2020 RAM 1500 Steering Problems

Sudden Loss of power steering after radiator fan shut off. Causing me to have to pull over and use all bodily force to turn the wheel

While driving on highway service power steering warning light came on and I lost power steering nearly resulting in a crash. Vehicle towed to dealership. Electronic power steering was faulty and had to be replaced along with the entire rack and pinion gear at a cost of nearly $4k

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. In addition, the “Service Power Steering” warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled in the middle of a busy roadway. The contact stated that her small children were occupants of the vehicle during the failure. The contact was able to get the vehicle over to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact referenced a recall with a similar failure; however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 109,857.

Mileage: 109,857

Power steering light continually goes on and off. Took it to dealership and they said they’ve had many many new models of this Ram come in with the same problem. They quoted me for a gear rack saying it’s some kind of defect and the whole thing would need replaced (2,000$ +). I’ve looked through forums and countless drivers have reported the same issue. I’ve had this truck for just over 100,000 miles, with regular maintenance to every aspect of it. I don’t feel we should be responsible for a fault of the manufacturer. Please help!

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel started vibrating. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle and after the vehicle started, the “Power Steering Service” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the steering assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,250.

Mileage: 62,250

The power steering froze and caused me to lose control. Almost hitting my car port. Thank goodness I wasn’t on the highway. Up to that point it operated perfectly. According to internet common problem that has caused accidents. Factory will not repair. Truck currently unmovable

Loss of stability control,power steering,anti lock brake system,air bags,speed control. Has been at Dodge Dealer multiple times with the exact reoccurring problem.

While driving power steering warning lights come on and power steering goes out. The power steering warning lights come on and go off with loss of power steering intermittently but only after unit heats up. Loud noise such as a fan comes on prior to the steering warning lights coming on and power steering going out. Had a mechanic diagnose the issue and he said the power steering rack and pinion needed to be replaced and cost would be around $3800 Very dangerous especially when power steering goes out while turning. New OEM power steering rack & pinion ordered today 5-21-2025

So I am driving on the freeway 70mph and I get a message on my dash that says service shifter then every single light on the dash came on and started to make a beeping noise. I pulled over on the side of the freeway and then all the lights dissappear except check engine. I continued to drive to next exit and this time all lights came on again and truck appeared to be shutting off and turning back on while driving, steering wheel got hard to move all while all lights turning on, on dash. I have taken to shop 3 times first time they told me it was battery so I purchased battery and diagnostic fee for 600. Still continued to have issues even after replacing battery. Then they tell me they don't know what's causing this issue and the truck hasn't been fixed. I'll let the truck sit a few days and check engine light is gone and it will drive normal until the issues pops up again. I just don't know what to do about issue and have lost hope nobody seems to know what's causing thr issue. I have videos of this happening multiple times and I show to shops and they are just im awe and can't figure out what is happening. This happened to me yesterday 4/25/25 and while driving the truck started to show all lights on dash and immediately put itself into park while I was driving about 20 mph. Turned the truck off and started it back on again and got the service shifter message and drove home slowly and truck sat in driveway. I've taken in the truck multiple times and nobody seems to know what is causing the issue and I'm tired of spending money things they believe it to be. Any help would be greatly appreciated as we are starting to lose hope on this vehicle and are thinking about letting get repossessed as it's not useful to us if it can't be fixed

Mileage: 85,000

The alternator generator is making us squeaky noise. I’m afraid that it’s gonna seize as I drive and I’ll lose power of the brakes and the steering checked with the dealer. They don’t have the part. They don’t know when they’re gonna be able to get it the part. I called junkyards call other auto parts stores. No one has got it’ I also went in the Mopar website and they also don’t have it

Steering became sluggish, jerky and erratic. Started sounding like the power steering pump was struggling/straining. I put it in the shop and they claim it’s the eps and rack and pinion gone bad. It is being replaced. How unsafe is this at low or highway speed? How many other complaints are there on this same subject and part? 2019 eps was recalled. How do I find out if I have 2019 parts in my 2020. I know sometimes they are interchangeable. I look forward to hearing from you.

Truck was responding perfectly fine until we stop to watch a movie at the theater last night. After the movie I turn on the truck and notice my power steering was not working and everything else on my truck works fine.

There is a high whining noise followed by a loss of power steering. There is a recall for the EPs system that stopped in 2019; however, 2020 is still using the same part. The recall should be extended to cover all vehicles manufactured using the part numbers associated with this issue. My truck is only at 50k miles, never off-roaded or abused, and maintained religiously by my personal mechanic. I was driving at 78 mph, and the steering locked up due to this issue. This created a hazardous scenario for me. The wheel released moments later, causing me to overcorrect and almost hit another car traveling on the highway in the adjacent lane. This has happened several times over the past week. I have adjusted my driving style until I can afford this VERY costly repair.

As I was backing out of my drive way my power steering stopped working and has been hard to turn the wheel. I moved the steering wheel up and down and it started working again, and then the next day it went back to no longer working.

while driving from one town to another and back of approximately 160 miles roundtrip the electric steering became inoperable for approximately 3-8 seconds about every 5 miles.

Driving down highway and steering became inoperable or very hard to turn for approximately 2-5 seconds and this occurred about 5 times in the distance of 5 miles

Just picked up vehicle Thursday, 26 Sept 2024 about Noon from Dealership after replacement of Rack and Pinion Gear, driving on straight road and "power steering Unavailable - Service required" information came on briefly for about 2 to 5 secs every 5-10 minutes during drive home.

Just driving on the highway doing about 45 miles per hour and the message "power steering unavailable - service required" came on several times for about 2-5 seconds at least 3 times during the short drive. The power steering was definitely inoperative during the times the message was displayed.

While driving to restaurant, Power Steering Unavailable - Service required" message came on 3 or 4 times for about 2-5 seconds during trip.

Electronic stabilitac light is on and 4 wheel drive light is on as well. matches the recalls for 2019 and 2021-2024

Power steering failure. Dangerous to manage on the road

Driving on local road in Abilene Tx and got the message “Power Steering Unavailable Service Required” and the electric steering was inop for about 3-5 seconds. The message came on several times during their minute drive.

On [XXX] while exiting [XXX] at [XXX] and [XXX] , The steering wheel on my 2020 RAM 1500 completely locked up. There were no prior warnings—no dashboard lights, unusual sounds, or other indications of a problem. It wasn’t until I had significantly slowed down that I was able to apply enough force to get the vehicle into a nearby shopping center. The dashboard warning light did not appear until my vehicle was almost stopped. The dashboard error messaged indicated there was a "Power Steering Failure." Following this incident, I took the vehicle to the nearest CDJR dealership. The vehicle intake was handled by the Service Advisor advised that it may be the steering rack. The following week, we were advised that the vehicle was ready for pick-up and the service technician diagnosed the issue as an internal fault in the instrument panel switch bank. The switch bank was replaced per service protocols, diagnostic codes were cleared, and the system was thoroughly tested. The technician confirmed that the problem had been resolved. However, on [XXX], after retrieving the vehicle from the dealership, I experienced another alarming failure. While traveling at approximately 65-70 MPH, my steering wheel suddenly locked AGAIN. At that moment, I was surrounded by traffic, including an 18-wheeler next to me. The situation was life-threatening, and I feared for my safety. My thoughts were immediately consumed with concern for my daughter and husband as I fought to maintain control of the vehicle. Fortunately, I was able to bring the vehicle to a stop, but the experience was nothing short of terrifying. A week has passed, and I am still deeply shaken by the event and appears it may be the rack after all. Other owners have reported similar failures with the RAM 1500's power steering system and is not an isolated case. It poses a grave risk, and is not an isolated case. It poses a grave risk, not only to the driver but to all motorists on the road. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 5

Just got on the local road and “power steering unavailable service required” message displayed twice for about 5 - 10 secs with the corresponding difficulty in turning steering wheel. Snapped a photo of message

Just pulled out of the garage, put it into drive, and some red words were displayed for about 5 to 15 seconds stating something to the effect that “your steering is inoperative, take to dealer or something like that,

Vehicle steering locked while driving at highway speed, dealer tested system and replaced a can bus switch. Upon driving home from dealership (after fixing) the steering once again failed. Luckily no one was injured. We did get a warning steering failed only after the steering locked and was immobile. This is the most critical part of a vehicle and should not fail in under 50,000 miles and fail to the point of uncontrollable. This is a horrible design, someone is going to get killed if this does not get addressed and Stellantis recalls these faulty components.

While driving from Abilene, tx to Houston, tx on [XXX] my vehicle displayed intermittently several warning message. The first message said idle-stop was unavailable and lasted for about 30 minutes. The second message was displayed in red and stated the electric steering was inoperative and lasted for about 10-30 seconds and it was definitely harder to turn the steering wheel. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Update to Complaint 11594199 filed on June 13, 2024 While driving the vehicle to the Ram dealership the power steering went out again and stayed out until I arrived at the dealership. I received a call today from the service department advising that the entire power steering rack has to be replaced. There is a fault in the control unit. Estimated repair cost $3,500.00.

The electronic power steering has stopped working three times in the last couple of weeks. It stops working and will stay out for 15 to 30 seconds or until the truck is shut off and restarted. The vehicle was taken to a local RAM dealer, and they advised that could not find any failure codes in the history. When the power steering cuts out the dashboard displays a warning to service the power steering. The vehicle is extremely had to steer when the power steering cuts out. When I picked up the vehicle at the dealer, they completed an oil change and recall on the tailgate but there was no mention of the main reason I took the vehicle in for service which was the loss of power steering. The service writer stated he did not list that since they did not charge me for the power steering diagnosis. If he listed, it there would be an additional charge on my bill. The loss of power steering is a safety hazard since it makes the vehicle very hard to steer and makes any turns or sudden changes in direction to avoid potential hazards impossible.

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH around a curve, the vehicle failed to turn properly. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The contact was able to veer the vehicle to the shoulder. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

Mileage: 66,000

Steering Rack and Pinion - Began malfunctioning (noise, and vibration when turning) at less than 10,000 miles. I visited Ram Dealer several times between 10,000 - 34,000 miles and they stated they could not replicate the issue. I drove the vehicle with their technical and they agreed there was an issue. Finally they replaced the Steering System when it had about 34,000 miles. This is a potential safety issue. Drive Selector Switch - I have had 3 selector switches (move from Park to Drive, reverse, etc.) malfunction and require replace (started in side of standard warranty), they appear to be replacing faulty part with same part. Most recent repair in April 2024 only lasted about 150 miles before the device went bad again. This is a potential safety issue. Radio - My 12" radio has been replaced 3 times. At times it impacts the controls of the vehicle features, heating, air-conditioning, etc. Starting at less than 10,000 miles inside normal warranty. Water Leak - I have a rear cabin water leak...mold and mildew in car (39,000 miles). The dealer did an initial inspection and said it had a know issue...back window and/or brake light leaks and requires further evaluation. This is a health issue - due to mold and mildew.

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the service power steering soon warning light illuminated and the steering wheel jerked in the opposite direction. The contact almost struck a moose due to the failure of the power steering. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The following day when the vehicle was started, the power steering warning light illuminated again. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic and diagnosed with a failed power steering rack. The contact stated that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000. The VIN was not available. I was involved in an accident The contact stated due to power steering going out he hit a moose and damaged the front end of the vehicle and now the vehicle has $6500.00+ worth of damages done to the front end of the vehicle.

Mileage: 49,000

Upon inspection the rack and pinion failed and needs replacing. At the time of the failure i was getting ready to make a left hand turn with traffic to my left and i had to forcibly turn the vehicle almost hitting the vehicle to my left. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership and independent warranty inspector and determined the rack and pinion failed. There was a steering failure waring that appeared when the loss of power steering occurred.

Driving at highway speeds, power steering disengages. Drove for about one mile and it reengaged. This repeated itself multiple times and at multiple speeds. Was able to steer but vehicle had no power steering assist. This posed a high risk of accident with injury or death. Have not taken vehicle to the dealer as of yet. Power steering warning indicators displayed during incident.

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle drove over a pothole and made a loud popping sound. The steering wheel became stiff, and the contact jerked the steering wheel to prevent a crash. The steering wheel then inadvertently spun, and the contact slammed on the brake pedal and applied the parking brake to stop the vehicle. The power steering assist, brakes, and several other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering column and clockspring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Mileage: 93,000

Vibration and noise when turning. We have taken it to the Dodge dealers 5 time and they said nothing found until last visit after truck was through warranty. They report a new steering pump is needed. This issue first appeared in 2021 and was dismissed by the dealer mechanics. The dear was able to feel and hear issue when driving the truck. This steering issue poses a safety issue every time we drive the truck.

While making a right turn from a stop, I lost all steering almost running into the car adjacent.

When turn I hear a rubbing grinding sound and the right front wheel shudders and vibrates when driving

November of 2022 I took my truck to the lithium dealership in Reno NV for an exhaust leak they reported back to me that they replaced the manifold passenger side. two weeks later exhaust leak returned they informed me that it was a lifter tick and there was no exhaust leak this was at 51,000 miles. The problem got worse I took it back to them twice with both times I'm telling me it was a lifter tick, but I could smell exhaust in the cab of the vehicle. Now that the truck is out of warranty it's 61,000 miles the exhaust leak got so bad I took it to a different dealership where they have found both exhaust manifolds were leaking and now that it's out of warranty the extended warranty has taken over. but with that said now I am without a car because the extended warranty does not cover loaner cars. the manifolds are both on national back order. the sad part about this is the lithium dealership said they replaced the exhaust manifold and they did not according to the Carson dodge dealership the manifolds were never changed. Apparently this is a known problem with these vehicles and the parts are on national back order. I just find it very disgusting that a dealership would kick the can down the road just so they didn't have to replace the exhaust manifolds or give me a rental car while my truck was sitting there so now I have my truck in the dealership with no ETA on when I'll get it back I'm having to rent a car on my own and still make a truck payments. Don't know if this is a common practice with Ram/Chrysler but this is a despicable way to do business. The second problem is the power steering assist stops working while I'm driving that is also at the dealership waiting for parts that are on national back order.

Electric power steering failure at 36,000 miles. Warranty ended at 35,000

Brakes grind at random and brake pedal when pressed goes to the floor resulting in having to let off brake pedal and pump it back up which has caused me to nearly hit vehicles at stop signs, stop lights or heavy traffic. Information center also keeps going out and when that happens my power steering has also went out causing issues with steering.

Truck was going at 40 MPH and power steering went out, brakes went out and truck started to accelerate resulting in a serious crash. Vehicle was totaled out but not inspected by Dodge. There was no warning of any problems with truck.

The contact owns a 2020 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 -40 mph, the wheels were moving back and forth, and the steering wheel was shaking. The parking brake not available message was displayed. The traction control warning indicator light was flashing and the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact sustained injuries to his left wrist and medical attention was provided. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was concerned about driving the vehicle. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 38,600.

Mileage: 38,600

Bought new Ram 1500 BigHorn in March 2020. In August 2021, I noticed on long left curves, my steering would stick at the 10-11 o'clock position and remains in that position coming out of the curve when I tug the steering wheel to the right. Since it was out of warranty for an alignment, I brought it to a Firestone 2 weeks ago for the alignment. I noticed the issue again and brought it back to Firestone where they did another alignment. They suggested its a rack and pinion issue. Today, September 13th, I called the only 2 RAM dealers in town and explained my situation and they said it could be weeks for them to get parts. This is my only vehicle and I am driving it from Arizona to North Carolina to relocate for a new job. I wanted this documented in case something happens on my 2200 mile trip that is caused by the steering. Thanks.

Steering wheel locked up while car was moving. Was able to replicate. Seems intermittent though. Towed to the dealership, wasn't locking then. Service Representative confirmed they have seen this before and seemed to know exactly what to do. Scary - life safety issue!

WAS PULLING OUT OF THE GAS STATION & THE DASH STARTED TO BLINK. AS SOON AS IT BLINKED THE STEERING BECAME ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER. I AM NOT WEAK BY ANY MEANS & I COULD BARELY TURN. IT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO CRASH IF I WASN'T GOING UNDER 10MPH. THIS IS GOING TO KILL SOMEONE DOING HIGHWAY SPEEDS. I WAS PULLING OUT OF THE LOVE'S GAS STATION IN MEAD KANSAS AROUND 6:40PM ON MARCH 23RD 2021.

WHILE DRIVING, OUT OF THE BLUE MY TRUCK WILL PULL OUT OF CENTER AND SOMETIMES STICKS WHEN TRYING TO PULL IT BACK. DOES THIS MOSTLY IN LEFT TURNS OR ON THE HIGHWAY. IS VERY DANGEROUS AND ALMOST CRASHED ON WET ROAD. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY COULDN'T FIND PROBLEM. TOOK ME ONLY 5 MINUTES TO FIND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON LINE FOR THE SAME SAFETY ISSUE. SOME SAID THAT THE RACK AND PINION WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER AND THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. I NEED TO HAVE THIS FIXED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.

Mileage: 8,300

I HAVE OWNED A 2020, RAM 1500 LIMITED EDITION SINCE MARCH 2020. WHEN DRIVING THE STEERING STICKS IN THE 11:00 POSITION. IF I RELEASE HAND OFF WHEEL AND STEERING REMAINS IN POSITION. I HAVE TO PULL THE WHEEL BACK TO 12:00 POSITION. THIS PROBLEM STARTED OCCURRING ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO AND HAS PROGRESSIVELY BEEN GETTING WORSE. I TRAVEL 1500 TO 2000 MILES A MONTH AND AFRAID I MAY OVER CORRECT ESPECIALLY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. SPOKE WITH DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THIS WAS THE 1ST THEY HAVE HEARD OF THIS ISSUE. HAVE NOT FOUND A SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM. I WILL BE TAKING THE TRUCK BACK TO DEALERSHIP SAT JULY 25, 2020.

Mileage: 3,500

I WAS DRIVING IN THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH WHILE STEERING POWER SHUT OFF AND WARNING ON DASH CAME ON SAYING POWER STEERING WAS DISENGAGED. I PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY SHUT VEHICLE OFF CHECKED UNDER HOOD AND NOTHING. GOT BACK ON VEHICLE STARTED IT AND WARNING HAD GONE AWAY AND STEERING WAS OK. DROVE FOR ABOUT 10 MILES AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I WAS TOLD TO DRIVE VEHICLE TO DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BATTERY. VEHICLE WAS IN SHOP FOR A DAY. THEY CALLED AND SAID PROBLEM WAS FIXED. I LEFT THE DEALER, DRIVE 40 MILES AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN. TOOK IT BACK. AND NOW THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. VERY UNSAFE VEHICLE. POWER STEERING GOES OFF RANDOMLY. IM GLAD I DIDN'T HAVE MY FAMILY WITH ME. TRUCK IS VERY HARD TO CONTROL WITH NO POWER STEERING. I ALSO NOTICED WHILE DRIVING TO THE DEALER THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WOULD GO DIM AND THEN BACK TO NORMAL. *TR

Mileage: 1,900