2013 RAM 1500 Steering Problems

Power steering stopped working making it very hard to turn my truck. Luckily I was close to home and made it back without crashing into anything. No warnings came up before it happened. I have not taken it to a mechanic yet as I don't have the money to pay for it to be fixed right now. From the research I have done it sounds like the the electric power steering assist has failed.

Was driving down the road and lost steering. Complete power steering stopped working. Hard to turn left or right.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the "Service Power Steering" message displayed, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn either direction. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified, and a service appointment was scheduled. The local dealer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 209,260.

defective rack an pinion

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed into a parking lot, the vehicle lost power steering assist, causing the steering wheel to become extremely difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure, the power steering message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the residence and examined by an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 145,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle had been driven and 35 MPH, however, while parked at a store, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The Service Power Steering warning light was illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle back to the residence without the aid of the power steering feature. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the vehicle was diagnosed with power steering failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 210,000.

The steering wheel and exclamation warning lights came on and the truck was extremely hard to steer. It was a scary situation being 30 minutes from home when this happened. Luckily we didn’t get in an accident but very well could have. This happened June 30th 2023. We have since had it diagnosed by a local and trusted auto shop since the wait time the first time we inquired it being checked by the dealership was weeks and then the wait time for the dealership was a month. They confirmed that it’s the rack and pinion and eps module. Now we have to contact the dealership again to see about bringing it to them to be repaired if the part is even available no telling how long all of this will take not to mention the several thousands of dollars to be repaired. In my research this seems to be...

Was coming home from work and totally lost all power steering! By the grace of god I managed to pull off the road and stop but I am told that the power steering is electrical and that the whole steering assembly has to be replaced! I was also told that the 2014 and the 2015 ram models have a recall investigation! If the same steering module is faulty in these other year models, so should the one we own! I am fortunate to have been on a side road instead of the interstate which is my normal daily commute! The cost related to this is $2000.00 for parts and appx $1500.00 installation! This is totally wrong! We need help with this!

Driving at 40MPH and 2013 Ram 1500 experienced total and complete loss of power steering with no warning. I was narrowly able to avoid getting into an accident and cannot drive the truck given the strength needed to turn the wheel. Cost from dealer is estimated to be around $4,500 after parts and labor / taxes and could take months since the part is on backorder. The dealer said there have been multiple issues like this and unfortunately there is not yet a recall other than one from a few years ago that looks very similar to what I experienced. I don't have any other transportation and will likely have to pay to get it fixed. Going to sell it and never buy Ram again.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the power steering became inoperable. The contact pulled into a parking lot, turned off the vehicle, and the steering wheel was released. After restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn to the left or the right. The steering symbol was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the rack and pinion had malfunctioned. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

- Received a low voltage warning light on vehicle and a day later as I was driving the vehicle, the steering wheel seemed to be moving around on its on at times kind of locking up. As I was leaving a car wash exit, the power steering completely locked out and then eventually I was able to move steer the vehicle but the power assist was no longer in there. This was on 12/14/2023 - As I was driving home 12/14/2023, the vehicle eventually locked up on the steering wheel and and all the lights in the vehicle started to dim down and shutting down; radio, parking assist sensor, heat and a/c ,acceleration and then it came to a stop as I could keep driving the vehicle as there was no more power and the brakes seemed to not be working. Had to call a tow truck company to get...

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the ABS warning light was illuminated, and the cruise control feature disengaged. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the ABS module had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the part was not available and was under engineering review until April 2024. The contact related the failure to TSB Number: S200500000. Additionally, the contact stated while starting the vehicle, the power steering warning light was illuminated, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact stated that the failure occurred on two occasions. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle on each occasion, and the warning light was no longer illuminated. Additionally, the steering wheel became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the power steering control...

Power steering malfunctioned. Wouldn't work when first started vehicle. Now doesn't work at all. Hard to change lanes or when turning off freeway and when tried to turn around a corner vehicle behind me didn't know what I was doing as too hard to turn the wheel. He almost slammed into me. Brought to dealer who said part is discontinued. Warning light comes on that says, ! Service power steering!

The electric power steering failed on the truck. It is almost impossible to turn. Sometimes it will work again after cranking the vehicle only to have it fail again in few minutes. This makes the truck undrivable and unsafe.

Loss of Power Steering. I had my vehicle towed to "Conway Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram 2385 Church Street, Conway, SC 29526. (843) 365-7331. It has been there for approximately two (2) months. I was told that they are waiting on parts. I found out that there are hundreds other, same type complaints, reported to this agency. Please advise what steps should I take to resolve this issue. Thanks.

After picking up some supplies from the store, I was about to make a left turn onto main road from the parking lot area when the electric power steering went out, so I had to turn the steering with tremendous force to get into a safe spot. So I contacted two shops and one quoted me for like $3900 and would take months to get replacement parts. Also, contacted another shop as well and still haven't heard from them.

My ABS module is defective. My power steering goes, my ABS system lights come on and off. My braking comes and goes. I brought it to the dodge dealership and they said that dodge is remanufactifing the parts as it’s a huge issue they are having and said just to drive it or don’t but with no other help.

Power Steering. Yes it is available for inspection. Yes my safety along with passengers and other drivers were / are at risk. The power steering will sometimes work and suddenly stop working while making a maneuver. Rendering the steering wheel useless. This makes it difficult / impossible to avoid obstacles. And makes it hard to make a common maneuver such as making a turn. It has been diagnosed by the Dodge dealer of a failed steering rack. Vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer, just dealer. Warning message appears after steering wheel locks up. No advanced warning.

The power steering completely went out. I could not turn my truck safely. Manual steering was wat too hard to turn. Had my truck towed. Now the dealer tells me I can't get a new electric steering rack for 3 months or more. The vehicle is unsafe to drive!

Traveling at highway speed and power steering completely went out making it difficult to steer. Putting my family at risk of an accident. Incident was inspected but a dealership and was found that the power steering module had an internal fault. Power steering light came on in the truck.

Sudden and complete loss of power steering Was able to get safely off the road using extreme force on the steering wheel. Had vehicle towed to dodge dealership where they now are informing me that the electric power steering unit has failed. This is the same issue they had a recall for on newer models! Luckily nobody was hurt this time!

We were driving and lost power steering. Was hard to turn wheel.

Started truck, steering was extremely difficult to turn. Took to dealer, said other years of this truck experienced similar issue. Dealer diagnosis - Internal failure in steering rack module. Replaced. Cost - $2942.46

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact heard a chime and the “Steering Maintenance" warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving and exited the highway and stopped at an auto parts store where the contact was advised that the power steering was electrically assisted and was referred to a dealer. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering assist system needed to be replaced; however, the parts to repair the vehicle were on a national backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The loss of power steering functionality was constant, and the vehicle was no longer drivable. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: RQ23003 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

I went out and started my 2013 Ram 1500 on Monday morning, Nov 6 to take my son to school. While preparing to leave, I noticed that my steering wheel was extremely hard to turn (more difficult than a car with manual steering) and the "Service Power Steering" warning came on the dash. I am glad this failure did not occur the day before with my entire family in the truck driving a highway speeds. Steering when this failure occurs is so difficult, this situation could be deadly to someone on the road. The truck is currently at the dealer being looked at. There are many others with this issue yet there is no recall from Ram despite the severity of this issue.

Electronic Power Steering system unexpectedly failed on my 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 with 40k miles on it. Mechanic quoted cost to repair $3600.00. I have noticed several other owners to report thidls same problem yet no recall.

Was backing up in reverse, steering wheel locked up and I cannot turn it at all. I was able to stop and saw the steering wheel notification light come on flashing with an exclamation. I was able to put in drive but still can't turn the steering wheel. Boniface Heirs Dodge was contacted, they advised they don't have any recalls on my truck, but they had some on other years, but it is the same issue. I have had several people look at it and they advised it is the electric power steering system. Also, I am unable to obtain a new one seeing the part is discounted or a nationwide shortage. Very disturbed about this. I could have been on the highway with my grandkids in my truck. Also, I see that I am not the only person wth a 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 who has the same...

Electronic Power Steering failure, and has been confirmed by the dealer. It always fails during the first start up, but will SOMETIMES activate on 3 or more start ups. Dealer has noted the internal power steering fault during diagnostics.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and making a left turn, the steering suddenly became firm and would not turn as needed. The contact stated that he drove the vehicle to his destination and later drove the vehicle to a tire dealer. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that he purchased four new tires and had the wheels aligned and the loss of power steering reoccurred. The contact stated that the failure had become constant and no longer drove the vehicle. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Leaving for work this morning and the power steering went completely out. Was unable to steer without great effort. No warning lights or messages prior to failure.

Total power steering failure, no steering at all. Happened while turning into driveway without prior warning. Vehicle now un-operational. I have read this is a ongoing problem with these vehicle's and there is no recall as of now. Extremely dangerous as you loose all steering. Vehicle has less than 40,000 miles on it. Thankfully I was at a low speed and there was no damage involved, have not yet sent vehicle in for repair as it is a $3500 min. repair

While driving home from work one day last week (10/12/23) I unexpectedly heard a tone and the message “Check Power Steering System “ appeared on my dash along with a light that is a steering wheel and an exclamation mark. My steering was VERY stiff. So stiff that I almost couldn’t turn the wheel enough to pull over into a parking lot. I had absolutely no warning or previous problems with my steering before this. The steering is still this way and I am unable to drive the truck. This is very dangerous! If for some reason you had to turn the wheel suddenly you would not be able to. As I previously stated I could barely turn the wheel enough to get off the road.

Electronic steering locked up while driving. Now says to service steering and is un-driveable

I purchased the truck used June 2023. Odometer currently 47,700 miles. The service power steering light flashes on the evic screen. The steering will be extremely difficult because it is electrical power steering. The problem started October 9th 2023 and has been intermittent. A mechanic did hook up the scan tool and there were no codes. So, it has gotten to where I will do 3 start cycles, idle foe a few minutes and after the 3rd cycle, no codes and the steering works as it should. Thankfully, it happens before I drive out onto the road. I will drive up and down my street before I venture out onto major highways and expressways. However, what's not to say it will have this issue while I'm driving, especially winter around the corner. I researched 2013 Ram 1500, and apparently other owners have had the same problem or worse. This is...

Power steering warning light came on on dash and the vehicle lost power steering. This happened while driving and nearly caused an accident. I can sometimes play with the keys and get it to function again.

THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT INTERMITENTLY. SOMETIMES IT COMES BACK, OTHER TIMES IT WILL STAY OUT FOR A PROLONGED TIME. WARNING LAMP ONLY COMES ON ONCE THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT.

I believe the problem is with the electronic steering component. This issue started about a month ago. When I'm backing out of my driveway it seems the power steering is failing, making it hard to steer. Secondly when I'm at a red light making a right or left hand turn, the power steering fails making it hard to make the turn, and once the turn is completed, I must manually straighten the vehicle out. I looked for recalls and saw there has been 200 plus complaints about this year vehicle and the steering problem. The repair cost is very expensive what I read on line. I have not taken the vehicle to an Dodge dealer yet, trying to do some research first to see if this problem was recalled Please help and thank you in advance. Respectfully, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C....

Driving down a city street going 30mph. The service power steering warning light came and and I lost the ability to steer the pickup. Was barely able to get the vehicle off the road to a safe location.

Steering froze while driving

Electronic power steering unit failure. EPS Unit. Loss of power assist. Warning light came on Friday Sept 29, 2023 at approximately 1:30pm est. when I entered the vehicle and started the engine. Vehicle had been driven and parked for approximately 10 min before I went back to vehicle and leave that location. Warning light was a large icon of a red steering wheel with a red exclamation mark ❗️ then the screen said, “service power steering “ with the red indicator still remaining on. No other warning lights or symptoms prior to the above information. Vehicle taken to Signature Automotive 2725 Northgate Court Cumming, GA 30041 (770) 889-5959 at 8:00 am 10/4/23 for diagnosis. Service advisor stated that there was internal circuit failure. Throwing all “sorts” of internal codes in the electronic unit. Was unable to have system Reestablish communication. Entire rack and pinion unit needs replacement. Called Dodge dealership...

sudden failure of power steering,with out any prior warning or symptoms

Power steering went out with no warning.

Driving to work and the electric power steering quit working as I was turning onto the roadway, this caused me to almost hit an oncoming vehicle, I was able to avoid hitting said vehicle.

The power/electric steering fails intermittently making it impossible to control the vehicle

Power steering just stopped working

While driving in traffic and started to make a left turn, steering locked up and at same time warning message "service esc" illuminated. Steering became rock hard and gently touched another vehicle as I was attempting to forcefully steer this truck to side of road. Shut off engine, and restarted and problem went away. Attempted to drive last four miles to residence and again steering locked up(NO powersteering assist) Causing me to temporaily lose control. I contacted FCA who offered no financial assistance since vehicle is a one owner 2013. Not even goodwill. Further diagnosis determined electronic steering rack was at fault internally and would have to be replaced. Very scarce part, found one in florida @ $2200. Bought the rack and had a CJDR tech replace it, realign and reprogram. I noticed Ram had a similiar recall on later model Rams, but absolutely NO GOODWILL from Ram.

Power steering failed while driving making steering very difficult. The safety of myself and my passenger were definitely put at risk as we were in the midst of a left 90 degree turn when the failure occurred. When failure occurred a warning light appeared on dash. Problem persisted after restarting vehicle. Incident just occurred today. In researching problem I saw where several hundred people had reported the same problem, so I thought I should report it. I will take it to the dealer for service and ask them to save any replaced parts.

Power steering comes and goes with no rhyme or reason. You have to shut truck off and restart and hope it comes back on. Have looked at replacement parts but they are hard to come by and repair is expensive. Looking at the web it seems like there should be a recall.

Failure mode is currently unknown but electric steering failed when pulling vehicle out of the garage. Currently waiting on dealer to diagnose and repair issue but had this failure occured at highway speeds, this could have resulted in severe injury to the driver or other motorists.

Power steering failure without warning when driving, steering wheel with exclamation illuminated on dash. Serious and dangerous situation that could have potentially resulted in an acccident or injury. Dodge Chrysler Fiat needs to issue recall immediately.