The NHTSA is Investigating Some Ram Trucks for Potential Loss of Drive Power
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had received 82 complaints about certain Ram trucks that allege a loss of power due to a failure of a vital transmission component. Though not at the recall stage yet, the NHTSA’s probe has wrapped in around 188,000 trucks from the 2022 model year.
The investigation covers the 2022 Ram 3500, 4500, and 5500. Some owners say that they lost drive power due to a failure of the K1 snap ring, which disables forward gears one through four. Some owners reported a loss of drive power at more than 25 mph and could not return to regular operation afterward.
Ram has done some research and found that the truck will display a warning light when such an event occurs and said that the reverse and gears five and up would still be functional. That’s little consolation if the truck loses drive power in the middle of a busy road.
It’s important to note that this investigation might not result in a recall, though it’s certainly not a step in a positive direction. The 2022 model-year Ram trucks already have their fair share of recalls, though, with the 2500 counting a whopping nine. It’s been recalled for rearview camera issues, engine compartment fires, the tailgate opening while driving, transmission fluid leaks, and another loss of drive power issue related to the electronic control module. If this investigation reaches the recall stage, Ram will repair and defects free of charge.
[Image: Ram]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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"If this investigation reaches the recall stage, Ram will repair and defects free of charge."
You can bet Ram is doing everything in it's power to make sure this doesn't become a recall. They don't want to foot the bill for this.
Seems the heavier models are most affected, did they cheap out and use same standards from the 1500's ?
The good news is that the rest of us are less likely to get Rammed, or is it Ramned? Either way, I couldn't care less.
It used to be that a truck was a simple, nay agrarian thing. The big domestic sedans went away the Big 3 built and the NA consumers bought 100s of thousands of full-size crew cab pickups.
Then the Big 3 got high on their own supply. They thought the days of 80K pickup trucks would last forever. The Big 3 were too stupid to realize that there is a finite number of people who will buy an 80K truck. Hint to Big 3 sales managers the number is not and never was: infinite.
Most truck buyers think about their truck like they think about their work or hunting boots. Does a proscribed job; keep feet dry, feet don't hurt at the end of the day. Truck hauls things and people, not much more thought is given.
The Big 3 have wildly underestimated the NA buying public. Between huge dealer ADMs and the Big 3 themselves only offering mid to high-range priced trucks the average buyer is just disgusted.
The Big 3 changed their trucks at a glacial pace; some might say they used geological time scales. In recent years the Big 3 have been making trucks that have huge failures. This Ram issue is just one of many. NA full-size loaded trucks are in the same price range as many luxury SUVs. For many that means getting the Lexus or Land Rover; it doesn't cost that much to have mulch delivered.
The real question is which of the Big 3 will make the most mistakes on its full-sized pickup AND lose customers and sales? Whoever wins this ugly race to the bottom will be the first to go bankrupt.