The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration announced Monday it is opening an investigation into more than 600,000 Dodge Ram pickup trucks after it received complaints of fuel pump failures that could cause the engines to stall.
According to The Associated Press, the investigation could lead to a recall of more than 600,000 Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 diesel pickups with 6.7 liter Cummins turbodiesel engines.
The AP reported that the NHTSA released documents Monday that the regulatory agency received two field reports and 22 complaints of high-pressure fuel pumps failing, which could lead to the engines stalling out. Fortunately, the agency did not report any accidents or injuries because of the pump failures.
The agency reviewed the complaints and reported that when the trucks go above 25 miles per hour, the engines stop and the trucks are completely disabled. The NHTSA also said that Fiat Chrysler, the parent company of Dodge, which makes Ram trucks, had issued a warranty bulletin in November 2019, telling dealers to collect the trucks’ fuel pumps.
The agency is launching an investigation into the why and how the pumps shut off, which models are affected, and whether the problem could involve a safety defect. Fiat Chrysler, now Stellantis, said in a statement that it is cooperating with the investigation, which could possibly lead to the affected trucks being recalled.
The current NHTSA investigation is the latest in a string of safety issues with Ram trucks.
Stellantis was forced to recall some 266,000 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups from model years 2015 to 2020 in North America after a report found that the side cabin airbags could explode, sending shrapnel into the cab.
According to the AP, the airbag inflators were made by Joyson Safety Systems, which had just recently bought out airbag manufacturer Takata after the company went bankrupt. Takata’s airbags used small amounts of ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to fill them. The ammonium nitrate had been contaminated with moisture during the manufacturing process, which could lead the airbags’ metal canister to explode, sending shrapnel into the cab.
The recall affected some 210,000 Ram pickup trucks in the U.S., according to The Hill. General Motors was forced to recall over 400,000 pickups because of it in July, but Stellantis said at the time that their airbags did not use ammonium nitrate.
In May, the automaker recalled more than 500,000 heavy-duty trucks after it was discovered that service manuals had incorrect torque specifications for the lug nuts holding the wheels onto the wheel hubs, which could have led the wheel studs to snap and the wheels to fall off.
Another 20,000 trucks were recalled and owners were asked to park their trucks outside as a precautionary measure after it was discovered that the electrical relays to the trucks’ heating systems could short out or overheat, potentially causing a fire hazard.