The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is investigating 380 reports that claim that 2013 to 2016 model-year Ram 1500 pick-up trucks are suffering an intermittent or complete loss of power steering. Only three of the reports submitted to the federal agency involved crashes. A recall could affect 1.1 million Stellantis-built pickups.
Fiat Chrysler, now Stellantis, recalled 440 trucks in March 2016 to address potential electric power steering unit issues. Reuters reports that the NHTSA’s recall query will “determine if the scope of the recall mentioned above is correct or if another defect might exist.” The ultimate fear is that the initial recall’s underlying issue impacted far more vehicles than previously believed.
The accounts featured in recently submitted reports are harrowing. In February, a California driver had his steering wheel seize on their 2014 Ram 1500 while going 55 miles per hour on a busy road. The driver wrestled the truck through traffic to pull over on the side of the road. In March, a 2015 Ram 1500 driver crashed into a ditch after their power steering failed. Luckily, there was only minor damage to the truck’s front end.
As it stands, Ram 1500 owner would have to pay a hefty sum to fix the issue on their own. A Florida driver was quoted $2,000 for replacement parts after the power steering on their 2013 Ram 1500 failed. All of us will have to wait for the results of the NHTSA investigation to get a much more affordable resolution for impacted Ram owners.