NHTSA Complaint #11416265 — 2013 RAM 1500

WHILE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS IN HOUSTON AND ABOUT TO TURN INTO AN INTERSECTION, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT WARNING. THE STEERING BECAME EXTREMELY STIFF AND CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE REQUIRED MUCH MORE EFFORT THAN TYPICAL MANUAL STEERING. I AM A MALE WITH GOOD ARM STRENGTH; HAD MY WIFE BEEN DRIVING THERE IS NO DOUBT SHE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL. I DID NOT CRASH, BUT PULLED OVER WHILE NARROWLY MISSING OTHER VEHICLES AND A PEDESTRIAN. A WARNING MESSAGE ON MY DASH SAID SOMETHING LIKE 'POWER STEERING SERVICE REQUIRED'. TEXAN DODGE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THE EPS MODULE HAD FAILED, AND THE REPAIR WAS ESTIMATED AT $3,100. PREVIOUS SAFETY RECALL S19 BY RAM COVERED THIS REPAIR ON A SMALL NUMBER OF PICKUPS FROM 2015-2016 MODEL YEARS. HOWEVER, BASED ON AN INTERNET SEARCH IT IS ABUNDANTLY APPARENT THAT THIS MALFUNCTION HAS OCCURRED IN MANY RAM PICKUPS FROM 2013 FORWARD. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS MALFUNCTION THAT MAY HAVE ALREADY RESULTED IN INJURIES OR DEATHS.