1.2 Million Ram Trucks Under Federal Review for Ongoing Rollaway Risk

The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) said it received 14 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire complaints and six reports of deaths or injuries through its Early Warning Reporting system.

Kelly McBride Ni

Published: 7/7/2025, 4:24:49 PM EDT

The 2020 Ram truck logo on display at the 2020 Pittsburgh International Auto Show in Pittsburgh on Feb. 13, 2020. (Gene Puskar/AP Photo)

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened a recall query into approximately 1.2 million Stellantis Ram trucks after reports surfaced that the vehicles may still be at risk of rolling away—even after undergoing recall repairs.

The trucks under investigation include model years 2013 through 2018 Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500, all of which are equipped with a column-mounted shift lever. At the center of the investigation is the brake transmission shift interlock (BTSI) system. The BTSI is a safety feature designed to prevent the vehicle from being shifted out of park unless the brake pedal is pressed.

The agency’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) said it received 14 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire complaints and six reports of deaths or injuries through its Early Warning Reporting system. All incidents reportedly occurred in trucks that had previously been repaired under recalls 17V-821 or 18V-100.

Those earlier recalls were issued to fix a potential flaw in the BTSI system that could cause the locking pin to become stuck. In such cases, the transmission could be shifted out of park without the driver depressing the brake pedal—or inserting a key into the ignition—creating a high risk of an unintentional rollaway.

Now, ODI is launching this new recall query, labeled RQ25-003, to assess whether those prior recall remedies were effective. Investigators will also examine whether additional or alternative root causes may be contributing to continued BTSI system failures.

“Shifting the transmission out of Park without the brake pedal depressed can result in a vehicle rollaway,” NHTSA stated in the report. This investigation does not yet constitute a new recall, but it could lead to further safety actions if NHTSA determines the original fix was insufficient or if a new defect is discovered.

Consumers who own affected Ram trucks are encouraged to monitor NHTSA’s website for updates and to check their vehicle’s recall status using the VIN lookup tool at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Second Recall Query for Stellantis Vehicles This Month

A separate recall query of about 299,000 vehicles from Chrysler parent Stellantis was announced on July 2 after receiving complaints about faulty shifter cable bushings.

A bushing connects the shifter cable to the transmission, allowing proper gear changes. If it fails, the vehicle may shift unexpectedly.

In 2019, Fiat Chrysler recalled certain 2012–2014 Dodge Darts to replace faulty bushings with a more durable version. Despite this, NHTSA has since received 44 complaints of continued problems, including detached or misaligned shifter cables.

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation reopened the case to assess whether the recall fix worked, or if there may be other reasons for of ongoing failures.