Vehicles Affected: Approximately 1.2 million Ram heavy-duty pickup trucks platforms built from 2003 to 2012 are involved in three separate recalls.
The Problem: At issue are steering tie-rod ends that may have been misaligned during installation or service repair. This condition could lead to component fracture and steering loss. One recall targets 842,400 model-year 2003-2008 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups to find approximately 116,000 previously repaired tie-rod assemblies that could have become misaligned. Two additional recalls are aimed at vehicles known to have tie-rod assemblies linked to previous recalls. They include 294,000 2008 to 2012 Ram 2500/3500 pickups and chassis cabs, and 2008 Ram 1500 4×4 Mega Cabs 43,500 2008 to 2012 Ram 4500 and 5500 4×4 chassis cabs.
The Fix: Dealers will inspect the tie-rod ends to determine if the assemblies have been aligned properly. Affected customers will be notified by mail in December. Customers who own affected 4500 and 5500 models will have to bring their trucks into dealers for interim service because replacement parts may not be available until late 2014. Interim service involves component inspection and, if necessary, realignment.
What Owners Should Do: Owners can call 800-853-1403 for more information.
To read the Chrysler press release, .
