Why 265,512 Ram ProMaster Vans Could Lose Power Steering Without Warning

• Stellantis is recalling 265,512 Ram ProMaster vans because water can seep into the power steering wiring harness and cut off steering assist.
• Drivers can lose power steering assist suddenly and without any dashboard warning beforehand, according to the recall notice.
• Owner notification letters go out starting November 17, and dealers will replace the wiring harness and steering gear free of charge.

A delivery van’s steering can fail with no warning light

Stellantis has told federal regulators that water is getting where it should not: inside the wiring harness that runs the electric power steering system on the Ram ProMaster. When that happens, the steering motor can lose its connection and the assist can disappear, turning a van that steers with one hand into one that takes both arms and real effort to turn, in the middle of a delivery route, a parking lot, or a highway merge.

The recall covers 265,512 ProMaster vans built between the 2022 and 2026 model years, split across the lineup: 44,391 ProMaster 1500s, 147,204 ProMaster 2500s, 72,043 ProMaster 3500s, and 1,874 of the newer ProMaster 3500 EV. Stellantis spokesperson Frank Matyok told reporters the company is aware of one crash tied to the defect, with no injuries reported. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that losing steering assist raises the odds of a crash, since the driver has to compensate for a sudden change in how the vehicle handles.

Why water and electric power steering do not mix

Modern vans and trucks have largely replaced hydraulic power steering with electric power steering, where an electric motor, not a hydraulic pump, does the work of turning the wheels. The system depends on a wiring harness to carry power and sensor signals between the steering control module and the motor. If water finds a way into that harness, through a bad seal, a cracked connector housing, or a gap in the wiring routing, it can corrode the wires or short the connection. The result ranges from an intermittent assist fault to a full loss of power steering, and Stellantis says the ProMaster’s defect can happen without any warning indicator lighting up first.

ProMaster vans spend a lot of time exposed to the kind of conditions that make this failure mode more likely than it would be in a passenger car kept mostly in good weather: delivery routes in rain and snow, frequent car washes, underbody spray from wet roads, and long hours parked outside rather than in a garage. Fleet operators running these vans daily, often for companies like Amazon, FedEx contractors, and moving and trade businesses, are exactly the population most likely to rack up the exposure that triggers this kind of water intrusion.

The ProMaster’s role in America’s delivery fleets

The ProMaster, built on a Fiat Ducato platform and sold under the Ram badge since 2014, has become one of the most common cargo vans on US roads, competing directly with the Ford Transit and Mercedes-Benz Sprinter for delivery, trade, and conversion van business. Its boxy, high-roof design and front-wheel-drive layout make it popular with everyone from small HVAC contractors to large last-mile delivery fleets, and in recent years it has also become a favorite base vehicle for camper van conversions, meaning some of the vehicles on this recall list are personal vehicles carrying families on road trips, not just work trucks.

That spread matters for how disruptive this recall is. A commercial fleet with a dedicated maintenance department can schedule 50 vans through a dealer in batches. An individual contractor or camper van owner relying on their ProMaster as a daily driver faces a harder choice about whether to keep using the vehicle while waiting for a fix with no confirmed timeline for the permanent repair.

What ProMaster owners should do now

Check whether a specific van is covered by entering its 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or by calling the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236. Owners can also contact Stellantis customer care directly or a Ram dealer and reference recall number 92D, or NHTSA campaign number 26V621.

Interim owner notification letters are scheduled to go out starting November 17, 2026, with a second letter to follow once Stellantis finalizes the permanent repair parts and procedure. When the van does come in, dealers will inspect the power steering wiring harness and replace it, along with the electric power steering gear if it shows damage, at no cost to the owner. Until then, drivers should pay attention to any unusual stiffness or resistance in the steering, particularly after driving through standing water, a car wash, or heavy rain, and should avoid assuming a clean dashboard means the system is fine, since Stellantis says the fault can appear without a warning light.

Fleet managers running multiple ProMasters should flag every VIN in their fleet management system now rather than waiting for individual notices to trickle in, since a van that loses steering assist mid-route is both a safety risk to the driver and a liability exposure for the business operating it.

What happens next

Stellantis has not yet published a final repair procedure, which is why the first wave of letters, due in mid-November, will only tell owners that a recall exists rather than schedule an immediate fix. A second letter will follow once engineering finalizes the parts and labor process. In the meantime, NHTSA will keep logging complaints under campaign 26V621, and any additional crash reports tied to sudden steering loss could push Stellantis to accelerate the repair timeline or expand the scope of vehicles covered beyond the current 265,512.

Sources:

• Fox Business: More than 265K Ram vehicles facing recall over steering defect, regulators say
• Vehicle Service Pros: This Week’s Recalls, Oct 5-9 2026