2013 Ram 1500 complaints

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 45MPH, the steering wheel seized, and the contact depressed the brake pedal because the steering wheel could not be turned. The vehicle was turned off and restarted; however, the steering functionality had not returned. The steering assist fault message was displayed. The contact towed the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

I am a 40 year tech. The electronic steering rack failed while driving with no warning. These steering racks are impossible to replace and are 3000 dollars. Even the used parts yards don't have any. This is rediculous I have a mint condition truck that's unfixable. It's a nation wide issue, everyone knows about

My electronic power steering went out on my vehicle the steering is extremely hard.

The EPS Rack and Pinion on my 2013 Ram 1500 is failing intermittently. There is a recall on many of the 2013 trucks but not mine for some reason. Why is the intermittently defective part on my any different than the ones being replaced on these others? Numerous times in the last two months, I have been turning when the PS failed and nearly caused a wreck. The truck has less than 70,000 miles on it. Because Ram has had so many go bad I can't get a replacement.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 5 MPH leaving a parking space, the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that extra effort was needed to steer the vehicle in either direction. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stopped and turned off and restarted the vehicle several time however, the power steering functionality had not returned. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the electric power steering assist gears and sensors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the independent mechanic had related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.

Total loss of power steering.

While I am driving straight everything is fine. As soon as I begin to make a turn my steering wheel will lock up and force itself straight. I was told it was the steering rack and I did my research and found that my year model had recalls for the steering rack but for some reason my truck does not. I have almost ran off the road a few times simply because my steering wheel will force itself straight every time I try to make a turn

Exhaust bolts at rear of exhaust manifolds spontaneously broke. This appears to be a well known issue with the 5.7L Hemi engines. Apparently the exhaust manifolds warp and the force is enough to break the bolts holding the manifold to the cylinder head. This manifests as a ticking sound when the vehicle is started, exhaust gas containing carbon monoxide is leaking near the firewall and could allow toxic gas into the cab of the vehicle. This represents a safety hazard due to sub-standard engineering.

While driving in my neighborhood, I was making a right turn on my block and the steering wheel suddenly appeared to lock up and the vehicle began to move in a straight direction instead of turning in the direction I wanted to go. Then, just as suddenly as it locked up, the steering came back and I was able to maintain the turn. As I made the next turn, the same thing happened.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The electronic power steering almost completely went out. Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? While driving on a busy road the wheel hardened and took an extreme amount of force to safely get off the road. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The problem is still on going. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The power steering light did not turn on until the next day when turning the truck on and barely touching the steering wheel. No other symptoms appeared prior to the failure

Power steering Complete loss of power steering while driving 55-60 mph. Steering wheel is almost impossible to turn. If I was not traveling in a straight line and been in a turn, almost certainly would have crashed. Warning light came on when it happened. Have not taken it anywhere to be looked at. Vehicle is not drivable in this condition.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact depressed the brake pedal because the steering wheel could not be turned in either direction. The vehicle was turned off and restarted and the steering failure message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The approximate failure mileage was 47,256.

My 2013 ram 1500 head total power steering failure. Thank God I just started my vehicle and started driving when it went. I was supposed to be on a highway at that time. If I was doing a fair rate of speed I could've crashed. this is a continuing problem with Rams. I have found out online and should be a recall With and the only parts you can get for this are manufactured because nobody has any because Ram stopped making them last year and they are in demand because of this continuous problem. The repairs are very expensive. I have not had a truck for over three weeks and the part won't be in for till the end of September the cost was well over $1500.00 without somebody even putting it in, I think you should look into it because it is a safety situation that keeps happening with gone any for and I've seen there have been lots of complaints. Thank you for your time. I do have a copy of the invoice, but was unable to scan it. I can email it to you upon request.

I was driving my 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 and while I was turning a corner the power steering went out and I barely made the turn. If anyone had been near me, I am sure there would have been a wreck. No prior warning or anything to prepare me this was going to happen. I shut the truck off and started it again and the power steering was then working. No issues for a few days and then a warning message showed up stating Service Power Steering and then it happened again with no power steering. I have called around and it is going to cost $3,000 to fix it, if they can even get the parts.

Power steering completely went out and no parts available to fix it.

Electronic power steering system completely went out leaving my vehicle unable to turn the wheel an inch to the left or the right. Luckily this happened in my driveway and not while I was on the roads. Had to have the truck towed to my local dealer and it ended up taking over 2 weeks to fix and cost $4k.

As I was driving the steering wheel started getting hard and couldn't really turn as easily. Luckily I was able to make it home, couldnt park it in ny driveway because i coupdnt turn anymore so I only made it to the curb, but I have not been able to move my truck since then due to the steering wheel almost being impossible to turn. Tried to put power steering fluid only to come and fined out it's electrical

2013 Ram 1500 four wheel drive,crew cab .Basically my steering locked up on me while driving,I turned right on to my mothers road and as I completed the turn it wouldn’t let me turn the wheel after that.i had it towed to a garage thats well known nationally and they diagnosed the electronic power steering needs to be replaced,I’m grateful that I wasn’t going at a high speed in traffic on a highway when it failed.Ive been told from my local Dodge Ram dealership ship that my truck has no open recalls on it,I’m currently in the process of purchasing a refurbished rack and pinion due to the fact that the manufacturer has discontinued the part, they are extremely expensive and most don’t come with a warranty

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the "Power Steering" message was displayed and the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the EPS module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was contacted and informed that the EPS module was on backorder and not available. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 165,000.

Service Electronic Braking System, ABS, and traction control lights are all firing. Mechanic diagnosed failed ABS module but Ram dealers in my area (Birmingham, AL) have confirmed the part is not available and can not give me a estimated timeframe for repair. This renders my vehicle unsafe to use while I wait on a part Ram is unable or unwilling to provide. Another mechanic gave me the same story and my limited research shows this has been going on for at least 3 years. Dealerships are taking the few available parts for warranties I assume, leaving local mechanics and older vehicles unable to obtain the necessary parts for safe operation which is unacceptable and creates unnecessary danger.

Vehicle says service power steering but will intermittently go in and out upon starting/turning off vehicle. Didn't have any issues and seems that there was a recall for this but for only specific VINs. Not sure why the vehicle is doing this as it was working fine ever since I bought it and never experienced any issues ether leading up to the "failure". Just one day it started saying "Service Power Steering" and will go in and out by toggling the start of the vehicle. Fuse is working as designed as I have replaced it and still nothing different. Jumping the electronic component will allow it to work as well. Must be a faulty code because it will work correctly sometimes.

Was making a turn and my power steering cut out forcing the wheel forward causing me to run off the road, turned truck off and then back on and power steering was working perfectly fine after.. still cuts in an out whenever it wants to

Power steering intermediate lost the total lost today 8/31/24

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the power steering control module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Power Steering is not working. At times it works fine, then sometimes it is hard to turn, and other times it stops working all together where I cannot move steering wheel at all. This has caused issues when driving on Highway and City streets as I am unable to safely maneuver the vehicle. I have narrowly avoided 2 accidents. I attempted to add power steering fluid and then learned this vehicle has electric power steering; which does not require steering fluid. There is no warning as to when the power steering will work or fail.

Power steering assist drops out periodically making it impossible to steer. I was told by dealer that they do not service vehicles over 10 years old even though my truck only has 70,000 miles on it. I was told by a repair shop that the part can not be found. I called Dodge corporate and was told that the part has been discontinued. This leaves me without a safe vehicle to drive but I have to have a vehicle so I continue to drive it. I can't believe that they can not furnish a part and apparently its a common failure. Can anything be done?

Sudden loss of power steering. Waiting for mechanic to diagnose problem. No warning.

Intermittent loss of power steering then a few days later complete loss of power steering the electronic power steering module short circuited due to contamination the fix cost over $2000 and can not afford to fix this is a safety issue. Truck only has 120,000 miles on it. I can hardly turn the wheel and when it snows i definitely wont be able to drive it due to no control of steering.

The electronic assist power steering stopped working in a turn which kept me from making the turn, which made me cross into oncoming traffic and run off the road. I almost hit head on to another vehicle. The other swerved to avoid me and landed in the ditch on the other side. After getting pulled out the power steering started working again and within a few miles of driving it went out again. The truck is now parked being to dangerous to drive.

While I was driving at 50 mph my power steering locked up and a Service Power steering message appeared. I had to manually steer the truck as best I could before I could find a safe place to pull over. While it wasn't a catastrophic failure it could have been had this happened while driving at highway speeds. It seems that this type of failure is common in RAM 1500 trucks (2015 and 2016 models were recalled for the same reason, contaminated electronic power steering circuit board or module). This type of failure is a definite safety hazard especially if the power steering failure prevents the driver from having control of the vehicle during this episode.

While driving power steering warning lights up and steering fails. Have to pull over and stop put in park and turn off and back on for power steering to start working again.

Started my truck this morning and warning light came on the dash showing a steering wheel with an exclamation point beside it with a message saying "Service Power Steering". Also, the steering wheel is VERY hard to turn. It seems that the power steering has failed.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after placing the vehicle into reverse(R) and straightening the steering wheel, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed. The "Service Power Steering" message was displayed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

I was driving at approximately 45 mph when suddenly my steering wheel locked causing me to run off the road. The "service power steering light" illuminated. It was taken to the dealership where I found out this is a COMMON problem that apparently hasn't killed enough people for Ram to recall it yet. There will be deaths associated with this. The dealer does not have the parts, can't get the parts, and states it will be $3,000.00 to repair IF they ever get the parts. Why hasn't the NHTSA issued a recall yet? This is exceedingly dangerous!

On 07/17/2024 I got into the vehicle and after starting it I put it into reverse and started backing up and noticed that the steering was not working properly and than saw the warning lamp of a steering wheel with an exclamation mark next to it. So I have a Launch AUTO Smart Diagnostic Tool that I did use to find out that there was an active code for Electronic Power Steering Module. Yes it is available for inspection, no it has not been confirmed or inspected by anybody. The safety risks to myself & others is injury or death due to the uncontrollable steering.

The front fuel tank strap bracket that is apart of the frame rusted out, allowing the strap to fall, dropping the front of the fuel tank. I was luckily pulling out of my driveway and heard the noise. The fuel tank was completely full.

Complete failure of power steering and also ABS has misfunctioned.

Electronic power steering suddenly stopped working after driving several hundred miles to go on vacation. Thankfully it happened after I parked at a rest stop.

Driving home from work on a winding road. Almost went into a ditch because my steering wheel, without warning, seized and wouldn’t allow me to turn. I had to pray I didn’t go into the ditch or hit the person in front of me. There was no warning signs. Once it happened, the only light that popped up was the exclamation point. Now it’s not drivable and I don’t have $3000 to get it fixed!

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the ABS warning light remained illuminated. During the failure, the traction control and cruise control features were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the ABS Control Module was faulty and needed to be replaced; however, the part was on backorder and not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The failure mileage was 86,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the message "Service Steering" was displayed, and the power steering assist was inoperable, making the steering wheel difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the power steering module was faulty, and the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 80,900.

I was pulling up to my house when the power steering failed , there was no warning light prior and I immediately could not turn my wheel. Had I been making a turn on the thruway I would have seriously injured myself and/ or others. I have not taken it to a dealer yet as it just happened today and it is 6 pm. The power steering has not worked yet since the incident.

Complete loss of power steering around turn. Nearly caused a major incident due to EPS failure.

Power steering stops working at random times and I have very limited control of the vehicle. Service power steering light appears on the dash. This has happen approximately 15 times without any warning. My truck has been at Ram Dealer in Panama City since July 8, 2024. They say I need Rack and Pinion gear part #R8573449AA but they have not been able to find the part.

Electrical power steering went bad out of the sudden, and almost lost control of the vehicle. It was so hard to steer. I had to replace that whole EPS racking and pinion. New part was on back order, so my only option was to get a used part.

DRIVING ON INTERSTATE, SERVICE POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON AND INSTANTLY LOST ALL POWER STEERING. LUCKILY I WAS GOING STRAIGHT, IF I WAS ON A CURVE IT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY BAD. THERE WAS NO PREVIOUS NOTICES OR C.E.L. THE EPS SYSTEM IS ONE WHOLE CONTAINED UNIT. DEALER SAYS IT IS NOT SERVICEABLE. IF ONE THING FAILS YOU LOSE STEERING COMPLETELY. CURRENTLY LOOKING AT A $4000 DOLLAR REPAIR BILL FOR A FAULTY STEERING MODULE. SEEMS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS

Intermittent Power steering failure first occurred ~March 2024. Truck is not safe to operate and is currently at the dealership awaiting parts for repair and is available for inspection. Power steering failure occurred multiple times without warning and required enormous physical effort to maintain control through the turn. No warning signals or symptoms occurred before, during, or after any of the power steering failures.

Intermittent steering issues. Some times the electric steering kicks off and back on. Sometimes It doesn’t work at all. Sometimes it works fine. Brought it to dealer they want 3k to replace the whole rack and pinion even though they have recalls for this same problem just not mine. I have a vehicle I’m paying every month for that’s too unsafe to drive, and to expensive to fix

Tried to start my truck in the morning a nd the power steering system light came on. Steering wheel was hard to turn. Took my truck to the mechanic and he said there was no parts to be found the the computer said it was an internal problem in the EPS rack and pinion unit. Went to the Dealership and they sated that they could not help me cause the part was discontinued . No parts on back order or were even available anymore. There also were no aftermarket parts made for this either leading me to hunt down old parts off of junked Ram trucks. This truck is only 10 years old and I don't know how it slipped through the recall when every other truck of that age is recalled.

In October of 2023, our vehicle was brought into Matt Bowers Dodge, in Baton Rouge, LA, with a MIL and trouble code that indicated an issue with the brakes. The dealer diagnosed the need for a new ABS Control Module (P/N 68210719AB) and ordered it at that time. We were told the vehicle is unsafe to drive in its current condition. The part has been on order for over nine months. When we inquire as to the delay, we are told that the delay is "due to the part undergoing engineering review".