2013 RAM 1500 Owner Complaints

In December 2025, my check engine light came on. Diagnostic codes read P0128 (coolant thermostat) and U1467 (module communication). I took the vehicle to a mechanic, who diagnosed and repaired the issue. Shortly after, the check engine light returned, so the same mechanic replaced the ECM (plug and play). This repair did not resolve the check engine light. The mechanic recommended I take the vehicle to a dealership and identified a related service bulletin tied to Safety Recall N25 / NHTSA Campaign 13V-177 (three-way coolant valve). To confirm this diagnosis, I sought a second opinion from another independent mechanic. That shop purchased the coolant valve part directly from a dealership, installed it on my truck, and the same issue persisted. They also were unable to resolve it and advised me to take the vehicle to a dealership. I researched NHTSA Campaign 13V-177 (Chrysler Manufacturer Campaign N25) and confirmed that Chrysler recalled certain 2013 RAM 1500 trucks built between June 25, 2012 and December 12, 2012, because the coolant bypass valve may stick in a position that prevents coolant flow to the heater core. The official remedy for this recall is replacement of the coolant valve along with an updated module calibration, performed by a dealer. I was told by dealership staff that there is no active recall on my vehicle. However, my truck matches the affected description, and I have not had the calibration portion of the recall remedy performed, only the physical part replacement, which two independent mechanics have already completed without resolving the underlying issue. My vehicle is currently at Landmark Dodge in Morrow, GA. Despite this being an open federal safety recall (13V-177/N25) with a remedy that includes a required software calibration update, the dealership is attempting to charge me for this repair, even though I have already paid to have the physical part replaced twice by independent mechanics.

NHTSA ID

11753492

Incident

Dec 5, 2025

Power steering has failed. The vehicle is available for inspection. The steering without power assist is worthless. There is no way to avoid any kind of emergency incident. An independent repair shop has verified that the steering doesn't work. No one else has inspected the vehicle. In the dashboard information panel there is a flashing red warning light that was on when the vehicle was started. The symbol is a steering wheel and an exclamation mark. This first appeared on July 10, 2026.

NHTSA ID

11752984

Incident

Jul 10, 2026

The power steering light is on and will not steer properly. The vehicle is well maintained with only 70k. I have read some other issues with steering.

NHTSA ID

11752797

Incident

Jun 16, 2026

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently experienced a loss of power steering assist. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The contact purchased and replaced the battery, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 158,000.

NHTSA ID

11752590

Incident

Jul 13, 2026

Mileage

158,000 mi

My vehicle gave my a check engine light after acceleration.I had it towed to a shop they checked everything in said they didn't see anything.So I drove it with no issues for about 5 months.I was driving to work in the truck lost power.I had it towed home.I has a crank no start.That's where I am with.

NHTSA ID

11752138

Incident

Apr 14, 2026

My steering completely locked up after driving for 2 mins. I could have crashed and killed myself or someone else. I had my truck towed to dealership lewis chrysler in fayetteville, arkansas 72704. They said i need to replace my REPLACE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING MODULE and will cost $5000. Here is a link to my invoice [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11750916

Incident

Jul 9, 2026

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The steering wheel seized, and the power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The failure was intermittent. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 232,000.

NHTSA ID

11750578

Incident

May 13, 2026

Mileage

232,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was a flashing triangle symbol associated with the power steering fault displayed on the instrument panel. The power steering service message was displayed. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Action Number: RQ23003 (Steering). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who confirmed there was no recall coverage for the power steering failure. The dealer provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but there was no response. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

NHTSA ID

11750546

Incident

Jun 15, 2026

Mileage

34,000 mi

I was driving and my power steering light cane on and the power steering went out

NHTSA ID

11749837

Incident

Jul 12, 2026

Abs module shut down causing truck to lose control. Now all drive train systems are locked out

NHTSA ID

11748866

Incident

Jun 21, 2026

I was on my way to work, and the power steering stopped working as I was making a turn. The power sterring light came on in the dash. The mechanic told me he had worked on a few with the same issue, and that it was probably the rack, but he checked the fuses and wiring first. A new rack is $3800.

NHTSA ID

11748848

Incident

Jun 24, 2026

Ram has a known issue with the air suspension giving out which can cause the lights to shine up in the air or lower on the pavement. This can also lead to one side dipping or leaning which makes driving difficult at best. It’s such a known problem many individuals opt to delete the suspension and go with one of the many after market shock replacements. Have not had it in the shop because of age. Does air down over time or dip. Love this truck and it only has 18K miles on it so not over use.

NHTSA ID

11748706

Incident

Jun 15, 2026

EPS (Electronic Power Steering) failed while driving. Red steering wheel with exclamation point lights up on dash and loss of steering. Local dealership blamed it on low mileage and lots of city driving when I called them about repairs. They are a week out or more just to diagnose the issue. It has just over 95k miles.

NHTSA ID

11748074

Incident

Jul 2, 2026

My power steering stopped functioning all of a sudden when driving on the road. I had to steer after that with much force and taking up almost two lanes when turning

NHTSA ID

11748068

Incident

Jun 22, 2026

Loss of power steering during turning. Steering wheel goes stiff and bucks while warning lights light up. After turning vehicle off and checked fuses for electronic steering it worked and then later it occurred again while pulling into main road.

NHTSA ID

11747835

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

While driving and making a left hand turn at a major intersection my electronic power steering failed and put myself and my passenger at risk as it was extremely difficult to make the turn and my truck ended up hitting the curb before completing the turn. There was the potential to hit pedestrians or other vehicles if I had not been able to turn the steering wheel manually. It was confirmed by an independent service center. The vehicle or component has not been inspected by any other individuals or entities. There were no warning lamps, messages or symptoms prior to this immediate failure during a turn. Following the failure of the power steering a warning lamp appeared on the dash that said service power steering and stayed on.

NHTSA ID

11747725

Incident

Jun 26, 2026

Vehicle steering became extra hard to steer. Has now been parked for about 12-24 months as could not steer. Not enough personal strength to move/steer it.

NHTSA ID

11746810

Incident

Jul 8, 2024

Started vehicle this morning 6-25-26 and noticed the power steering light flashing. Shut off truck and started again but light still flashing. This is the first time this has happened as I have driven the truck everyday without any issues before.

NHTSA ID

11746454

Incident

Jun 25, 2026

Power steering goes in and out while driving which causes the steering wheel to get very stiff and lose the ability to steer the half-ton vehicle. This is a huge flaw in the design and wildly unsafe

NHTSA ID

11746277

Incident

Jun 23, 2026

The electronic steering suddenly went out while driving. Became an intermittent issue for a couple days and then fully died all the components and fuses have been checked. Just a service steering light on the dash is on, once the problem started. I am an independent technician. The vehicle can be inspected at any time. There was no warnings or any symptoms the power steering just turned off and became incredibly hard to use.

NHTSA ID

11745904

Incident

Jun 5, 2026

The power steering stopped working several times on a local trip I was on today. The steering unexpectedly became hard to steer, and the power steering failure alarm came on. I parked my vehicle at my destination, and when I started to return home, the steering failed again as i was leaving the Dr's parking lot. I am taking the vehicle with the suspected component, in for repairs, and will retain the part for NHTSA inspection. The first failure occurred as I was entering freeway traffic, and it caused my truck to change trajectory and speed while entering 70 mph traffic. I am taking the vehicle in for evaluation and repair on 6/23/26. There were no warnings or alarms prior to the failure, on either incident of failure. The alarm light came on during the failure both times.

NHTSA ID

11745763

Incident

Jun 22, 2026

Electronic Power Steering failure. It is available for inspection on request although we can not move the truck. Do to no steering and we do not want to damage anything else by driving it. Luckily we were not traveling at the time. This happened yesterday. We have not taken it to a repair facility. In reviewing these problems on line. Everything matches what we have read concerning other Electronic Power Steering problems on our 2013 Ram truck . How the problem occurred: I backed the truck from the garage. parked it in the driveway to work on my mower in that space. When returning the truck to the garage. No steering and the notification light came on. Requesting service on power steering unit. I barely got it into the garage. This is a 2013 truck. Purchased in 2013 only has 42000 miles on it. We bought it with only 10000 miles on it. It has been in a garage most of it's life. According to your information : out of 1234 (complaints on you web site) 597 were for this exact Power Steering issue. Out of 526 "Manufacture Communication" none deal with loss of Power Steering. I see there is 1 investigation still open. Questioning why there is no recall on these units. I don't know how many of the other complaints have more usage of their vehicles but 42000 miles on a 2013 vehicle and a well cared for vehicle should not have an issue happen just all of a sudden. I am certainly glad we were not out driving. We live on gravel roads and no steering could have cause an accident. This is a life changing situation just waiting to happen Please reply with intentions toward this complaint. Thank you

NHTSA ID

11745361

Incident

Jun 12, 2026

The electric power steering light came on and has caused difficulties driving the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11745258

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

The contact owns 2013 RAM 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, when attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The power steering warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the right side of the road and turned the vehicle off, turned the vehicle on and the vehicle began to work as intended. The contact mention after reentering the vehicle attempting to start after five minutes the vehicle began to work as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure NHTSA Campaign Number: 19E077000 (STEERING); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they referred to call NHTSA to have his VIN recalled. The failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ID

11745125

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

Mileage

130,000 mi

Complete and sudden loss of power steering assistance. Occurred June 11, 2026.No warnings prior to failure.Failure occurred in my driveway thankfully. No accident or injuries. Diagnostics performed by owner to determine electrical failure within the EPS.

NHTSA ID

11743871

Incident

Jun 11, 2026