What 56 owners told NHTSA about the 2022 Ram Promaster 3500

The power steering for my 2022 Ram Promaster failed on 3/7/24. The safety issue this caused was that steering the van was nearly impossible. Fortunately, the failure occurred while I was in a parking lot. The van had to be towed to the local dealer. The defective parts were on backorder (part number 6TB16JXWAC Module-steering control) and arrived on 5/21/24. This was covered under warranty and the repair work was done by the local dealer. There weren't any warning lamps that would indicate an issue. I used the van to drive to the jobsite, worked for a few hours, and the issue occurred as I was leaving for the day.

NHTSA ODI 11746282

While driving, the power steering stopped and basically locked up the steering wheel almost causing an accident. At the same time, multiple warnings flashed on the dash. After restarting, the vehicle operated as should until the following day when it occurred again and we had to have it towed to the dealership. Water intrusion and corrosion damaged a wiring harness and rack and pinion. The cost to repair was $5200. The dealership we use is Diehl Automotive. 6181 Steubenville Pike, McKees Rocks, PA 15136. They told me this is the 12th van they've had this happen to. They told me to report this incident since it is a safety hazard and the vehicle is only 4 years old.

NHTSA ODI 11742299

The contact called for the owner of a 2022 Ram Promaster 3500. The vehicle was taken to be serviced due to a power steering failure. While operating the vehicle, the owner experienced a power steering failure, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn to the left or the right. The messages "Service Power Steering", "Service Hill Assist", "Service Collision Warning", "Blind Spot Alert Unavailable", and “Service ESC" were displayed. The contact diagnosed the vehicle and determined that water was inside the main steering connector, causing the power steering failure. The owner was informed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not contacted. The contact was informed of NHTSA Action Number: PE26002 (STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the investigation. The failure mileage was 68,974.

NHTSA ODI 11725316

Less than a half mile into my work day the van started flashing all warning lights ( Hill assist, power steering, service engine, abs ETC.) I was on a busy road and was attempting to pull off to safety But the van turned off. Was able to jump it after 2 attempts and get it to the dealer 1 mile away, without any other lights coming back on aside from CEL. Dealer informed me I have 2 Corroded wiring harnesses, bad rack & Pinion and alternator is at 7%.... From what I've heard, this is a problem that could have been prevented by the manufacturers.. I also had a Transmission replacement at 30k miles and full Engine replacement at 55k miles. Currently at 80k Miles... This is Unacceptable for a Commercial fleet vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11705681

Power Steering Failed

NHTSA ODI 11704910

My vehicle started to have an extremely aggressive shaking steering wheel when trying to turn into a parking lot leaving me stuck in the road for 10minutes not being able to turn without it jerking aggressively. Turns out its a common issue and caused by faulty plugs under vehicle going to the power steering motor that let water in and corrode the plugs/wiring. Dealer suggested I replace 2 wiring harnesses and motor.

NHTSA ODI 11699640

Sudden failure of the power steering system. Vehicle became very difficult to steer, lucky no other cars or pedestrians were in the area. Per the dealer water entered the wiring harness and entered the power steering module causing it to fail. When the power steering failed, warning messages began appearing on the dash, which included "hill assist needs service", "ECS needs service", "FWC system needs service" and "Engine needs service".

NHTSA ODI 11691814

Power steering failure. Luckily for us, the failure happened while still in our driveway, so no accident or collision occurred. We had warning messages for ESC, hill start assist, and several other systems, but nothing for EPS (electric power steering). The dealership was able to repair the problem by replacing the steering rack and two associated wiring harnesses. The mechanic noted water and a lot of corrosion in the wiring connector on the steering rack. This vehicle has only had normal water exposure (rain and puddles on the road).

NHTSA ODI 11682952

The electronic power steering has failed on my 2022 Ram Promaster with 38,000 miles. While driving the steering wheel began jerking violently and couldn't be controlled. It seemed like there was a legitimate chance of the vehicle rolling over on the highway. The issue was reproduced and confirmed by a Ram Dealer in my area. The dealer stated "verified customer complaint intermittent lack of power steering assist at times. found I264A inline connection under vehicle full of water / mud with corrosion no connector repair kits available to fix any of this harness replacement with rack is required". There were no warnings lamps or any notification of an issue prior to or even while the issue occurred.

NHTSA ODI 11682200

Loosing power steering at 50,000 miles. Dealer states out of warranty. This should not be happening on less than a 3 year old promaster van. Total loss now. was happening randomly. driving 70 mph and hit a bump, steering would pull/jerk to the oppisite direction. also slower speeds as well, including reverse

NHTSA ODI 11660728

steering does not work due to malfunctioning steering rack. it has 21,000 miles & is under 3 years old.

NHTSA ODI 11660409

steering wheel keeps locking up and not able to turn at lower speeds (under 10- 20 miles) I took the car to the dealer ship and they said a part named gear- rack and pinion was replaced after waiting for almost 2 months for them to fix the car, Today I had to take the car back to the dealer after I just pick up the car a few days ago because steering keeps locking up after $2700 dollars of charges the car is not safe to drive I'm not sure if I'm the only person with this problem but I hope that if I'm not the only person with this issue you guys can help, thank you

NHTSA ODI 11637141

The contact owns a 2022 Ram Promaster 2500. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH in the rain, the power steering and check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the warning lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and the dealer became aware that there was water inside the power steering connector and determined that the steering rack and wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 26,602.

NHTSA ODI 11588129