Boy, it just seems like Fiat Chrysler cannot catch a break. It’s maybe been a while since the last time they had egg on their face, though, so I guess they’re about due. The company announced on Friday that it intends to recall more than one million RAM pickups to correct faulty software that can disable the vehicle’s safety equipment. That seems, uh, bad. At least one fatal accident has been attributed to this issue.
FCA told federal regulators that certain modules in the trucks could fail if the underside of the vehicle was struck, which would cause the side airbags and seatbelt tensions devices to deactivate. The recall will cover 1.02 million vehicles in the U.S., as well as 259,000 additional vehicles in international markets. The affected vehicles are 2013-2016 Ram 1500 and 2500 and 2014-2016 Ram 3500 models.
A lawsuit contending that the airbags and seatbelts did not function correctly caused the company to start an internal investigation in December, and they found that a “significant impact” to the trucks’ underside could cause these error codes to manifest. The recall will begin next month and will reprogram the affected modules, and FCA urges owners to follow any warning lights on the dashboards, and counsels that normal functionality can be restored by turning off the ignition and then turning it on again.