Ram Recalls 8,329 Heavy-Duty Trucks Over a Defect That Can Disable Stability Control

• Ram is recalling 8,329 heavy-duty pickup trucks after finding that a steering column control module can knock out electronic stability control without warning.
• The recall covers 2026 Ram 2500 pickups and expands an earlier April 2026 recall that covered just 6,605 trucks, meaning the fix did not reach every affected vehicle the first time.
• Dealers will replace the steering column control module for free, with owner notification letters going out by November 24.

A safety system required by federal law can simply switch off

Chrysler parent company FCA US told NHTSA that 8,329 2026 Ram 2500 pickup trucks have a steering column control module that can fail and take electronic stability control down with it. The recall, filed under campaign number 26V651000, states plainly that the affected trucks do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 126, the federal rule that has required electronic stability control on new vehicles starting with the 2012 model year, a mandate written into federal law for one reason: the technology measurably cuts fatal crashes.

Electronic stability control works by detecting when a vehicle is sliding sideways relative to where the steering wheel is pointed, then automatically braking individual wheels to pull the vehicle back in line. It is the single technology most credited with reducing rollover crashes in SUVs and pickups over the past two decades, which is precisely why a defect that can disable it is more consequential on a heavy-duty truck than it would be on a lighter passenger car. A loaded Ram 2500, towing a trailer or carrying a full bed, has a higher center of gravity and a longer stopping distance than the compact cars and sedans that make up most of the US fleet, so the margin for driver error without electronic stability control’s help is already thinner before the defect enters the equation.

The failure gives one warning sign, after the fact

According to the recall filing, the steering column control module can reset itself unexpectedly while the truck is being driven. When that happens, electronic stability control switches off immediately, and the driver’s first indication is the stability control warning light illuminating on the instrument panel, after the system has already gone offline rather than before. There is no interim warning, no gradual degradation, and no driver action that triggers the fault. FCA says it has not received any reports of crashes or injuries tied to the defect, and the company’s own description frames it as intermittent: the module can reset and the system can recover, or it can stay off until the vehicle is serviced.

A dashboard light that appears only after a safety system has already stopped working puts the driver in a position most drivers aren’t prepared for: nothing about how the truck handles changes in a way that feels obviously wrong, right up until the moment a slick road, a sudden lane change, or a loaded trailer swinging wide exposes the gap. Drivers who notice the stability control light should treat it as confirmation the system is currently inactive, not as a routine maintenance reminder to schedule at some point.

Why this is actually the second recall for the same problem

This is not FCA’s first attempt to fix this particular defect. In April 2026, the company opened recall campaign 26V244000 covering 6,605 Ram 2500 trucks for what the filing described as the same steering column control module issue. The new campaign, 26V651000, expands that original population to 8,329 trucks, roughly 1,700 more vehicles than the April recall covered. An expansion of this kind typically means the automaker’s engineering team traced the root cause to a broader range of production dates, supplier batches, or part numbers than it first identified, which is a common and not unusual pattern in the recall process, but one that leaves owners of trucks built in the newly added range without a completed repair, while their trucks carried the defect from the factory all along, whether or not the first recall counted them.

Owners who had a 2026 Ram 2500 serviced under the original April recall should not assume the repair is complete. FCA’s VIN-based recall lookup is the only reliable way to confirm which campaign, if either, applies to a specific truck. The expanded population includes both newly identified vehicles and, potentially, trucks that fell through administrative gaps in the first round of repairs.

What Ram 2500 owners should do now

FCA plans to mail owner notification letters by November 24, 2026. Owners do not need to wait for the letter. Entering a truck’s 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or at the manufacturer’s own recall lookup tool, confirms whether a specific vehicle is included in campaign 26V651000. Owners can also call FCA customer service directly at 1-800-853-1403 and reference the company’s internal recall number, 90D, to schedule a repair or ask questions about the vehicle’s status.

A loaded Ram 2500 towing a trailer through winter weather is exactly the scenario where electronic stability control earns its keep, correcting a trailer sway or a rear-wheel slide before the driver can react manually. Fleet operators and tradespeople who run multiple 2026 Ram 2500 trucks, rather than a single personal vehicle, should check every VIN in their fleet individually rather than assuming one clean result clears the whole group, as trucks from the same order can still carry different production dates and different control module batches.

The remedy itself is a simple parts swap: dealers will replace the steering column control module at no charge, regardless of the truck’s warranty status. FCA has not issued a do-not-drive advisory for this campaign, unlike the “do not drive” warnings NHTSA issued the same week for a Porsche wheel-lock defect and a Subaru suspension problem, so owners are not required to park the truck while waiting for a repair appointment. A driver who knows the defect exists still has reason to stay more attentive to how the truck handles on wet or icy pavement, as the one system built specifically to catch a slide before it becomes a loss of control cannot be counted on to engage every time.

How electronic stability control became mandatory in the first place

NHTSA began requiring electronic stability control on all new passenger vehicles with the 2012 model year, following years of agency research showing the technology cut single-vehicle crashes, the kind that happen when a driver loses control on a curve or an icy patch without colliding with another car, by roughly a third. Rollover crashes, which are disproportionately deadly for pickups and SUVs given their higher centers of gravity, dropped even more sharply in vehicles equipped with working stability control. The Ram 2500 is a heavy-duty truck exactly the kind of vehicle regulators had in mind when they wrote the rule, which is part of why a defect that can silently disable the system on this specific model carries more consequence than the same defect would on a smaller, lighter vehicle with a lower rollover profile to begin with.

What this means for buyers shopping a 2026 Ram 2500

Heavy-duty pickups like the Ram 2500 see heavy turnover in the used and fleet markets, often changing hands within the first year or two for work and towing purposes. A buyer considering a 2026 Ram 2500, new or used, should run the VIN through NHTSA’s free recall lookup before completing a purchase, regardless of what a dealer or private seller claims about prior repairs. The recall follows the vehicle rather than the original owner, so the obligation to fix it at no charge carries over to whoever owns the truck when the repair finally happens, but a buyer who skips the check has no way of knowing whether they are inheriting an unresolved defect on day one.

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Sources:

• Top Class Actions: Thousands of Ram 2500 Pickup Trucks Recalled Due to Stability Control Issue
• Vehicle Service Pros: NHTSA Recalls Oct. 19-23: Porsche, Ram, Toyota