Ram recalls 300,000 Heavy-Duty pickups over brake problem

Stellantis finds itself facing another manufacturing issue — a recall of more than 300,000 Ram trucks for a braking system defect. 

First things first: The recently announced Ram recall affects Heavy Duty models of the pickup and stems from a faulty hydraulic control unit on the truck, which can cause the anti-lock brake, electronic stability control, and traction control systems to not work properly.

• Affected models include 2017 – 2018 model years of the Ram 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500.

• The total number of trucks recalled is 317,630, including a small number from Canada and Mexico.   

Digging deeper: The recall of 300,000-plus Ram Heavy Duty pickups is the latest in a series of recalls Ram has faced in recent months.

• In October, Ram recalled 34,000 of its 2025 model year 1500 pickups due to a damaged front wheel bearing encoder ring that could disable the truck’s electronic stability control.

• A month earlier, Ram issued a massive recall of 1.2 million 1500 pickup trucks globally from the 2019 and 2021-2024 model years for a software malfunction that could disable the truck’s electronic stability control system.

Between the lines: Ram’s troubles certainly haven’t been limited to recalls. Over the past few years, the brand has faced lagging sales after outselling one of its chief competitors in the U.S., the Chevrolet Silverado, in 2019 and 2021. But now Ram is trying to turn things around under the leadership of Christine Feuell, who took over as CEO of the brand in June. 

• Sales of Ram light-duty pickups rose 11% in Q3 from the previous quarter and heavy-duty sales increased 4%.

• Ram’s retail sales rose 28% from September to October after dropping 19% year over year in Q3.

Looking ahead: Feuell claims the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, where the Ram pickup truck is built, has been doing a better job of maintaining a steady production run rate while keeping quality in check. 

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