Owners describe a steering system with fasteners that loosen or fail to stay torqued. The most common complaint is drag link jam nuts and adjustment nuts backing off, causing the steering wheel to rotate far off-center (sometimes 180 degrees) and severely reducing steering control. Owners report jam nuts that are hand-loose despite a specification around 120 ft-lbs. Some failures occur within days of dealer alignment service; others happen during normal driving at low and highway speeds.
A second major pattern is violent uncontrolled shaking in the front end and steering when turning or hitting bumps at speeds from 20 to 80 mph. Owners call this "death wobble"—intense enough that drivers lose steering control momentarily and drift across traffic lanes. Dealers have inspected tie rods, drag links, suspension, hubs, bearings, shocks, and tires and found nothing wrong. Replacements of hubs, bearings, and shocks have not resolved it. Dealers tell owners this is normal for a dually RAM 3500.
Pitman arm and steering tie rod bolts also loosen. One owner's pitman rod bolts backed off twice, losing steering control both times. Power-steering hydroboost hoses on diesel models have ruptured, causing sudden loss of both steering and brakes. One lawyer filed a complaint on behalf of a client whose steering rod broke entirely while towing, causing the truck to run off the road and totaling it. Recall 19V021000 was identified as covering steering-component looseness, but the recall remedy of welding the adjustment nut prevents proper alignment adjustments in the future.
Failure modes owners describe
Drag Link Jam Nuts and Adjustment Hardware Loosening
Drag link jam nuts, adjustment nuts, and related fasteners back off or fail to remain torqued to specification, allowing the drag link to rotate freely and the steering wheel to drift far from center. Owners report these components can loosen enough to turn by hand, despite specification of approximately 120 ft-lbs torque. The problem is alleged to occur at the factory or persist after dealer alignment service.
When: Reported from 9,000 to 26,300 miles; onset can occur within days of service or dealership alignment work
Symptoms owners cite: Steering wheel drifts and rotates to one side (up to 180 degrees off-center) while driving; Reduced or lost ability to steer to one direction; Steering wheel turns with minimal resistance or spins freely; Check engine light illuminated; Cruise control failure; Anti-lock brake control module failure
Codes mentioned: Check engine light (code not specified)
Repairs/costs cited: Independent mechanic re-centered steering wheel and hand-tightened jam nuts; dealer service typically re-tightens or welds fasteners as temporary fix; permanent solution requires replacement of drag link (approximately $450 reported); welding prevents future alignment adjustments
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Recall NHTSA 19V021000 covers steering rod/drag link looseness; dealer recall remedy on some vehicles includes welding the track bar/drag link adjustment nut in place, which prevents future alignment capability
Steering Tie Rod Bolt Loosening
Bolts on the steering tie rods and steering cable couplings loosen during normal driving, causing unstable steering. Owners report finding loose bolts and nuts on the tie rod assembly and steering column coupling that detach or back off.
When: Reported at approximately 9,000 miles; recurrent issue
Symptoms owners cite: Steering becomes unstable and imprecise; Steering tie rod malfunctions; Loose bolts or nuts visible on steering assembly; Alignment appears incorrect; No warning lights
Repairs/costs cited: Bolts manually tightened by owner or mechanic; dealer alignment check found threads intact but adjustment needed; problem recurs without resolution; independent mechanic unable to identify root cause
Pitman Arm Nut Loosening
Pitman arm fasteners, particularly the coupling nuts, back off during operation. Owners report the nut can detach completely or become loose enough to turn by hand, despite proper torque specification.
When: Specific mileage not stated; reported as recurrent issue (second occurrence noted in one complaint)
Symptoms owners cite: Steering wheel rotates independent of driver input (120 to 180 degrees off-center); Loss or severe reduction of steering control; Bolts or nuts visibly detached from coupling
Repairs/costs cited: Bolts tightened manually; dealer unable to duplicate problem during inspection; no permanent fix documented
Death Wobble—Violent Front-End Shake and Steering Vibration
Uncontrolled violent shaking and vibration in the front end and steering occurs during highway speeds (65–80 mph) or when turning over bumps at moderate speeds (20–50 mph), causing temporary loss of steering control or inability to steer. The truck bounces and shakes so severely that lanes of traffic are crossed unintentionally. Mechanics and dealerships report all visible tie rods, drag links, suspension, tires, and wheel bearings check out, yet the issue persists.
When: Reported at various speeds and mileages; affects vehicles regardless of towing condition; recurrent and unresolved
Symptoms owners cite: Violent uncontrolled shaking and vibration of the entire front end and truck body; Temporary inability to steer or steer effectively; Unintentional lane drift or vehicle slide without driver control; Tire bounce or wobble sensations; Vibration intense enough that bolts are feared to loosen or fall off; Problem reproduces when turning and hitting a bump
Repairs/costs cited: Dealership inspection of tie rods, drag links, suspension, hubs, bearings, shocks, and tires all report normal condition; front hub and bearing replacement did not resolve; tire balancing did not resolve; front shock replacement did not resolve; dealers state this is 'normal' for 2015 RAM 3500 dually and unable or unwilling to fix; problem remains under warranty
Hydroboost Hydraulic Line Rupture and Fluid Loss
High-pressure hydraulic hoses in the hydroboost steering/brake boost system rupture or fail, causing sudden complete loss of power steering and braking. The root cause is alleged to be internal nylon tubing inside the hose that deteriorates and breaks apart, moving through the system and potentially blocking passages. Hose failures result in explosive loss of fluid and function.
When: Reported twice on the same diesel-powered truck; mileage not specified
Symptoms owners cite: Sudden complete loss of power steering; Sudden complete loss of power brakes; Humming noise from hydroboost pump; Metal hoses blown apart; Hydraulic fluid loss
Repairs/costs cited: RAM replaced hose and fluid under warranty both times; no permanent corrective action or root-cause repair performed; owner reports ongoing concern about defective hydroboost unit and catastrophic failure risk at highway speed
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Warranty replacement of hose and fluid only; manufacturer has not addressed root cause per owner report; one complaint mentions early model-year revision of hose did not resolve issue
Steering Rod or Drag Link Structural Failure
Steering rod or drag link component fractures or fails structurally during normal operation, causing sudden total loss of steering control. One reported case resulted in vehicle crash when driver lost control while hauling a trailer.
When: Mileage unknown; occurred while hauling trailer at unknown speed
Symptoms owners cite: Unexpected sudden loss of all steering control; Vehicle unable to be steered
Repairs/costs cited: Vehicle totaled in crash; towed to independent mechanic who deemed it total loss; no repair attempted
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Recall NHTSA 19V021000 (Steering) identified by lawyer as potentially linked to the failure; manufacturer and dealer were not notified by owner at time of complaint
Synthesized from 21 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer
allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.