The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has initiated a new inquiry into 1,187,232 Ram pickup trucks due to suspected issues with the transmission system that persist after earlier recalls. The latest investigation, led by NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), is not officially a recall at this stage, but it builds upon concerns raised in two previous recall campaigns involving these vehicles.
According to the ODI, the current issue centers around a previous fix that may not have resolved the brake transmission shift interlock issue on select Ram pickup models manufactured between 2013 and 2018. These trucks had undergone recall-related repairs, but new findings from the NHTSA suggest that the corrective action might not have been successful.
The flaw specifically affects Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 models equipped with a column-mounted shifter. In these vehicles, the brake transmission shift interlock (BTSI) locking pin can potentially become stuck. When jammed, this defect may allow the transmission to be shifted out of ‘Park’ without pressing the brake pedal. Even more concerning, the truck could be nudged out of ‘Park’ without a key in the ignition, posing serious safety concerns.
NHTSA will examine whether the corrective actions taken during the two previous recalls adequately resolved the transmission issue. The first recall, identified as 17V-821, was issued in 2017 and included nearly 1.5 million vehicles. The second, labeled 18V-100, followed in 2018 and addressed the issue in an additional 180,000 Ram trucks. Authorities are now reviewing the effectiveness of both recall remedies to determine whether the safety problem was properly addressed.
As of this week, the NHTSA has received 14 owner complaints and six incident reports involving injuries or fatalities through its Early Warning Program. While the reports included cases of death and injury, no actual fatalities have been confirmed. In light of these troubling post-recall incidents, NHTSA is expanding its investigation to evaluate whether additional safety risks remain.
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