2017 Ram 1500 Steering
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
Truck suddenly lost power, and no power steering assistance at all. Had it checked out by mechanic and mechanic stated a new Rack and Pinion was needing costing over 2 Grand.
loss of EPS, no the vehicle has not been inspected yet, no prior symptoms . drove vehicle to store and parked in parking lot, when returned to vehicle, no power steering with warning lamps
The electronic power steering rack failed. We have had consistent temperatures near 0°f, with highs rarely above freezing for the past couple weeks. The motor and circuit panel for the steering rack built up enough water to freeze solid and completely lock the steering, luckily in the yard so I didn't have to go get my wife from work. But I've had to sideline my work both to work on it, and so my wife can take my truck to her job as this is her truck. I thawed the unit and re sealed the seam by the motor, as well as the cover over the circuit panel. Some part of it appears to have shorted out as it won't work now that it's been thawed, and is giving a message on the dash to service power steering. No prior issues, or warnings that something was failing. Glad it didn't fail last week when my wife and one year old daughter were on the road visiting family hours away. I can barely afford to buy a vehicle any more, never mind take one to a dealer or other shop for repairs. Plus I'm an hour from any of them, and at least 2 weeks wait to get in. I did try to get an answer from a couple of them. I do all my own repairs. I just can't fathom how putting sensitive electrical components underneath a 4wd truck and relying on a half hearted dab of silicone to seal them against the elements is a good idea. What was wrong with good old hydraulic power steering. I'm waiting for a cost and timeframe to get a replacement currently.
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the message "Service Power Steering" was displayed. The vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. The contact restarted the vehicle several times to correct the failure, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19E077000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 24,487.
Our vehicle was a 2017 Ram 1500 crew Cab 4x4. We’re getting near to Goldfield Nevada. I saw this town to my left when I remarked about the town to my wife, we were going the speed limit of 70 mph about 2PM in the afternoon than all of a sudden steering went erratic, twisting and turning us all over the highway to strong for me to hold with no warning lights, Genie yelled out what is going on, I slammed on the brakes and the steering forced us off the road and rolled our vehicle close to two time over. My wife and I escaped with bruises and small cuts. Backs still hurt. I just had spent over $8500.00 on services including a new computer timing ring replacement new intake manifold and new ventilated brakes , tires had over 92% tread on them upgraded wheels I could not control the steering at all. All I could do was slam the brakes down trying to stop all of it and come to a halt. Steering twisted us all over the highway. I left a quite a stretch a rubber on the highway as we left the roadway and hit the loose gravel dirt and flipped over into a rocky ditch. This totaled our vehicle my wife and I had to be extricated through the front windshield and by a miracle did not need to go to the hospital. I’ve been in touch with [XXX] at Progressive. The vehicle was towed to Tonopah NV we have pictures that we sent to [XXX] at Progressive. I told [XXX] the brain box needs to be preserved along with the brake system for further investigation. I have learned now through my research as there is a problem with this type of electronic steering system. This vehicle types has to cause major accidents and an ongoing lawsuit. I’ll be contacting attorneys to let him know what happened and I know you need to know what happened also because the ongoing problems with these models 2013 through 2018 with the EPS. Sincerely [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was driving on the highway and the power steering in truck disappeared and the warning light turned on. Lost the power steering.
Steering is stiff at center. When turning left or right, it starts to free up and at 1/4 turn its stiffens up again then frees then stiff. The steering repeats this returning to center. I have also experienced in the last 6000 miles the truck pulling hard to the left somedays and other days pulling hard right. there was also an episode when the steering wheel shook valiantly at 70mph on a newly paved road. this lasted about 3 seconds and went away. I have inspected the ball joints and tie rod ends and these components are good. I haven't taken it to the dealer yet. I have researched this issue and found that the dealers won't fix this issue if your VIN doesn't match the "known" batch of EPS units installed at the factory. I ran my VIN number through both the Manufactures recalls and this sites and there are no recalls with this issue listed. I haven't had an official inspection done yet. From what I understand, the dealer will need to look at the serial number on the EPS unit, then determine if its a "known bad batch of EPS units" then see if you vehicle qualifies. since my VIN yielded no recalls, the common practice is the dealer will not fix the issue on a recall. No lamps have came on. This started in the fall of 2025. I have since replaced the ball joints and struts, but the steering is still stiff, loose, then stiff and doesn't want to return to center as described earlier.
Power steering failed on two seperate occasions. Both times i was moving at a slow rate of speed and was able to safely exit the roadway. Both times check power steering warning light came on after the fact. I feel this is a real safety issue. This vehicle only has 27000 miles on it
Lost all power steering.
Electric power system failure causing sudden loss of power steering assist. Safety hazard steering locks up while driving requiring extreme effort to turn creating crash risk. Codes: C2217-00 and U11E8-00 Connections to Recalls: My vehicle exhibits the exact failure mode covered by recalls 16V-167 and 19E-077, but my VIN was not included despite having identical symptoms and diagnostic codes. The problem occurred about a month ago 12/15/2025. There was a warning message on the Dash and Loss of Power steering while driving. We took it to our trusted mechanic and multiply codes came up: C2217-00, U11E8-00, U0155-00, U0415-00 and C2128-00
Sudden loss of power steering first occurred in early 2025. Truck was towed to nearby auto shop and it was deemed that the eps system had failed. Geico deemed I was not at fault and that it was likely due to moisture getting in the system. The steering rack and pinion was replaced with insurance and then in January 2026, the same issue occurred again despite not throwing any previous check engine light codes.
Electric Power Steering failed
The Electronic Power Steering system failed on my Ram 1500 and it became extremely difficult to steer the truck. It created a very unsafe condition to drive the vehicle and Stellantis doesn't cover this VIN in the existing safety recall for this steering system on other Ram trucks.
The contact owns a 2017 RAM 1500. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 55 MPH, he became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the steering wheel. The service power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the steering column. The contact was informed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 67,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds in a parking area, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The service power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the steering gear. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19E077000 (Steering), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Power steering completely lost power and couldn’t control the truck, almost got into a collision
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 80 MPH, the power steering assist failed to operate as needed without warning. Due to the failure, the contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure occurred while starting the vehicle after the vehicle had not been driven for more than a day. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective steering column shaft. The contact stated that the steering column shaft would be sprayed with lubricant, which would temporarily correct the failure; however, the failure returned after consistent driving. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where the contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Rack and Pinion failed on me at 99k miles. I just got done with my workout and went to go start up the truck and the service power steering message came on with the power steering indicator light. That wheel would hardly move when I tried to move. I also decided to look under the truck and under the hood for any leaks and nothing and then soon realized after doing a quick google search that the 2013 and up models are electric power assist instead of hydraulic. The truck was towed next day to the dealer and they quoted $3600 to replace the rack and pinion.
Was driving my truck and everything was working fine then the power streering just shut off making it very difficult to control the vehicle then proceeded to go off and intermittently at different times after that now it has been completely gone and not came back. The rack and pinion would have to be replaced.
Electronic power steering is working intermittently or not working, making it extremely difficult to steer. It’s doing the same thing as previous years that was recalled.
Driving and powersteering takes over or quits working and makes it dangerous turning. Electric powersteering switch/sensor failure making the truck uncontrollable while taking a turn
The contact owns a 2017 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.
Power steering will turn off randomly while driving. It makes it very hard to turn and is extremely dangerous to drive. It is a safety hazard for me, my family, and anybody on the road nearby. The problem has happened multiple times with no warning. The power steering will work fine for a period of time but randomly cut off. Vehicle was brought to a dealer but they are unable to replicate the issue while the steering is working. Upon further research, this seems to be an issue with many trucks of this make and model. The part to replace it (electronic power steering assembly) is on back order or out of stock due to so many of these trucks having this issue. Again this is extremely dangerous and deserves a recall at minimum.
I was on a 4 hour drive to Ohio and got to my hotel parking lot, started unpacking and my service power steering like came on. Took it into a shop just down the road and it was a struggle to turn it. they told me the rack and pinion went out. Glad I wasn't on the freeway when this happened.
Electronic power steering stopped working.
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Quick Summary
The 2017 Ram 1500 has 152 Steering complaints on file. 5 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.