Safety Recall Y21- Powertrain Control Module Software – 2019-2020 Ram 3500, 4500, & 5500 Cab Chassis

June 10, 2021 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 21V439000

Engine Calibration may not Warn of Low Oil Volume

Low oil can damage the engine, causing an oil leak or a punctured engine block, increasing the risk of a fire.

 

NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V439

Manufacturer Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)

Components ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Potential Number of Units Affected 32,002

 

Summary

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ram 3500, 4500, and 5500 cab chassis vehicles equipped with a Cummins 6.7L High Output engine. The engine calibration software may not warn about low oil volume.

 

Remedy

Dealers will update the engine calibration software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 25, 2021. Owners may contact FCA US LLC customer service at 1-800-853-1403. FCA US LLC’s number for this recall is Y21.

 

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.nhtsa.gov.

 

Check if your Vehicle has a Recall

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New Safety Recall Advanced Communication – Y21

FCA US LLC (FCA US) has announced a safety recall on certain 2019 and 2020 Model Year (DD) Ram 3500 Cab Chassis and (DP) 4500/5500 Cab Chassis trucks equipped with a 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel Engine.  

 

REASON FOR THIS SAFETY RECALL

Some of the above vehicles may have an oil life monitor strategy that does not provide adequate warning of oil consumption which may allow engine oil volume to fall below an acceptable level. Low oil volume in the engine can cause a lack of oil film on the main bearings, deteriorating the bearing which can result in engine damage, which may puncture the engine block, and may lead to a vehicle fire which increases the risk of injury to occupants and persons outside the vehicle, as well as property damage.

 

SERVICE ACTION

FCA US will conduct a voluntary safety recall to reprogram the powertrain control module calibration software to include enhanced oil life monitoring. Dealers will be notified of the launch of this safety recall by way of established communication methods.  This recall is estimated to launch in the 2nd Quarter of 2021.

 

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Revision (1) June 2021

Dealer Service Instructions for:

Safety Recall Y21 / NHTSA 21V-439 Powertrain Control Module Software

 

NOTE: The last bullet point on page 9 of this document was revised for clarity.

 

Remedy Available

 

 

NOTE:  This recall applies only to the above vehicles equipped with a 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel Engine (sales code ETN, ETK, ETL, ETM).

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 Powertrain Control Module (PCM) on about 34,000 of the above vehicles may have an oil life monitor strategy that does not provide adequate warning of oil consumption which may allow engine oil volume to fall below an acceptable level. Low oil volume in the engine can cause a lack of oil film on the main bearings, deteriorating the bearing which can result in engine damage, which may puncture the engine block and may lead to a vehicle fire which increases the risk of injury to occupants and persons outside the vehicle, as well as property damage.

 

Repair

Reprogram the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) follow section A. Inspection Procedure below before reprogramming the PCM.

 

NOTE: You may be presented with two calibration choices when reprogramming the PCM. Please follow the inspection steps closely to avoid choosing the incorrect calibration. Choosing the incorrect calibration will result in an undesirable noise from the High Pressure Fuel Pump, requiring the PCM to be reprogrammed again with the correct calibration.

 

NOTE: All known FCA customers involved in this recall have been mailed information regarding the Oil Change Indicator System. Please print the last page of this document and provide it to the customer. This document is intended to explain the remedy and potential effects it may have on the vehicle that the customer may notice after the recall has been completed.

 

Parts Information

No parts are required to perform this service procedure.

 

Parts Return

No parts return required for this campaign.

 

Special Tools

The following special tools are required to perform this repair:

 

 

Inspection Procedure

 

1. Inspection Procedure

 

The fuel injection pump must be inspected to determine which design

determine which calibration will need  to be programmed into the PCM. pump is installed on the vehicle. Older design pumps have an Asymmetrical design internal cam. The newer design pumps have a

Symmetrical design internal cam. The design of the pump will

From outward appearance both pumps look identical, with the exception of specific identification marks machined into the body of the pump.

 

1. Inspect the fuel injection pump to see which pump the vehicle has.

 

➢ Vehicles with the new style Symmetrical pump will have one large single dot embossed in the pump housing    (Figure 1).

 

• For vehicles equipped with a Symmetrical pump, choose the calibration labeled Symmetric, or Sym Pump (Figure 1).

 

• Vehicles with the old style Asymmetrical pump will have multiple dots embossed in the pump housing (Figure 2).

 

• For vehicles with an Asymmetrical pump, choose the calibration labeled Asymmetric or Asym Pump (Figure 2).

 

2. Proceed to section B. Reprogramming the PCM Procedure

 

Service Procedure

 

1. Reprogramming the PCM Procedure

 

CAUTION: Do not interrupt the software update process in any way once NOTE: The wiTECH scan tool must be used to  perform this recall.  The it has begun. It may cause permanent damage to the PCM which will require replacement. It is highly recommended to have a new generic PCM unit available at the workshop before starting the Repair Procedure.

 

NOTE: The wiTECH scan tool must be used to perform this recall. The wiTECH software is required to be at the latest release level before performing this procedure.  

 

1. Open the hood. Install a battery charger and verify that the charging rate provides 13.0 to 13.5 volts.  Do not allow the charger to time out during the flash process.  Set the battery charger timer (if so equipped) to continuous charge.

 

NOTE:  Use an accurate stand-alone voltmeter.  The battery charger volt meter may not be sufficiently accurate.  Voltages outside of the specified range will cause an unsuccessful flash.  If voltage reading is too high, apply an electrical load by activating the park or headlamps and/or HVAC blower motor to lower the voltage.

 

2. Connect the wiTECH micro pod II to the vehicle data link connector.

 

3. Place the ignition in the “RUN” position.

 

4. Open the wiTECH 2.0 website.

 

5. Enter your “User id” and “Password” and your “Dealer Code”, then select “Sign In” at the bottom of the screen. Click “Accept”.

 

6. From the “Vehicle Selection” screen, select the vehicle to be updated.

 

7. Using the wiTECH tool or the cluster display record the Oil Life percentage.

 

8. From the “Action Items” screen, select the “Topology” tab.

 

9. From the “Topology” tab, select the “PCM ” module icon.

 

10. From the “Flash” tab, compare the “Current Electronic Control Unit (ECU) Part Number” with the “New ECU Part Number” listed.

 

• If the “Current ECU part Number” is the same as the “New Part Number”, proceed to Step 15.

• If the “Current ECU part Number” is NOT the same as the “New Part Number”, continue with Step 11.

 

11. From the PCM tab, select the PCM flash part number. Read the flash special instructions page.  Select “OK” to continue.

 

12. From the flash ECU agreement page, agree to terms by checking the box.

 

13. Select “Flash ECU” and then follow the wiTECH screen instructions to complete the flash.

 

14. Confirm the software is at the latest available calibration level.

 

15. Is the vehicle equipped with an 68RFE automatic transmission?

 

• If YES, proceed to Step 16. Ø If NO, proceed to Step 17.

 

16. Perform the transmission “Quicklearn” procedure, Follow the detailed service procedure select “TCM”.

 

17. Click “View DTCs”, select “Clear All DTCs”.

 

18. Using wiTECH, perform the ‘Oil Life Restore” procedure located in the ECM “Misc. Functions” tab.

 

19. Remove the wiTECH from the vehicle, disconnect the battery charger from the vehicle.

 

20. Return the vehicle to the customer.

 

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IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

Vehicle information

 

Dear FCA vehicle owner:

FCA would like to provide the following information relating to enhancements in how your vehicle’s system will decide oil change intervals to help increase the life of your engine. Please read and follow this important information which is critical to maintain your vehicle’s engine  life.

 

The information below applies to your vehicle once the safety recall Y21, has been completed.

 

OIL CHANGE INDICATOR SYSTEM — CUMMINS® DIESEL Your vehicle is equipped with an engine oil change indicator system. This system will alert you when it is time to change your engine oil by displaying the words “Oil Change Due” in your instrument cluster display. The new engine oil change indicator system adds duty cycle tracking, which means the engine oil change interval may fluctuate depending on your personal driving style or workload of your truck. Failure to change the engine oil per the maintenance schedule or the oil change indicator system’s prompt can result in internal engine damage. An authorized dealer will reset the oil change indicator message after completing the scheduled oil change. If a scheduled oil change is performed by someone other than an authorized dealer, please reference the owner’s manual for instructions.

 

Replace the engine oil and oil filter every 15,000 miles (24,000 km) or 12 months, or sooner if prompted by the oil change indicator system. Under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed 15,000 miles (24,000 km) or 12 months, whichever comes first. NOTE:

• Under no circumstances should oil change intervals exceed 15,000 miles (24,000 km) or 12 months or 500 hours, whichever comes first.
• It is recommended that every 3,000 miles (4, 800 km), check the engine oil level at least 30 minutes after a fully warmed engine is shut off. Checking the oil level while the vehicle is on level ground will improve the accuracy of the oil level reading. Add oil only when the level is at or below the ADD or MIN mark.
• Severe service (high ambient temperature, short trips, heavy loading, trailer towing, off-road, or law enforcement use) may reduce the miles between oil changes.

 

Customer Assistance/Field Operations

FCA US LLC

 

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FCA US LLC Recall Part Numbers

Y21 Cummins 6.7L High Output Engine Calibration Submitted on June 10, 2021

 

CUMMINS ENGINE CALIBRATION PART NUMBERS BY MODEL AND MODEL YEAR

 

 

 

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6 Affected Products

Vehicles

 

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13 Associated Documents

Recall Acknowledgement

RCAK-21V439-3965.pdf 644.979KB

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Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-21V439-8177.pdf 1121.975KB

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Defect Notice 573 Report

RCLRPT-21V439-9259.PDF 216.084KB

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Miscellaneous Document – CUMMINS ENGINE CALIBRATION PART NUMBERS BY MODEL AND MODEL YEAR

RMISC-21V439-1773.pdf 334.455KB

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Manufacturer Notices(to Dealers,etc) – Dealer Notification re FCA US LLC (FCA US) has announced a safety recall on certain 2019 and 2020 Model Year (DD) Ram 3500 Cab Chassis and (DP) 4500/5500 Cab Chassis trucks equipped with a 6.7L Cummins Turbo Diesel Engine

RCMN-21V439-4038.pdf 97.358KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #1, 2021-2

RCLQRT-21V439-5548.PDF 211.154KB

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ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-21V439-0180.pdf 689.73KB

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ISSUED Owner Notification Letter(Part 577)

RCONL-21V439-0146.pdf 688.883KB

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Remedy Instructions and TSB

RCRIT-21V439-0521.pdf 1270.371KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #2, 2021-3

RCLQRT-21V439-5659.PDF 211.262KB

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ISSUED Renotification Notice

RCRN-21V439-6758.pdf 137.479KB

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Recall Quarterly Report #3, 2021-4

RCLQRT-21V439-8461.PDF 211.351KB

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Renotification Notice

RCRN-21V439-1000.pdf 1537.491KB

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Latest Recalls Documents

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/documentList.xhtml?docId=21V439&docType=RCL

 

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Last update on 2022-05-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API