Hello,
I havn't been around the forums in awhile, but after my almost disaster, decided id post it up here as a warning.
I have a 96' dodge ram 2500 4x4 5.9L gas, I was driving home from work and just got off highway. I turned down a subdivision and was going around a bend. As I was at the mid of the bend, my steering wheel went completely loose and lost complete control of my steering. All i could was slam on breaks as I was controlessly (not a word- i realize) veering into on coming traffic. I managed to stop the truck with no accident, just some disgruntled drivers in the opposite lane. I help up traffic for awhile. I got out of the truck and first thing i checked was steering fluid, which was full. I then checked steering box which checked out fine. I went back to the hood, looking around, and found my steering shaft completely out of the connection to the steering wheel. There is only one bolt that holds the shaft tight to the steering wheel connection. The bolt was still in the hole, just loose some how. I manage to put the steering shaft back in place and tighten. However, this should of never happend. Dodge should have had the bolt go through the steering shaft or some how have a fail safe for this. Just telling me story for any one else to not have this happen to them

 

I'm pretty sure the 94-98/99 Rams had that bolt where it tightens against the shaft.
When I tried to remove mine to pull the steering column I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't come out. After removing the bolt (I just had it backed off at first) I realized that the steering shaft has a notch in it that covers half of the bolt. So that bolt has to come all the way out for it to let loose like it did on your truck.

 

Unless somebody removed the shaft before, reinstalled it, but didnt slide it all the way on and just put the bolt back in. I accidently did that when I did the ram steering fix. Drove around for hours and never noticed. But it wouldve come off eventually. It was only holding on to about 1/2" of meat... Its a possibility.

 

I bet you had to change your underwear after that happened.

At least it happened when/where it did, rather than on an Interstate or anywhere else at high speed.

 

Its a possibility that someone before I bought it worked on the steering- even though it is pretty loose with the steering, but yes i had to change my underwear after that happend- almost the seat too

 

I know my 95 had a recall on it for this reason. They put a plastic sleeve on the inner shaft so that when the shaft comes off the steering wheel end it can't collapse enough for it to come off completely. I'd get onto dodge and cheek if the recall effects yours an get the part. I'm in Australia with mine an the sent the part over under the recall and I just had to pay for it to come to Australia. I ended up buying a new intermediate shaft from borgeson's cause they highly recommended and it comes with a stopper that does the same job already on it

 

how much did you end up paying for the new intermediate shaft