All affected trucks under this new recall were built for the 2021 model year.
Ram issued a recall covering 131,700 of its half-ton 1500 trucks equipped with the 5.7-liter Hemi eTorque mild hybrid engine. According to recall documents the automaker filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2021 model trucks with this engine could suffer an engine shutdown in certain operating conditions.
More specifically, trucks may run with an “over rich” fuel mixture, which could stall the engine out while driving. From January through March 2023, FCA’s Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance (TRSC) division investigated stall patterns and vehicle history to narrow down the problem, linked to the powertrain control module software. Through March 30, the company is aware of 206 customer records showing the condition, 636 warranty claims and 53 field reports related to the issue. FCA is also aware of a single accident due to this particular engine stall condition, but no injuries.
Ram built the affected 1500 trucks between June 3, 2020 and September 12, 2021. It determined all trucks built within that date range have impacted software installed, so you should be able to determine whether your truck is affected by checking the build date. Again, this only effects the 5.7-liter eTorque models. This recall does not impact the non-eTorque Hemi, 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 and the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 engines.
What’s the fix?
Affected trucks need a powertrain control module calibration update to fix the problem. Fortunately, since it’s not a mechanical problem, you won’t have to wait for replacement parts. Though unrelated to Ram, TFL’s own Nathan Adlen discovered firsthand how much of a pain that can be.
Ram eTorque owners and dealers will be notified with more specific information around June 2, 2023. FCA will reimburse owners who already paid to remedy the issue, so long as they are able to submit proof of payment through service records demonstrating the work is already complete.
Ram’s recall number for this campaign is 37A, while the NHTSA’s recall number is 23V-265.
If you own a Ram 1500 built outside this “suspect period” — before or after June 2020 through September 2021 — you should not have this issue, at least according to what Ram told federal regulators. The company could come back and expand the recall if problem units outside those dates start to pop up, though, so you may want to keep your eye out for this issue even if you aren’t currently part of the recall population.
