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 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I just heard the news on the Dodge Ram buyback so I decided to check mine for open recalls and none were shown. My incident happened while I was turning into a gas station and as I was turning my steering wheel completely locked up which caused me to run into two concrete polls. Over six thousand dollars worth of damage occurred. I love Dodge rams! I've owned seven since 2004. Just wanted to report just in case this problem has happened before.
Tl* the contact owned a 2010 (na) Dodge Ram 1500. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the steering wheel seized. The contact was unable to regain control and crashed into a wooded area. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
This vehicle was bought used at a certified dealership, could not drive a fast speed for testing do to traffic and weather conditions. Upon driving the vehicle home noticed excessive vibration (rear end shakes and front end shakes) on turns on the highway at various speeds from 60 to 70 and even at 80 steering wheel shakes as much as the vehicle did. My wife and I thought it was tires being out of balanced. We got new tires and life time balance thinking it would fix the problem, but it did not. Vibrations comes and goes but mainly comes on when making turns on highway either left turns or right turns. Notice a lost of control when hitting even a little bump at high speeds as well. We then received the recall letter for the retaining nut on the rear end to be replaced. …
When we first bought our truck back in May 2014 my husband and I fell in love with our new truck, we took excellent care of the maint. In July we started noticing it felt more loose you could say and we were confused as to why it was like that we up until now thought the dealership had sold us a lemon bc in a year we spent over 2000 trying to prove they sold us a lemon but couldn't prove it until now we travel a lot due to work but in 2 months we knew knew we shouldn't have had to repair this much stuff on a new truck we had always thought working in north and south dakota that these should have been called the windy cities. …
Lost the ability to steer the truck while in motion. Brought in on 5/17/17 to dover Dodge, rockaway nj. Steering rack was not available. No new parts just refurbished didn't get back until 5/20/17. Part #'s r5154492-aa, gear rack 19001012. Three weeks later happened again. Back into same Dodge location on 6/15/17. Less than 24 hrs later happened again 200+ miles from home! We were backing into a campsite and heard the grinding. Had to be towed from a campground we were staying at. It put a damper on the whole trip. Had to leave our camper there paying for storage and we are still waiting for the steering rack to come in. It has been a whole week already it is now in fairfield Dodge, pa. We finally had to make the 200+ trip back up to pick the truck up on 7/2/17! Fingers crossed so far so good.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. While the vehicle was stationary, the heating system and the defroster stopped working. The contact stated that the windows would not defrost and the heating system blew cold air in the winter of 2015. A dealer was not contacted about the failures. In addition, while driving 75 MPH, the steering wheel began to vibrate violently. An independent mechanic replaced the front driver and passenger sides outer tie rods to correct the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failures. The contact stated that the vehicle was recalled per NHTSA campaign number: 09V158000 (equipment) prior to purchasing the vehicle in regards to the HVAC system failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500. When the vehicle was purchased, the contact was informed that the vehicle did not have any electric power steering sensors. The vehicle was driven to n.e. Auto sales (3232 n main st, rock creek, oh 44084, [phone]) to have the EPS sensors installed. The contact was informed that the dealer reprogrammed the sensors when they removed the rear tires; however, the contact stated that there were no sensors when the vehicle was brought in and there were none installed afterwards. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 184,011.
The steering shaft/intermediate shaft joints become very loose and allow for excessive play in the steering system. Vehicle drives OK up to 55 but reaching highway speed, periods of erratic wheel play/wobble are experienced and steering is greatly compromised. I have looked online and the replacement components are a dealer only item. I searched the dealer parts online and there is no listing for replacement parts although it is shown in the exploded diagram on the mopar parts site.
During a trip in January the vehicle began to uncontrollably wobble and I had to reduce speed to gain control, had some steering parts replaced which improved the ride but still had issues so I replaced the struts , springs and shocks but a slight wobble is still there at acceleration and deceleration and upon hitting bumps, its a little scary. It happens typically over 30 miles per hour and at one point about every 10 minutes on the interstate
Takata recall my 2009 Dodge Ram at 45to70 MPH when crossing abridge or hitting a small bump with either left or right tire my vehicle will jump to that side of the road ive had it to the Chrysler dealer ,they said that nothing in loose or worn and hanent had any problems except with the 2500and3500rams doing these things ,I love my Dodge but im afraid its going to jump over into incoming traffic and hurt me or some one else .what can I do?
Steering complaints in other Ram 1500 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the steering of the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500, 4% of the model year's 670 complaints. The component named most often is linkages › tie rod assembly (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 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.