Equipment Safety Recall W49 NHTSA 20E-043 Drag Link – 2013-2018 Ram 2500/3500

June 25, 2020 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20E043000

Steering Linkage May Separate

A drag link separation can cause a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of crash.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 20E043

Manufacturer Chrysler (FCA US LLC)

Components STEERING

Potential Number of Units Affected 32,972

 

Summary

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain MOPAR steering 4×4 drag link assemblies (part number 68369907AA), and the associated components, jam nuts (part numbers 06510749AA and 06510750AA), drag link inner (part number 68111304AA), drag link outer (68111301AA), and drag link adjuster (part number 68111302AA) sold for replacement use on Heavy Duty Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks. The outboard steering linkage jam nut may loosen, allowing one end of the drag link to separate. The drag link assemblies may have been installed as part of a vehicle repair; the drag link assemblies installed during vehicle manufacturing were subject to NHTSA Safety Recall 19V-021.

 

Remedy

FCA will notify owners, and dealers will check the steering linkage jam nut tightness, replacing the drag link assembly or welding the nut to the adjuster sleeve, free of charge. If an owner bought any of these components at the counter of a dealer and it was not installed, the dealer will reimburse the owner. If the part has been installed, dealers will inspect the jam nut tightness, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin August 14, 2020. Owners may contact FCA customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA’s number for this recall is W49

 

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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New Safety Recall Advanced Communication – W49

FCA US LLC (FCA US) has announced an equipment safety recall on certain Mopar 4×4 style steering system parts intended for Heavy Duty Ram trucks. Drag Link Assembly (Part # 68369907AA), Jam Nut (Part # 06510749AA and Part # 06510750AA), Drag Link Outer (Part # 68111301AA), Drag Link Adjuster (Part #68111302AA), Drag Link Inner (Part # 68111304AA).  

 

REASON FOR THIS SAFETY RECALL

Customers may have purchased some 4×4 style steering system drag link assembly component parts intended for Heavy Duty Ram trucks. If not welded, per Dealer Service Instructions for safety recall V06, the outboard steering linkage jam nut could loosen allowing one end of the drag link to separate from the adjuster sleeve. A drag link separation can result in a loss of directional steering control, which can cause a vehicle crash without prior warning.

 

SERVICE ACTION

FCA US will conduct a voluntary safety recall to inspect the drag link assembly on any vehicles affected by this equipment recall. If the drag link is not welded and torque values meet requirement, the nuts will be welded to the adjuster sleeve. If the torque values do not meet requirement, the drag link assembly will be assessed for replacement. If a component or assembly is returned, FCA US will reimburse the customer. FCA US has a longstanding policy and practice of reimbursing owners who have incurred the cost of repairing a problem that subsequently becomes the subject of a field action. To ensure consistency, FCA US, as part of the owner letter, will request that customers send the original receipt and/or other adequate proof of payment to the company for confirmation of the expense. Dealers will be notified of the launch of this safety recall by way of established communication methods.  This recall is estimated to launch in 3rd Quarter of 2020.

 

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July 2020

Dealer Service Instructions for:

Equipment Safety Recall W49 NHTSA 20E-043 Drag Link

 

Subject

Customers may have purchased some 4×4 style steering system drag link assembly component parts intended for Heavy Duty Ram trucks. If not welded, per Dealer Service Instructions for safety recall V06, the outboard steering linkage jam nut could loosen allowing one end of the drag link to separate from the adjuster sleeve. A drag link separation can result in a loss of directional steering control, which can cause a vehicle crash without prior warning.

 

Repair

If draglink assembly or components were already installed on the vehicle, raise the vehicle on a hoist and inspect the drag link assembly. Reference Safety Recall V06. If the drag link is not welded and torque values meet requirement, the nuts will be welded to the adjuster sleeve. If the torque values do not meet requirement, the drag link assembly will be assessed for replacement. Contact the Star Center for drag link assembly replacement approval.

 

If draglink assembly or components were not installed on the vehicle, customer can return the components or assembly to the dealer and FCA US will reimburse the customer. FCA US has a longstanding policy and practice of reimbursing owners who have incurred the cost of repairing a problem that subsequently becomes the subject of a field action. To ensure consistency, FCA US, will request that customers present the original receipt and/or other adequate proof of payment to the dealer for the drag link assembly/components.  If no proof of payment is available dealers can use the published retail cost of these components for reimbursement.

 

Parts Information

Must be approved by the Star Center

 

Parts Return

No parts return required for this campaign.

 

Special Tools

No special tools are required to perform this service procedure.

 

Service Procedure

Reference Safety Recall V06 for drag link inspect or repair procedure.  If V06 was already completed on the vehicle and customer claims the purchased components were installed on their vehicle, then follow V06 repair procedure.  Use W49 LOPs when complete.

If customer did not have components/assembly installed and have them in hand to return then reimburse the customer for the components/assembly, destroy them, and claim W49 Process Part Return For Customer LOP and Parts Reimbursement LOP.

 

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1 Affected Product

Equipment

 

 

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11 Associated Documents

Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-20E043-1216.pdf 607.956KB

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Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-20E043-7811.pdf 300KB

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Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc) – Media Release re 4×4 style steering system drag link assembly component parts intended for Heavy Duty Ram trucks

RCMN-20E043-4222.pdf 99.023KB

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Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-20E043-4543.PDF 218.949KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2020-4

RCLQRT-20E043-3707.PDF 211.229KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2020-3

RCLQRT-20E043-8309.PDF 211.131KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2021-1

RCLQRT-20E043-7706.PDF 211.307KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #4, 2021-2

RCLQRT-20E043-1334.PDF 211.416KB

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ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-20E043-4029.pdf 369.421KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #5, 2021-3

RCLQRT-20E043-5130.PDF 211.526KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #6, 2021-4

RCLQRT-20E043-4592.PDF 211.615KB

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Latest Recalls Documents

www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=20E043&docType=RCL

 

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