Dive Brief:
- Stellantis’ North American subsidiary FCA US has recalled more than 72,000 Ram pickups and chassis cab models for a software error that can cause blank instrument panel cluster (IPC) displays, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- The recall involves certain Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks and 3500, 4500 and 5500 cab chassis vehicles. All of the recalled vehicles are model year 2025 and 2026 and are equipped with 12-inch IPCs. Just 1% of the recalled Ram models are estimated to have the defect.
- FCA US dealers will reprogram or replace any affected IPCs once a remedy is available. Owner notification letters are expected to be sent on or around Jan. 8, 2026.
Dive Insight:
The software error can cause the IPC display to fail to appear at startup or while the vehicle is in motion, preventing drivers from seeing critical safety information such as brake system warning lights, thus increasing the risk of a crash. Before the display fails, the vehicle’s malfunction indicator light may also illuminate.
On Sept. 10, FCA’s Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance (TSRC) group opened an investigation into possible IPC failures in some Ram pickup trucks and chassis cabs with 12-inch displays. Between September and November, the TSRC group met with FCA US engineering to review the issue and determine the affected vehicle population.
On Nov. 5, the TSRC group confimed the existence of a defect involving the 12-inch displays. FCA’s Vehicle Regulations Committee then reviewed the case and determined that the defect violated federal safety standards, leading to the committee to approve the recall on Nov. 21.
The affected Ram vehicles were produced at various times between Oct. 3, 2023, and Nov. 12, 2025, with IPCs supplied by Michigan-based Tier 1 supplier Marelli North America. All of the 12-inch IPCs running the defective software were taken out of production as of Nov. 12.
Other FCA vehicles not included in the recall are equipped with IPCs sourced from a different supplier, or were built before or after the suspect period, according to the report.
Several other automakers, including Ford Motor Co., Volkswagen Group, Toyota and General Motors, have each issued recalls this year for software errors or other internal component failures that have led to blank instrument clusters. The digital displays in the recalled models were all sourced from different Tier 1 suppliers.
