2016 Ram 2500 Steering

RECALL V06 CALLS FOR PART THE STEERING COMPONENTS TO BE WELDED. IF THE JAM NUTS ARE LOOSE OR THE THREADS ARE BAD THE DRAG LINK IS REPLACED. I DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH A NOT CERTIFIED WELDER WELDING A STEERING COMPONENT THAT WAS NEVER DESIGNED TO BE WELDED. I AM ALSO NOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE FACT THAT ONCE THEY ARE WELDED I CAN NEVER HAD MY TRUCK ALIGNED AGAIN. FCA ALSO UPDATED THE DESIGN FOR THE 2019 MODEL YEAR INDICATING THAT THEY FELT THE WELDING IS NOT THE BEST SOLUTION. FCA DOES NOT KNOW WHY THE DRAG LINKS ARE SEPARATING. THE THREADS COULD BE BAD AND WELDING THE JAM NUTS WILL NOT PREVENT A SEPARATION. FURTHER MANY STATES WILL FAIL A VEHICLE FOR INSPECTION IF ANY OF THE STEERING SYSTEM HAS ANY WELDED REPAIRS. VIRGINIA CODE 19VAC30-70-470 THE STATE OF UTAH WHERE I LIVE HAS MANUAL TO INSPECT VEHICLES. IT ALSO STATES TO REJECT A VEHICLE IF A WELDED REPAIR IS PRESENT. SO HOW CAN FCA PUT OUT A RECALL FIX THAT WOULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO FAIL A SAFETY INSPECTION? FCA SHOULD REPLACE THE DRAG LINK WITH THEIR UPDATED VERSION THAT DOES NOT HAVE A SEPARATION ISSUE.

MY VEHICLE HAS A RECALL FOR THE DRAG LINK. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THEY WELDED THE DRAG LINK TOGETHER WITH THE STEERING WHEEL OFF CENTER. NOW I CANNOT ADJUST THE STEERING WHEEL. THIS IS DANGEROUS WHEN A NEW DRIVER USES THE TRUCK AND DOES NOT REALIZE THE STEERING WHEEL IS OFF CENTER. THE DEALER REFUSES TO CORRECT SAYING THIS PART OF AN ALIGNMENT. WHEN THE DEALER FIXES A SAFETY PROBLEM BY WELDING THE ADJUSTERS SHUT THEY SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO ADJUST THE STEERING BEFORE THEY REMOVE ALL CAPABILITY TO ADJUST.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 RAM 2500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V021000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TRANSITOWNE JEEP CHRYSLER DODGE RAM WILLIAMSVILLE (7408 TRANSIT RD, WILLIAMSVILLE, NY 14221) AND THE DRAG LINK WAS WELDED SHUT. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NO LONGER BE ALIGNED DUE TO THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO CALL NHTSA TO FILE A COMPLAINT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE.

I WOULD LIKE TO ADD MY VEHICLE TO THE LIST OF ONES WITH THE STEERING LINKAGE ISSUE. I HAVE A 2016 RAM 2500 DIESEL AND AFTER I PURCHASED THE TRUCK USED WITH 34000 MILES THE STEERING FELT LOOSE SO I CRAWLED UNDER IT AND QUICKLY FOUND THE. COUPLING FOR STRAIGHTENING THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOOSE AND THE BACK UP NUTS WAS NOT TIGHT. I THOUGHT IT WAS A FLUKE SO I TIGHTENED IT. I HAD IT ALIGNED AT THE LOCAL RAM DEALERSHIP AND ABOUT TWO WEEKS AFTER THAT IT WAS LOOSE AGAIN. I HAD MARKED IT AFTER THE ALIGNMENT SO I WAS ABLE TO REALIGN IT AND I COATED IT IN OIL BASE PAINT AND CRANKED IT TOGETHER WITH TWO 24' PIPE WRENCH'S. I KNOW MY VEHICLE VERY WELL AND IF I HAD NOT NOTICED THIS IT COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN A DIFFERENT OUTCOME. OF COURSE NOW IT WILL PROBABLY NEVER COME APART BUT I WANTED TO BE ABLE TO TRUST IT. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO ADDRESS.

DODGE/RAM HAVE BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS AND IT HAS BECOME THE "NORMAL" FOR THEIR TRUCKS, BUT THIS THE SLACK IN THE STEERING COLUMN IS HARDLY ACCEPTABLE. I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY DRIVE WITH MY STEERING AT 10 O'CLOCK TO DRIVE STRAIGHT (EVEN AFTER ALIGNMENTS) AND QUICKLY ADJUST 3-4 INCHES TO ADJUST RIGHT IF IT SUDDENLY STARTS PULLING THE OTHER WAY. I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY GET MY STEERING ALIGNED AS THE LEFT FRONT TIRE'S TOE GOES OUT EVERY 6-9 MONTHS CAUSING THE TRUCK TO PULL RIGHT VERY HARD WHEN BRAKING. IT IS A CONSTANT "HIGH-ALERT" STATUS TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE SLIGHTEST WIND CHANGE, PAVEMENT TEXTURE, OR EVEN MOTORCYCLE PASSING IS ENOUGH TO MAKE THE STEERING SHIFT FROM PULLING RIGHT TO PULLING LEFT. THIS THROWS ME INTO THE LEFT LANE SOMETIMES, WHICH PUTS MY LIFE AND THOSE AROUND ME AT RISK. THIS IS A FAIRLY NEW TRUCK AND WAS DOING IT WHEN I BOUGHT IT. I THOUGH NOTHING OF IT AS IT WAS STILL IN WARRANTY BIT SEVERAL RAM DEALERSHIPS IN MULTIPLE STATES HAVE SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING AND THAT IT IS "NORMAL." I FIND THAT CHRYSLER IS NEGLIGENT TO THEIR CUSTOMERS AND PUT PEOPLE'S LIVES ON THE LINE. I HAVE A 2017 RAM 1500 FOR MY COMPANY WORK TRUCK AND IT DOES THE EXACT SAME THING, BUT PULLS THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. IT ONLY HAS 5000 MILES WHEN IT STARTED DEVELOPING SLACK IN THE STEERING. CHRYSLER REFUSES TO SPEND THE EXTRA .02 CENTS PER VEHICLE TO PUT A RELIABLE STEERING VIBRATION DAMPER IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE MORE I RESEARCH, THE MORE I FIND THAT THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR DECADES ACROSS MULTIPLE GENERATIONS OF RAM TRUCKS. CHRYSLER NEEDS TO BE PUT OUT OF BUSINESS FOR THIS RECKLESS DISREGARD FOR THE PEOPLE THAT DRIVE THEIR TRUCKS. FROM WHAT I HAVE RESEARCHED, ABOUT 50% OF THEIR TRUCKS DEVELOP THIS PROBLEM. PROBLEM IS NOTICEABLE WHILE STATIONARY, AND DRIVING AT ALL SPEEDS. WORSE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WHILE PULLING LOADS.

ON 6/22/18, THE OPERATOR NOTICED A KNOCKING OR CLUNKING SOUND COMING FROM THE FRONT END. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO THE WOODSTOCK GARAGE WITH 23358 MILES. REPAIR ORDER 17572 WAS COMPLETED AND IT WAS FOUND TO HAVE A LOOSE LEFT INNER TIE ROD LOCK NUT LOOSE. IT WAS INSPECTED, REPAIRED AND ALIGNED. INITIALLY WE WERE CHARGED FOR THE REPAIR, BUT LATTER RECEIVED CREDIT, ON 13 SEP 18 IT WAS AGAIN FOUND TO HAVE A LOOSE LOCK NUT, IT WAS REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY WITH 26498 MILES. AS A PRECAUTION IT WAS BROUGHT BACK TO WOODSTOCK GARAGE TO HAVE THE FRONT END INSPECTED UNDER RO 19288 MILES 28224. RO INDICATES ALL STEERING COMPONENTS WERE TIGHT.