2019 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
The power steering rack and pinion intermittently loses power especially at low speeds or when the vehicle is powered on. It is available for inspection upon request and has been inspected by a certified ram technician. This same issue is described in campaign number 19V812000 published by the nhtsa among other vehicles of this same make and model. There were no prior warnings or indications of the issue. [XXX] is the first time this issue presented but has become a daily occurrence and is the only mode of transportation for a family of four, consisting of two young children under the age of [XXX] . The concern is the safety of traveling with this issue may cause a crash or leave this family stranded due to the failure of the electrical components not allowing the vehicle to reset. Factory reset and software updates have been attempted, however further investigation has led to the diagnosis of internal components shorting out. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Reference NHTSA Safety Recall Safety Recall VB8 / NHTSA 19V-812 Electric Power Steering Gear. My 2019 Ram 1500 has this exact issue. The recall is VIN specific and my vehicle is not a listed VIN. Chrysler is not willing to honor the safety recall for this specific truck. The vehicle is unsafe to drive and this is a noted problem with this vehicle.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel intermittently became firm, and excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V812000 (STEERING). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while changing lanes and while turning. The vehicle was driven to the residence. An unknown dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact of an unknown recall with a similar failure, but the VIN was not associated under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the failure was significantly dangerous, and that the steering wheel was difficult to turn. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 75,900.
2019 ram 1500 bighorn Power steering is going out intermittently while driving without notice or indication that it's going to happen, and it's throws power steering service light.The behavior matches exactly to the confirmed recall from Dodge "Safety Recall VB8 / NHTSA 19V812 Electric Power Steering Gear", I'm unclear why this vehicle VIN was not part of the recall as the recall description matches exactly in behavior, make, model and year of the truck. It's poses a safety risk to myself and drivers around me when losing control of steering unexpectedly.
Vehicle intermittently has power steering failures. Will not turn to the left.
The power steering on my 2019 Ram pickup keeps going off so that i am forced to muscle the steering wheel when making turns. I filed a claim on this previously but never heard back from you. It takes quite a bit of strength to manuever the truck without power steering and this is quite unsafe in my opinion; for example, I do not allow my wife or daughter to drive the truck with this dangerous situation. I also took my vehicle into the local dealer for repair of this issue. They told me I had a weak battery with "low codes" and charged me $400 for a new battery. They told me they could not find anything else to report. Very frustrating!!!! Please confirm that you have received this information from me> [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while a trailer was hitched to the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact stated that the failure became persistent. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 81,516.
While traveling at low speeds, power steering fails. Dash indicates a warning message “Power steering service unavailable”. There is a recall for this exact issue, same year and model, but my VIN is not included. Diagnostic at dealership shows issue is same as recalled issue but is not able to repair under recall due to VIN. Dealership states cost to repair is $3400.
Power steering completely goes out at random occasions and may or may not reset. Multiple times I have lost power steering driving on roadways and luckily was able to avoid a crash. Doing research they are expensive to replace the so called guilty parts. Rack and pinion on the eps module
The contact's grandmother owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle had been experiencing an intermittent loss of power steering functionality. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that a fee would be charged for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19E077000 (Steering); because the VIN was not included. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance in adding the VIN to the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
I was driving my truck down the road and the power steering went out. I pulled over in a parking lot and turned the truck off. I waited about 5 minutes and restarted the truck; the power steering came back. I proceeded to head home, and the power steering locked up and the truck would not turn at all. I was in a residential area and was able to stop as far right on the road as I could. I again turned the truck off and waited about 5 minutes and restarted the truck. The power steering worked for me to get the truck home. I took the truck to a Dodge dealership and was quoted $4100 for parts and labor. I feel that the research that I have done warrants the dealership to repair the truck. There are safety recalls for my make, year, and model, just not my Vin.
Safety Complaint – Power Steering Failure on 2019 RAM 1500 Big Horn 4x4 Not Covered by Recall VB8 To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting this complaint regarding a recurring safety issue with my 2019 Dodge RAM 1500 Big Horn 4x4. The vehicle experiences intermittent power steering loss, particularly during colder temperatures. This issue matches the symptoms described in Safety Recall VB8 / NHTSA 19V-812, which affects certain 2019 RAM 1500 vehicles due to contamination in the EPS gear. However, my VIN is not currently included in the recall, despite the alignment in model, year, and issue. I have already incurred diagnostic costs and have a follow-up appointment scheduled at a RAM dealership to further investigate the issue. I am requesting that NHTSA: - Review my case and consider expanding the scope of Recall VB8 to include additional affected VINs - Investigate whether similar complaints have been filed for vehicles outside the current recall range - Ensure Chrysler/RAM is addressing this issue consistently and fairly across all impacted vehicles Thank you for your attention to this matter. I am happy to provide additional documentation upon request. Sincerely, [XXX] Phone: [XXX] Email: [XXX] VIN: [XXX] Location: Cincinnati, OH INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- I like to report that my Ram 1500 Classic has been having issues with steering since March 2025. I had around at that time 78k miles on the truck give or take. I took the truck to the dealership where I purchased it (Brown Daub Easton PA). They claimed that everything I told them about the Truck was perfectly fine and they had multiple people test drive the truck with no issues. I explained that the steering would be very hard to execute a turn left or right and at times it would even feel like it "skipped" in the steering. I can tell I have slightly new wheels at the time of this issue. The only thing they noted was my rear passenger tire tread was a little more worn compared to the other three. I took the Truck home very disappointed and the problem actually seem like it went away for a few days. Then the problem began to show again and the turning aspect is becoming more difficult. Recently while driving on the interstate my steering was affected just changing lanes at 65 mph where the need to use both hands was troublesome. The truck itself had jolt where I never encountered. - - I believe that driving this truck is very dangerous and taken it to the dealership where I have a warranty appears to be impossible to identify the root issue. - I have only taken it to the dealership once and its scheduled to go back to the home dealership on the 12th of this month for another check. -There are no warning lamps/messages. Problem recently started in March 2025 at or above 78k miles. - I believe that the issue could be related to the power steering motor or the Electronic power steering noted on this site. The examples or causes fall very close to the same feeling I get while driving this vehicle. This is my first experience where I have noticed a loss of power steering in driving 28 years of driving various pick up trucks be my own, military grade trucks, and work trucks. Thank you.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the power steering message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering assist and extra effort was needed while steering the vehicle. The power steering assist function briefly returned after the vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred with the message displayed. The contact had received an unrelated recall notification and contacted the dealer to schedule the recall repair. While at the dealer, the contact informed the dealer of the issue with the power steering and a diagnostic test was performed. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced and was provided an estimate for repair. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V812000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.
The steering wheel get hard to without warning and is very difficult to steer. EPS GEAR, Rack and Pinion defect. While driving at highway speeds the steering wheels get hard and impossible to steer.
Sporadically losing power steering, EPS on this 2019 RAM 1500 Classic. I noticed it sporadically at lower speeds and its now become more and more. EPS control box item number is TIC1999B5492 . I know there as a recall on 2019 RAM 1500 for power steering, EPS issues but my Vin number [XXX] seems to be having the same power steering issues now as described in the recall. So Im wondering if the recall needs to be extended to a wider range of VIN numbers. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle became difficult to steer. The check power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road and turn the vehicle off. The vehicle was started, and the power steering functionality was independently reset. The contact continued driving; however, the failure recurred a short distance afterward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed and confirmed that the power steering module had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the contact became aware that the electronic power steering was not functioning properly, requiring increased effort to maneuver the vehicle. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed failures with the electric power steering control module and steering gear assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V812000 (Steering); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 113,000.
Power Steering Failed at startup of vehicle and starts and stops working randomly while driving. It does tell you to service the power steering system when it is not working. I have not had it inspected by a dealer yet.
as of 3/25/2025, Started having sudden intermittent power steering loss along with, 'service power steering' code. I haven't been able to use the truck due to being unsafe. I am on call all month and will have to tow it to dealership afterwards. I see that there was a recall way back in 2019. It's nice that you want to know if a dealership can confirm the problem. So far, when I tack this trjck or my last truck in they can't seem to figure it out until the warranty expires.
Power steering. Steering warning light (Steering service required) comes on randomly for a second or two and then goes away. Making steering and controlling the vehicle very difficult. Several trips to repair shops that run a diagnostics computer scams come up with nothing. Mechanics have check for shorts but say nothing looks out of the normal. This make model and year has had 197 vehicles recalled for what I believe to be this issue. Has been happening for the past couple of weeks
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact had read about steering recalls on the year, make, and model of the vehicle online. The contact stated that while his son was driving 40-50 MPH, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, causing the vehicle to drive up a curb and to nearly crash into a bridge post. The power steering warning light was illuminated after the failure. The vehicle was started the following day, and the power steering operated as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the wiring harness had rotted and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that further diagnostic testing was needed. The dealer confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
The contact owns a 2019 Ram 1500. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost power steering functionality, and the steering wheel locked up. The message " Service Power Steering " was displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 71,320.
When driving in wet road conditions the truck will jerk the steering wheel to the left into oncoming traffic. When the condition happens it’s impossible to hold the steering wheel straight to keep in the proper lane. During dry road conditions the steering works and will remain in the proper lane with no issues
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2019 Ram 1500 has 239 Steering complaints on file. 8 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.