Class Action Claims 2013-2024 Ram 1500 Pickups Plagued By Power Steering Defect

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

A proposed class action lawsuit alleges 2013-2024 model year Ram 1500 pickup trucks are equipped with defective electric power steering (EPS) units that can prematurely fail without warning, potentially leaving drivers unable to control their vehicles during operation.

Get class action lawsuit news sent to your inbox – sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter here.

The 64-page Ram 1500 lawsuit alleges automaker FCA US has for years actively concealed the Ram power steering defect from drivers, despite receiving thousands of complaints of power steering loss in affected vehicle models. The filing says that although FCA US has maintained that the EPS unit in the Ram 1500 pickups works properly, with the “narrow exception” of a few hundred 2016 and 2019 vehicles subject to previous recalls, this “narrative” serves only to help the company avoid the financial responsibility of fixing the power steering defect.

“As a result, FCA’s customers (including Plaintiffs) have been left with expensive bills to repairand/or replace their vehicles’ EPS Units,” the complaint claims, noting that a repair usually costs roughly $3,000 to $4,000.

When the alleged power steering defect manifests, a Ram 1500’s steering wheel will immediately stiffen and become difficult to turn, “surprising the driver and requiring increased steering efforts to maintain control of the vehicle,” the lawsuit states. 

“The combination of these changes, along with the surprise to the driver, creates an unreasonable safety risk as it increases the chances or likelihood of crash events from drivers losing control of the Class Vehicles,” the filing stresses.

The class action suit says that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into a “substantial discrepancy” between the “limited scope” of FCA’s power steering-loss recalls for the 2016 Ram 1500 and the increasing number of complaints about the same issue in 2013-2016 Ram 1500 vehicles. While the investigation is ongoing, however, millions of owners and lessees of 2013-2024 Ram 1500 models allegedly remain unaware of the power steering defect, which the case stresses poses an “unreasonable safety risk.”

The lawsuit explains that a vehicle’s EPS motor is mounted on either the steering column or steering gear and assists the driver with turning the steering wheel. Sensors detect the steering wheel’s position and input from the driver, and the module works by calculating the amount of steering assistance needed based on sensor inputs from the steering angle and torque sensors, the case relays.

Because the EPS unit, containing the EPS motor and control module, in 2013-2024 Ram 1500s is affixed to the steering rack and pinion, drivers must replace the entire rack and pinion when the EPS unit fails, the suit says.

According to the complaint, the Ram 1500 power steering defect exists at the time of purchase or lease, though a loss of power steering may not occur until many drivers are outside of their warranty periods.

The case says that Ram 1500 drivers have submitted nearly 400 reports about loss of power steering to the NHTSA, including at least 32 complaints involving crashes caused by the alleged power steering defect.

The Ram 1500 power steering lawsuit looks to cover all individuals and entities who bought or leased a 2013-2024 Ram 1500 in the United States from an authorized FCA dealership.

Check out ClassAction.org’s lawsuit list for the latest top class action lawsuits.