A software glitch preventing the rear view cameras from displaying images on the vehicle’s touchscreen necessitated a recall of 1.16 million Stellantis vehicles. The cameras are equipment on vehicles in the Ram, Jeep and Chrysler vehicles in the U.S. and Canada.
The Ram 1500 is part of the recall of 1.16 million vehicles due to faulty software.
The over-the-air software update recall includes 2021-2022 Dodge Durango, 2021-2023 Chrysler Pacifica, Jeep Grand Cherokee L, 2022 Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 2022-2023 Jeep Compass, Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer, Grand Wagoneer, and Ram ProMaster vehicles and covers 1.033 million vehicles in the United States and 126,000 in Canada.
The problem lies with the radio software, according to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Chrysler Pacifica and Jeep Grand Cherokee are the largest pool of vehicles affected, exceeding 230,000 and 202,000 respectively.
What’s the issue
The vehicle operator will notice that the rearview image is not displayed if attempting to reference the image while backing. If this warning is not heeded, backing without verifying it is safe to do so could lead to an increased risk of injury to people outside the vehicle.
The Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are also part of the massive recall.
The company noted the issue will crop up without warning once the affected vehicle is shifted into reverse. Dealers are already being informed of the problem; owners will get letters in early August. The fix is simple: the dealer will update the radio software at no charge to the owner.
The problem is that if the screen fails, the driver cannot see what’s behind them as they are backing up, increasing the risk of a crash.
People not waiting
More than 735,000 vehicles have already updated the software, according to Stellantis. Those owners can get reimbursed in accordance with policy. The company began studying the issue in October 2023 and the automaker reviewed warranty data, field records, and customer assistance records.
Stellantis said it is unaware of any crashes or injuries related to the problem.
Is an OTA download really a recall?
Why are dealers involved? Shut off your car at night, fixed camera is there in the morning, right.
If it’s not that simple, copy Tesla properly next time.
That’s a legitimate question, Dave. The argument is that anything posing a safety issue that requires repair should be listed as a recall. And some of the issues that OTA addresses are more significant than mechanical issues requiring a visit to the dealer. (Faulty brakes v loose molding, for example). Not all OTA is done automatically. Some require driver action. As for dealers, it’s good to at least have dealers be able to see if an OTA repair — just like a physical one — was completed. As with smartphones, some updates don’t go through properly.