2013 RAM 1500

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 14 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) reports and 6 EWR Death & Injury (D&I) reports describing post recall remedy failures of the brake transmission shift interlock (BTSI) system in certain Model Year (MY) 2013-2018 RAM pickup trucks.The subject vehicle models include 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 trucks equipped with a column mounted shift lever.The failures of the BTSI described in the VOQs occurred on vehicles that had all previously been repaired under recall 17V-821 or 18V-100.Both recalls address a potential condition which can cause the BTSI locking pin to become stuck allowing the transmission to be shifted out of Park without depressing the brake pedal and/or without having a key in the ignition.Shifting the transmission out of Park when not having the brake pedal depressed can result in a vehicle rollaway. ODI is opening this Recall Query (RQ) to review the effectiveness of the 17V-821 and 18V-100 recall remedies, understand the root cause of additional vehicle rollaway incidents, and identify any other possible root cause that may affect the performance of the BTSI system. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 380 reports from consumers alleging an intermittent or complete loss of power steering assistance in certain 2013-2016 Ram 1500.The failure allegations occur at various speeds with limited detectability to the driver.On March 23, 2016 Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA) conducted recall campaign 16V-167 to address a possible contamination of the electrical power steering unit in certain model year 2015-2016 RAM 1500. The recall involved 440 vehicles and potentially resulted in loss of power steering assist.Consumer complaints indicate a similar failure may be occurring in vehicles that are out of scope of the recall.A Recall Query has been opened to determine if the scope of the recall mentioned above is correct or if another defect might exist that causes the alleged steering concerns.The reports cited above are listed in the attached document.

Basis – On December 16, 2016, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE16-014 to investigate 43 vehicle rollaway incidents with operators alleging they had shifted to Park and then exited the vehicle prior to the rollway incidents.  These complaints involved multiple Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) model and model year vehicles that share a common electronic rotary shifter design.  Of the 43 consumer complaints, 25 complaints alleged crashes, and eight complaints alleged at least one injury. Subject Vehicles – When NHTSA opened the investigation, the subject vehicles were model year (MY) 2013-2016 Ram 1500 vehicles and MY 2014-2016 Dodge Durango vehicles equipped with a rotary electronic shifter. However, NHTSA expanded the scope of the investigation to include subsequent model years of the same model vehicles when the Agency learned that those new model year vehicles use the same rotary shifter.  Additionally, all subject vehicles manufactured by FCA are equipped with electronic rotary shifters supplied by Kostal Automotive. Reason for closing - During the course of this investigation, ODI did not find evidence that a vehicle-based design or manufacturing defect was the cause of vehicle rollaway incidents on the subject vehicles. Nevertheless, given the risk of a vehicle rollaway, FCA’s CSN actions provide automated vehicle securement when an operator attempts to exit the vehicle without successfully achieving a Park position with the rotary shifter mechanism. ODI closely monitored the subject vehicles on which the CSN actions implement a vehicle securement strategy and found that the CSN actions were effective in reducing the frequency of vehicle rollaway incidents in the subject vehicles. ODI analyzed the incidents when a CSN had been implemented and a rollaway still occurred, and ODI was unable to find an actionable defect that caused vehicle rollaway incidents. ODI found that the failure rates on subject vehicles that received a CSN remedy were similar to the failure rates on other vehicle populations and additionally had similar mechanisms as other vehicle populations such as slippery surfaces and various mechanical failures. Furthermore, as discussed above, after FCA’s release of the CSN actions, consumer complaints have decreased significantly. Given the absence of an identified safety defect based on available information and FCA’s customer satisfaction campaign which addresses the failure mode, further action is not warranted at this time. Accordingly, this Preliminary Evaluation is closed. However, the Agency reserves the right to take further action, if warranted.Please see the attached detailed closing summary for more information. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

On July 23, 2015, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) launched Safety Recall 15V-461 to remedy security vulnerabilities in approximately 1.4 million model year (MY) 2013 through 2015 vehicles equipped with Uconnect head units (HU) 8.4A (RA3 radio) and 8.4AN (RA4 radio) manufactured by Harman International.On July 24, 2015, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Recall Query, RQ 15-004, to investigate HU security vulnerabilities and remedy effectiveness in the recalled population and to determine whether similar units have been supplied for use in other FCA vehicles.In an August 11, 2015 letter, FCA submitted a second Part 573 safety recall report expanding the scope of the Uconnect RA4 model radio to include additional 7,810 MY 2015 Jeep Renegade vehicles manufactured from September 18, 2014 through June 25, 2015 (Recall 15V-508).Scope analysis indicated that Uconnect radios installed in FCA vehicles not included in recalls 15V-461 or 15V-508 (subject recalls) are not equipped with built-in cellular access or short range wireless communication features and, thus, do not contain the security vulnerabilities addressed by the subject recalls. SUBJECT VEHICLES: MY2014 through 2015 Dodge Durango, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Cherokee sport utility vehicles; MY2013 through 2015 Ram 1500, 2500, 3500 and 4500/5500 pickup trucks; MY2013 through 2015 Dodge Viper vehicles; and MY2015 Chrysler 200, 300, Jeep Renegade, Dodge Charger and Challenger vehicles.According to FCA, long and short range wireless vulnerabilities identified in the recalled vehicles could allow unauthorized third-party access to, and manipulation of, networked vehicle control systems.Successful exploitation of the vulnerabilities, coupled with reverse engineering of networked microprocessor control modules, could result in unauthorized manipulation of vehicle control systems. This unauthorized manipulation of vehicle controls and systems could expose the driver, vehicle occupants or other highway users to an increased risk of injury.FCA and its network provider, Sprint, conducted a nationwide campaign to block access to a radio communications port that was unintentionally left open.On July 27, 2015, short range wireless vulnerabilities were also blocked.Finally, third party security evaluation and regression testing identified vulnerabilities that were either remedied by Sprint or through updates to the FCA Uconnect software.ODI identified a total of 30 complaints or field reports on unique vehicles submitted by FCA (29) or received by NHTSA (1) alleging incidents of theft from a vehicle or anomalous performance that the owner alleged were caused by, or may have been caused by, remote hacking.Twenty-six (87%) of these reports were submitted after a magazine article was published on July 21, 2015, describing the remote hacking of an FCA vehicle by researchers who were able to affect the operation of various vehicle control systems, including the service brakes, steering, throttle and ignition.Most of the complaints involved vehicle systems that were not safety critical (e.g., complaints related to radio, navigation system, or air-conditioning control) and did not affect vehicle control.Three complaints reported engine stalls.One owner reported sudden unintended acceleration allegedly related to hacking.None of the complaints or field reports reviewed involved the steering and braking vehicle control effects demonstrated by the research hackers prior to the recall.There were no confirmed incidents of hacking in any of the records reviewed by ODI.The remedies completed by Sprint and FCA appear to have eliminated vulnerabilities that mi

1. Electric Power steering Rack and Pinion assermbly quit working. Turning into my drive way to park and the power steering completely quit working causing me to almost run into the side of our new ( 1 month 2026 KIA ) before I could get my 2013 1500 stopped. 2.Yes it is avaible for inspection. 3. I have not taken it to anyone, I have been a mechanic in the military and work for serveral auto dealerships ( 76 years old now ). 4. Service Electric Power Steering warnng light came on same time the power steering quit working only for a second then went off, now warning light comes on with key in run position briefly but goes out and when the engine is running I get no warning light.

NHTSA ID

11765119

Incident

Sep 9, 2026

We were going to the beach a couple of days ago. While I was driving down the highway the power steering went out. All of a sudden I had no control over the steering. I was fortunate enough that the person on the right side of me was alert enough to recognize that something wrong was happening as I quickly veered into his lane. I was able to slow down enough and fight the wheel for control and get it parked on the medium. If he wouldn't have been alert this could have had some bad results. He pulled over and checked on us. Ensured we had a phone. The truck is available for a inspection. The truck is a 2013 but it has been pampered taken care of. Milage is only 47,510 miles. If the miles of the truck truly represented the age. 13 years old but it's well under 50,000 miles.

NHTSA ID

11765079

Incident

Sep 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that one of the brake calipers was locking up, causing the vehicle to veer from side to side while accelerating. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic, where a technician diagnosed the vehicle with a seized brake caliper. The service center confirmed the failure. Due to the constant dragging, the brake pads became excessively worn and failed to perform as needed. The brake parts were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact was able to control the vehicle; however, the steering wheel was firmer than normal.

NHTSA ID

11764976

Incident

Sep 17, 2026

Intermittent loss of power stering

NHTSA ID

11763193

Incident

Aug 28, 2026

While making a left turn the steering wheel jerked slightly and vehicle suddenly became difficult to steer. Noted a red flashing steering wheel icon with a red flashing exclamation mark icon on the instrument panel. An accident was narrowly avoided only due to the strength of the driver to manually turn the vehicle sufficiently to avoid collision. Mechanic diagnosis is that the Electronic Steering Assist Motor or Module in the EPS Rack and Pinion assembly had failed. Vehicle has not been repaired as of yet.

NHTSA ID

11763141

Incident

Sep 8, 2026

No warnings for power steering going out it just completely went out.

NHTSA ID

11762999

Incident

Sep 1, 2026

Started vehicle, drove about 400 meters and the power steering went out while making a left turn. More than went out, as it felt like it actively fought me. I've driven vehicles without P/S before, and this was significantly worse. It almost caused me to overrun the turn and collide with an embankment. I restarted the vehicle after a bit, and the power steering worked fine again for about 400 meters, whereupon it failed once more with similar symptoms. I can feel the steering wheel actively trying to work back the other direction when turning. It seems to be actively trying to return to straight status. I received a warning on the cluster about servicing power steering during both incidents. This warning cleared on startup.

NHTSA ID

11762712

Incident

Sep 8, 2026

Lost all power steering

NHTSA ID

11762266

Incident

Aug 19, 2026

Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.

Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.

Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.

Squeak Or Squawk Noise Coming From Either Side Door Of The Vehicle, It Could Be Just One Door Or More. The Noise Can Be Present In Either The Upper Or The Lower Hinge.

Outside Power Fold Rearview Mirror Noise Or Loose At Pivot. Mirror Contacts Door Window Glass In The Folded Position.

Aluminum Body Panel Corrosion Repair Aluminum corrosion or bubbling along the leading edge of hood, hinges or other exterior surface areas of the hinges, doors, fenders, swing gates or liftgates.