FCA Announces Huge Recall of Heavy Duty Ram Trucks

Fiat Chrysler North America says that it is voluntarily recalling nearly 500,000 of its popular heavy duty work trucks because of potential fires. No one has been injured so far but there have been a few reports of fires caused by faulty water pumps on some of its popular 2013-2017 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups, as well as some of its larger chassis cabs.

Ram trucks affected

According to FCA’s statement, the company is recalling 443,712 medium and heavy duty trucks in the U.S., 46,220 trucks in Canada, and another 4,485 trucks world-wide.

Some owners reported small fires in the engine compartments. FCA traced the problem to a bad bearing in a water pump that could overheat and trigger the fire. FCA says it has stopped using those water pumps. No injuries or accidents were reported.

The models are the 2013-2017 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500 equipped with the 6.7-liter diesels.

In some cases, the water pump problems activate a warning light on the dashboard. Customers are warned to consult their dealers immediately if they get a warning light in their instrument cluster.

Recall Actions

Ram will notify customers to come in and have their water pumps inspected and possibly replaced. However, it may be some time before they have enough replacement parts available.

Owners who have questions are encouraged to call the FCA US Recall Information Center at (800)-853-1403.

The medium and heavy duty Rams are the work horses of the fleet. Many choose the 6.7-liter diesels because of their long term durability. Again, the problem is not with the diesel engines, but with a bad bearing on the water pump.

FCA stresses that the water pump issue does not affect its Ram 1500.