Intermittent EPS problem in 2014 1500

[Want to Drive]

I have a 2014 Ram 1500 quad cab sport with 77,000 miles on it. Last night I was driving home and the EPS went out. The steering wheel ****** slightly and a "Service Power Steering" warning came on the dash. The truck was very difficult to steer but I was able to get it home by taking less busy roads and making wide turns. I spent a few hours reading about the EPS and what the issue could be. I was hoping it was a fuse or the belt inside the unit as these are things I could fix without replacing the whole unit. I started the truck today and no issues at all. I took it for a short drive and it steered completely normal.

So what do I do next?

I'm assuming that neither fuses nor the belt are the culprit because the issue went away today. If a fuse was blown or the belt was broken I would expect to get the service eps message.

This leads me to believe the issue is in the EPS control module/board. A lot of the issues I read regarding an issue in the EPS control module/board were people experiencing the issue is cold temperatures. I'm located in FL. It's been 70 - 80 degrees for the last several weeks here. The truck is kept in a garage and I haven't driven in the rain in several months so I don't see how any water could have gotten in.

I'm hesitant to drive the truck because who knows when the EPS is going to go out again. At the same time, it's my only vehicle and I can't just not drive it.

Any suggestions from the forum? Any chance I'll get lucky and it was a one time thing?

 

[Jeepwalker]

That sucks! Sorry to hear about the snafu. A couple things come to mind you might try:

1) Quadruple-check the wire connections, including the connector which is close to the EPS unit. Just in case the rare event there's corrosion in that connector.

2) Remove the EPS module cover and look inside. The connectors which go to the module are soldered on...and there have been some owners who reported corroded wires where they connect to the board. Worth a look.


Good luck.

 

[Want to Drive]

That sucks! Sorry to hear about the snafu. A couple things come to mind you might try:

1) Quadruple-check the wire connections, including the connector which is close to the EPS unit. Just in case the rare event there's corrosion in that connector.

2) Remove the EPS module cover and look inside. The connectors which go to the module are soldered on...and there have been some owners who reported corroded wires where they connect to the board. Worth a look.


Good luck.

Thanks for the info. I did get under the truck today to look at the connectors. Both looked very clean. I wanted to pull the EPS module cover off but I didn't have the correct security torx bits so that will have to wait until another day.

 

[Daw14]

Thanks for sharing your findings and please continue with anything else that you may find.

Every bit of info may prevent someone from going to a dealership and getting taken advantage of.

 

[62Blazer]

As you mentioned, it can not be either a fuse issue or a broken belt within the unit. If that was the issue it wouldn't have just fixed itself. If the EPS warning light came on there should be specific codes stored in the computer that you need to pull. You should always start with pulling the codes as that can point you in the right direction. I said point you in the right direction as the codes does not tell you what part needs replaced. Not sure if the cheapo base model code scanners, like most of the chain autopart stores use, will communicate with the EPS module.
For an intermittent problem like this my first suspect is always a loose connector, partially rubbed through wire, and/or corrosion. There could also be an internal issue with the EPS controller. But again, I don't recommend just throwing random parts at it without some testing. However intermittent issues can be hard to track down since testing and diagnostics only show a problem when the issue is actually occurring. But still start with more visual investigation. Maybe wiggle wires and connectors around and see if you can get the fault to come back.
In regards to it acting normal upon a restart. Often what happens is that a very quick and intermittent electrical type issue (i.e. maybe only lasts a 1/2 second) occurs. This basically shuts down the system, so even if that quirk goes away the system won't come back on line. It's only when you stop the truck and turn it back on that the system "reboots" and comes back on line. Think of your TV. The power flickers and the TV turns off and stays off even if the power comes back on. You have to hit the power button again to turn the TV back on.

 

[Want to Drive]

As you mentioned, it can not be either a fuse issue or a broken belt within the unit. If that was the issue it wouldn't have just fixed itself. If the EPS warning light came on there should be specific codes stored in the computer that you need to pull. You should always start with pulling the codes as that can point you in the right direction. I said point you in the right direction as the codes does not tell you what part needs replaced. Not sure if the cheapo base model code scanners, like most of the chain autopart stores use, will communicate with the EPS module.
For an intermittent problem like this my first suspect is always a loose connector, partially rubbed through wire, and/or corrosion. There could also be an internal issue with the EPS controller. But again, I don't recommend just throwing random parts at it without some testing. However intermittent issues can be hard to track down since testing and diagnostics only show a problem when the issue is actually occurring. But still start with more visual investigation. Maybe wiggle wires and connectors around and see if you can get the fault to come back.
In regards to it acting normal upon a restart. Often what happens is that a very quick and intermittent electrical type issue (i.e. maybe only lasts a 1/2 second) occurs. This basically shuts down the system, so even if that quirk goes away the system won't come back on line. It's only when you stop the truck and turn it back on that the system "reboots" and comes back on line. Think of your TV. The power flickers and the TV turns off and stays off even if the power comes back on. You have to hit the power button again to turn the TV back on.

Thanks for the detailed reply. Your process makes sense. I'll add that the EPS issue was still present even after several restarts on the night it occurred. I was pulling into a parking lot when the EPS shut down. I turned the truck off and restarted the truck and the EPS issue happened as soon as I turned the wheel sitting in a parking spot. I went into a store to get the stuff I needed since I was already there. That took me probably 15-20 minutes. When I came out of the store and started the truck, the EPS issue was still happening. I was able to get the truck home and it sat overnight. The next day I started the truck and the EPS was working normal.

 

[62Blazer]

If that was the case, whatever the issue may be it was still occurring. It might have corrected itself on the drive home but you didn't know until it was restarted the next day.
The biggest thing is trying to figure out how to reliably cause the issue. Sometimes certain driving procedures, turning the steering wheel just right, etc... can get the issue to come back up.

 

[Hemi395]

There's a post on one of the FB groups of someone replacing the capacitors inside the rack which fixed their issue. It seems water gets into the module and starts corroding everything.

If it's intermittent I doubt it's the OPs problem because usually when caps go bad they just go bad. But it's something to consider with these EPS racks.

I wish they had mounted the module AWAY from the rack instead of inside it but I'm sure that would cost more.

 

[Want to Drive]

Providing an update. The steering was working correctly since my original post (roughly a month ago), but over the weekend the steering went out again with the warning light on the dash. Looks like it will most likely need to be replaced.

Pretty frustrating considering the cost of replacing the EPS and the fact that the truck only has 77,000 miles. The truck is garage kept and doesn't see any off roading or deep water. I only mention that because its not exposed to things that usually cause corrosion (assuming the issue is a corroded circuit board).

On another note, I had to replace the water pump at around 60,000 miles as well. The truck has MDS rumble and the drive shaft sticks causing a clunk when leaving any stop.

Its an 11 year old truck but is lightly driven and I don't believe I should be having these issues at the mileage I have.

 

[2ndchildhood]

steering is intermittent cant trust it 2014 Ram 1500 gonna play with it A while longer guess i'll have to drive the 2007 Super duty toy 450 hp stacked and roll some coal

 

[sooper cooper]

Providing an update. The steering was working correctly since my original post (roughly a month ago), but over the weekend the steering went out again with the warning light on the dash. Looks like it will most likely need to be replaced.

Pretty frustrating considering the cost of replacing the EPS and the fact that the truck only has 77,000 miles. The truck is garage kept and doesn't see any off roading or deep water. I only mention that because its not exposed to things that usually cause corrosion (assuming the issue is a corroded circuit board).

On another note, I had to replace the water pump at around 60,000 miles as well. The truck has MDS rumble and the drive shaft sticks causing a clunk when leaving any stop.

Its an 11 year old truck but is lightly driven and I don't believe I should be having these issues at the mileage I have.

Pulling the truck into the garage if it's wet and closing garage door is no good, ventilate or turn on a fan to help it dry out.