Owner-reported complaints naming the steering system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2016 RAM 1500 submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 310 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 310, in the owner's own words
Rack and pinion has failed after 10 years. Luckily it went out a my wife was getting home. I've had a mechanic verify that it has failed completely and I am in the process of getting a new one.
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while pulling out of the garage and onto the driveway, the steering wheel seized, and the message "Power Steering Needs to Be Serviced" was displayed. The contact turned off the vehicle. Upon restarting the vehicle the following day, the steering wheel operated as intended, and the contact slowly drove to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the steering rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering); however, the repair was not covered because the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was scheduled to be repaired at the owner's expense. The manufacturer, RAM, was notified of the failure via website and by phone, and a case was filed. The contact was informed that no assistance would be provided and was referred to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 13,800.
Power steering failing intermittently while driving, usually at low speeds.
ABS module failed causing ABS, traction control, and cruise control to stop functioning along with intermittent loss of power steering. Contacted multiple dealers which all stated the part is no longer available and no replacement part. This was a nuisance for two years until I towed a trailer and was merging onto an interstate when I lost traction due to wet roads and no traction control. Vehicle and trailer fishtailed and I was barely able to gain control without contacting any other vehicles on the very busy interstate. I was able to find a rebuilt abs module on eBay for $1100 that I installed and corrected the issue. This year model needs to be added to the existing recall that has been posted for many other years for this exact issue
The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at speeds under 25 MPH and turning, the steering wheel locked up. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed, and the steering wheel was held firmly until the steering wheel released. The contact stated that on another occasion while the vehicle was parked, the power-steering warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to drive the vehicle, but the steering wheel was stiff, and the contact was unable to drive any further. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering rack and pinion, steering gear, and linkage, AUX coolant pump, and driver's seat airbag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact believed that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V812000 (Steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 154,000.
Loss of power assistance in steering
I suddenly lost the power steering when I spoke to my mechanic he said the problem was intermittent and he has to replace a computer part that’s associated with it and had to replace the entire unit I saw there was an open recall regarding this matter
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.
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
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Has electric steering that becomes hard to steer. Dodge claims my particular vehicle has no recall.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .