Fiat Chrysler has issued more recalls, this time around for its Ram trucks. While it’s a voluntary recall, it affects about 200,000 vehicles, with over 180,700 of those within the United States. The models affected by the recall include: Ram 1500 pickups – 2017/18; Ram 2500, 3500 pickups – 2017/18; Ram 3500, 4500, and 5500 chassis cabs – 2017/18; Ram 3500 chassis cabs, GVWR (under 10,000 lbs.) – 2016/17.

It’s important to note, this recall was a voluntary one, which means the company has issued it on its own accord. At times, regulators will hear about a possible problem, launch an investigation, and advice the auto manufacturer to issue a recall. In this case, Fiat Chrysler caught the potential problem and has initiated action to try and fix it.

But, why the recall? It seems to be the column shifter on the autos listed above. The brake transmission shift interlock, a part that makes sure the vehicle does not move out of park, could overheat. Should this occur, the shifter could move out of the park position without the need for the brake being pushed, causing the vehicle to roll away; and this could have fatal consequences.

Overheating has been connected to drivers leaving their foot on the brake pedal while in park position. Ram is advising owners to place the parking brake on whenever the vehicle parked.
Ram is also working on fixing the brake transmission shift interlock, but nothing has been confirmed as of yet. Owners and dealers will start receiving communication on all this nearing March’s end.

CNET revealed that Fiat Chrysler recalled approximately 800,000 of their models within the United States in 2016, as drivers were having difficulty understanding how the rocker-type shifter worked; it’s been phased out since. In 2017, the company recalled 7,800 Challengers due to a bug in the vehicle’s software that wouldn’t allow transmission to shift when in park.