2013 RAM 1500 Complaints

While driving home from work on the interstate, the steering locked up and became stiff. The power steering light came on the dash. It was very scary as it was on a high speed interstate with no ability to control it. The safety of myself and others were at risk as I could no longer fully control the vehicle. It has not been taken to a dealer as of yet. The component has not been inspected as of yet. No warning lights were on prior to this incident.

The Electric Power Steering Pump has failed. The same problem has been confirmed by the dealer where I take my vehicle to get all its oil changes etc. While driving the truck the power steering will randomly stop working. This is a huge safety concern especially since the 3 times it has happen I have my wife and [XXX] old son in the vehicle with me. I am able to turn the vehicle off and then back on. And the power steering will start working again. Obviously you can see that this is a giant problem a safety concern. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Was driving down the road and the power steering just went out and almost wrecked. This is very dangerous. And I looked and seems to be a very common issue with this. This definitely needs to be investigated. It is not safe at all.

Electric power steering rack failure while vehicle was in motion towing a vehicle on a car trailer approaching a bend in the road on a two lane black top at 60 mph. Without any prior warning the steering wheel jerked slightly power steering assist was 100% lost, a chime sounded and error message flashed on the driver information center “Steering Assist Warning”. The vehicle in this case has only 52,138 miles on it and has always been garage kept. The steering was heavier than an old overloaded grain truck and required all the strength of an adult male using both hands and arms to steer the vehicle. My wife or most people in general would have been unprepared or unable to maintain vehicle control. Unfortunately this is a know issue in the Ram 1500 community and for the most part has been ignored Ram/FCA/Stellantis and has not been aggressively and widely investigates/pursued by NHTSA. NHTSA, I beg you open an EA on this and properly address this situation before serious injuries occur or lives are lost. Please contact me if you need to inspect the steering rack or have questions. The problem appears to be in the EPS control module related to a build quality control issue with the EPS control module board.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH, the steering wheel seized. There were no warning lights illuminated. After restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel unlocked for two seconds and then seized again. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,092.

Electronic power steering (EPS) will fail when exposed to moisture. When EPS fails all power steering is lost resulting in extremely hard steering and possible loss of vehicle control.

I was driving down S. South Danville Rd. in Abilene, Texas, and it was raining and all of a sudden my steering wheel just jerks to the right and then my steering is now real hard to turn real hard to steer, and I almost crashed into another vehicle which would’ve not only hurt me but my daughter so I need to figure out what we need to do about this all of this happen without any type of warning

Dash light came on for ABS. Took my truck to a Dodge Dealership to be repaired plus other non urgent work to be done. On my way to taking it to the Dealership, I started experiencing issues with braking and right before I arrived, braking meant pushing the brake pedal all the way to the floor, it also felt delayed. While checking in my truck with the Service Department, they mentioned some Recalls that I needed done and they would take care of everything. Received a call later that everything was replaced except for ABS Control. They said they didn't have one and would search for it. Week went by, I called and they said it was back ordered with no ETA. It has been there since August 2025. My only vehicle. No warranty but I still owe 11k to the bank. I contacted Ram which sent me to contact Stellantis. Explained everything in hopes they would provide a loaner or rental. This is their response. I understand your frustration. The Stellantis rental reimbursement policy is a goodwill consideration. If the vehicle doesn't meet the guidelines the request is rejected. There is no exception, or appeal process. Let me know if you have any questions or further concerns. I replied, I am requesting exception review due to a manufacturer-controlled backorder of a safety-critical ABS component that has rendered the vehicle undrivable. This is the last communication I received which is from today 2/12. There is still no definite ETA for the part at this time, but our parts team is still working to get it expedited. I will receive another update in 5-6 business days and will follow up with you then.

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving out of a parking spot, the steering wheel inadvertently jerked to the center position on several occasions. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that when the vehicle was restarted, the steering wheel became very stiff. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the power steering unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Power steering went out when i try to turn on car I get a red steering wheel with “!” Signal next to it and I am unable to use steering wheel