Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The fcm and pdc are extremely bad on the 2002 Dodge. They corrode causing your brake lights, blinkers, headlights and emergency flasher not to work. Dodge should have been mandated to recall and replace both parts on every truck. The corrosion is do to the poor design of the pdc "fuse box" with holes in the bottom allowing water and moisture to enter the pdc and start to corrode. This in turn causing the fcm " front control module" to short out. This is a severe danger to the truck owner as well as other motorists and pedestrians on the road. This is a very serious matter and needs to be looked in to and fixed. I have personally experience this and have almost been hit several times by motorists behind me do to the fact my taillights quit working and my blinkers did as well. I have replaced my fcm and pdc 4 times already and each one shorts out after a year. That's $600-$1200 each time. …
While driving to work early in the morning, roads were wet, temperature was 23 degrees. Was driving on a two lane roadway about 40 MPH. Was on a straight stretch when truck started to fish tail slightly. Rear of the truck slid slightly toward drivers side. I turned the wheels slightly in the direction of the slide and then started to turn the wheels back the other direction as truck started to straighten out. At that point I felt something give in the front end on the drivers side. The truck started pulling across the center line and off the other side of the road. I was heading straight for a telephone pole. I tried pushing the brakes fully, but the pedal went to the floor. I cut the wheels all the way to the right , just missing the telephone pole. My front fender struck a steel pole filled with cement next to a split rail fence. …
I had a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving at approximately 40 MPH I heard a low humming noise. Suddenly the truck veered to the left. I was now in incoming traffic and narrowly missed one car. I tried to get the truck back to the right. The steering wheel had a lot of play in it. The truck fishtailed back to the right only to veer again to the left. I had no control of the vehicle. I was hit by a car, ran up a lawn, hit a tree and flipped the truck. Both myself and the driver of the car suffered minimal physical injuries. Both vehicles were totaled. It is my understanding that there is a class-action lawsuit against daimler Chrysler involving this same problem with the Dodge durangos. I believe that my vehicle had the same problem.
My husbands 6 month old Dodge Ram 1500 2002 tire came off while driving and caused a terrible accident. I was behind him in my car and had to pull him out of the truck. The aluminum spindal broke in half. Whcih many mechanics have looked at it and stated that this is what caused this truck to wreck. The airbags defaulted his body impression was in the steering wheel. The front left tire came completely detached from vechile.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the frame around the steering box disconnected from the steering due to excessive rust. There was no warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer was not called. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
When driving at an undetermined speed steering wheel failed, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and hit another vehicle going 50 MPH. Consumer towed the vehicle to dealer, and mechanic informed the consumer that the steering column bolt snapped.
My son was on the I-5 coming home from school when the seals blew on the rack and pinion. Upon taking it to a repair shop we were informed that this is a known defect of the Dodge Ram trucks and they are known to blow any where from 50,000-100,000 miles. If we had known about this defect we would not have purchased the truck. When the seals blew the truck steering components began to grind and it was difficult to get it off the road. There was no warning and luckily my son had the opportunity to pull off the freeway with out injuring anyone. My father who has contracted with a local reservation contacted their service department only to find out that the Dodge Ram trucks were known to have serious power steering and front end issues. …
I have suffered two major system failures in my 2002 Dodge Ram 1500, both of which resulted in a complete lock of the steering while driving. In both instances, first at 30,000 km in feb 04, and now at 72,000 km in feb 07, the power steering rack has broken, resulting in a catastrophic failure, requiring a king kong grip on the steering wheel simply to turn the wheel even one inch. The first failure was covered by Chrysler under the three year warranty, but this one is not being covered under the powertrain warranty. Both failures were luckily at low speed, but if this happens again in two years, I pray that it does not happen at highway speeds. I have seen numerous other complaints on carcomplaints.com for the same failure, and there is another Dodge Ram at the dealer right now with the same break down.
My truck began leaking power steering fluid while parked outside my house. The vehicle was not running, nor moving. Enough fluid leaked out to form a puddle under my truck. I use this truck to tow a 3200 pound travel trailer. I am thankful I was not pulling this trailer or driving the truck when the power steering began leaking. I am not the only Dodge truck owner to whom this has happened. This is a design flaw, a safety hazard and these trucks need to be recalled before someone is seriously injured or possibly killed. I live in southwestern pennsylvania and the roads on which I travel are very steep and winding. It terrifies me to think what May happen if this unit was to fail while I was navigating these roads. Please take action to force Dodge to correct this design flaw before someone dies. Thank you!
My 2002 Dodge 1500 quad cab 4x4 had a leak on the power steering hose,which was repaired under warranty in 2004. In 2005 I notice power steering fluid leaking again in the same area and thought it was the hose again. This time it turn out to be a leek in the gear box. At the time the truck had 62000 kms and 3 months past it's warranty and has not been driven off road. The Dodge dealer would not help cover any expenses for this premature failure. Currently the steering is unstable on uneven road surfaces and I do not drive it in the winter. There has been no accidents but one near miss when the truck veered over to the on coming lane after going over a bump.
Related recalls
Steering › Column
On certain pickup trucks, the electrical connector at the bottom of the steering column contains an under-sized terminal for the HVAC blower motor circuit. Localized heating from current flow with the blower speed set on high May cause the terminal contacts to relax and lose electrical contact.
Remedy: Dealers will install a wiring harness overlay to correct this condition. Owner notification began April 15, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive…
Steering complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2002 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 44 complaints about the steering of the 2002 Dodge Ram 1500, 5% of the model year's 815 complaints. The component named most often is rack and pinion (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 steering problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 03V-078 (column, Mar 10, 2003). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 56,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.