2013 Ram 1500 complaints

On [XXX] I drove my 2013 Ram Big Horn Crew Cab 4x4 on a 5mile trip, on a cool sunny 70' day, & parked it -I experienced no issues. I returned after 1.5hrs, started truck, & attempted to leave parking space when the steering wheel seized up. After noticing flashing warning light, I shut off & restarted engine several times, but light remained flashing & steering wheel was extremely hard to turn. I slowly (with great physical muscle stress) cautiously drove truck approximately 7miles to my independent mechanic shop in Oviedo Florida where my electrical steering gear assembly was diagnosed needing removal & replacement -total repairs estimated at $4k. My service rep said this steering problem is under a safety recall for many trucks like mine, & that the failure could have been deadly had it happened while exiting/entering the I-4 highway. I'm now waiting for back ordered replacement parts -they'll take approximately 6 weeks to arrive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Power steering lost. Difficult to steer. No warning signs displayed prior to incident. Vehicle has been inspected at repair service center, but was unable to get diagnosis. Told it needed to go to dealer. Brake light is also on

2013 RAM 1500. The power steering has failed on the RAM. The check engine light came on and produced a code for the ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING MODULE. Have had to leave it sit until the entire rack & pinion with module can be replaced. This occurred around 104,000 miles on truck. Fortunately, was not driving at a high rate of speed or turning when it failed. Because this seems to be a fairly common issue with 2013-2019 Dodge RAMs, I fail to understand why a recall has not been issued.

Loss of power Steering on start up and while driving. Started out on start up a couple times, turned vehicle off started back up and it will work. Today loss of power while driving.

In May of this year, 2024, the Power Assisted Steering System failed completely without warning or other symptoms. Fortunately it failed while not driving but would have caused a serious safety issue. I am a strong male driver and it was extremely difficult to turn the wheel. The dashboard displayed a steering system warning light and the OBDII port reported a C2219-00 error. I am the sole owner of the truck and have owned it since 2013 with only 51,000 miles on it. I reported this to the dealership where purchased it and they offered no assistance since it was well out of warranty. I inquired about purchasing a replacement steering rack or bringing it in for repair. They responded that the entire steering assist unit had been discontinued with no inventory available anywhere in their nationwide system. Therefore, they could not repair the truck or offer to sell me the rack and pinion assembly. They also recommended I contact a junk yard - ridiculous for a modern vehicle with a known defect such as steering. I eventually purchased a remanufactured steering rack on eBay and repaired the truck myself. The price for the steering rack was over $2,100! I have seen where there were other reports of this failure on NHTSA so I thought it would be helpful to report the failure on my truck as well. I have uploaded the part number and serial number of the steering rack in case that's helpful. Thank you.

On November 23, 2024. I was going to back out of the driveway, but the steering was locked up and the power steering light came on. I was unable to turn the wheel. The truck only has 150,000 miles I am the original owner. It was taken to a repair shop, and they determined the electronic power steering had failed and needed to be replaced. Since then, the dealer has told us the parts are unavailable and not being manufactured. The truck is now undrivable, cannot be repaired and I am without a vehicle. While researching online there are hundreds of reports of the same issue with this truck. This could have been deadly had I been driving!

I was driving on a highway on my way to work the other morning and the power steering light came on out of nowhere and I had to limp it to work with next to impossible steering conditions. I have not had it checked for service but have looked up that multiple people have encountered the same issue with this year truck and it has caused multiple accidents now. I believe with as many issues as people have encountered with this that it should fall on Ram and not the people for such an expensive component especially with so little miles put on the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the mechanic recommended that the steering rack and pinion be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: RQ23003 (Steering). The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.

At times when i start my truck in the morning the power steering is not operational. At other times i may be ten to fifteen miles into my drive and there is sudden loss of power steering with no warning. I came very close this morning to driving off an embankment into a swamp because as i was rounding a curve the power steering failed and the steering wheel violently jerked to right its self to the center position. There is no warning when this occurs. Only after does the service power steering light come on. A mechanic ran the codes and said there is a voltage issue within the power steering system. I have been quoted $380 just for the dealer ship to perform a diagnostics on the truck.

Got in the truck today. Started it up. Backed out of garage and got halfway out. Signal light came on to service power steering. Steering wheel locked up very difficult to move. I can shut it off. Let it sit for a minute. Turn it back on. But as soon as I touch the wheel and try to turn it. The warning light comes on and the wheel locks up. It’s not locked up completely. You can turn it. But it’s very difficult. And dangerous. It is repeated every time. You may have to start to drive it. But it will lock up every time. Tried to run a scan. No power steering code came up. Have not had it inspected as of yet. Will try to get it towed to dealer in four days. We live on a windy road. 30 miles from the dealer. It’s just too dangerous to try to drive.

On multiple occasions I have had the tailgate come open/fail to close. Other year Rams have a recall and I believe this year should be included. I have installed a gas shock to help slow it and hold in place. The front brakes have had issues with sticking or not releasing after applying them. I have replaced the unit and does the same thing so I like others believe it might be the brake hose collapsing then releasing especially on the air ride suspension models. In stop and go traffic they will pull or get extremely hot and I’m worried it might melt the tire bead or worse.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the service power steering warning light illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle for approximately 10-15 minutes, stopped, and then restart the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted, and the warning light was no longer illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and informed the contact that there was a lack of parts to repair the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

Intermittent loss of power steering. I see there is an ongoing investigation in the year range of my truck. Reporting issue to help contribute to the investigation.

Electric power steering/Rack and Pinion randomly stopped working while driving. Replacement part has not been available for months. Cost of repair is astronomical. Several forums are reporting the same issue of this part randomly stopped working while in use.

Driving down the road and the service power steering came on and I was unable to steer the wheel. I was able to pull off the road and the light went out. Happened again later down the road. Shut the truck off and turned it back on. It was good for a little while but went to turn a corner and it went out again. After looking online there are many forums where others are having the same issue.

Electric power steering went out completely. 2013 vehicle and Dodge will not repair since the part is not available. The part cannot be repaired. Extremely dangerous driving and steering with a Dodge Ram 1500 vehicle. Forums are full of this same issue, and no repair options from Dodge corporation. Dodge service and independent service verified the problem was the power steering module that cannot be repaired.

The contact owns a 2013 RAM 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS warning light illuminated, after which the speedometer and odometer ceased to function. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the ABS control module. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 161,000.

The Electronic Power Steering (EPS) went out on my 2013 RAM 1500 resulting in the inability to drive without extreme difficulty steering and unsafe to myself and others. The vehicle was taken to a Automobile Service Provider and assessed that the EPS had failed with the code C2217-00 on 4 OCT 2024 and with test drive. (Charged $63.04 for diagnostics.) Advised there was a recall on the RAM EPS (Years 2013-2019) - Which my 2013 falls within dates. Recommended to take vehicle to a Chrysler/Dodge/RAM Dealership Service Center due to specific computer programming requirements only from dealership. Unable to drive immediately to center due to no time-slots available, set up appointment for earliest time being 7 OCT 2024. Service was provided and another diagnostic completed (Cost of $319.92) with same results, but advised my VIN was not include recall notification FCA Equipment Safety Recall VB9/NHTSA 19E-077 which I looked up and obtained and verified by prior service center. Dealership did not recognize nor covered recall expenses or replacement. Due to discontinued parts (EPS), was able to find EPS from another dealership and paid for the delivery to the local Hendrick's Dealership via their parts department (Nearly $3500.00 for part). Services were completed and able to pick up vehicle on 19 OCT 2024 (Dealership had vehicle for over 2 weeks due to limited technicians available and not waiting on parts). There were no warning lamps activated prior to the power steering went fail

Ram has a defect in the gas tank strap busting while driving and not holding up the gas tank. They have issued a free repair for (some) models from 2009 - 2012. The same problem is in Ram Trucks made in 2013. This is very dangerous for a driver and can cause fire. See: RAM TSB 14-002-18 REV. A

I was driving 65 MPH on the interstate when I lost all power steering function. This failure almost pulled me into traffic to my left. Luckily I was near an exit and was able to get off the highway without being involved in an accident. Upon having the truck checked by a mechanic, I was told that the electronic power steering rack and pinion assembly had failed and it would cost over $2500.00 to replace. I had to pay this cost or else the truck was undrivable.

While I was driving to work, the power steering completely failed, I could barely make it to work now I cannot drive the vehicle at all. It will not steer..

While driving my steering column locked up and I was unable to steer, luckily I was on a side street with little to no traffic and was able to eventually make it to my driveway but with a lot of resistance in turning and the steering warning indicator lit up. While parked in my driveway the steering column locked up on 6 of the 8 times I started the vehicle while also displaying the steering warning indicator. I had my vehicle towed to the local RAM dealership to investigate and perform the necessary repairs. The RAM dealership informed me that they seen the 7 times the steering column locked up via the computer.

Power steering went out completely. At the beginning it work properly for 1 day and then not. At this time it is not working. When turning it is hard to turn, when it did work, you could be driving down the road and it would just stop working. I took it in to a mechanic and he said it was the power steering ....replace rack and pinon from salvage yard. Dealer is not responsible. No messages appeared before Power steering went out.

ABS light would come on when driving periodically on and off. for a few months it felt like brakes were locking up, Steering was very difficult and hard like the steering wheel was locked making it difficult to turn the steering wheel. dashboard components would periodically turn off and restart. when driving it would make a grinding noiselike the brakes were locked, this would occur with the abs light on and off. the major incident when driving on the freeway. the speedometer completely failed, the digital and needle both were not working. the abs light and warning came on, i pulled over because the speedometer was not working at all, but i was able to drive. the abs warning kept beeping. i was able to pull off of the highway into a parking lot, and the truck shut off and locked. unable to restart the truck at all.

On August 19, 2024. I was backing out of the driveway when the steering locked up and the power steering light came on. I was unable to turn the wheel. The truck only has 49,357 miles I am the original owner. It was taken to a repair shop and they determined the electronic power steering had failed and needed to be replaced. Since then the dealer has told us the parts are unavailable and not being manufactured. The truck is now undrivable, cannot be repaired and I am without a vehicle. While researching online their are hundreds of reports of the same issue with this truck. I just returned from a cross country trip and this could have been deadly if it had gone out while I was traveling.There were no prior signs of steering issues before the complete failure.

The door locking system does not work as intended. When locking the doors via the key fob, door mounted button, or putting the vehicle into drive, only the drivers door and tailgate lock. The passengers door, and both rear doors do not lock. This problem has been reproduced numerous times [XXX] ). There seems to be no detection or indicators showing that this issue is occurring. The only way to find out is by visually noticing that the door locks have not engaged, or by physically trying to open the doors. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I was driving on the highway when the power steering suddenly, without any warning, stopped working. The steering wheel jerked and lost all maneuverability. It took every ounce of strength I had to steer it to the side of the road. This could’ve resulted in a horrible crash. This is deadly and should be recalled. The service power steering light came on. The dealer wants $3000 to replace the electronic steering system.

I have bought this truck used and have had problem after problem but as I replace parts the steering one day just stop working and aggressively the steering wheel yanks hard the opposite direction that I am going then it started working for a day and then it stopped working altogether then it will work and not I have looked all through the web to find some kind of answer to this problem and ask several shops if they have had any thing like it and one told me to go to y’all’s website and check for recalls but I have not found anything on my truck but I displays the same kind of symptoms as the recall for the 2013-2016 Ram trucks also it al stop working when I’m on the highway and going the speed limit of 65 -75 even as low as 10 MPH it feels like someone is trying to yank the wheel from you and you have to fight to get control with

Loss of power steering due to faulty power steering module. Loss of power steering is intermittent. Loss of steering in a turn is very dangerous. 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn edition5.7 litre 4x4 crew cab. Dodge no longer makes the part needed to correct the problem and will not treat this safety issue as a recall, even though many Ram trucks have this issue.

Noticed a tick from engine. The noise kept getting worse and worse. I was driving on beltway when engine lost power out of nowhere

See attached document for complaint.

A complete loss of power steering assist occurred while driving and has not returned. Vehicle can no longer be driven, unsafe to drive. Without power assist the front wheels are extremely difficult to turn. This is the second time this has happen to me, first time the electronic steering rack needed to be replaced and was not covered by any warranty or recall. This is now the second failure on my truck which will require another replacement steering rack.

Went from having power steering instantly loosing it with out warning no accidents occurred

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the ABS and brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was a faulty ABS module with code C2200-49 retrieved. The ABS showed an internal failure. The contact tested all wires, ground data, and became aware that the ABS module had internally shorted, and the ABS warning light was flashing on and off. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the parts were on back order. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 75,280.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel seized with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle off to the side of the road. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with an electrical power steering gear failure. The independent mechanic contacted several local dealers and was informed by each dealer that the part for the repair was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

As i was coming off the highway my powersteering went out. I was able to pull over and stop prior to hitting the car infront of me. I called the local dealer/repair shop and they said the power stearing rack is discontinued and they were unable to help me.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle became difficult to maneuver. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The dealer made the contact aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V812000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

Was turning onto the access road of a highway and the steering went out. No warning lights were active until it went out. Was traveling around 40 mph and was able to wrestle the truck through the turn and stop in a safe parking lot. Turned the truck off and restarted it. Warning light went away. Started to drive home and steering went out again permanently. I will be getting the truck inspected by a mechanic to confirm it is the EPS module that hast failed.

Power steering failed while driving. Stopped vehicle and restarted, power steering seemed fine then. Power steering failed intermittently a few times and now has doesn’t work at all. First failure was unsafe as I was traveling at highway speed when it stopped working.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving out of a parking lot at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power steering functionality. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to drive to the residence, where the contact inspected the vehicle, but could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the power steering became functional the following day; however, the failure recurred while driving 10 MPH. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,000.

All at once I have an ABS , Brake, Traction Control on instrument panel illuminated.Service Trailer Brake diagnostic message. Will not set cruise. 06/03/24. Am not driving for fear of failure and presently cannot afford diagnostic repairs. Just turned 100,000 miles and is not used for daily uses. Cannot believe a failure of this magnitude happened with very low mileage

Front welded frame mounting point for gas tank "Tee-Strap" rusted through causing front of gas tank to sag from frame and only be supported by remaining rear gas tank strap. The actual T-strap is structurally sound, it is the the frame mount that rusted through that allowed the Tee-Strap to pull through the mount. It appears that the design of the mounting point allowed moisture and road grit to become trapped in the bottom of the mount causing the rust breakthrough. The car has low mileage for it's age (97k) and has been kept in a garage.

On October 1, 2024 I was driving home. I stopped at a stop sign and went to turn right. (EPS light comes on.) I didn't have any power steering at all. Very hard to turn. When I pulled up to my house, I turned off the truck. Then, I restarted vehicle and power steering worked, so I went down my street and turned around. Power steering went back out as I approached my driveway. Now when, I start the Ram truck, as soon as I try to turn the steering wheel. The EPS error pops up saying ("Service Power Steering").

On my way to work 09/30/2024. At light, message appeared service steering assembly. Power steering stopped working. Hard to negotiate travel to work. Fortunately traffic was manageable @ 0400 am. Eight hours later started truck steering works till first turn, then stopped working, unable to find parts. Vehicle out of service.

I was driving my truck down some windy roads and all of the sudden the power steering stopped working. This is an electronic power steering system so when it stopped working it completely stopped. It was extremely difficult to keep it on the road and I had to overpower the servos and the whole system to be able to steer the truck. If someone was not strong, they could have easily wrecked and possibly suffered serious injury or even death.

Lost power steering while driving.

EPS red light came on and lost power to control vehicle. Managed to get to side of road and turned vehicle off for a few minutes and started it up again turned around and it was fine. Turned truck around and drove back home to park it. Got almost home and EPS red light came on again lost power to control vehicle. Had to have it pulled home because trying to control it manually was too hard and too dangerous luckily when it first happened there was no oncoming traffic. I was told there was a recall on my year model truck for faulty EPS but when w called the Dodge house was told there were no recalls for EPS on any year models vehicles.

Driving to work. Sudden loss of steering. Power steering went out making it dangerous to steer and drive. Service power steering light came on for first time. Luckily driving slow near home. Known problem with ram electric power steering rack.

I had a total loss of power steering while driving. It started as intermittent. Now there is no power steering at all.

My husband was driving home from work around 2 am when the steering wheel jerked then tighten up thankfully no one was on the road. There was no issues before it happened . The check engine light is showing EPS failure code and a few others also a blinking steering wheel and the abs and traction control and the brake light is on the dash