NHTSA Complaint #10990782 — 2015 RAM 3500

TRUCK HAS 26,300 MILES ON IT. 7 DAYS AFTER GETTING THE TRUCK SERVICED AND ALIGNED AT MY LOCAL DEALER, WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY IN GAINSVILLE, FL, THE STEERING WHEEL SLOWLY BECAME MIS-ALIGNED TO THE LEFT BY OVER 180 DEGREES, CAUSING REDUCED ABILITY TO STEER TO THE LEFT, A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, A FAILURE OF THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE CONTROL MODULE, AND FAILURE OF THE CRUISE CONTROL. I STOPPED AT NEAREST DEALER WHO SAID THE TRUCK WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, BUT DID NOT HAVE ANYONE AVAILABLE TO LOOK AT IT FOR AT LEAST A WEEK AND OFFERED NO FURTHER OPTIONS. BEING AS I WAS 200 MILES FROM HOME, I TOOK THE TRUCK TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING DRAG LINK JAM NUTS WERE LOOSE ALLOWING THE DRAG LINK TO ROTATE AT RANDOM. HE WAS UNABLE TO TELL WHETHER THE DEALER FAILED TO TIGHTEN THEM AFTER THE ALIGNMENT OR BECAUSE THEY WERE NEVER TIGHTENED AT THE FACTORY. THE DRAG LINK WAS RE-SET TO CENTER THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE JAM NUTS WERE TIGHTENED. I WAS ADVISED THAT HAD I NOT STOPPED TO HAVE IT FIXED, THE DRAG LINK COULD HAVE CONTINUED TO LOOSEN CAUSING A COMPLETE LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. A QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH INDICATES THIS TO BE A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THESE TRUCKS.