April 9, 2020 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V208000

Windshield Wipers May Not Operate Properly

Reduced visibility increases the risk of a crash.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V208

Manufacturer Chrysler (FCA US LLC)

Components VISIBILITY

Potential Number of Units Affected 425,588

 

Summary

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ram 1500, 1500 Classic and Jeep Compass vehicles. The windshield wiper arm or arms may loosen, possibly causing the wipers to not operate properly and reduce the driver’s visibility in certain weather conditions.

 

Remedy

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will tighten the wiper nuts, free of charge. The recall began April 27, 2020. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler’s number for this recall is W25.

 

Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.

 

Check if your Vehicle has a Recall

 

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04/10/2020

New Safety Recall Advanced Communication – W25

FCA US LLC (FCA US) has announced a safety recall on certain 2019 and 2020 Model Year (DS) Ram 1500 Pickup, (DT) Ram 1500 Pickup and (MP) Jeep Compass vehicles.

 

REASON FOR THIS SAFETY RECALL

Some of the above vehicles may have been built with an improperly formed wiper arm head joint that did not fully form the splines of the head joint on the wiper arm. This  can allow the joint to strip and result in the wiper arm failing to operate properly when the system is activated. Prior to complete wiper system failure, the driver may notice that one or both wipers do not clear the windshield properly or that the wipers are not in their proper rest positions. An improperly functioning wiper system may, in certain circumstances, lead to a diminution in road visibility which can cause vehicle crash without prior warning.

 

SERVICE ACTION

FCA US will conduct a voluntary safety recall to retorque the wiper nuts to the required torque on all affected vehicles. Dealers will be notified of the launch of this safety recall by way of established communication methods. This recall is estimated to launch in 2nd Quarter of 2020.

 

We ask that you please take the time to ensure that your personnel are aware of this communication and are prepared to execute a customer friendly process for inquiries regarding involved vehicles.

 

 

Customer Services Field Operations

FCA US LLC

 

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April 2020

Dealer Service Instructions for:

Safety Recall W25 / NHTSA 20V-208 Windshield Wipers

 

Remedy Available

2019-2020	(DS	Ram 1500 Pickup
2019-2020	(DT)	Ram 1500 Pickup
2019-2020	(MP)	Jeep Compass

 

NOTE:  Some vehicles above may have been identified as not involved in this recall and therefore have been excluded from this recall.

 

IMPORTANT:  Some of the involved vehicles may be in dealer new vehicle inventory.  Federal law requires you to complete this recall service on these

vehicles before retail delivery.  Dealers should also consider this requirement to apply to used vehicle inventory and should perform this recall on vehicles in for service.  Involved vehicles can be determined by using the VIP inquiry process.

 

Subject

The windshield wipers on about 425,500 of the above vehicles may have been built with an improperly formed wiper arm head joint that did not fully form the splines of the head joint on the wiper arm. This can allow the joint to strip and result in the wiper arm failing to operate properly when the system is activated. Prior to complete wiper system failure, the driver may notice that one or both wipers do not clear the windshield properly or that the wipers are not in their proper rest positions. An improperly functioning wiper system may, in certain circumstances, lead to diminished road visibility which can cause a vehicle crash without prior warning.

 

Repair

Tighten the existing nut an additional 90 degrees (one quarter turn).

 

Alternate Transportation

Dealers should attempt to minimize customer inconvenience by placing the owner in a loaner vehicle if the vehicle must be held overnight.

 

Parts Information

No parts are required to perform this service procedure.

 

Parts Return

No parts return required for this campaign.

 

Special Tools

No special tools are required to perform this service procedure.

 

Service Procedure

 

1. Open the hood.

 

2. Carefully pry the plastic nut caps (1) off of the nuts on the pivot end of the wiper arms (Figure 1).

Figure 1 – Windshield Wiper Arm Nuts

 

NOTE: To properly tighten the nuts, one of the following is needed:

• A paint pen to mark the 12 o’clock position on the nut, or
• A torque angle gauge, or
• A torque wrench with the ability to measure torque angle.

 

3. Using one of these methods, tighten both nuts 90 degrees (one quarter turn).

 

NOTE: Do not loosen or remove the nut or arm, or torque the nut to a specified value. Tighten the nut by adding 90 degrees (one quarter turn) only.

 

4. Verify wipers are functioning properly by running them on low and high speed. If wiper system issues are present after performing the steps above, refer to wiper diagnosis and repair in DealerCONNECT/Service Library.

 

5. Install the plastic nut caps (1) onto the wiper arm pivot nuts (Figure 1).

 

6. Close the hood and return the vehicle to the customer.

 

Completion Reporting and Reimbursement

Claims for vehicles that have been serviced must be submitted on the DealerCONNECT Claim Entry Screen located on the Service tab.   Claims paid will be used by FCA to record recall service completions and provide dealer payments.

	Labor Operation Number	Time Allowance
Tighten Windshield Wiper Arm Nuts	23-W2-51-82	0.1 hours

 

NOTE:  See the Warranty Administration Manual, Recall Claim Processing Section, for complete recall claim processing instructions.

 

Dealer Notification

To view this notification on DealerCONNECT, select “Global Recall System” on the Service tab, then click on the description of this notification.

 

Owner Notification and Service Scheduling

All involved vehicle owners known to FCA are being notified of the service requirement by first class mail.  They are requested to schedule appointments for this service with their dealers.  A generic copy of the owner letter is attached.

 

Vehicle Lists, Global Recall System, VIP and Dealer Follow Up

All involved vehicles have been entered into the DealerCONNECT Global Recall System (GRS) and Vehicle Information Plus (VIP) for dealer inquiry as needed.

GRS provides involved dealers with an updated VIN list of their incomplete vehicles.  The owner’s name, address and phone number are listed if known.  Completed vehicles are removed from GRS within several days of repair claim submission.

To use this system, click on the “Service” tab and then click on “Global Recall System.”  Your dealer’s VIN list for each recall displayed can be sorted by: those vehicles that were unsold at recall launch, those with a phone number, city, zip code, or VIN sequence.

Dealers must perform this repair on all unsold vehicles before retail delivery. Dealers should also use the VIN list to follow up with all owners to schedule appointments for this repair.

Recall VIN lists may contain confidential, restricted owner name and address information that was obtained from the Department of Motor Vehicles of various states.  Use of this information is permitted for this recall only and is strictly prohibited from all other use.

 

Additional Information

If you have any questions or need assistance in completing this action, please contact your Service and Parts District Manager.

Customer Services / Field Operations

FCA US LLC

 

 

This notice applies to your vehicle,

 [Model Year and Model]  VIN XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX W25/NHTSA 20V-208

 

LOGO

VEHICLE PICTURE

YOUR SCHEDULING OPTIONS

 

1. RECOMMENDED OPTION Call your authorized Chrysler / Dodge / Jeep_® / RAM Dealership 
2. Call the FCA Recall Assistance Center at 1-800-853-1403. An agent can confirm part availability and help schedule an appointment 
3. Visit mopar.com, scan the QR code below, or download the Mopar Owner’s Companion App.

 

QR Code

 

Get access to recall notifications, locate your nearest dealer, and more through this website or Mopar Owner’s Companion App. You will be asked to provide your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to protect and verify your identity. The last eight characters of your VIN are provided above.

 

DEALERSHIP INSTRUCTIONS

Please reference Safety Recall W25.

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IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

Windshield Wipers

Dear [Name],

 

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

 

FCA US has decided that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety, exists in certain [20192020 (DS) Ram 1500 Pickup, 2019-2020 (DT) Ram 1500 Pickup, 2019-2020 (MP) Jeep Compass] vehicles.

 

It is extremely important to take steps now to repair your vehicle to ensure the safety of you and your passengers.

 

WHY DOES MY VEHICLE NEED REPAIRS?

The wiper arm on your vehicle ^[1] may have been built with an improperly formed wiper arm head joint that did not fully form the splines of the head joint on the wiper arm. This can allow the joint to strip and result in the wiper arm failing to operate properly when the system is activated. Prior to complete wiper system failure, the driver may notice that one or both wipers do not clear the windshield properly or that the wipers are not in their proper rest positions. An improperly functioning wiper system may, in certain circumstances, lead to diminished road visibility which can cause a vehicle crash without prior warning.

 

 

HOW DO I RESOLVE THIS IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE?

FCA US will repair your vehicle ^[2] free of charge (parts and labor). To do this, your dealer will tighten the wiper nuts to the required torque. The estimated repair time is thirty minutes. In addition, your dealer will require your vehicle for proper check-in, preparation, and check-out during your visit, which may require more time. Your time is important to us, so we recommend that you schedule a service appointment to minimize your inconvenience. Please bring this letter with you to your dealership.

 

TO SCHEDULE YOUR FREE REPAIR,
CALL YOUR CHRYSLER, DODGE, JEEP OR RAM DEALER TODAY

 

WHAT IF I ALREADY PAID TO HAVE THIS REPAIR COMPLETED?

If you have already experienced this specific condition and have paid to have it repaired, you may visit www.fcarecallreimbursement.com to submit your reimbursement request online. ^[3] Once we receive and verify the required documents, reimbursement will be sent to you within 60 days.  If you have had previous repairs performed and/or already received reimbursement, you may still need to have the recall repair performed.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience, but are sincerely concerned about your safety.  Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Customer Assistance/Field Operations

FCA US LLC

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Mr. Mrs. Customer
1234 Main Street
Hometown, MI 48371

[1] If you no longer own this vehicle, please help us update our records. Call the FCA Recall Assistance Center at 1-800-853-1403 to update your information.

[2] If your dealer fails or is unable to remedy this defect without charge and within a reasonable time, you may submit a written complaint to the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E., Washington, DC  20590, or you can call the toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-4249153), or go to safercar.gov.

[3] You can also mail in your original receipts and proof of payment to the following address for reimbursement consideration: FCA Customer Assistance, P.O. Box 21-8004, Auburn Hills, MI 48321-8007, Attention: Recall Reimbursement.

 

Note to lessors receiving this recall notice: Federal regulation requires that you forward this recall notice to the lessee within 10 days.

 

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4 Affected Products

Vehicles

MAKE	MODEL	YEAR
JEEP	COMPASS	2019-2020
RAM	1500	2019-2020

 

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11 Associated Documents

Recall 573 Report

RCLRPT-20V208-9834.PDF 215.581KB

 

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Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-20V208-7286.pdf 875.92KB

 

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Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc) – Safety Recall Announcement – Safety recall on certain 2019 and 2020 Model Year (DS) Ram 1500 Pickup, (DT) Ram 1500 Pickup and (MP) Jeep Compass vehicles

RCMN-20V208-8535.pdf 97.372KB

 

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Owner Notification Letter(Part 577) (W25)

RCONL-20V208-1813.pdf 516.719KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2020-2

RCLQRT-20V208-9654.PDF 211.153KB

 

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Owner Notification Letter(Part 577) – (already remedied) (W25)

RCONL-20V208-7358.pdf 516.706KB

 

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Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-20V208-9877.PDF 215.582KB

 

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-20V208-1574.pdf 244.183KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2020-4

RCLQRT-20V208-1255.PDF 211.356KB

 

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Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2020-3

RCLQRT-20V208-0883.PDF 211.262KB

 

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ISSUED Renotification Notice

RCRN-20V208-5221.pdf 137.955KB

 

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Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=20V208&docType=RCL

 

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