Photo: Ram
Similar to the F-Series and GM’s full-size workhorses, quality control isn’t a forte of the Ram P/U lineup. On this occasion, Chrysler’s truck-making division is recalling a grand total of 171,789 units ranging from the heavy-duty 2500 to the cab-chassis 5500 for loose windshield wiper arms.
Ram became aware of this problem in November 2021 following an increase in warranty claims alleging loose windshield wiper arms. The automaker’s Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance organization reviewed vehicle records and met up with the FCA engineering department for in-depth review of the issue. As of January 12th, the company has identified a grand total of 679 warranty claims, 29 customer assistance records, and 20 field reports potentially relating to this peculiar condition.
Fiat Chrysler’s U.S. division isn’t aware of accidents or injuries connected to this issue, but nevertheless, they still have to conduct a recall because wipers that don’t function as intended pose a safety risk. The remedy is laughably simple: “to torque the wiper nuts to the required torque.” That quote alone should give FCA second thoughts about their quality control.
This condition stems from an improperly formed wiper arm head joint that may not form the splines of the head joint on the wiper arm. In other words, the joint may strip, resulting in the wiper arm failing to operate properly.
Adding insult to the injury, it appears that Fiat Chrysler knew of the problem since April 2019 “when a new wiper nut was introduced into production.”
Recalled trucks include 107,864 units of the 2500 produced from 2019 through the 2020 model year. The cab-chassis 3500 numbers 8,007 recalled units, along with 17,007 units of the 4500 and 5500 in cab-chassis format. Certain 3500s and 3500 cab-chassis trucks with a GVWR of fewer than 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms) are called back too according to FCA.
Both dealers and customers will be notified of the recall on March 18th.
Fiat Chrysler’s U.S. division isn’t aware of accidents or injuries connected to this issue, but nevertheless, they still have to conduct a recall because wipers that don’t function as intended pose a safety risk. The remedy is laughably simple: “to torque the wiper nuts to the required torque.” That quote alone should give FCA second thoughts about their quality control.
This condition stems from an improperly formed wiper arm head joint that may not form the splines of the head joint on the wiper arm. In other words, the joint may strip, resulting in the wiper arm failing to operate properly.
Adding insult to the injury, it appears that Fiat Chrysler knew of the problem since April 2019 “when a new wiper nut was introduced into production.”
Recalled trucks include 107,864 units of the 2500 produced from 2019 through the 2020 model year. The cab-chassis 3500 numbers 8,007 recalled units, along with 17,007 units of the 4500 and 5500 in cab-chassis format. Certain 3500s and 3500 cab-chassis trucks with a GVWR of fewer than 10,000 pounds (4,536 kilograms) are called back too according to FCA.
Both dealers and customers will be notified of the recall on March 18th.
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