- fca is recalling its diesel-powered ram 1500 pickups, saying there is a "potential for coolant leakage" that could increase risk for an engine fire.
- the recall affects pickups from model years 2014 through 2019 with the ram ecodiesel engine.
- fca said there it is not aware of any accidents as a result of the problem, but there have been a few fires and four minor injuries.
fiat chrysler automobiles (fca) has recalled 107,898 ram ecodiesel pickup trucks in the u.s. from 2014 through 2019 model years due to a potential for coolant to leak into the engine and cause a fire, according to a statement from fca. the recall does not include the 2020 model year or any gasoline-powered trucks.
fca said that an internal investigation found microscopic cracks in some exhaust gas recirculation (egr) coolers, through which the coolant can escape and cause a fire. the company said there have been a "small number" of fires reported, along with four minor injuries to people who tried to extinguish engine-compartment fires themselves, but no reported accidents.
an estimated 50,159 additional vehicles will be recalled in canada, and another estimated 1730 outside north america, fca said. the company will notify affected customers and requests that owners of the trucks monitor coolant levels and see their dealer if the levels are "consistently low."
earlier this year, a portion of these recalled trucks were included in a $800 million payout from fca that settled claims that its diesel pickup trucks and suvs cheated on emissions tests. the overlap includes ram 1500 pickups with 3.0-liter ecodiesel engines from model years 2014–2016.