Ram 1500 Airbag/Seat Belt Glitch Comes Hot on the Heels of the Old Ram's Driveshaft Drop Recall

It’s a bad week for owners of current- and older-gen Ram pickups, assuming they’re safety conscious and have busy summer schedules. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles launched two recalls this week targeting its full-size trucks; the latest being a voluntary callback of nearly 343,000 2019 and 2020 Ram 1500s over a software glitch that could disable airbags and seat belt pretensioners.

Then there’s the voluntary recall of old-gen Ram 1500s from the 2018 and 2019 model years (Ram “Classic” for 2019) that could drop their driveshaft while driving.

First, the airbags. According to documents sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fiat Chrysler claims, “The flash memory of the Occupant Restraint Controller

ORCs with updated software came online within the last couple of months, so not that many 2020 Rams contain the potential glitch. The recalls covers 295,981 Ram 1500s sold in the United States.

“Once the vehicle is keyed-off, the ORC begins normal routines under its own power reserve. If the ORC powers down and interrupts a memory erase process, data corruption could occur,” FCA stated. “Memory cleanup does not occur every key-off, not all interruptions will cause corruption, reserve time will vary, and other factors make the occurrence highly variable.”

Recall notices should hit mailboxes around July 20th, with owners reimbursed for any expenses incurred by the fix. As of May 20th, there are no known incidents associated with the issue.

As for the old-gen Ram, which FCA keeps around because why not, a less-than-ideal weld is the culprit in the driveshaft recall. On 10,160 2018-2019 Ram 1500s, a weld between the driveshaft tube and tub yoke may fracture, leading the truck to grow a tail that scrapes along the roadway. It goes without saying that drivers may notice a sudden loss of power.

The driveshaft recall came after six warranty claims sparked an investigation, though FCA says it is not aware of any injuries or accidents stemming from the problem. Recall notices should arrive in mid-June.

[Images: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]