Complaint 2219233

Complaint Summary

STEERING

Owner Narrative

While driving and making a turn at a busy, high-traffic intersection, a red steering service warning message/light suddenly appeared on the dashboard. Immediately after the warning appeared, the steering became extremely difficult to operate and felt as though it had locked or jammed. I had to use significant force to turn the steering wheel in order to complete the turn. At the same time, a box truck was approaching the intersection at a high rate of speed. Because I was struggling to steer the vehicle, I was unable to maneuver normally and narrowly avoided a collision. Fortunately, the driver of the box truck was able to stop in time. Had the truck not stopped, a serious accident resulting in severe injuries or fatalities could have occurred. This sudden loss of steering assistance happened without warning and created an extremely dangerous situation. A steering system should not fail while a vehicle is in motion, especially in traffic. The failure significantly reduced my ability to control the vehicle and placed me and other motorists at risk. I believe this may be a safety-related defect and request that NHTSA investigate similar complaints involving steering system failures in 2020 Ram 1500 Limited vehicles. Such failures have the potential to cause catastrophic accidents and should be addressed immediately.

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.