NHTSA Investigates 1.2 Million Ram Trucks Over Shoddy Rollaway Recall Fixes
Watch out, your Ram truck might be trying to make a brake [sic] for it! The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is re-investigating over 1.18 million Dodge Ram pickups that might experience rollaways no thanks to a defect in the shifter's parking safety mechanism. This is despite the same vehicles having been repaired under previous safety recalls over the same issue. So if you happen to own a 2013 to 2018 Ram, your truck might not be as "parked" as you think it is.
The models in question include the Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500, all equipped with a column shifter. The culprit is a tiny, but very important part called the Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI). This little gizmo is a safety mechanism in the truck's transmission that prevents it from shifting out of Park unless you have your foot on the brake. But, in these vehicles, the BTSI's locking pin can get a bit sticky and when that happens, the transmission can be shifted out of park without the brake being pressed, and sometimes, without the key even being in the ignition.
Now, if you're thinking, 'Didn't we already deal with this?', you're not wrong. Stellantis (owner of Dodge, Jeep, and Alfa Romeo, among others) had previously issued recalls to fix this very problem. But perhaps due to questionable repair procedures, the problem is back. So far, the NHTSA has received 20 new reports of incidents, including 12 crashes and six injuries, all from trucks that had supposedly been "fixed."
The models in question include the Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500, all equipped with a column shifter. The culprit is a tiny, but very important part called the Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI). This little gizmo is a safety mechanism in the truck's transmission that prevents it from shifting out of Park unless you have your foot on the brake. But, in these vehicles, the BTSI's locking pin can get a bit sticky and when that happens, the transmission can be shifted out of park without the brake being pressed, and sometimes, without the key even being in the ignition.
Now, if you're thinking, 'Didn't we already deal with this?', you're not wrong. Stellantis (owner of Dodge, Jeep, and Alfa Romeo, among others) had previously issued recalls to fix this very problem. But perhaps due to questionable repair procedures, the problem is back. So far, the NHTSA has received 20 new reports of incidents, including 12 crashes and six injuries, all from trucks that had supposedly been "fixed."
It's no surprise then that the feds have decided to reopen the case. They want to know if the first fix was a flop or if there's another troublemaker lurking under the hood. We hope a solution is found ASAP as having a 6,000-pound truck rolling on its own volition down your driveaway [sic again!] could lead to some dangerous consequences. For now, Ram owners with these models should be extra vigilant. Double-check that your truck is really in park, and maybe give that parking brake a little extra love.
This case comes less than a week after a similar post-recall fix for Dodge Darts. Rather than a BTSI issue, rollaways were caused by a shifter bushing failure.
