— A Ram class action lawsuit alleges Texas truck owners and lessees are driving dangerous 2017-2018 Ram 2500 and 2017-2018 Ram 3500 trucks.
The trucks are allegedly equipped with defective hydraulic control units (HCU) and anti-lock braking system (ABS) modules that allegedly cause the ABS, cruise control and traction control systems to fail.
The three plaintiffs who sued claim the failures occurred because those components were built with defective materials.
The Ram class action lawsuit includes:
"All Texas residents who own, owned, lease, or leased model year 2017-2018 Ram 2500 vehicles and 2017-2018 Ram 3500 vehicles purchased or leased in the United States and its territories."
Texas plaintiff Jason Wilson owns a 2018 Ram 2500 but in the summer of 2021, he says the Ram truck ABS warning light began to illuminate. The dealership confirmed the ABS module needed to be replaced and the plaintiff paid $936.49 for the replacement.
Texas plaintiff Robert Krenek owns a 2018 Ram 3500 but in the summer of 2021, the Ram truck ABS warning light began to illuminate off and on. A mechanic said the ABS module should be replaced and then a dealership confirmed the results. The plaintiff says he had to pay $296.18 in labor costs for the replacement.
Texas plaintiff Donald Akridge owns a 2018 Ram 2500, but in April 2022 the truck began having problems. He says the truck "intermittently makes a noise and displays a warning message regarding the Vehicle’s ABS and a message stating, 'Service Electronic Braking System.'”
The plaintiffs allege they received Ram trucks much different than the trucks they believed they were purchasing.
Ram Class Action Lawsuit — ABS TSB
The Ram class action lawsuit says Fiat Chrysler (FCA) issued a technical service bulletin related to the problem, listing it “Symptom/Vehicle Issue” as “C0020-01-ABS PUMP MOTOR CONTROL – GENERAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE.”
The TSB advises FCA’s dealers the HCU and the ABS module can be serviced as separate components., but an earlier version of the TSB directed dealers to replace the HCU first then test drive the truck.
The electronic control unit was to be replaced if after the test drive the Ram still did not have a functioning ABS.
The Ram class action lawsuit alleges that even though Chrysler knew about the ABS module problems, no recalls have been issued and customers can be stuck paying for expensive repairs and replacements.
The Ram class action lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas: Wilson, et al., v. FCA US LLC, et al.
The plaintiffs are represented by Steckler Wayne Cherry & Love, PLLC, and Barnow And Associates, P.C.