According to documentation posted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "Misaligned tailgate strikers may cause a failure to properly latch the tailgate." If that happens, the tailgate could pop open unexpectedly, regardless of whether the vehicle is stationary or in motion.
If that were to happen with a load in the truck bed while the vehicle was being driven, it could allow cargo to fall out, endangering other drivers.
The potential problem affects model years 2019 through 2022, and it can occur on both light and heavy-duty pickups. An estimated 120,759 trucks in Canada, 26,613 in Mexico, and 27,404 in other markets are also affected.
The recall applies to Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 pickups going back to 2019, but not all. Trucks with the trick multifunction tailgate, and trucks with tailgate sensors are not affected by this alignment issue.
The automaker says that, between June 2019 and November 2022, it received 15 customer assistance records, 736 warranty claims, and 101 field reports potentially related to the issue. The company is not aware of any accidents or injuries connected with this problem.
Stellantis, the company who owns Ram vehicles, will give back money to any customers who have already paid to get this problem fixed in the past. The only thing that needs to be done in order to fix it is a realignment- no replacement parts are necessary.
Source: NHTSA
