WASHINGTON — FCA US, now part of Stellantis, said it is recalling nearly 250,000 heavy-duty Ram diesel trucks globally for an issue with the fuel pumps that may cause the vehicles to stall or prevent them from starting.
The affected vehicles are certain 2019 and 2020 Ram 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty pickups and Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 chassis cab trucks that are equipped with 6.7-litre Cummins turbodiesel engines. The recall covers an estimated 222,410 vehicles in the U.S., 20,539 in Canada and 3,525 in other markets outside of North America.
The high-pressure fuel pumps on the affected vehicles may be subject to "inadvertent wear that may contaminate their mechanisms with metal shavings," which could result in a vehicle stall or loss of power, Stellantis said in a statement Wednesday.
The automaker said it is unaware of any related injuries or accidents. As of Oct. 27, FCA US is aware of 495 customer assistance records and 6,399 warranty claims, according to a recall document filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
To fix the issue, fuel pumps on the affected vehicles will be replaced and the powertrain control module software will be updated. If necessary, additional fuel system components also will be replaced.
Dealers and vehicle owners will be notified on or around Jan. 1, according to the document.
The voluntary recall comes after NHTSA last month opened a preliminary evaluation to assess potential safety issues in nearly 605,000 heavy-duty Ram diesel trucks from the 2019 and 2020 model years.
The agency's Office of Defects Investigation said it received 22 complaints from vehicle owners and two field reports alleging incidents of stall or loss of power as a result of high-pressure fuel pump failures in Ram 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500 heavy-duty trucks from those model years. The trucks are equipped with 6.7-litre Cummins turbodiesel engines.
