Power Steering Problems in Ram 1500 Pickup Trucks Being Investigated by NHTSA

Over 1 million Ram trucks are under investigation by highway safety officials over potentially defective power steering components.

Federal highway safety officials are investigating problems with Ram 1500 pickup trucks from the 2013 through 2016 model years, following hundreds of consumer complaints involving power steering assistance failures.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched the Ram 1500 power steering investigation on August 4, following at least 380 complaints involving problems with the power steering assistance units, and has become aware of at least three accidents that may have resulted from the issue.

The complaints follow a prior power steering recall announced in 2016, and involved vehicles that were not subject to the prior recall. Officials warn that a power steering loss or failure can occur unexpectedly and will require additional effort from the vehicle’s operator to steer and maintain control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of an auto accident and occupants sustaining serious injuries.

Ram 1500 Power Steering Failure Investigation

The agency’s current investigation impacts approximately 1,106,211 model year 2013 through 2016 Ram 1500 trucks, which may be equipped with defective power steering assistance units.

Officials will investigate the hundreds of recent consumer complaints to determine whether another defect may exist that could be contributing to the continued power steering failures, or if the scope of affected vehicles were underestimated in the prior 2016 recall.

Chrysler issued a recall for certain model years 2015 to 2016 Ram 1500 pickup trucks in March 2016, following dozens of reports involving similar electric power steering unit failures.

The automaker and their supplier investigated the issue, concluding that the failures were due to contamination of the part’s control circuit board, which could cause an electrical short circuit and lead to partial or complete failure of the electrical power steering. The defective units were produced on the same day and in the same manufacturing facility, which led the automaker to believe that only a certain group of vehicles were equipped with the faulty parts.

The prior Ram 1500 recall impacted approximately 440 model year 2015 through 2016 Ram 1500 pickup trucks manufactured from January 22, 2015 until September 13, 2015.

Chrysler provided the affected vehicle owners with complimentary replacement of their electrical power steering assistance units by a licensed dealer.

The NHTSA says its investigation seeks to determine if that 2016 recall should have been broader, and will decide whether it should be expanded to the more than 1 million Ram 1500 vehicles now under investigation. The agency has not said when it expects the investigation to be completed.