Safety Glitch: 2019 Ram 1500 Faces Recall Due to Faulty Airbag Software

When it rains, it pours. Nowhere is this more true than with the Ram 1500, which despite being a decent half-ton truck faces a slew of recalls.

In fact, the latest recall to hit the beleaguered pickup concerns the latest version, the 2019 and 2020 model year 1500s. The issue stems from a faulty restraint control modules, which activate the airbags and seatbelt pretensioners during an accident.

The recall affects almost 343,000 Ram 1500 pickup trucks built between Oct. 31, 2017 to as recently as May 21, 2019. Of those:

• 295,981 are in the US
• 38,884 are in Canada
• 1,817 are in Mexico
• 6,154 are in markets outside North America

About a third of the affected trucks are still in dealership lots. The 2020 models are also pre-production versions owned by Ram.

According to parent company Fiat Chrysler, a software glitch may prevent the control modules from properly resetting once the engine turns over, thereby affecting the seatbelt pretensioner and airbags. The seatbelt pretensioner works in tandem with the airbag — its purpose is to tighten the belt around occupants and brace them for impact during a collision.

When the vehicle’s control module fails to reset, the seatbelt pretensioners might not function and the airbags might not deploy in the event of a crash.

FCA claims that “the potential for such an event is highly remote” and that they are unaware of any injuries or accidents related to the issue. Some owners might also notice an instrument panel warning light alerting them to the problem, though it’s unclear if all affected trucks will display the warning light.

It can be recalled that previous generations of the Ram were also subject to massive recalls. Last year, the 2014-2018 models were recalled for a cruise control issue, while 2015-2017 models were recalled for faulty gate locks that might cause the tailgate to drop unexpectedly.

More recently, owners of 2014-2016 diesel 1500s can expect cash compensation and a software update as part of FCA’s $400 million settlement due to alleged emissions cheating.

For this latest recall, the company expects the free software fix to be available by the end of June and will reach out to affected owners. To determine if your 1500 is part of the recall, you can enter the 17-digit VIN in NHTSA’s website.

If you have any questions or inquiries, you can contact FCA’s customer service hotline at 1-800-853-1403, and mention recall codes V61 and V71.