Gear shifters in 1.8 million Fiat Chrysler pickup trucks could accidentally switch out of park, triggering a major recall.

The Italian-American automaker said Friday that it would recall the vehicles, covering a wide spectrum of Ram heavy-duty pickups dating back to the 2009 model year. It also includes some light-duty Ram pickups.

The company said it had identified seven injuries and "a small number" of crashes that were "potentially related" to the defect.

The recall covers about 1.5 million pickups in the U.S. and more than 300,000 elsewhere.

Fiat Chrysler said the issue applies to shifters mounted to steering columns, not rotary-dial shifters or floor-mounted shifters. The issue is not related to a gear-shifting defect that dogged Fiat Chrysler and triggered a federal investigation in 2016 after actor Anton Yelchin was killed in a tragedy involving his Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The issue arises when the brake pedal is pressed for a long stretch while the driver is idling in park mode, disabling the brake-transmission shift interlock and then allowing the shifter to move out of park mode.

Fiat Chrysler, which will repair the defect for free, advised owners to use the parking brake at all times when parking.

The company said the issue appears more likely to happen when the vehicle is subjected to high temperatures for long periods.

Owners will be notified when they can visit dealerships for the fix, which will involve repairing the brake-transmission shift interlock.

Affected vehicles include certain versions of the 2010 to 2017 Ram 2500 and 3500; 2011 to 2017 Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 chassis cabs; 2016 to 2017 Ram 3500 chassis cabs with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of fewer than 10,000 pounds; and some 2009 to 2017 Ram 1500 pickups.

The company said that all 2017 model-year trucks built after Dec. 31, 2016, are not included in the recall


https://www.usatoday.com/story...am-recall/977538001/

Woohoo! This is the second recall on the newer work truck. The first was the flammable water pump which they still do not have the parts to repair.

"Chrysler recalls 1.8 million Ram pickups"

I doubt Chrysler really wants them, either.

Read the recall on this one. Much ado about nothing. And no, I neither own a RAM nor am I contemplating buying one.

Jeez, bad enough they can't make a tranny last 100k miles, but now they can't make one that stays in park.

I thought it was because they mis-translated "push" on the tailgates - they put 'RAM' instead. Safety hazard.

Yeah,

Fiat really knows how to make a solid truck!

quote:

Originally posted by snidera:
I thought it was because they mis-translated "push" on the tailgates - they put 'RAM' instead. Safety hazard.

It's because they looked up Dodge in the dictionary and saw a definition of, "To avoid", so they decided they had to change the name.

My 4500 only has the body, interior, and frame made by Dodge. Motor, transmission, transfer case, axles, etc. area all from well known manufacturers.

Despite the recalls, it hasn't burned down due to the water pump, hasn't shifted itself out of park, and rides better than some of the other trucks we test drove.

The recall is on an electronic solenoid that has a probability of sticking when applied for lomg periods of time in high temps. Much ado about nothing. A part that a 3rd party most likely manufactured. The transmission wont shift itself out of park, it can be manually shifted out of park without having your foot on the brake pedal. Its only a safety hazard if you're an idiot.

It's sad that Fiat Chrysler is still having problems with transmissions that jump out of park--especially coming a few years after the famous death of Anton Yelchin.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
It's sad that Fiat Chrysler still can't make a transmission that doesn't jump out of park--especially coming a few years after the famous death of Anton Yelchin.

As much as I enjoy staring at your avatar , I'd recommend you go and read the recall. Nothing is 'jumping' anywhere on these trucks. And the Anton Yelchin story has nothing whatsoever to do with RAM trucks.

Anton was killed by another Fiat Chrysler product that jumped out of park. How is that not related?

I don't believe they are jumping out of park. The recall is for the safety solenoid that locks the gear shift selector until your foot is on the brake. The failure allows you to shift out of park without your foot on the brake.

It's not doing it on its own.

My old Dodge Ram was a very good pickup truck.

It was virtually trouble free for the 200,000 miles I owned it.

No piston slap like all of GM's mis-bored engines or cam phaser failures like Ford's, just a solid v8 engine.

I just want a reliable powertrain that's easy to maintain and service. I would gladly trade all of the complicated fuel saving technology for it.

quote:

Originally posted by Orguss:
Anton was killed by another Fiat Chrysler product that jumped out of park. How is that not related?

That was a Jeep Cherokee which is obviously not offered by RAM, a completely different entity in Chrysler Corporation. If a FIAT 500, also a Chrysler entity, had transmission issues, I would not attribute its issues to RAM.

quote:

Originally posted by sigspecops:
I just want a reliable powertrain that's easy to maintain and service.

Buy used then, because 'all' of the new stuff has been infested with computerization. That's one of the reasons I still drive a 17 year old truck.

quote:

Originally posted by sigspecops:
I just want a reliable powertrain that's easy to maintain and service. I would gladly trade all of the complicated fuel saving technology for it.

Then (if you want a Dodge) you want one no later than 2002. In Texas it shouldn't be too rusty unless it came from out of state or the coastal region.

I don't want to bring politics into this, but politics (in the form of government regulations, and of which the shifter interlock is one) are why we can't get an uncomplicated car or truck.

95% of all Dodge trucks produced in the last 10 years are still on the road.

We would like to congratulate the 5% who made it home.