If you’re having tailgate issues with your Ram, you’ll want to take notice of this recall.
This week, a new Ram recall emerged from documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), affecting the 1500 through 3500 models. According to Ram, misaligned tailgate strikers could cause the tailgate to pop open at any given moment.
In total, the campaign covers 1,234,657 trucks in the U.S., as well as 120,759 in Canada and 26,613 in Mexico. The automaker estimates only about 1% of the affected population actually has an issue, but it is initiating a voluntary recall to address the issue anyway. Specifically, this recall impacts the DT-generation trucks (not the Ram 1500 Classic) beginning with the 2019 model year, through July 10, 2022. Trucks built after that date aren’t affected, nor are those equipped with sensors that alert drivers to an insecure tailgate.
Here’s the breakdown of this Ram recall population (in the U.S.), by model:
- Ram 1500: 695,154 units built between February 20, 2018 and July 10, 2022
- Ram 2500: 393,538 units built between May 18, 2018 and June 1, 2022
- Ram 3500: 145,965 units built between June 13, 2018 and June 1, 2022
What’s the fix?
While the tailgate popping open while moving presents a safety issue, particularly from cargo falling out of the bed, Ram says it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue. Through November 2022, the company says it received 15 customer assistance records, 736 warranty claims and 101 field reports for misaligned tailgate strikers.
Unlike some other recalls this year, the fix shouldn’t take too much time to complete, as it does not require any parts. Instead, Ram will instruct dealers to realign the strikers, free of charge. If owners have paid to fix the problem before this week’s recall kicked off, the automaker should reimburse them.
FCA plans to notify owners and dealers around January 27, 2023. Owners can contact their dealer or the FCA US, LLC customer service line at (800)-853-1403 for more information, or check their VIN online. FCA’s number for this recall is ZB8, and the NHTSA’s number is 22V-904.
