FCA US LLC has announced a big safety recall of nearly 1.3 million Ram 1500 pickup trucks in the United States, models years 2019 through 2026, in which second-row seat belt buckle anchors may not have been properly attached to the vehicle body structure during the manufacturing process. The recall involves 1,271,294 vehicles built between February 2018 and April 2026. FCA US estimates the bolt was improperly tightened in 0.1 percent of those trucks. No crashes or injuries have been reported to FCA US related to the defect, but the automaker is choosing to recall the trucks because, if the bolt was tightened to the improper torque, the second-row buckle anchor might not provide adequate restraint during a crash.
The probe was initiated when Transport Canada notified FCA US about a customer complaint on a 2025 Ram 1500 in January 2026, which prompted the FCA US to initiate a thorough examination of its assembly process. The automaker subsequently acknowledged the assembly build problem and gave the green light to the recall campaign, recommending the authorised dealerships to examine the second-row anchor points for these specific vehicles and torquing down any loose bolts free of charge to the owners. The campaign encompasses international markets including Canada, Mexico and other export markets, putting the total Ram 1500 recall population worldwide at over 1.5 million trucks. This recall is accompanied by the extensive Ram name with remaining continuing excitement over newer performance models like the 2027 Ram 1500 Rumble Bee.
1. FCA US Recalls Nearly 1.3 Million Ram 1500 Trucks
FCA US LLC on Tuesday announced a voluntary safety recall of nearly 1.3 million Ram 1500 pickups in the United States. The campaign affects 1,271,294 vehicles built from Feb. 21, 2018 to April 12, 2026 model years 2019-26 and is related to the second row seat belt buckle anchor attached incorrectly to the vehicle body structure while in production. The second-row seats can include the buckle anchor on the driver-side or centre-position or both. FCA US says a total of 0.1 per cent of the recalled vehicles feature the improperly installed bolts, with no injuries or crashes reported to the company.
Ram 1500 Recall Overview:
- Nearly 1.3 million trucks affected
- Model years 2019 through 2026
- 1,271,294 US vehicles involved
- Production ran through April 2026
- Only 0.1% estimated affected
The recall is especially critical as seat belt anchorages are subject to US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and require thousands of pounds of force in the event of a crash. All anchor bolts must be correctly tightened to a specific torque to ensure the restraint system provides the necessary protection to passengers. FCA US has already made clear that the recall affects the build process rather than the bolts themselves, which are not defective. While the estimated incident rate is significantly low, FCA US has elected to recall the vehicles to correct the condition in case of a failed bolt falling below the seat belt anchored reducing the effectiveness and risk of injury to rear seat passengers.
2. The Seat Belt Anchor Issue Came From Factory Assembly
The issue is with the way some second-row seat belt buckle anchors were installed during vehicle assembly. FCA US has determined that the bolts that attach the anchors to the vehicle body structure may not have been torqued to the proper specification during production. The condition involves the second-row driver-side seat belt buckle anchor, the centre anchor, or both.
Seat Belt Anchor Concern:
- Assembly issue, not defective hardware
- Second-row anchors may be affected
- Driver-side location potentially involved
- Centre anchor may also require inspection
- Correct torque is essential
In safety critical seat belt assemblies, there are parameters that must be passed, ensuring a significant amount of force must be applied to the anchor points before failure. An incorrectly torqued bolt might not be enough to stop the restraint working as it should in an accident, and by extending the recall on a potentially small number of vehicles FCA US should help prevent further injury if an accident were to occur. It’s quite possible that no accidents or injuries have occurred, but FCA US decided that a recall was the responsible thing to do in this case. The relevant attachment points will be examined, and if necessary, the bolts tightened.
3. The Investigation Began With a Canadian Customer Complaint
The inquiry into the Ram 1500 seat belt anchor issue was prompted by a regulator’s report in early 2026. Transport Canada on Jan. 20 raised the issue of an improperly installed second-row seat belt buckle anchor on a 2025 Ram 1500 pickup to FCA Canada. FCA US opened a formal internal investigation on the Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance team Feb. 26. Through July, regulators collaborated with engineering and manufacturing teams to identify the root cause of the assembly process and whether the issue was isolated or a safety concern.
Recall Investigation Timeline:
- Complaint reported January 20
- Internal investigation opened February 26
- Engineering teams reviewed assembly
- Analysis continued through July
- Safety group concluded July 15
The company takes the process of being convinced by its own data. Its internal safety team officially recommended a few weeks later, on 15 July, that a problem was potentially identified with a manufacturing build of the assembly that could impact seat belt restraint performance. The Vehicle Regulations Committee, which considers design issues and technical queries, approved the voluntary recall on 23 July after considering the technical findings. The firm then prepared the vehicle service, which it informed its authorised dealer network of the service procedures by 6 August, with owner letters in the mail from 18 August.
4. Ram Owners Will Receive Free Dealership Inspections
Qualified Ram 1500 owners will be asked to take their truck to an FCA-approved dealership to have the second-row seat belt buckle anchor points inspected to make sure they’re not damaged. All dealership employees who will be working on the recall will have been trained by FCA US. Certified technicians will verify the second-row driver side buckle anchor and centre seat belt buckle anchor bolts are correctly torqued to the factory setting. FCA US will perform the recall service at no cost to owners.
Recall Repair Process:
- Dealership technicians inspect anchors
- Both rear locations are checked
- Incorrect bolts receive proper torque
- Certified technicians perform repairs
- Service remains completely free
The recall process is intended to validate the safety of the compromised attachment points, not replace seats that FCA US says are well-constructed. The company said its investigation confirmed that the issue was related to installation, not faulty seat belt hardware. Those owners looking for additional details can call FCA US customer care at 1-800-853-1403 or by visiting recalls.mopar.com. The notification letters will be starting on August 18 for those owners so they know they can help get their vehicles inspected and repaid so they don’t run into safety issue during normal operation or the occurrence of an accident.
5. The Recall Extends Beyond the United States
While US is leading the recall population, FCA US has campaign is not limited to north American territory. In Canada 156,138 Rams 1500, and in Mexico 15,088 Rams 1500 are part of the campaign. Outside of north America, 74,084 were flagged for the campaign in other countries. When added to the North American numbers, the campaign now includes more than 1,547,596,000 Ram 1500 trucks around the world.
Global Recall Population:
- 1,271,294 vehicles in US
- 156,138 vehicles in Canada
- 15,088 vehicles in Mexico
- 74,084 export-market vehicles
- More than 1.5 million globally
Global Counterpart The international scope is representative of FCA US’s attempt to ensure vehicle safety standards are uniform to all available markets. The root of the concern involves the identical second-row seat belt buckle anchor installation problem therefore survey and remediation is pertinent beyond the borders of American imports. FCA US is conducting a global campaign that encompasses vehicles from the time period of manufacture known to contain the problem regardless of the region of final distribution. Furthermore, the global recall demonstrates how a manufacturing condition can be widespread across a vehicle population even when the projected percentage of vehicles with improperly fastened bolts is exceedingly low.
6. The Ram 1500 Has Faced Earlier Recall Campaigns
The 1500 is slightly older than the current recall, which is based on a longer history of Ram 1500 sales and previous safety recalls. The current-generation Ram 1500 first went on sale as a 2019 model year, and that first model year drove 29 NHTSA recall campaigns as Stellantis navigated the inaugural year and early engineering issues. That generation has seen other recalls focused on different systems, including a February recall for 456,000 trucks due to a trailer tow module problem, and a April recall for 65,000 trucks due to display issues.
Ram 1500 Recall History:
- Current generation launched for 2019
- First year recorded 29 campaigns
- Trailer modules affected 456,000
- Display issue affected 65,000
- Different systems received corrections
There’s also a positive trend in the midcycle model years 2023 and 2024 Ram 1500s had good, if not perfect, reliability in the category and only registered four campaigns each before this latest campaign. That history helps as guide for this latest campaign, not to suggest that it can be extrapolated across the board to cover the whole Ram 1500 generation. This newest recall campaign is concerned with the rear seat belt anchors, while previous campaigns involved other systems across the vehicle, and FCA US is responding once again by informing owners and technicians how to diagnose and correct the potential problem.
7. The Ram 1500 Continues to Earn Strong Owner Recognition
As recall history went, however, the Ram 1500 still ranks high in full-size trucks. The information provided says that owners enjoy their pickups, as well; the Ram 1500 ranks No. 1 in the Large Light-Duty Pickup category in the JD Power 2026 APEAL Study. It has also been the recipient of years of awards from Motor Trend as Truck of the Year. Ram trucks received the Motor Trend best truck honor on eight different occasions, referring to the model across several versions and span several decades.
Ram 1500 Recognition:
- Strong owner satisfaction continues
- JD Power category leader
- Eight Motor Trend awards
- Multiple generations earned recognition
- Fifth generation won repeatedly
The current fifth-generation Ram pickup is the best-known model in the market. It became the first pickup truck to win the Motor Trend award on four separate occasions in 2019, 2020, 2021 and most recently 2025. Previous generations of the Ram have also collected awards, such as the second-generation Ram in 1994, the third-generation Ram Heavy Duty in 2003, the fourth-generation Ram Heavy Duty in 2010 and the fourth-generation Ram 1500 in 2013 and 2014. The reasons for sales success in the present day are a background to the latest safety issue on this model.
8. The Ram Name Has a Long Pickup History
The Ram pickup has been around for years, with a history that goes back decades, but the branding has been quite different over the years. The Ram brand has been around since October 1980 (for the 1981 model year), when Dodge D-series pickup trucks and B-series vans were given a new name (no more “Dodge” nameplates) Ram, although Dodge had used a ram’s-head hood ornament on some trucks as early as 1933. Ram became a separate brand from Dodge, when Ram Trucks were spun off from Dodge in 2010.
Ram Pickup History:
- Ram name began for 1981
- Dodge D-series trucks became Ram
- B-series vans also rebranded
- Ram split from Dodge
- Fifth generation debuted in 2018
The present-generation fifth-generation Ram pickup was first introduced at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, in January 2018. The Ram pickup is a full-size pickup truck made by Stellantis North America (formerly Chrysler Group LLC and FCA US LLC). It has a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout and the data shown presents the history of the model from October 1980 to the present. The information provided labels the Ram pickup as the successor to the Dodge D series and spans the years 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
9. The 2027 Ram Lineup Adds Performance-Focused Models
The 1500 continues to keep Ram in the headlines even as the ongoing Ram recall campaign shifts the focus away from it: buyers can now order the 1500 Rumble Bee. Powered by a 395-Horsepower HEMI V8. The widebody Quad Cab (driven by a 395-Horsepower HEMI V8) starts at $59,995, and the 777-Horsepower SRT Rumble Bee (with 10HP of Underhood Electricity) is still well below the $95,000 Mark. The Ram 2500 Power Wagon is the final pony to note, as it has a Cummins diesel and a $89,560 start price.
Upcoming Ram Performance Models:
- 2027 Rumble Bee orders open
- HEMI V8 produces 395 horsepower
- Widebody Quad Cab styling
- SRT version makes 777 horsepower
- Power Wagon uses Cummins diesel
These vehicles are hinting at the future of the Ram brand while the company is continuing to work with safety standards on its current vehicles. The high-performance Rumble Bee adds an interesting offshoot to the Ram 1500, while the SRT variant increases the power to an impressive 777 horsepower. The Power Wagon takes a somewhat different path with its Cummins diesel engine, heavy-duty model placement.
10. FCA Also Has a Different Meaning in Global Trade
Beyond the recall, FCA also means something else in the world of international commercial shipping and logistics. We’ve seen before that it’s an abbreviation of Free Carrier, but the acronym also stands for one of 11 official trade terms adopted by the International Chamber of Commerce as part of the Incoterms 2020. These trade terms provide rules that outline the roles, obligations, costs and risks associated with transportation for buyers and sellers. FCA can be applicable to any transport mode via road, rail, air, sear, inland waterway or multimodal and has the seller deliver goods to a specified place that the buyer has predetermined, typically located in the seller’s home nation.
FCA Free Carrier Basics:
- FCA means Free Carrier
- Part of Incoterms 2020
- Applies across transport modes
- Seller delivers to named place
- Buyer assumes subsequent risks
FCA characteristics also define the responsibilities for each party. These include the seller’s responsibility for secure export packaging, commercial invoices, packing lists, export customs clearance (including any licences, safety check, export duties and taxes); and the buyer’s responsibility for international freight, transport, import customs clearance and destination terminal, and export and import duties and taxes. The rules specify the documentation flexibility through use of a choice of a notation on the bill of lading or via Forwarder Cargo Receipt.
