600,000-Plus Ram HD Pickups Recalled for Emissions Fix

Ram will recall more than 600,000 heavy-duty pickup trucks to reprogram their emissions-control systems after it was discovered that the trucks contain software that allowed them to emit more than the acceptable level of nitrogen oxide.
Related: 2023 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Rebel Quick Spin: Finally, a Diesel Power Wagon (Sort Of)
The recall applies to model-year 2013-19 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups with the available Cummins turbo-diesel 6.7-liter six-cylinder engine. Some 630,000 trucks were equipped with so-called “defeat devices.” These are not physical objects but rather software programming that alters emissions-control system function in a laboratory setting. Once in the hands of owners and on the road, these trucks generate vastly more dangerous emissions.
An additional 330,000 Ram 2500s and 3500s from model-years 2020-23 also had undisclosed auxiliary emission-control devices. Although these trucks also contain illicit software, they are not believed to have contributed to disproportionate emissions and are not included in the recall.
$2 Billion Fine
The recall is the result of a lawsuit brought by the federal government and the state of California against Cummins, the supplier that builds Ram’s diesel engines. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement that Cummins “knowingly harmed people’s health and our environment when they skirted state emissions tests and requirements.” In addition to the recall, Cummins has been ordered to pay more than $2 billion in fines — and that amount may grow, as the settlement reached between the government and Cummins institutes higher penalties if less than 85% of recalled trucks are not brought in for the software updates and repaired over the course of three years.
Cummins has agreed to the settlement but maintains its innocence, saying it “has seen no evidence that anyone acted in bad faith and does not admit wrongdoing.” The company seems primarily focused on assuaging investor concerns, stating the fines are “consistent with the previously announced settlement terms,” as well as reassuring shareholders that it “is in a strong financial position with existing liquidity and access to capital to satisfy obligations associated with the settlements, support ongoing operations and execute its growth strategy.”
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