According to a Wall Street Journal Report last week, Chrysler announced that it’s recalling nearly 250,000 Dodge Ram pickup trucks. The models are said to span from 2003 models to 2011 models, relating to a steering control issue.
The trucks are reported to have an issue with the left-side rods breaking, making it possible for the left front of the car to move independently, with no control coming from the steering wheel. This action increased the risk of losing stability and the possibility of more crashes. The tie rods serve to connect the steering control to the front wheels of the vehicle.
Chrysler and Dodge filed a document with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration saying that they altered the design of the tie rod on a number of Ram models to help improve the steering issues. According to the report, Chrysler announced that the breaks happen during low speed, including tight turns. Right now, the issue is said to have affected only “a few “low speed accidents and some minor injuries.
Chrysler had originally told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that they didn’t think a bulk of their Ram models (2500 and 3500) would experience steering issues. Chrysler announced in March that the two models would need more investigation because there had been an influx in owner reported problems, similar to the 4500 and 5500 models.
The WSJ article claims that the recall will force dealers to inspect the tie rod ends, replace the rod as Chrysler wishes and then do a front end alignment. Customers can easily contact Chrysler with any issues.
This is not the first recent recall for Chrysler, as they released an initial warning focused on similar Dodge pickups in December 2010. Along with almost 250,000 recalls in the United States, it will affect nearly 35,000 trucks in Canada and around 8,500 trucks in the rest of the world.
References:
Welsh, Jonathan. (July 13, 2011). “Chrysler Recalls 242,780 Ram Trucks to Fix Steering.” Retrieved on July 19, 2011 from the Wall Street Journal.