FCA US is recalling 8,329 of its 2026 Ram 2500 pickups because a part in the steering column can shut off electronic stability control. The Ram 2500 recall centers on the steering column control module, which can develop an internal fault. When that happens, the truck can lose a safety system that federal rules require it to have working.
The fix is a new part, and it costs owners nothing. Dealers will replace the steering column control module free of charge. FCA expects to mail owner letters on November 24, 2026.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration lists the campaign as recall 26V651. FCA, the Stellantis arm that builds Ram trucks, tracks it as recall 90D. It also expands an earlier Ram recall, 26V244.
Which trucks the Ram 2500 recall covers
The campaign covers only 2026 model-year Ram 2500 pickups. NHTSA’s acknowledgment letter, dated October 16, 2026, counts 8,329 potentially affected trucks. FCA filed its own defect report on October 6, 2026.
The build window is narrow. According to autoevolution’s report on the filing, FCA built the affected U.S.-market trucks between September 13 and November 15, 2025. In other words, this covers roughly two months of early 2026 production. The filing doesn’t single out a trim, so owners should check by VIN rather than by badge.
What goes wrong in the steering column
Electronic stability control, or ESC, helps a driver keep the truck pointed where they’re steering when it starts to slide. On these trucks, the steering column control module feeds that system. If the module develops an internal fault, autoevolution reports, it can switch ESC off without warning the driver.
That’s the troubling part. Per the same report, the ESC warning light comes on only after the module resets. Until then, the driver may not know the system has dropped out. NHTSA’s letter puts the risk plainly: losing ESC increases the risk of a crash.
The problem also has a legal side. The trucks fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 126, the federal rule that covers electronic stability control systems. That’s why this is a compliance recall as well as a safety one. Autoevolution adds that the standard requires ESC to stay active while the truck is moving.
How Stellantis found the problem
According to autoevolution, Stellantis North America began looking into the issue in July 2026. After that, engineers reviewed field records and customer assistance records through September. Then, in late September, the company’s Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance group identified the noncompliance. Finally, the matter went to the Vehicle Regulations Committee, which led to the October 6 filing.
Neither the NHTSA letter nor autoevolution’s report lists any crashes or injuries tied to the defect. Likewise, neither gives a failure rate or a count of confirmed cases. For that reason, this story makes no claim about how many trucks have actually lost stability control.
The fix: a newly designed module
A software update won’t do it this time. Instead, autoevolution reports that dealers will install a newly designed steering column control module. NHTSA’s letter confirms that the replacement is free. According to the report, FCA has already notified Ram dealers nationwide.
FCA expects owners to get notification letters on November 24, 2026. However, owners don’t have to wait for the mail. NHTSA’s letter says the affected VINs became searchable on the agency’s website on October 13, 2026.
What Ram 2500 owners should do now
First, find the 17-character VIN on the registration, the insurance card or the driver-side dashboard. Next, enter it at NHTSA’s recall lookup. If the truck is listed, a Ram dealer can schedule the module swap.
Owners with questions can also call FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403 and mention recall 90D. Alternatively, NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline is 1-888-327-4236, and its TTY line is 1-888-275-9171.
An expansion of an earlier recall
This campaign builds on an earlier one. NHTSA’s letter identifies 26V651 as an expansion of recall 26V244. That means it adds trucks to a campaign FCA had already filed. Still, the letter doesn’t repeat the earlier campaign’s details, so this story doesn’t either.
For now, the record is clear on the numbers that matter. NHTSA counts 8,329 affected 2026 Ram 2500 pickups, and owner letters are due on November 24, 2026.
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