Problems · by component

2016 Ram 1500 steering problems

314 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2016 Ram 1500 cite steering, 20% of all 1,554 complaints for this model year. NHTSA also lists 1 recall on this component.

Complaints
314
20% of all complaints
Crashes
6
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the steering

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“On my son's 2016 Dodge Ram 1500, he was driving and as he was turning into a gas station, his Electronic Power Steering (EPS) stopped working and he had to use much force to turn the wheel into the gas station. The steering wheel warning light came up on his dash and after several attempts of turning off/turning on the engine and removing the battery cables and putting them back, the EPS would not come back on. We did check the fuse from the positive battery terminal with a multimeter and the cable to the EPS still had power, to include fuse 78 in the fuse box. We check the wire under the engine to the EPS and found no issues with the wires.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 20, 2026Steering, Electrical systemODI 11772391
“The electronic power steering has failed. The system failed on 10/19/26. Also, the truck has stalled while driving on three different occasions in the last two years. It has never shown a code for the stalls.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 20, 2026SteeringODI 11772514
“Driving down residential street and steering got stiff . Not safe at all . Message on screen power steering service. 2 mechanics said to would need to replace complete electric power steering gear assembly.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 28, 2026SteeringODI 11767610
“Rack and pinion has failed after 10 years. Luckily it went out a my wife was getting home. I've had a mechanic verify that it has failed completely and I am in the process of getting a new one.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 24, 2026SteeringODI 11766787
“The contact owns a 2016 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while pulling out of the garage and onto the driveway, the steering wheel seized, and the message "Power Steering Needs to Be Serviced" was displayed. The contact turned off the vehicle. Upon restarting the vehicle the following day, the steering wheel operated as intended, and the contact slowly drove to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the steering rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V167000 (Steering); however, the repair was not covered because the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was scheduled to be repaired at the owner's expense. The manufacturer, RAM, was notified of the failure via website and by phone, and a case was filed. The contact was informed that no assistance would be provided and was referred to the dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 13,800.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 11, 2026SteeringODI 11763558
“ABS module failed causing ABS, traction control, and cruise control to stop functioning along with intermittent loss of power steering. Contacted multiple dealers which all stated the part is no longer available and no replacement part. This was a nuisance for two years until I towed a trailer and was merging onto an interstate when I lost traction due to wet roads and no traction control. Vehicle and trailer fishtailed and I was barely able to gain control without contacting any other vehicles on the very busy interstate. I was able to find a rebuilt abs module on eBay for $1100 that I installed and corrected the issue. This year model needs to be added to the existing recall that has been posted for many other years for this exact issue”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 28, 2026Steering, Vehicle speed control, Service brakesODI 11760370

Showing 6 of 314 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Related recalls

1 recall on this component

Steering: electric power assist system

Free remedy

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Ram 1500 trucks manufactured January 22, 2015, to September 13, 2015. Contamination on the Electric Power Steering (EPS) control circuit board may cause a short and result in the loss of power steering assist.

SteeringReported Mar 23, 2016NHTSA 16V167000
Data from NHTSA Recalls API · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.