Used Ram 1500s are subject to a safety investigation in the United States
It is common to see safety recalls issued on vehicles in circulation. Sometimes benign, they nevertheless cause a lot of headaches for manufacturers who have to deal with the recall of these vehicles. Ram could be hit by a massive recall soon as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigates a safety issue related to pickup truck power steering Ram 1500 built between 2013 and 2016. More than 1.1 million copies could be affected in the United States alone.
A significant problem
There NHTSA investigates a phenomenon that remains unsolved at the time of this writing. The institution has collected numerous complaints from owners who have reported a partial or total drop in power steering assistance. This significant drop in assistance generates a major problem when driving, since it makes the steering wheel of the vehicles studied difficult and, even, almost impossible to maneuver.
Only Ram 1500 pickups built between 2013 and 2016 are affected by the investigation. “The subject vehicles may experience a sudden, intermittent or complete loss of steering assistance which may result in loss of vehicle control, thereby increasing the risk of a crash,” NHTSA adds.
The Agency has so far collected 380 customer reports, and many stories are emerging from owners that explain the phenomenon. A Florida driver complained that the steering wheel of his 2013 Ram 1500 “won’t turn left or right.” Another said the steering wheel “seized up and stopped” at 100 kilometers per hour on a busy route. “Using tremendous force, I was able to shove the van through traffic and onto the side of the road,” the complaint to NHTSA reads. Other owners recount similar experiences, but fortunately no injuries have been reported so far, although the organization mentions that three accidents could be linked to the breakdowns.
No reminders issued yet
The situation is still not the subject of an official recall from the manufacturer. The NHTSA investigation will confirm whether or not the vehicles will be subject to a mass recall. If this is the case, Ram 1500 pickup trucks built between 2013 and 2016 and sold in Canada could also be affected by the problem, because they are built and assembled in the same way as in the United States.
Note that Ram issued a recall on a few hundred 2015 and 2016 Ram 1500 pickup trucks a few years ago for a similar issue. The manufacturer had determined that the pickups’ power steering was compromised due to water ingress into the Electric Power Steering (EPS) module. The manufacturer then completely replaced the module.
Unable to know if the current issue is the same. We will continue to monitor the development of the NHTSA investigation.
