NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Ram 1500. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Driving 60 mph and my power steering went out on me and I almost missed the curve and into oncoming traffic. Could have cost some lives! Took it to dodge dealer and the guy told me it was a huge problem with trucks like mine and there are no new parts to fix it. My truck has 60,000 miles on it and I cannot drive it and Dodge will not repair it! Not happy at all!
There has been a significant amount of complaints in regards to 2013 dodge ram 1500. Mechanics are aware that the manufacturer has been dodging these issues with allowing unsafe vehicles to be on the road. My power steering all of sudden went out while driving. This should be on recall and not at the consumers expense. Why should I pay for something not caused by myself? Big companies like Dodge/Ram could care less
The electric power steering stopped working. The service power steering message appeared on the dash. Unable to turn the steering wheel without great difficulty.
Electronic power steering intermittently fails while driving. This truck has had this issue for months, happens regularly once or twice a week or every 100 so miles. Two repair shops could not replicate the issues. And there is no codes on the scanner. After researching this seems to be a common concern and safety issue on this model/year of ram 1500.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the steering wheel with an exclamation and power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact attempted to pull over to the of the road however, the steering wheel failed to function. The contact had the vehicle towed to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with rack pinion and electrical power steering assist failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was pending repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering rack failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available The approximate failure mileage was 90,080.
Power steering failure with no warning. Vehicle is currently with dealer. Dealer said the the electrical power steering unit failed. It is not a serviceable issue, it must be replaced.
I bought this truck for my father and her was drinking it and fortunately he got home and then with no warning the electric power steering went out when he tried to go back out. No serious harm but he could have easily been in traffic seeing that he uses this truck to drive to his caner appointments.
The air suspension in my Ram 1500 fails suddenly without notice. When the air suspension fails, the truck becomes very unsafe to drive. It is difficult to keep the truck on the road and it happens without warning. Sometimes it corrects on its own when I restart, other times I can make it work for a while by disconnecting the battery. Right now the driver side isat least 3 inches lower than the passenger side.
Electronic power steering intermittent failure. Vehicles power steering ‘service now’ light comes on and abruptly shuts off power steering and will abruptly turn back on several miles/ days later. This causes a severe safety risk as the module will autocorrect steering mid turn or shutdown completely causing the vehicle to lose control. The problem has been reproduced by a third party mechanic stating that the EPS needs to be replaced at a cost of $3700 and the part is on back order/ unsure when they can get the unit.
Electric steering assist failure, no previous warnings. Alert on dash to have steering system checked when putting truck in drive. Restart of engine did not correct. Extreme difficulty steering the vehicle. Will take to dealer for initial diagnosis.
WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY OVERPASS MY STEERING WHEEL "LOCKED UP" ON ME AND I COULD NOT SAFELY STEER MY VEHICLE. i SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND WHEN I MOVED OFF AGAIN IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS WAS VERY FRIGHTENING AS I COULD HAVE EASILY DRIVEN OFF THE OVERPASS AS THE ROAD TURNED AND I HAD NO OTHER OPTION BUT TO PUT ON MY FLASHERS AND STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY PUTTING MYSELF AND MY OCCUPANTS AND ANY OTHER DRIVERS IN THE AREA AT SERIOUS RISK. ITS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS PROBLEM IS UNDER INVESTIGATION PRESENTLY AND THAT SOME RECALLS HAVE BEEN ISSUED HOWEVER THE WEBSITE RECALL LOOKUP IS NOT SHOWING UP FOR MY VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE IS CURRENLTY AT THE DODGE DEALERSHIP FOR OVER 1 MONTH WHERE THE PROBLEM WAS CONFIRMED TO BE A FAULTY POWER STEERING ASSEMBLY/RACK AND PINION. NO WARNING SIGNS EXISTED UNTIL AFTER THE STEERING WHEEL "LOCKED UP". AFTER WHICH THE STEERING DASH LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE IS IMMOBILE AND STILL AT THE DEALERSHIP.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 50 MPH, the service power steering warning light illuminated. The contact stated that his wife pulled over to the side of the road, stopped, and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized twice after restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted again, and the warning light was still illuminated. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.
Power steering lost. Difficult to steer. No warning signs displayed prior to incident. Vehicle has been inspected at repair service center, but was unable to get diagnosis. Told it needed to go to dealer. Brake light is also on
2013 RAM 1500. The power steering has failed on the RAM. The check engine light came on and produced a code for the ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING MODULE. Have had to leave it sit until the entire rack & pinion with module can be replaced. This occurred around 104,000 miles on truck. Fortunately, was not driving at a high rate of speed or turning when it failed. Because this seems to be a fairly common issue with 2013-2019 Dodge RAMs, I fail to understand why a recall has not been issued.
On [XXX] I drove my 2013 Ram Big Horn Crew Cab 4x4 on a 5mile trip, on a cool sunny 70' day, & parked it -I experienced no issues. I returned after 1.5hrs, started truck, & attempted to leave parking space when the steering wheel seized up. After noticing flashing warning light, I shut off & restarted engine several times, but light remained flashing & steering wheel was extremely hard to turn. I slowly (with great physical muscle stress) cautiously drove truck approximately 7miles to my independent mechanic shop in Oviedo Florida where my electrical steering gear assembly was diagnosed needing removal & replacement -total repairs estimated at $4k. My service rep said this steering problem is under a safety recall for many trucks like mine, & that the failure could have been deadly had it happened while exiting/entering the I-4 highway. I'm now waiting for back ordered replacement parts -they'll take approximately 6 weeks to arrive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Was driving and steering just locked up. Power steering stopped working and it’s so hard to turn or parallel park. Drove right into this big hill. The dealership wants $4,500 for parts and labor to repair it.
Loss of power Steering on start up and while driving. Started out on start up a couple times, turned vehicle off started back up and it will work. Today loss of power while driving.
At times when i start my truck in the morning the power steering is not operational. At other times i may be ten to fifteen miles into my drive and there is sudden loss of power steering with no warning. I came very close this morning to driving off an embankment into a swamp because as i was rounding a curve the power steering failed and the steering wheel violently jerked to right its self to the center position. There is no warning when this occurs. Only after does the service power steering light come on. A mechanic ran the codes and said there is a voltage issue within the power steering system. I have been quoted $380 just for the dealer ship to perform a diagnostics on the truck.
On multiple occasions I have had the tailgate come open/fail to close. Other year Rams have a recall and I believe this year should be included. I have installed a gas shock to help slow it and hold in place. The front brakes have had issues with sticking or not releasing after applying them. I have replaced the unit and does the same thing so I like others believe it might be the brake hose collapsing then releasing especially on the air ride suspension models. In stop and go traffic they will pull or get extremely hot and I’m worried it might melt the tire bead or worse.
On November 23, 2024. I was going to back out of the driveway, but the steering was locked up and the power steering light came on. I was unable to turn the wheel. The truck only has 150,000 miles I am the original owner. It was taken to a repair shop, and they determined the electronic power steering had failed and needed to be replaced. Since then, the dealer has told us the parts are unavailable and not being manufactured. The truck is now undrivable, cannot be repaired and I am without a vehicle. While researching online there are hundreds of reports of the same issue with this truck. This could have been deadly had I been driving!
Got in the truck today. Started it up. Backed out of garage and got halfway out. Signal light came on to service power steering. Steering wheel locked up very difficult to move. I can shut it off. Let it sit for a minute. Turn it back on. But as soon as I touch the wheel and try to turn it. The warning light comes on and the wheel locks up. It’s not locked up completely. You can turn it. But it’s very difficult. And dangerous. It is repeated every time. You may have to start to drive it. But it will lock up every time. Tried to run a scan. No power steering code came up. Have not had it inspected as of yet. Will try to get it towed to dealer in four days. We live on a windy road. 30 miles from the dealer. It’s just too dangerous to try to drive.
Intermittent loss of power steering. I see there is an ongoing investigation in the year range of my truck. Reporting issue to help contribute to the investigation.
Brought this vehicle and drove it for 1 month before power steering went out. I was driving on the interstate at a high speed when the power steering light came on. I was unable to steer the vehicle off the road so I had to stop on the interstate and call a tow truck.
Driving down the road and the service power steering came on and I was unable to steer the wheel. I was able to pull off the road and the light went out. Happened again later down the road. Shut the truck off and turned it back on. It was good for a little while but went to turn a corner and it went out again. After looking online there are many forums where others are having the same issue.
While driving my truck the power steering completely went out and caused me to run off the road. Luckily no injuries and no damage to the truck. But if traffic would have been coming towards me it would have resulted in a crash most likely. Took the truck to a repair shop and told it need a complete steering system including rack and pinion and steering gears. I got online and seen where your dept is investigating this problem with other trucks.
Electric steering assist Is available for inspection No accident Steering failure while driving, stopped vehicle, turned off vehicle and resumed working. This happened 3 or 4 times within an hour. Then quit working completely. Drove a local shop and had it looked at. There was a warning light for the steering on the dash. He reset the light and the steering came back immediately, then went out again. This happened several times. He unable to get the steering back without actually working on the truck. he said issue is with the electric steering.
I took my truck in for inspection to sell it. My auto technician said that my frame by the passenger side, rear was completely rusted and cracked and unsafe to drive. I called Dodge on 11/14/24 and they opened a case # [XXX]. They told me to take it to the dealership. I took it to 5 Corners in Cedarburg, WI and had them do an inspection where they also took photos and said that the truck was unsafe. They bounced back to Dodge and now Dodge bounced it back to the dealership. No one will respond and it has been 1 months with an unsafe vehicle. There were no indications of problems and had I not taken it in, what might’ve happened? I have an unsafe vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2013 RAM 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS warning light illuminated, after which the speedometer and odometer ceased to function. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the ABS control module. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 161,000.
EPS light came on 12-31-24 and has happen before I just don’t remember the date the EPS comes and goes making it hard to drive
Ram has a defect in the gas tank strap busting while driving and not holding up the gas tank. They have issued a free repair for (some) models from 2009 - 2012. The same problem is in Ram Trucks made in 2013. This is very dangerous for a driver and can cause fire. See: RAM TSB 14-002-18 REV. A
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and the mechanic recommended that the steering rack and pinion be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: RQ23003 (Steering). The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.
Lost my eps while I'm driving on school zone and can't turn the wheels snd i end on crash it
Truck became undrivable when power steering failed without warning. I was lucky to not have been on the road, otherwise it would've likely been a serious accident.
While I was driving to work, the power steering completely failed, I could barely make it to work now I cannot drive the vehicle at all. It will not steer..
While driving my steering column locked up and I was unable to steer, luckily I was on a side street with little to no traffic and was able to eventually make it to my driveway but with a lot of resistance in turning and the steering warning indicator lit up. While parked in my driveway the steering column locked up on 6 of the 8 times I started the vehicle while also displaying the steering warning indicator. I had my vehicle towed to the local RAM dealership to investigate and perform the necessary repairs. The RAM dealership informed me that they seen the 7 times the steering column locked up via the computer.
I was driving 65 MPH on the interstate when I lost all power steering function. This failure almost pulled me into traffic to my left. Luckily I was near an exit and was able to get off the highway without being involved in an accident. Upon having the truck checked by a mechanic, I was told that the electronic power steering rack and pinion assembly had failed and it would cost over $2500.00 to replace. I had to pay this cost or else the truck was undrivable.
I was driving on a highway on my way to work the other morning and the power steering light came on out of nowhere and I had to limp it to work with next to impossible steering conditions. I have not had it checked for service but have looked up that multiple people have encountered the same issue with this year truck and it has caused multiple accidents now. I believe with as many issues as people have encountered with this that it should fall on Ram and not the people for such an expensive component especially with so little miles put on the vehicle.
I was driving on the highway when the power steering suddenly, without any warning, stopped working. The steering wheel jerked and lost all maneuverability. It took every ounce of strength I had to steer it to the side of the road. This could’ve resulted in a horrible crash. This is deadly and should be recalled. The service power steering light came on. The dealer wants $3000 to replace the electronic steering system.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the ABS and brake warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that there was a faulty ABS module with code C2200-49 retrieved. The ABS showed an internal failure. The contact tested all wires, ground data, and became aware that the ABS module had internally shorted, and the ABS warning light was flashing on and off. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the parts were on back order. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 75,280.
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel seized with the power steering warning light illuminated. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle off to the side of the road. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with an electrical power steering gear failure. The independent mechanic contacted several local dealers and was informed by each dealer that the part for the repair was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Was turning onto the access road of a highway and the steering went out. No warning lights were active until it went out. Was traveling around 40 mph and was able to wrestle the truck through the turn and stop in a safe parking lot. Turned the truck off and restarted it. Warning light went away. Started to drive home and steering went out again permanently. I will be getting the truck inspected by a mechanic to confirm it is the EPS module that hast failed.
Went from having power steering instantly loosing it with out warning no accidents occurred
The contact owns a 2013 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving out of a parking lot at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power steering functionality. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to drive to the residence, where the contact inspected the vehicle, but could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the power steering became functional the following day; however, the failure recurred while driving 10 MPH. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 89,000.
The Electronic Power Steering (EPS) went out on my 2013 RAM 1500 resulting in the inability to drive without extreme difficulty steering and unsafe to myself and others. The vehicle was taken to a Automobile Service Provider and assessed that the EPS had failed with the code C2217-00 on 4 OCT 2024 and with test drive. (Charged $63.04 for diagnostics.) Advised there was a recall on the RAM EPS (Years 2013-2019) - Which my 2013 falls within dates. Recommended to take vehicle to a Chrysler/Dodge/RAM Dealership Service Center due to specific computer programming requirements only from dealership. Unable to drive immediately to center due to no time-slots available, set up appointment for earliest time being 7 OCT 2024. Service was provided and another diagnostic completed (Cost of $319.92) with same results, but advised my VIN was not include recall notification FCA Equipment Safety Recall VB9/NHTSA 19E-077 which I looked up and obtained and verified by prior service center. Dealership did not recognize nor covered recall expenses or replacement. Due to discontinued parts (EPS), was able to find EPS from another dealership and paid for the delivery to the local Hendrick's Dealership via their parts department (Nearly $3500.00 for part). Services were completed and able to pick up vehicle on 19 OCT 2024 (Dealership had vehicle for over 2 weeks due to limited technicians available and not waiting on parts). There were no warning lamps activated prior to the power steering went failure.
On October 1, 2024 I was driving home. I stopped at a stop sign and went to turn right. (EPS light comes on.) I didn't have any power steering at all. Very hard to turn. When I pulled up to my house, I turned off the truck. Then, I restarted vehicle and power steering worked, so I went down my street and turned around. Power steering went back out as I approached my driveway. Now when, I start the Ram truck, as soon as I try to turn the steering wheel. The EPS error pops up saying ("Service Power Steering").
Front welded frame mounting point for gas tank "Tee-Strap" rusted through causing front of gas tank to sag from frame and only be supported by remaining rear gas tank strap. The actual T-strap is structurally sound, it is the the frame mount that rusted through that allowed the Tee-Strap to pull through the mount. It appears that the design of the mounting point allowed moisture and road grit to become trapped in the bottom of the mount causing the rust breakthrough. The car has low mileage for it's age (97k) and has been kept in a garage.
I was driving my truck down some windy roads and all of the sudden the power steering stopped working. This is an electronic power steering system so when it stopped working it completely stopped. It was extremely difficult to keep it on the road and I had to overpower the servos and the whole system to be able to steer the truck. If someone was not strong, they could have easily wrecked and possibly suffered serious injury or even death.
Electric power steering went out completely. 2013 vehicle and Dodge will not repair since the part is not available. The part cannot be repaired. Extremely dangerous driving and steering with a Dodge Ram 1500 vehicle. Forums are full of this same issue, and no repair options from Dodge corporation. Dodge service and independent service verified the problem was the power steering module that cannot be repaired.
My husband was driving home from work around 2 am when the steering wheel jerked then tighten up thankfully no one was on the road. There was no issues before it happened . The check engine light is showing EPS failure code and a few others also a blinking steering wheel and the abs and traction control and the brake light is on the dash