NHTSA Complaint #10807536 — 2011 DODGE RAM 2500

I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE DOWN A HIGHWAY AT ROUGHLY 65MPH. EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AT THIS TIME. I SIGNALED TO MAKE A LEFT-HAND TURN ONTO A STREET AHEAD. I SLOWLY BRAKED TO ROUGHLY 10-15 MPH BEFORE BEGINNING TO TURN. WHEN I STARTED TO TURN, THE POWER-STEERING IN THE VEHICLE FAILED. IN OTHER WORDS, THE POWER-STEERING WAS WORKING FINE JUST BEFORE EXECUTING THE TURN, THEN FAILED WITHOUT WARNING JUST AS I STARTED TO TURN THE WHEEL AND WAS STILL IN MOTION.. THE WHEELS BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN AND I WAS ABLE TO OVERPOWER THE FAILED POWER-STEERING COMPONENTS TO COMPLETE THE TURN AND GET OFF THE HIGHWAY SAFELY. HOWEVER, IF MY PHYSICALLY SMALLER WIFE HAD BEEN DRIVING, I AM NOT CONFIDENT THAT IT WOULD HAVE ENDED AS WELL. THERE WAS ONCOMING TRAFFIC ON THE OPPOSITE LANE TRAVELING AT 65MPH WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. NO DASH LIGHTS, "CHECK ENGINE", ETC. APPEARED BEFORE OR AFTER THE OCCURRENCE. ONCE THE ENGINE IS IDLED UP, THE PROBLEM DISAPPEARS. IT'S ONLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS IDLED DOWN (LIKE WHEN YOU'RE SLOWING FOR A TURN), THAT THE POWER-STEERING WOULD FAIL UNEXPECTEDLY. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ONLINE AND FOUND THIS TO BE CAUSED BY A "STICKING VALVE" IN THE HYDRO-BOOST SYSTEM. I CONTACTED A LOCAL DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPT., AND WAS TOLD THAT THE REPAIRS WERE NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AFTER 36K MILES (VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 48K MILES). THEY DO NOT SEEM TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE EVIDENT SAFETY ISSUE THIS POSES ON A FAIRLY NEW VEHICLE. I AM WRITING THIS COMPLAINT IN HOPES THAT THE NHTSA WILL INVESTIGATE THIS FURTHER BEFORE SOMEONE BECOMES INJURED. I UNDERSTAND THAT PARTS CAN SOMETIMES FAIL ON NEW VEHICLES, BUT WHEN THEY FAIL THIS EARLY WITHOUT WARNING AND AFFECT VITAL PARTS THAT CONTROL THE VEHICLE, SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE.