Stellantis (FCA US, LLC) has announced a safety recall on certain 2021 Ram 1500 (DT) pickup trucks equipped with the Trailer Reverse Steering Control (XA1) option. According to the automaker, 38,157 units are accounted for in the recall.
Some of the vehicles are equipped with the Trailer Reverse Steering Control Module (TRSCM), which prevents the rearview image from displaying under certain conditions. An Electronic Throttle Control warning indicator may also be illuminated in the instrument cluster. The vehicle operator will notice that the rearview image is not displayed if attempting to reference the image while reversing. If this warning is not heeded, reversing without verifying it is safe to do so could lead to an increased risk of injury to people outside the vehicle.
The condition described above does not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 571.111 S6.2.6 which requires that “The rear visibility system default to the rearview image being visible, and meet the requirements of FMVSS 571.111 S6.2.1 (field of view) and S6.2.2 (image size) at the beginning of each backing event, regardless of any modifications to the field of view that the driver had previously selected.”
The suspect population began on June 3rd, 2020, when the first suspect 2021 model year vehicle was produced and ended on September 12th, 2021, when the updated TRSCM was implemented in vehicle production. Engineering change and vehicle production records were used to determine the suspect period.
A similar recall was issued earlier this year about camera issues related to the TRSCM. That recall included vehicles produced from June 12th, 2020 to April 16th, 2021. That recall had the reference number Y30.
Recall Chronology:
- On October 27th, 2021, FCA US LLC (“FCA US”) Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance recognized that the TRSCM may fail internally resulting in the rearview camera image not displaying during a backing event,
potentially not in compliance with FMVSS No. 111. - On November 18th, 2021, FCA US determined, through the Vehicle Regulations Committee, to conduct a
voluntary safety recall of the affected vehicles.
FCA US has a longstanding policy and practice of reimbursing owners who have incurred the cost of repairing a problem that subsequently becomes the subject of a field action. To ensure consistency, FCA US, as part of the
owner letter will request that customers send the original receipt and/or other adequate proof of payment to the company for confirmation of the expense.
The remedy is currently under development. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on January 12th, 2022. Owners may contact FCA US, LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US, LLC’s number for this recall is Y80.
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
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