Troubled Power Steering, 1.1 Million Pickup Units Are Investigated

Ram 1500 2015. (Doc. Stellantis)

JAKARTA - Once again, the pickup brand from the US, Ram, must face problems related to their old model. This time, the spotlight is focused on the 1500 Ram model which is suspected of having potential problems with the power steering system.

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) confirmed it was conducting an investigation into this issue. The truck model in the spotlight is the 1500 Ram model with the range from 2013 to 2016. The investigation was carried out on a large scale, and with great popularity, an estimated 1.1 million pickup units may be involved in this federal investigation.

Launching from the Motor1 page, Wednesday, August 8, NHTSA is trying to identify the root of concrete problems related to this power steering system. The authorities noted that there had been 380 complaints involving this model with the same problem.

One of the 1500-year-old Ram users who had traveled 118,000 miles reported that they lost power steering when they pulled the trailer from their vehicle. A similar experience was also revealed by several other owners.

Although there have been quite a number of case reports, fortunately there have been no reports involving injuries or casualties. However, NHTSA noted that there were three accidents likely related to the failure of this system.

This pickup brand has previously faced a similar situation several years ago. In 2016, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) made a small recall involving 440 units of Ram 1500 from 2015 and 2016.

At that time, the problem stemmed from contamination to the Electrical Power Steering (EPS) unit, which resulted in a failure of a similar system. This recall specifically highlighted contamination on circuit boards in these units. The FCA at that time addressed this problem by replacing the problematic EPS unit.

This is not the first time Ram has had to undergo a recall process. Previously, the Ram model was involved in the recall program regarding the Takata airbag problem in July which involved around 84,000 pickup units.

Not only that, in April before, Ram also recalled 131,000 trucks due to problems with machines experiencing delays. In fact, Ram has also warned 341,000 pickup truck owners with diesel engines not to park their vehicles outdoors because of the potential risk of a fire.