NHTSA Complaint #11688308 — 2013 RAM 1500

While performing a left-hand U-turn across three lanes and into the far right-hand 4th turning lane, at less than 15mph my 2013 Ram 1500's power steering failed and jerked the wheel out of my hands back towards the neutral position. This action forced me across all the lanes and into the curb on the right edge of the 4th lane which was the turning lane that I was trying to reach. When I finally got the vehicle off the curb and was able to get the vehicle into the parking lot I was originally going to, the power steering seamed to operate breifly as long as the wheel was turned slowly and under speeds less than 10mph, so I limped it home. This however was short lived by the end of the next day I had totally lost all power steering assist and had to fight the wheel to turn at all. This led to having the electronic power steering rack assembly replaced at a local shop adding up to a total of $4943.55 US dollars. After receiving my 2013 Ram 1500 from the shop I began to experience heavy vibrations felt through the steering wheel and pedals. The vibration was caused by the damaged front passenger wheel hub which cost a further $400 plus dollars in parts and labor. The electronic power steering rack assembly had to be turned in for a core charge and is unavailable for inspection but had signs of water intrusion according to the shop. The associated bushings, tie rod ends and wheel hubs were either discarded or turned in for additional charges and are unavailable for inspection. My safety was threatened when the steering gave out mid turn while I was crossing oncoming traffic in the three through traffic lanes. The "service power steering" warning light did illuminate when the power steering failed and the initial impact with the curb occurred then went away after stopping. However, the "service power steering" light returned the next day. The electronic power steering rack was verified to be the cause of the failure at the local service center that performed the repairs.