Is Your Ram Truck at Risk of Rolling Away? NHTSA Launches Probe

Millions of Ram Trucks Face New Investigation over Possible Rollaway Risk

• Over 1.1 million Ram trucks are under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration after reports surfaced that the vehicles might still roll away.
• Authorities are looking into Ram 1500 and heavy-duty trucks from 2013 and 2018 that were included in transmission-related recalls in 2017 and 2018.
• The NHTSA’s defect investigation office has received 14 complaints from car owners as well as six reports of deaths or injuries linked to the previous recalls.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a formal investigation into 1.1+ million Ram pickup trucks following the prevailing concerns that the vehicles may still roll away, even after the previous recall repairs of the same vehicles.

The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is currently looking into Ram 1500 and heavy-duty trucks, which were built between 2013 and 2018. The vehicles were previously recalled in 2017 and 2018 to resolve issues regarding the brake‑transmission shift interlock (BTSI). Nevertheless, vehicle owner reports recommend that the fix might have failed to fully sort out the prevailing problem.

The issue, both in the past and now, involves some Ram trucks that have a column-mounted shifter. As per NHTSA documents from the original recalls, the BTSI system could get stuck when it’s in the “open” position. This means the Ram truck could be accidentally shifted out of park even when there is no key in the ignition or the brake pedal isn’t pressed. This raises the risk of unintentional rollaway incidents.

So far, the NHTSA’s defect investigation office has received 14 complaints from car owners as well as six reports of deaths or injuries linked to the previous recalls. The NHTSA has received these reports via its Early Warning Program. These reports have begun the new recall query.

Now, NHTSA is not only reviewing the original remedies but also trying to figure out the underlying cause of the new rollaways. They also intend to see if there are any other potential root causes that might be affecting the entire BTSI system.