Ram’s Recalling 300,000 Trucks To Keep The Fuel Tank From Falling Off

Do you drive an older Ram 1500 pickup, and live in a state where road crews scatter salt on the road to melt the ice? Then you might be asked to bring your truck into your local dealer to undergo preventative repairs.

According to notices issued by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the bracket that helps hold the fuel tank in place on some older Ram 1500s could corrode due to salt on the road. If that happens, the plastic tank could sag out of position.

The manufacturer is confident that “the remaining structural components” would keep the fuel tank – made from high-density polyethylene – from falling off entirely. But just to be safe, it’s recalling an estimated over 300,000 of those pickups to have additional fuel-tank bracket reinforcement bolted to the frame.

The recall is restricted to 2009-12 models of the Ram 1500, and only in certain “salt-belt” states: namely Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Those amount to an estimated 270,254 vehicles.

In addition to those in the United States, another 26,676 units of the same will be recalled in Canada for the same issue, along with 1,063 in Mexico and 5,269 outside of North America. Trucks made before 2009 or after 2012 are exempt from this particular campaign. As are those that have never been registered in areas where they use salt on the road.

The recall is slated to kick off on April 27, 2018. But in the meantime, drivers should pay attention to any unusual noises and check to see if there’s anything hanging from the undercarriage that looks out of place.