Nearly 1.5 Million Ram Pickup Trucks Being Recalled To Fix Software Glitch Linked To Crash Risk

Nearly 1.5 million Ram pickup trucks are being recalled due to a software bug that could cause them to crash.

Parent company Stellantis announced the recall, which covers about 1.2 million vehicles in the U.S., 159,000 in Canada, 13,000 in Mexico and 61,000 outside North America, Reuters reported Saturday.

The faulty Ram 1500 trucks are from the 2019 and 2021-2024 model years, and were built between Oct. 31, 2017, and Feb. 14, 2024, according to documents posted online by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The problem involves a software malfunction in the antilock braking system module that can disable the electronic stability control system.

"Failure of the ESC system when intervention is expected and/or relied upon
can cause a vehicle crash without prior warning," NHTSA said.

Federal safety standards require that the system remain "operational during all phases of driving including acceleration, coasting, and deceleration (including braking)," according to the agency.

Amsterdam-based Stellantis, which owns Ram and more than a dozen other vehicle brands, said it was unaware of any crashes or injuries due to the defect.

It also said that the problem doesn't affect braking and that owners would be alerted to the bug if the ABS, ESC, adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning lights were illuminated at start-up.

Stellantis also said Saturday that it's recalling a total of 33,000 Jeep Gladiators from 2022-2024 and Jeep Wranglers from 2018-2024 due to a potential short circuit problem in the instrument panel.

Stellantis stock closed at $15.50 a share on Friday, down about 2.1% for the day and down 32.75% since the start of the year.