Steering complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 47 | 7% | 45,000 miles |
| 2011 | 45 | 7% | 66,000 miles |
| 2010 | 41 | 8% | 78,000 miles |
| 2009 | 28 | 4% | 70,000 miles |
| 2008 | 103 | 19% | 58,000 miles |
| 2007 | 60 | 12% | 60,000 miles |
| 2006 | 84 | 11% | 78,000 miles |
| 2005 | 59 | 5% | 67,000 miles |
| 2004 | 86 | 8% | 60,000 miles |
| 2003 | 44 | 4% | 77,000 miles |
| 2002 | 44 | 5% | 56,000 miles |
| 2001 | 53 | 5% | 56,000 miles |
| 2000 | 17 | 3% | 100,000 miles |
| 1999 | 32 | 5% | 66,000 miles |
| 1998 | 28 | 5% | 100,000 miles |
| 1997 | 23 | 6% | 95,000 miles |
| 1996 | 23 | 8% | 129,000 miles |
| 1995 | 16 | 8% | 66,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2012 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel made a low winding sound. The vehicle lost power steering functionality without warning. The contact pulled over and restarted the vehicle to regain power steering functionality. The failure occurred 3 times. The contact stated that her spouse replaced the power steering pump. The contact learned that the power steering pump was already replaced once before purchasing the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 34,000.
Intermittent fault from the TIPM module. When slowing to a stop, or slowing to make a turn, the engine dies without warning resulting in loss of power steering and operability while in traffic. The only indication that the engine has died is the tachometer reads 0 RPM, loss of power steering, and the excelerator becomes inoperable. The radio, headlights, and A/C stay on during this. Coming to a complete stop and putting the truck into park (P) and turning the ignition to OFF and then restarting the truck resolves the problem, but on the highway this is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. This has been diagnosed as an intermittent fault derived from a faulty TIPM module and involves multiple RAM 1500, 2500, 3500 owners. Various issues of similar nature reported to dealerships and on forums.
Yesterday, the Front Right Wheel completely separated from the axel while driving 25 mph. The truck veered sharply to the right, crashing into the driver's side of a fortunately unoccupied parked car, and continued to the right into the curb. I was not seriously injured, though my neck was strained. The tire and rim were destroyed, and it appears that the metal attachment from the wheel to the car was completely sheared through. There was also extensive Front End damage. Had I made it another mile to the parkway, this would have been a fatal injury to me, as well as other drivers. The truck was just inspected 2 days prior to this occurrence by a Certified Dodge Ram Dealer (NY Facility #[redacted]) with a clean health record. It is currently at the North Star Auto Body [phone]) awaiting inspection by the Allstate Insurance adjuster (Claim # [redacted]). A police report was also filed. …
This issue has been experienced more than 5 times and only occurs while turning. While making both left and right hand turns, the steering wheel locks mid turn and the engine completely shuts off resulting in the inability to turn in any direction. The first time this happened, I almost went into a ditch and today as I turned to cross an intersection, I lost all steering control and the truck shut down mid turn in the middle of the intersection. This left the truck immobilized in the intersection and facing into oncoming traffic. Following each incident, I put the truck in park and restart it as if there was no issue. There are no warning lights that appear prior to any of the incidents that would indicate an issue and the instrument panel goes dark each time the issue occurs. This is going to get me and/or my family killed one of these days. …
I went to the car wash in the afternoon, I parked truck in driveway when I got home. Ate lunch with my kids and went outside after and was enjoying the summer weather and unexpectedly my truck started rolling in the driveway and crashed into trees on my property. I got a stick stuck in my leg trying to get my truck out of the woods that became infected. Truck went to dealership and 2 recalls were fixed. The Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) described in the recall is exactly what happened in this incident. Causes a rollaway vehicle that may cause crash or injury unexpectedly with no warning. I reported it to Mopar and Stellantis and made claims with both.
My 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 shuts off without warning. The incident frequently happens when I am driving at city speeds. If I am turning, the vehicle shuts off, and the power steering also cuts off, causing problems turning the steering wheel. When I am driving straight, there are no warning lights on the dashboard, and the vehicle shuts down. This is very dangerous while going.
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.
Related recalls (4)
Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2003-2008 Dodge RAM 2500 4x4 and 3500 4x4, model year 2007-2008 Dodge RAM 3500 4x2 Cab Chassis and model year 2006-2008 Dodge RAM 1500 Mega Cab 4x4 trucks manufactured February 12, 2002, through February 13, 2008. The left tie rod assembly may break.
Remedy: Chrysler notified owners and launched its recall campaign in January 2014. Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N62.
Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Chrysler Group LLC (Chrysler) is recalling certain model year 2008-2012 RAM 2500 4X4 and 3500 4X4 trucks, 2008-2012 Dodge RAM 3500 4x2 Cab Chassis, and model year 2008 Dodge RAM 1500 Mega Cab 4x4. The left tie rod assembly may break.
Remedy: Chrysler notified owners on January 16, 2014 that dealers would inspect vehicles and replace the steering linkage assembly, if necessary.
Steering › Linkages › Tie rod assembly
Chrysler is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Dodge Ram 2500/3500 4x4, manufactured from February 14, 2008, through March 28, 2011; model year 2008-2011 Dodge Ram 3500 cab chassis 4x2, manufactured from February 14, 2008, through March 28, 2011; and model year 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 mega cab 4x4, manufactured from February…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the tie rod ends for relative orientation and replace the left outer tie rod as required and perform a front end toe alignment as needed. This service will be performed free of charge.
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…
NHTSA investigations
Alleged failure of steering pitman shaft
Steering box output (pitman) shaft breakage resulting in loss of control.
Steering column separation
Mr. Larry a. Sackey submitted a petition to the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) by letter dated April 18, 2003, requesting that nhtsafurther investigate the defective collapsible steering shaft system on 1987-1995 vehicles manufactured by the daimlerchrysler corporation.in part because of 49 cfr ? 30120(g), NHTSA has decided to limit the scope of the petition vehicles to 1993-1995 models,…
Chrysler's execution of 13V-528 & 529
RMD opened this audit query (AQ) investigation in order to better understand and evaluate Chrysler's process(es) for timely and efficient execution of its safety recall campaigns, including its oversight and management of its parts division Mopar.Prior to opening this investigation, RMD had raised concerns with the company related to its execution of two safety recalls, 13V-528 and 13V-529, both of which involved…
Frequently asked questions
Which Dodge Ram 1500 years have steering problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2008 (103), 2004 (86), 2006 (84), 2007 (60) and 2005 (59) model years. Steering complaints make up 19% of all complaints for the 2008.
Is there a recall for Dodge Ram 1500 steering problems?
Yes — 4 recalls, including 13V-528 (tie rod assembly, Nov 6, 2013); 13V-529 (tie rod assembly, Nov 6, 2013); 11V-350 (tie rod assembly, Jul 6, 2011). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Dodge Ram 1500 steering problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 67,000 miles; 34% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the linkages › tie rod assembly (46 mentions), followed by the rack and pinion (28).
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.