Ram Recalls ProMaster Chassis Cab and Cutaway Over Incorrect Rearview Camera

1 year, 9 months ago - 12 January 2023, autoevolution

What do you call a Fiat Ducato for the United States market? Ram introduced the ProMaster at the 2013 Chicago Auto Show for the 2014 model year, and ever since, it’s been a bit of a miss in terms of quality.

Campaign number 22V-947, the latest ProMaster-related recall published on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website, concerns an assembly plant error that resulted in a noncompliance with federal motor vehicle safety standard 111. FCA US LLC, which still goes by that name after the cross-border merger with Groupe PSA to form the Stellantis corporation, became aware of said error on June 30th, 2022.

More specifically, the Technical Safety and Regulatory Compliance organization was notified of incorrect rearview cameras being shipped in the accessory bags for the 2022 model year Ram ProMaster Chassis Cab and Cutaway. From July through December of last year, the safety and regulatory boffins met with Engineering, Vehicle Manufacturing, and Fleet Sales & Logistics to review the issue and the suspect population.

A full-on investigation was opened in August 2022 based on information that the provided rearview cameras couldn’t be installed on suspect chassis cabs and cutaways. FCA US LLC took its sweet time about it. The Auburn Hills-based automaker decided to inform the federal watchdog of this problem in December 2022, a problem that was pretty obvious right off the bat: analog and digital rearview cameras are very different animals.

Indeed, ladies and gents! The assembly plant error mentioned earlier boils down to a logistics department that messed up the rearview camera type for the light commercial vehicle. The digital camera that should have been provided in the accessory bag comes courtesy of Canada-based Magna Electronics. The part number for this digital camera is 68531528AB.

FMVSS 111 clearly states that the rear visibility system must default to the rearview image when placing the vehicle’s gear selector into reverse. Given that the analog rearview camera cannot be installed on the chassis cabs and cutaways mentioned earlier, that is a clear noncompliance.

A grand total of 38 examples of the 2022 model year RAM ProMaster are called back, with the suspect period beginning on August 23rd, 2021 and ending on June 24th, 2022. Similar vehicles not included in this recall were supplied with digital cameras prior to their shipment or were completed by a third party with a digital camera not provided by FCA US LLC.

The Ram ProMaster Cutaway is based on the 3500, named this way after its weight handling capacity. Exclusively offered with the 159-inch (4,039-millimeter) wheelbase, the ProMaster Cutaway features payload capacities ranging between 5,170 pounds (2,345 kilograms) and 5,220 pounds (2,368 kilograms). Both variants feature a GVWR of 9,350 pounds (4,241 kilograms) and tow no more than 5,600 pounds (2,540 kilograms).