2016 Ram 1500 Rack Replacement

[mattwallace93]

Hey everyone, first time posting!
So I just got back from a mechanic. They are saying my 2016 Ram 1500 needs a new rack and pinion. I’m getting resistance while turning, and my steering wheel won’t straighten back out without force.
They called around, as did I, and no dealer has the parts, and they have no clue when/if the parts will arrive.
I was told I would need to go to the dealer, pay $2-3k in full just for the parts, and then wait with no option to ever get my money back. Then pay even more for labor, programming, etc.
I see there was a recall for certain Rams from Jan-Sept 2015. Mine was made November 2015. I bought the truck used a few years ago. Is there any way to request to be added to this recall? I do not have $2-5k for this repair.
Thanks everyone!

 

[Jeepwalker]

This problem is rearing its head more and more. Other guys have replaced the rack and the problem is resolved, so it's in the rack. How good is your mechanic? If he's just a parts-replacer, I would ask around and find a shop with a crackin' good mechanic with elelctronic capabilities who is willing to dig into and find/fix the root issue. Doesn't have to even be a shop, there are talented home mechanics and tuners who just 'love' the challenge of finding a mystery. The trick will be finding a guy who understands electronics. Have them look at the circuit board. My hunch is there is a bad (cold) solder joint, the result of years of the board heating up/cooling down multiple times a day.

With just about any electronic problem on older equipment in service, the majority of failures come down to 1) Bad solder joints, 2) leaking or weak capacitors, and a distant # 3) Actual component failure. And in the case of a pickup, corrosion has to be high up on the list. #'s 1 and 2 are relatively easy and simple to spot and cheap to repair. And they constitute the overwhelming majority of failures on aged electronics. A decent electronics guy can usually spot a problem on a circuit board in minutes of looking at it.

Other likely points of failure could be a failing or sticking electric motor, or possibly valving issues. But since other owners have discovered heating the circuit board area with a heat gun made the steering work, that points to electronics to me.

There's no guarantee a guy would be able to spot the problem right away, but it wouldn't take more than an hour or two to inspect the items I listed. I haven't checked youtube lately. Eventually someone will solve this problem.

 

[Tberg1896]

Hey everyone, first time posting!
So I just got back from a mechanic. They are saying my 2016 Ram 1500 needs a new rack and pinion. I’m getting resistance while turning, and my steering wheel won’t straighten back out without force.
They called around, as did I, and no dealer has the parts, and they have no clue when/if the parts will arrive.
I was told I would need to go to the dealer, pay $2-3k in full just for the parts, and then wait with no option to ever get my money back. Then pay even more for labor, programming, etc.
I see there was a recall for certain Rams from Jan-Sept 2015. Mine was made November 2015. I bought the truck used a few years ago. Is there any way to request to be added to this recall? I do not have $2-5k for this repair.
Thanks everyone!

 

[Tberg1896]

Having the same issue with my 2020 Classic with only 32k miles…..bought it with 6k mikes. No one has the part and they have no clue when the part will be back. Dealer told me to check back in 89 days. So will be without a truck for at least 3 more months. Crazy

 

[PoMansRam]

@mattwallace93 Are there any dash warning lights or codes present on the electronic power steering?

I don't think I've ever heard of just a binding issue. These systems will typically throw codes/lights if anything is wrong with them electronically. If no electrical problem is present, I'd be looking at how to get lube into this thing.

A few weeks back when someone posted about their EPS problems on a later model 4th gen, the part was available on Rock Auto. Now all I can find through RA is their service where you send them your failed unit, they repair it and send it back to you : https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=12593189&cc=3353659&pt=7388&jsn=947

Thing is, they list this service for 8ft bed and 6.5ft bed equipped 4th gens only. It looks like the rack assembly p/n's are different based on the cab and bed configuration.

 

[Jeepwalker]

So will be without a truck for at least 3 more months. Crazy

Did they give you a loaner?

 

[PoMansRam]

So weird. The RA's site seems to lead you to believe the p/n is different between cab/bed configurations, but other sites say it's all the same rack 2013 to present day 4th gen. FleaBay has them, but they're $2K https://www.ebay.com/itm/324725657787?epid=19006519862&hash=item4b9b2850bb:g:iosAAOSwAANY7mrE

I would seriously look into that return/repair service through RockAuto, then have a shop swap it and hopefully program it for you. Maybe the return/repair won't require programming assuming it's your OEM rack? I dunno.

 

[Tberg1896]

Did they give you a loaner?

No, the dealership doesn’t have loaners at the moment and it’s not under warranty because the part was changed before I bought it (Wasn’t listed on the carfax report…ugh) They believe it failed because of “impact” since I haven’t gotten into an accident. I see used R/P on eBay and what not; Ram said I can pay to reprogram it once I have someone install it but they can not guarantee it will work.
I really think PepBoys is the reason because I bought a new set of tires and got an alignment a few days before. Once I got it back I noticed some stiffness in the steering and then a few days later it locked up. But that’s all here say. In a tough spot now :/

 

[Tberg1896]

So weird. The RA's site seems to lead you to believe the p/n is different between cab/bed configurations, but other sites say it's all the same rack 2013 to present day 4th gen. FleaBay has them, but they're $2K https://www.ebay.com/itm/324725657787?epid=19006519862&hash=item4b9b2850bb:g:iosAAOSwAANY7mrE

I would seriously look into that return/repair service through RockAuto, then have a shop swap it and hopefully program it for you. Maybe the return/repair won't require programming assuming it's your OEM rack? I dunno.

I didn’t get any codes before mine locked up which is why I’m so puzzled. I’d be willing to try rock auto though (really anything at this point) because Dodge is no help and my mechanic doesn’t know what to do either.

 

[metalchewy]

Pep boys is on its last leg around here. No longer sell parts and no one trusts their "service and tire centers" because of issues when work is complete.

If this happened within days after they worked on it, I wonder what they did to it. Idjuts that don't know how to run a lift? Certainly worth asking about.

 

[Daw14]

Check the u-joint on the shaft ,they are a known issue.

 

[v7tech]

No, the dealership doesn’t have loaners at the moment and it’s not under warranty because the part was changed before I bought it (Wasn’t listed on the carfax report…ugh) They believe it failed because of “impact” since I haven’t gotten into an accident. I see used R/P on eBay and what not; Ram said I can pay to reprogram it once I have someone install it but they can not guarantee it will work.
I really think PepBoys is the reason because I bought a new set of tires and got an alignment a few days before. Once I got it back I noticed some stiffness in the steering and then a few days later it locked up. But that’s all here say. In a tough spot now :/

If I can chime in about Pep Boys when I initially replaced my EPS rack my alignment was slightly off and the steering wheel was crooked. I took it there as I paid for a lifetime alignment and when I got the truck back for some reason they loosened the 2 bolts that hold the rack in place. The car steering wheel was still crooked and now it drifted further to the right. I caught wind of this and informed them only to be asked to return and since it's not the first time they've made such egregious mistakes I decided to put my best effort to resolve it myself. Dealing with the current situation every place has limited hours, short staffed and parts are unavailable for a myriad of reasons. I got the car to steer correctly and the steering wheel remained crooked. The rack that I replaced in December of 2021 failed in June 2022, it was a Cardone 'remanufactured' unit. Considering this is a part that is integral to operation and safety perhaps it should be replaced/covered by warranty or some kind of class action lawsuit.

As for the stiffness you mentioned I figured out that the steering wheel and adjustment is handled with the steering u-joint. It's possible that yours may need lubrication or replacement. I'd advise sliding the boot back or attempting to fill it with lubricant. See if that loosens things up.

If you look under the break pedal you can inspect it and move it around to determine where the issue lies. The other is on the side is in the engine bay along the battery box and driver side wheel well. It has an upper (steering wheel link) & lower bolt (on EPS rack) that uses a metric 13 socket. I was able to disconnect it at the top to make the adjustments that allowed me to center the steering wheel, then on the tie rod ends I adjusted it as necessary to fix the alignment.

Certainly a mechanic would be best suited for this however, it's not terribly difficult to service.

 

[Livinalittle]

I would start with this little guy.

It’s a likely culprit and much cheaper than a steering rack.

 

[Jeepwalker]

The welded joints on your new shaft probably were not aligned 100% on the steering shaft you installed. But truth be told, I doubt that even the best OEM steering intermediate shaft would be 100% the same as your truck's original steering. The steering tow needs to be re-set after an intermediate shaft replacement. It's easy to do ...as you have illustrated.

If you haven't done so, you might measure across the front of your tires ...front and rear. The front of the tires should be about 1/8" to 3/32 narrower than the rear (called tow-in). Just look up 'setting your car's tow' on youtube.