Fiat Chrysler Recalls 1.25M Ram Trucks Linked To 1 Death, 2 Injuries

AUBURN HILLS, MI — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is recalling 1.25 million Ram pickups worldwide to correct a software bug the automaker said may be linked to one death and two injuries in rollover accidents. In certain pickups, the error causes airbags and seat belts to fail in rollover crashes, the automaker said.

The problem occurs in certain vehicles when there’s a significant impact to the truck’s underbody. The safety system could incorrectly conclude that a sensor underneath the truck has failed. In the event of a sensor failure, the safety system is designed to stop airbags from deploying and seat belts from tightening when they shouldn’t.

The automaker said it will provide detailed instructions to dealers to reprogram the computer module. The recall should start in late June. In the meantime, drivers should be alerted to the problem by the instrument cluster warning light. If that happens, drivers should turn off the the engine, then restart it. If the light is not on after the restart, the software is correctly working, Fiat Chrysler said.

Covered in the recall are certain versions of Ram 1500 and Ram 2500 pickups from model years 2013-2016, and the Ram 3500 pickup from model years 2014-2016. About 1 million of the vehicles were sold in the United States, 216,007 were sold in Canada, 21,668 in Mexico and 21,530 were sold elsewhere.

Fiat Chrysler told the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that it began investigating the problem in December after receiving notice of a lawsuit involving a 2014 Ram 1500 in which the airbag didn’t deploy in a rollover crash.

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