2017 RAM 1500 Complaints

Drove home from work and stopped the vehicle, put it in park to check the mail. When I returned the vehicle to drive the steering locked up and "service power steering" light came on the dash. I drove into the yard a bit because the steering wheel was incredibly difficult to turn. I thought I was going to break something with how much force I had to use to get the vehicle to steer into the garage. This is a recalled issue on other Ram gen 4 trucks and should be one for this one as well. I can only imagine if it had locked up with my 6 year old son in the vehicle on the highway or something.

The air ride suspension system failed after a stretch of below-freezing temperatures, the front end was lowered and the rear end elevated. The vehicle had 91k miles on it and required a new compressor and valve block.

Driver seatbelt not working properly not locking like the way it should, I’m afraid to have an accident and not being protected.. really concerned about it. Thanks!

In January 2024, my 2017 Dodge 1500 leaked a large amount of oil in a short period of time. If it had gone unnoticed, this could have led to engine failure while driving. The truck has 61,000 miles on it. I took it to my local Dodge dealership for diagnosis. When I explained the problem to the Assistant Service Manager, he said; "I'll bet I know what it is... the oil cooler. It's not uncommon". In fact, it WAS the oil cooler. Specifically, the gaskets in these trucks degrade, fail, and oil quickly leaks out. I "Googled" this issue online and found that there are MANY complaints regarding this exact issue from all over the country. Many of the trucks, like mine, had relatively low mileage. In order to make the repair, the mechanic must remove the intake manifold to access the oil cooler. As the gasket is incorporated into the cooler, the entire unit must be replaced. The cost for this repair was $1324. In further discussion with the Assistant Manager, he noted again that this is not an uncommon problem and has been a problem since about 2010. The cause is inferior (plastic) parts. He said that Dodge has done nothing to rectify the issue. They have not upgraded the part, offered to fix defective oil coolers, or done a recall since they don't consider it a "safety" issue. He referred me to Dodge's "Customer Care" number but also added that he didn't think it would do much good. On January 23, 2024, I called Dodge Customer Care. The representative said he would forward my complaint "for review". When I asked him how I would follow up on my complaint, he said that he did not know if anyone from Dodge would actually call me back. It felt like a waste of time. He also said I should file a complaint with the NHTSA. Dodge needs to acknowledge that the oil cooler units on their 1500 pickups are defective and make restitution to the owners.

While driving, the truck started shuttering and as I was able to stop where I was, the D light was flashing and the truck died. It would not start, it would not let me put it in N to be able to try and get off the road.

The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated after pulling to the side of the roadway to allow a Fire truck to go by, the vehicle experienced rough idling. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while the vehicle was idling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the part was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V406000 (Fuel System, Diesel) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 120,700. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

while driving on the highway my Power Steering Service light came on the dashboard and I loss my power steering. Vehicle was extremely had to steer, almost got into an accident with the vehicle on the right lane which also had to steer away from my truck. almost caused a chain accident on the highway. I took it to a dodge dealership for service and they diagnosed that the Electronic Power Steering module was not working and replaced the rack and pinion; it cost me closed to $4,000. After 4 days in the shop, I drove my truck away from the dealer and parked it for the weekend. On Sunday I decided to go to the supermarket, no issues driving to the market. As I am getting ready to leave the parking lot of the market back to my house, the Power Steering Service light came back on. Nothing in the dashboard warned me in advance that the power steering was not working properly or it was about to go out.

Same issues as everyone else, cold weather north dakota, suspension errors, components were fully replaced last winter. All issues happening again. Loss of air, drooped side, .....

My steering recently locked up on me while turning left with oncoming traffic, I slid (snow) onto the shoulder to avoid traffic, almost causing an accident. There were no warnings at that time. After a few moments it freed up and I was able to continue. Then, a couple days later, the power steering warning came on and there was no longer any steering assist. I continued a couple miles to get off of the main road. Then it locked up again while turning right, again, almost causing an accident. I had to brake hard to prevent hitting the cars in the other lane, and almost got rear-ended by cars trying to turn behind me. I blocked the intersection for over an hour waiting for a tow truck, but was eventually able to get it to the shoulder. The vehicle has been towed to the dealership.

The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH with traffic slowing, the contact slowed down, and at 10 MPH, the engine seized with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact coasted to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard to be diagnosed. The independent mechanic could not identify the cause of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the tone wheel had failed causing the engine to seize. The contact was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which provided a remedy of a software update. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and it was confirmed that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V411000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the mechanic denied the replacement of the tone wheel. The failure mileage was 104,000.