2014 RAM 1500 — Complaint #1814196
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR filed May 23, 2022
NHTSA complaint #1814196 (ODI reference 11465730) concerns a 2014 RAM 1500 and was filed on May 23, 2022. The owner reports the failure occurred on May 22, 2022. The vehicle had 120,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Oregon based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as steering: steering wheel/handle bar, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: yes, fire: no, injuries: 1, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same RAM 1500 cohort independently describe similar steering: steering wheel/handle bar failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2014 RAM 1500 shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The contact owns a 2014 Ram 1500. While driving approximately at 70 MPH, the contact stated that following a highway turn to the right the steering wheel felt loose. The contact used the steering wheel lever downward and felt that the steering wheel was still loose. The contact used the steering wheel adjusting lever again to lift the steering wheel back up when the entire steering came off in the contact's hands. The contact stated he did not notice any warning lights being illuminated. The contact advised that the vehicle crossed two lanes of traffic barely avoiding a collision. The contact stated that he was able to safely stop the vehicle before crashing into the highway barrier wall on the left. The contact said he felt great fear and suffered a panic attack due to the failure. Medical attention was not sought and he was able to reattach the steering wheel back onto the column. The contact stated he drove the vehicle to his residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 1814196 |
| ODI Number | 11465730 |
| Date Filed | May 23, 2022 |
| Failure Date | May 22, 2022 |
| VIN | 1C6RR7FT0ES |
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.