Dive Brief:
- Stellantis North America has recalled 1.22 million Ram 1500 pickups for a software malfunction that can disable the vehicle's electronic stability control system under certain conditions, which can increase the risk of a crash, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- The recalled models include the 2019 Ram 1500 trucks and 2021-2024 model year vehicles. An estimated 100% of these vehicles are suspected of having the faulty software, according to the NHTSA.
- The massive recall, which is the automaker’s largest this year, comes as Stellantis faces declining market share in North America, which has led to executive shakeups, falling revenue and layoffs. It's also the automaker’s 44th recall of 2024.
Dive Insight:
The recalled Ram 1500 pickups were produced between Oct. 31, 2017 and Feb. 14, 2024, when the updated anti-lock brake module software was released. Other vehicles not included in this recall were built before or after the suspect period and use an updated version of the software.
Stellantis was first made aware of the problem on Feb. 15, after its Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance organization was notified of a potential issue related to software that controls the ABS system. After the automaker’s TSRC was informed, they analyzed ABS control module warranty data, field records and customer assistance records to investigate the issue further.
As part of the investigation, the automaker’s TRSC team met with its US engineering and manufacturing team from April through June this year to review the issue and determine the exact cause.
On June 18, the TRSC team discovered a software build issue on certain Ram 1500 pickups, which led to the disabling of the ESC system. The decision to voluntarily recall the Ram 1500 trucks was made on Aug 31. Stellantis is not aware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem.
ESC systems have been mandated on all passenger vehicles sold in the U.S. since October 2011.
Although the problem is determined to be a software fault, the fix cannot be delivered via an over-the-air software update. Therefore, Ram 1500 customers must schedule a service appointment at a dealer to update their vehicle’s ABS module software. Whereas Tesla has been able to issue OTA software updates for some its larger recalls, since its EVs are software-based and are capable of receiving remote updates.
Dealers will also replace suspect ABS control modules to correct the defect, if needed. The ABS module was manufactured by OEM supplier Continental.
Dealer notification letters will be sent Sept 12, while owner notification letters are expected to be mailed between Oct 3-10.
Stellantis’ recall count is the second highest after Ford Motor Co., which has issued 46 recalls so far in 2024, according to the NHTSA.
