2012 Dodge 1500 Steering Problems

On my way home. Going through in town (slow)traffic all of sudden I notice I had no power steering & no brakes, no please pull out , I noticed if I keep my rpm about 1500, I would get a little power steering & brakes back!, 4 miles to get home , I drove home slowly What happened was I lost my serpentine belt tensioner!!! .MY MAIN Purpose, for my truck is to toe my fifth wheel RV!!, I live in the north west of US, LIKE! in the mountains!! Terrified that it won’t happen again!😳☹️

NHTSA ID

11648222

Incident

Nov 13, 2024

Driver warning light came for airbag, yes it could be if deployed, no dealer has confirmed (but looked up recall # 15V459000), called molar said no recall on my vehicle…., no one else looked at vehicles book says to immediately take to dealer, yes warning light on follow book info and it appeared 9/8/24

NHTSA ID

11613398

Incident

Sep 8, 2024

2012 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 liter HEMI Completely shut down turned off losing ALL power I was 9n the freeway with my kids that was the first time my power steering doesn't work at all when this happens happens about 8 to 12 times a week and to make things better if I hit a bump truck shuts down also I t'' can be driving along and all my indicator light come on everything starts beeping and my wipers go crazy it's like my truck is possessed it's unbelievably dangerous and a major inconvenience I'm late for work kids late for school

NHTSA ID

11565274

Incident

May 11, 2023

The brakes don’t work well. The steering sucks And had death wobble.

NHTSA ID

11544605

Incident

Aug 4, 2023

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.

NHTSA ID

11540310

Incident

Nov 23, 2022

Mileage

34,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11486309

Incident

Sep 25, 2022

Exiting the freeway the truck vibrated and shut off going 55 mph, no brakes, no power steering going into a curve. I managed to keep it on the road and had it Towed to nearest dealership where they were able to diagnose the problem immediately and I was told that this is a know problem with this truck. $6000 to fix, contacted Ram customer service and a very rude woman put the dealership on the line and berated them for claiming there was an issue while explaining that it is completely normal for an engine to blow at 130k miles regardless of maintenance and as it’s out of warranty they were not responsible. “Normal” for an engine to blow, absolutely ridiculous and someone could have died. There are now 533 cases of this happening and Ram refuses to address it.

NHTSA ID

11443375

Incident

Nov 5, 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 RAM 2500. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE HER SON WAS DRIVING 25 MPH, HE HEARD AN ABNORMAL SOUND AND PARKED THE VEHICLE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DRIVER STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE DRIVER STATED WHILE EXAMINING THE VEHICLE, HE SAW THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIE ROD DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO MEND THE TIE ROD AND DRIVE TO HIS RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT CALLED THE LOCAL DEALER MOREHART MURPHY REGIONAL AUTO CENTER (31 PARKER AVE, DURANGO, CO 81303, (970) 247-2121) AND MADE THE DEALER AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED HER SON REPAIRED THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIE ROD AND STEERING LINKAGE. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V350000 (STEERING) HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 170,00.

NHTSA ID

11386793

Incident

Dec 21, 2020

Mileage

170,000 mi

AS I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40 MPH, AND APPROACHING THE CURVES ON THE ROAD AHEAD OF ME, I LOST CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE BECAUSE I HAD NO POWER STEERING, GAS, OR BRAKES. ALL GAUGES DROPPED TO 0 AND I HAD TO COAST TO BE ABLE TO STOP. HAD I MADE IT TO THE CURVES, BY VEHICLE WOULD OF CRASHED OFF THE SIDE OF ROAD. APPARENTLY THE PCM WENT BAD. THIS IS NOT A PART THAT SHOULD EVER GO BAD. THIS PART MALFUNCTION COULD OF KILLED ME OR SOMEONE ELSE. NONETHELESS IT WAS ALSO $1303, TOWING FEES, AND 5 DAYS OF CAR RENTAL. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE AND I DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO ANOTHER DRIVER. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL OF THIS PART. I NOW HAVE A FEAR WHEN I DRIVE THE TRUCK I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED.

NHTSA ID

11207969

Incident

May 10, 2019

Mileage

158,000 mi

2012 DODGE RAM. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO LOSS OF POWER STEERING WHILE DRIVING. *LD *TR

NHTSA ID

11192950

Incident

Dec 14, 2018

TAKATA RECALL HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE IGNITION MODULE ON MY RAM 1500 2012 WILL START SOMETIMES WHEN IT WANTS TO AND GOING DOWN THE ROAD I HIT A BUMP TRUCK LOOSES COMPLETE POWER. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS GOING 60 MILES A HOUR DOWN THE ROAD AND LOSE OF ALL POWER NO CONTROL OF THE TRUCK WHATSOEVER, ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT COMING AROUND A CURVE AND HIT A BUMP LIGHTS TURN OFF NO POWER STEERING TO THE TRUCK COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION I THINK NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE I DO END UP DIEING FOR A SIMPLE RECALL ON ALL THE TRUCK AND CARS THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SOMETHING BAD HAPPENES THANK YOU

NHTSA ID

11170384

Incident

Dec 30, 2018

Mileage

80,568 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 RAM 1500. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE DRIVESHAFT DISLODGED FROM THE VEHICLE AND CAUSED THE REAR WHEELS TO SEIZE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE SLID DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND OFF TO THE SHOULDER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO PATRIOT DODGE (2499 MARYLAND HWY, OAKLAND, MD 21550), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THE CONTACT WAS AWAITING A CALL BACK TO SEE IF THEY COULD ASSIST WITH THE REPAIR FEES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,000.

NHTSA ID

11101593

Incident

Jun 4, 2018

Mileage

69,000 mi

GOING SLOW AROUND MTN CURVE AND LOST BRAKES AND STEERING.

NHTSA ID

11092046

Incident

May 3, 2018

Mileage

42,000 mi

I WILL BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN I LOSE POWER AND THE TRUCK DIES. WHEN THAT HAPPENS I LOSE CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL AND IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO PULL OVER TO SAFETY.THIS HAPPENS OFTEN AND AT ANYTIME NO MATTER IF I'M ON A CITY STREET OR HIGHWAY. IT SEEMS TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON MY IGNITION AND 4-WHEEL DRIVE

NHTSA ID

11072428

Incident

Apr 15, 2017

Mileage

70,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 RAM 1500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD BANGING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE DRIVER COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICED THAT THE REAR AXLE DETACHED INDEPENDENTLY. THE DRIVER WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR AXLE PINION NUT DETACHED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY DID NOT GO BY CARFAX INFORMATION, AND THE VEHICLE WAS FROM CANADA AND COULD NOT SERVICED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000. *TT *TR

NHTSA ID

11071971

Incident

Feb 6, 2018

Mileage

76,000 mi

DRIVING MAKE A TURN AND IT JUST TURNS OFF AND THE STEERING LOCKS ! TURN BACK ON WHEN IN NEUTRAL ARE PARK. AND START UP AND MAY NOT DO IT FOR A WEEK AND DO IT AGAIN.

NHTSA ID

11025237

Incident

Aug 9, 2017

I HAVE HAD MY VEHICLE TO LOSE ALL POWER (POWER STEERING, ANTI LOCK BRAKES, AND SEATBELT FUNCTION) DUE TO A BAG IGNITION SWITCH. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH DOWN THE INTERSTATE. I NOTICED ALL MY DASH LIGHT CAME ON AND MY VEHICLE HAD COMPLETELY POWERED OFF LEAVING ME WITH NO POWER STEERING AND NO ANTI LOCK BRAKES. LUCKILY I WAS ON STRAIGHT ENOUGH ROAD TO ONLY RUN OFF THE ROAD ONCE I SLOWED DOWN. IAFTER HITTING A DITCH I NOTICED MY SEATBELT DID NOT LOCK CAUSING ME TO SLIGHTLY BUMP MY HEAD. I WASN'T HURT BUT THIS HAS TO BE A ISSUE. IT HAS WORKED PROPERLY SINCE THEN BUT DID THE SAME THING ON A LATER DATE WHILE DRIVING IN TOWN.

NHTSA ID

11004996

Incident

Jul 5, 2017

Mileage

130,000 mi

MY VEHICLE IS COVERED UNDER THE SETTLEMENT IMPOSED AGAINST FIAT CHRYSLER TO OFFER BUYBACK OPTION TO OWNER BASED ON PURCHASE PRICE MINUS REASONABLE DEPRECIATION. HOWEVER, MY DEALER, FIAT CHRYSLER, BUYBACK HOTLINES, AND EVERYONE I HAVE CONTACTED ARE PASSING THE BUCK AND NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS BUYBACK PROGRAM. I HAVE BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR 18 MONTHS. I AM ABOUT TO GO MEET WITH A SERVICE DEPT. MANAGER THIS MORNING, AFTER RECEIVING MORE IGNORANCE AND "I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT'S" YESTERDAY. FRUSTRATING. THERE ARE STEERING ISSUES, ELECTRICAL ISSUES, AND POWER TRAIN CONCERNS., AND IF SOMEONE GETS HURT IN THE MEANTIME WHILE I AM HAVING TO NAVIGATE THIS MESS, I WILL OWN FIAT CHRYSLER, NHTSA, AND WILL TAKE OVER THE BUYBACK NUMBER AND TURN IT INTO A PIZZA DELIVERY CALL CENTER. THANK YOU

NHTSA ID

10985904

Incident

May 15, 2017

Mileage

60,000 mi

DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, HIT A BUMP WHILE IN A CURVE, THE FRONT END SUDDENLY JUMPS OVER/WOBBLES. NEARLY CROSSED INTO THE NEXT LANE SEVERAL TIMES. THIS WAS ON I-20 EAST BOUND BETWEEN 285 AND 75/85. SEVERAL CURVES WITH RUTS/BUMPS IN THE MIDDLE OF THEM.

NHTSA ID

10968499

Incident

Mar 17, 2017

Mileage

98,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 RAM 1500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 13V529000 (STEERING), 14V635000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, FUEL SYSTEM, DIESEL), AND 15V459000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIRS WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

NHTSA ID

10864643

Incident

May 3, 2013

THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME OF A RECALL THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PARTS IN TO REPLACE THE PARTS DEFECTIVE. SHE MADE ME AN APPOINTMENT TO RETURN AND HAVE IT DONE IN ABOUT A WEEK. THE FOLLOWING WEEK I RECEIVED A CALL FROM HER STATING THAT THE PARTS HAD NOT CAME IN. SHE HAD LAUGHED ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO GET PARTS SHE HAD BEEN ORDERING. TOLD ME SHE WOULD CALL ME WHEN SHE GOT THEM IN. NEVER TELLING ME THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE RECALL. THAT IT WAS FATALLY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. I RECEIVED DOCUMENTATION FOR THE RECALL AND CALLED TO SEE WHAT WOULD BE DONE TO REMEDY IT. WAS GUARANTEED TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE IT SINCE THEY COULD ONLY PUT ME IN ANOTHER VEHICLE IF THEY WERE GOING TO BE REQUIRED TO KEEP IT OVERNIGHT. I HAD A WRECK THE FOLLOWING WEEK. LOST CONTROL COMING HOME EASTER. I AM 100% DISABLED AND HANDICAPPED FROM A DEBILITATING SPINAL DISEASE. I THOUGHT THE POWER STEERING WAS GOING OUT FROM A WRECK I HAD THE END OF DECEMBER. I HAD MY REPAIR WORK DONE AT THE SAME BODY SHOP. THEY ASSURED ME THE HOSES AND PUMP WERE REPLACED BUT IT DRIVES LIKE IT HAS NO POWER STEERING. KEEP IN MIND I'M A WIDOW TO AN ACTIVE DUTY HUSBAND I LOST. MOTHER OF 2. THE DEALERSHIP ASSURED ME SO I PUT MY TRUST INTO THEM. I NOW HAVE A VEHICLE THAT'S HAD EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IT WILL NEVER BE RIGHT. I'M COMPLETELY DEVASTATED.

NHTSA ID

10861038

Incident

Apr 2, 2016

Mileage

67,000 mi

STEERING WHEEL HARNESS.

NHTSA ID

10807880

Incident

Dec 1, 2015

Mileage

45,000 mi

I RECEIVED A NOTICE OF RECALL FOR "STEERING WHEEL WIRE HARNESS ON YOUR VEHICLE MAY BECOME CHAFFED BY THE DRIVER AIRBAG MODULE RETAINER SPRING ENDS." I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER TO TAKE IT IN FOR REPAIR BUT WHEN I ARRIVED, THEY DECLINED SAYING THEY "WERE TOO BUSY UNLESS I WANT TO WAIT FOR 4-5 HOURS." I HAD AN APPOINTMENT THAT THEY SET! I REQUESTED THEM TO CALL ME TO RESCHEDULE BUT I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THEM.

NHTSA ID

10788250

Incident

Oct 16, 2015

RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE THAT A STEERING WHEEL HARNESS COULD RUB AND DEPLOY THE AIRBAG AT ANY TIME. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO HOLLYWOOD CHRYSLER HOLLYWOOD FL AND THEY REPAIRED AND RETURNED. WHEN I ARRIVED AND FOR THE PRECEDING MONTHS PRIOR MY "FUEL ECONOMY DISPLAY" INDICATED MY AVERAGE MILEAGE WAS 15.8 GALLONS PER MILE REASONABLY WITHIN THE SPECS FOR THIS VEHICLE. FOLLOWING THE WIRING HARNESS REPAIR THE DISPLAY NOW (AND FOR MORE THAN 2 WEEKS ) REPORTS 11.8 MPG. SOMEHOW THE REPAIR ALTERED THE FUEL USAGE OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER CHECKED AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. BUT MY MILEAGE HAS GONE FROM 15.8 TO 11.8. I'M NOT DRIVING DIFFERENTLY. I'M LOSING 30% OF MY GAS AND THE VEHICLE IS NOW UNDER ADVERTISED SPECS OF 14/20 MPG THERE IS AN ISSUE THEY DON'T WANT TO DISCUSS. CAN THE NHTSA CONTACT OTHER OWNERS WITH THIS REPAIR AND VERIFY? CAN YOU HELP? THANKS

NHTSA ID

10786240

Incident

Oct 23, 2015

Mileage

61,334 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 DODGE RAM 1500. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH IN 4 WHEEL DRIVE, THE STEERING COLUMN AND WHEELS VIBRATED AND MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE USUALLY OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THE SYMPTOMS WERE RELATED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V038000 (POWER TRAIN), BUT THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,000.

NHTSA ID

10763966

Incident

Sep 1, 2015

Mileage

18,000 mi