Loss of power steering assist

The steering goes heavy without warning. FCA recalled 440 trucks for it in 2016; NHTSA has since received 380 further complaints from a population of 1,106,211 and opened a query in August 2023 asking whether that recall was drawn wide enough. That query is still open three years later, and no wider recall has been issued. This is a rare case where the honest answer is that the regulator has not finished.

Symptoms

Steering that suddenly needs far more effort, usually noticed at low speed where the assist does most of the work. FCA's wording: "if the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required, especially at lower speeds." NHTSA adds that in the complaints it has collected, "the failure allegations occur at various speeds with limited detectability to the driver" — meaning there is no warning.

Likely cause

The recall names it: "contamination on the Electric Power Steering (EPS) control circuit board may cause a short and result in the loss of power steering assist." Whether that is the cause in trucks outside the recall is precisely what NHTSA has not yet answered — its query was opened "to determine if the scope of the recall mentioned above is correct or if another defect might exist that causes the alleged steering concerns."

How should it be checked?

Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. If 16V-167 comes back, the EPS unit is replaced free. If it does not — which it will not for most trucks, because the recall is only 440 vehicles — that is not the same as being clear, and this is the one file in the catalogue where that distinction is doing real work. Ask the seller directly whether the steering has ever gone heavy, and treat any "only once" answer as an answer rather than a non-event.

How can you check it yourself?

Manoeuvre at walking pace — a car park, full lock both ways, engine running. That is where a loss of assist is unmistakable and where it is safe to find out. Do it more than once and from cold, since the reports describe it as intermittent.

The question to ask the shop

Has the steering ever gone heavy, even briefly, and was it ever looked at? Has recall 16V-167 been completed, or the electric power steering unit replaced for any reason? Is there any stored fault code for the steering system?