2016 RAM 1500 Steering Problems

While driving, the vehicle suddenly lost power steering assist without warning. The steering wheel warning light illuminated on the instrument panel, and the steering immediately became extremely difficult to turn. The condition created a significant safety hazard because the vehicle was much harder to control while in motion. The steering remains difficult to turn after the incident. This appears to be an electric power steering (EPS) failure. I am concerned that this defect could lead to a crash or serious injury. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue because similar power steering failures have been reported by other Ram 1500 owners.

NHTSA ID

11752688

Incident

Jul 14, 2026

The contact's wife owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became firm, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn to the left or the right. No warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000

NHTSA ID

11752195

Incident

Jun 15, 2026

Mileage

148,000 mi

Service Power Steering alerted. Power steering is out. Took truck to shop, shop recommended I take to dealership for a recall that was issued for EPS recall. Believe my truck just so happens to have been built some months outside the window the manufacturer claims were impacted vehicles. Awfully suspicious. I have not yet taken vehicle to dealership but wanted to document this consumer report as soon as I could.

NHTSA ID

11742074

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

Electronic power steering failure. Not complete shut down, but intermittent. Heavy steering feel when cornering at very low or highway speeds. No return to center. Notchy/sticky steering feel. No eps warning light. No electronic failure ie fuse, relay, control. Works fine today, cuts out tomorrow.

NHTSA ID

11740354

Incident

May 24, 2026

While driving the electric steering modular let go, making it difficult to steer. It’s currently at my mechanics not drivable. Just strange that this lets go on my vehicle as the recall happens and I was told it doesn’t effect my vehicle!

NHTSA ID

11740041

Incident

May 15, 2026

Intermittent abs brake light on return trip in June 2025 diagnosed as a bad abs module. Dealer did not have any stated on back order, now almost a year later as of 5/20/26 Jim Browne Chrysler still states module on back order. And as you know there are no aftermarket parts for replacement. With this issue it keeps other functions of the truck from working. This has been way too long for the government to allow this company to treat us this way.

NHTSA ID

11739717

Incident

Jun 16, 2025

The contact owns a 2015 Dodge Ram. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph the power steering. The dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 79,800.

NHTSA ID

11739223

Incident

May 15, 2026

Mileage

79,800 mi

The complaint was filed on behalf of the customer. The contact stated while the customer was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The vehicle was uncontrollable. The customer's vehicle drove on a sidewalk. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed electronic power steering module. In addition, the contact stated that the electronic steering module was filled with water. The contact stated that the electronic power steering module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the recall, NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering) was performed on the VIN two years ago. In addition, the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty. The contact, who is the independent mechanic, stated that the recall repair was not performed properly. In addition, the contact stated that the electronic power steering module seal was partially sealed during the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,667.

NHTSA ID

11738828

Incident

Apr 19, 2026

Mileage

70,667 mi

The contact owns a 2016 RAM 1500. The contact stated while driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, the Electric Power Steering (EPS) system is leaking fluid, which is causing the vehicle to be inoperable by losing power of steering. The vehicle was seen by a mechanic where it was diagnosed to having a failing rack and pinion. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,000.

NHTSA ID

11738568

Incident

May 11, 2026

Mileage

67,000 mi

Has electric steering that becomes hard to steer. Dodge claims my particular vehicle has no recall.

NHTSA ID

11736966

Incident

May 6, 2026

The Eps light keeps randomly coming on. And goes off. The steering gets stiff and heavy randomly. When a mechanic looks at it everything is working fine like it should but once I get the truck back it will act up again randomly. Also Alpha warranty will not help fixing the issue.

NHTSA ID

11733792

Incident

Apr 24, 2026

Power steering is intermittently working. It happens at different speeds. It makes it very difficult to steer and power steering will engage after executing a turn which will jerk the vehicle and wheel.

NHTSA ID

11731228

Incident

Apr 10, 2026

Was driving on the road while it was raining outside. As I turned a corner my power steering suddenly dropped out mid turn. Was able to fight to get of the road. It was accompanied with a service power steering system light on my dash. I shut the vehicle off and restarted it. It drove fine for a short bit and again loss power steering. The power steering light came on along with service electronic brake system, service trailer brake system, and my traction control light on the dash also came on. I managed to get to my destination without power steering. I have no recalls on my truck for this. I did have 2 codes when I was able to communicate with the module being U0155 and C2128. Most likely caused by water getting into a connector and shorting out.

NHTSA ID

11728820

Incident

Apr 2, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but occurred while driving in a straight line or turning left or right. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.

NHTSA ID

11727416

Incident

Mar 13, 2026

Mileage

69,000 mi

The contact owned a 2016 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact’s husband stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the steering wheel became inoperable and the vehicle unexpectedly veered to the left with no warning lights illuminated. Due to the failure, the contact’s husband collided with a car carrier vehicle. The contact’s husband suffered multiple injuries and was transported to a local emergency room. The contact 's husband suffered injuries included a contusion to the nose, a head injury, broken ribs, and damage to his lower teeth. The contact’s husband also had lower broken teeth that required surgical removal. The contact’s husband stated that the airbags did deploy during the crash. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene and deemed totaled by the towing company. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN and License plate were not available.

NHTSA ID

11726661

Incident

Mar 24, 2026

Mileage

90,000 mi

The power assist has gone out. It became very hard to drive the truck. I was coming home from work when it happened. It’s obviously a danger to cause an accident, it’s very difficult to steer the truck. It has not been to the dealer or mechanic yet. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to the incident. Yes it is available for inspection upon request. The problem continues today.

NHTSA ID

11725856

Incident

Mar 3, 2026

My truck lost power steering while driving, a red flashing light came on saying power steering, pulled off and could not turn wheel. Managed to get it to a shop close by and upon scan for codes it came up C2217-00 electric power steering and shop verified that my truck came up with a recall regarding this same issue but when I called a dodge dealership they said I had no open recalls yet needed to get it to their shop for their diagnostic.

NHTSA ID

11719470

Incident

Feb 20, 2026

My power steering went out on my vehicle in mid January 2016. My temperature guage was also not working properly. I took it to my local Ram dealership to get it looked at. They drew up an estimate and I approved some repairs. My extended warranty covered majority of it. After picking up my vehicle, I noticed my steering wheel still had some resistance to it. I felt it shouldn't have that much resistance knowing the amount of work that just got done. My temperature gauge was still not the greatest. It never got directly into the middle of being the right temperature, but being off a bit maybe isn't the worst thing. I notice my temeperature and steering wheel icons light up when I start my vehicle, but researched and found that that is normal and it goes away after my vehicle is started. I called to make another appointment to be seen, but later cancelled it after learning the information about the icons and my steering wheel resistence loosened up and feels "normal" again. I just wanted to document my experience, as I learned there may be others with similar power steering issues and that there may be a class action lawsuit in the works. I have provided all the documentation I have according to my knowledge, and can provide more if need be.

NHTSA ID

11717156

Incident

Jan 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20-30 MPH, the steering wheel jerked to the left. Additionally, while making a turn, the steering wheel jerked to the opposite direction. The contact stated that the failure recurred on several occasions. The message "Check Power Steering" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact borrowed a screwdriver to access the power steering electrical wires. The contact discovered that the power steering wiring and electrical plug wiring were burned and melted. The contact purchased a new rack and pinion, but had become aware that the rack and pinion replacement would not repair the vehicle due to the burned electrical wiring. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ID

11716800

Incident

Feb 9, 2025

Mileage

75,000 mi

Power steering quit while driving. Electric Power Steering unit faulty from factory.

NHTSA ID

11713728

Incident

Nov 20, 2025

Starting in October 2025 at about 131700 miles and continuing into Jan 2026 my 2016 Ram Eco Diesel would periodically loose power steering capabilities . First time it did it no malfunctioning indicator lights ! I did my due diligence and took it in to selling dealer to look into it. I attached invoice where they say nothing found and they had it a week! . Shortly after getting back from dealer , pwr str loss again. Repeated about twice a month. Usually happened after highway speeds when decreasing speeds or at start up. Once I got going, steering would engage correctly. In December , a ( SERVICE POWER STEERING! ) message did light up. Since dealer in my opinion gave me the old “heave hoe” in October and November about this issue, I made appt with independent mechanic shop. They diagnosed I needed new rack and pinion assembly in just one day! Repaired on 1/12/26 at 132817 miles. I do have truck back and it is performing fine. I have owned it since May of 2019 . This truck was built in June of 2016 in Michigan! Thank goodness I had access to other vehicles to drive during this issue. Had I been in bad weather or icy roads , I would not have been able to control vehicle!!! I do feel this Eco should be part of the electronic power steering recall!!!

NHTSA ID

11711756

Incident

Oct 10, 2025

Power steering fails as the “ Service Power Steering” & the steering wheel with exclamation mark lights up. It’s most common during temperatures of 70 degrees or less. Power steering comes back after engine is warmed up for approximately 5 minutes before needing to drive it.

NHTSA ID

11709723

Incident

Nov 4, 2025

Electric Power Steering has stopped working completely. A service Power steering warning has popped up on the dashboard.

NHTSA ID

11707396

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. The message "Service Power Steering Unit" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on two different occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced. No further information was available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11704682

Incident

Dec 11, 2025

Mileage

200,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while in reverse (R) and moving at approximately 4 MPH, the steering wheel had frozen, and he was not able to turn the wheel. The contact stated that he had crashed into his other vehicle. The contact stated that the front end of the other vehicle was not damaged; however, the vehicle he was driving in had damage to the bumper and tailgate. The contact stated that the traction warning light had illuminated after the crash. The contact stated that his insurance company had the vehicle towed to a collision shop. The contact was advised by the collision shop that, before he could get the collision damage repaired, the power steering failure needed to be repaired. The contact stated that he had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering assist had failed, and he needed to take the vehicle to a dealer. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer, however, the vehicle was not yet diagnosed and was not repaired. The contact had researched online and related the failure to an open NHTSA Action Number: RQ23003 (Steering). The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

NHTSA ID

11704085

Incident

Nov 10, 2025

Mileage

88,000 mi