drive on mountain highways, and at times it took my breath. i would apply the gas pedal, it would eventually begin running again. no matter the time of year. it wasn't every day, maybe go along 2-3 months not happens, but it might happen every day for a couple of days. i took the pickup to town & country dealer in alamosa co. twice, they would drive it. the explained to fix it, they would need to see it happen. i decided to drive it. however, today i have to rely on other people to drive it, and i worry now about there safety. i decided to take a trip in september of this year, and i have a friend driving for me. so i decided to research the web on this problem , finding there were several cases of this happening to doge pickups. one fellow was driving 80 miles an hour in the "fast lane", his stalled. he recommended that if you've had this happen to notify your state attorney general. i did, they ask i file it with you. i'm not angry with my dealer, other than the fact they ask me to notify chrysler, and i told the they should represent me as their customer with the company. i'm 77 years old, been driving over 60 years. i've never hurt another person in a wreck, but this pickup is dangerous. i could trade it in, but that isn't a christian type thing to do to another party. it's a dilemma that i have no answer for. if it were only this pickup it would be different. it's the only mode of transportation that i currently have. my driving is generally over these mountain roads, to pueblo, colorado springs, maybe denver. chrysler corporation needs to understand the threat this pickup is over these highways. help me

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. after the vehicle was started, the service power steering warning light illuminated and the steering became difficult to maneuver. the contact stated that the failure recurred several times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 59,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number(s): 15v460000 (air bags) 15v459000 (steering). however, the parts to do the repair was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure.

15sep15, i dropped off my truck at fremont motors of casper wy this morning just after 0730 to get three recalls fixed. i called the dealership at 1224 to get a status update and talked to kayle who told me that the person in charge of my work order was on a test drive with a customer and took my information for that person to call me back when he gets back from the test drive and was not able to get any information on my vehicle for me. at 1231 i received a call back from the guy handling my recall and said that my truck was done and in the wash bay and he would call me back when he had the paperwork finished and to set up someone to come to pick me up. called fremont at 1310 to schedule pick up for my truck and was told that the driver was out and the dispatcher would get a hold of him to come pick me up. got a call from fremont saying the repairs were finished and ready and i would be picked up. i asked if there were any charges and there are not however recall #r36 was unable to be conducted because parts are not available, even though on the mopar site it says parts are available. i did get a call from the driver and was picked up and got my truck back. the people were nice and they washed the outside of my truck. still have to complete recall r36. also took my truck in to have a flat tire fixed and they could not fix it even though the puncture was in the tread. they admitted to having a ?new? guy and tried several times to fix the problem, although the plug seemed only to be replaced once, and the tires were new as the truck was only just over a year old.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 dodge ram 1500. while driving at any speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. the vehicle was able to be restarted and the steering turned towards the right. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 71,000.

On the incident date i experienced my vehicle drifting to the right in steering. i checked my tire pressure which checked out. i then had my alignment check which was fine. i will soon rotate tire along with an oil changed. but i just seen this recall about the 1500 series. even though my year isn't listed. i am worried and curious as to if the problem is related with similar malfunctioning parts.

Had to start braking quickly and the shaking what the dealer now tells me is from warped rotors created a very unsafe feeling and has to affect the braking performance. i believe that no vehicle with now 27000 miles on it should have warped rotors. seems pretty obvious they are either defective or the cheapest quality rotor they could purchase.this vehicle iis designed for towing, and hauling a variety of iitems. also around the same time i started noticing at times a clunking noise from the front end. the dealer informed me that it was a strut bearing gone bad. they did replace that part under warranty. once again this made the vehicle steering feel unsafe. i have contacted ram directly and so far they have offered zero assistance in dealing with the brake rotor iissue. once again it appears that ram obviously is not concerned with the consumers safety. whether it is defective or cheaply made parts, they should be more concerned and responsive to customer complaints. i am not willing to pay to replace rotors and pafs with only 27000 miles on iit. how many other ram trucks are out there with the same issue that they are not addressing. braking and steering are 2 top components of the vehicles safety and they should not be able to skirt the issues and put peoples lives at risk.

While traveling on a paved road at about 25-30 mph, right front tire blew out. the tire was separated from inside bead all across top of tread to outside bead. tire blowing out caused damage to fender. no evidence that the tire struck anything in the road, initial report from a goodyear rep said that the tire just separated. nothing was found in the road or vicinity to indicate that the tire struck anything

The 2013 dodge ram was the first year to use electronic power steering. the chip/module that controls this process is located in the steering rack. the module had an "internal failure". i was very lucky this did not happen while the vehicle was in operation. there would have been no way for me to safely get a vehicle this large parked safely without any power steering. i researched the issue online i found multiple blogs of people reporting the same failure (some who were driving at the time). since this is not a part that should be subject to wear and tear, it seems defective and should be recalled before any lives (or more lives) are lost.

I noticed some vibration in the front end when i got over 55 mph for a few days, off and on, and then the vibration almost turned into a floating/hydroplaning feeling every once in a while. took the truck in to my local mechanic and he found two bolts that hold the rack n pinion steering together were about a 1/2 turn from coming completely detached which would result in no steering capability. he said there was no lock tight on the bolts and that's why they vibrated out. had him fix it and called the local dealer in missoula, mt (lithia dodge) where i bought it and told the service manager about it, not looking for money out of them, but to let them know that there may be other vehicles on the road with the same problem that could result in serious injury or death. with all the recalls and now knowing the history of chrysler dodge taking care of these problems, i thought i should report it as i have not heard anything back from chrysler/dodge or the local dealer, nor has my mechanic. i also noticed on all of the lists for either buy back or recalls that the 2013 dodge ram was not included. thus, the reason for writing you folks. might want to look into the 2013 dodge ram as well, as completely losing your capability for steering seems like it would make it to the top of a list.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ram 1500. while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle started to swerve from left to right which made the vehicle difficult to control. the failure recurred numerously. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. the mechanic aligned the front end, but the failure recurred. the mechanic stated that the springs needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 23,000.

Steering sticks when making slight right turn at speeds below 45 mph. *tr

There is a loud "click" noise inside of the front drivers side wheel. it occurs when the vehicle has the wheel completely turned to one direction which makes me believe it's steering or something inside the suspension. it was told to me at the dealership that it was a ball joint, which was replaced and it still happened again.

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 dodge ram 1500. while driving 65 mph, the speedometer went to zero, the vehicle stalled, and the steering wheel seized. the vehicle was restarted and was able to be driven. the failure occurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 7,000.