2016 Ram 1500 Steering Problems

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 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 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 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.

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.

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

Steering wheel locks up when cold

Service power steering light comes on and steering wheel doesn’t move when car is cold. Turn car off and restart and is fine with no lights.

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

I was attempting to make a left hand turn when my power steering failed. Continued to be out for several more minutes of driving and then it restored itself. Has not been a problem while driving the vehicle today.

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.

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.

Loss of steering, good this I parked and back up and loss power

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!!!

I was getting ready to leave for work and was unable to because my steering wheel was completely locked up. Red steering wheel light flashing and message saying service power steering. The issue seems to fall under the recall on a limited number of RAM 1500s for the faulty EPS system, however mine was not included in that recall for some reason. I’m thankful I never left my driveway and it didn’t happen while driving because that would put myself and others in danger or even worse my children in danger as they ride in this truck with me on a daily basis. Chrysler needs to make this right and recall and fix the issue with the steering. I have read through countless complaints of the same issue.

Power steering seems to have a defect. There have been other Dodge Rams affected by a power steering recall. When we called our local Dodge service provider they stated that our VIN was not affected by this recall, but there is definitely something wrong with our power steering. It’s very difficult to turn the vehicle and doesn’t seem safe to drive.

On [XXX] the power steering icon on my dash turned on. I was parked at post office and had to call tow truck as I could not turn the wheel. I was fortunate that I was not driving as a week prior I was driving from Morro Bay to Bakersfield, I currently am dealing with tennis elbow and it would have been impossible to steer if it failed while driving. The truck is currently at my local dealership and they have verified that it needs a replacement EPS rack to resolve the issue. I was on my way home from work, stopped at the local post office and my traction control light flashed for a few minutes. I arrived at local post office, turned truck off and when I returned to my vehicle to turn on the red light signaling that power steering had failed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)