Staff ReportsChrysler, under parent company Stellantis, has quietly launched a big safety recall for certain Ram 1500 pickup trucks after regulators found some second‑row seat belt buckles may not have been properly attached. The formal notice is filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as Part 573, campaign number 26V495, and it covers hundreds of thousands of trucks in the U.S. and more than 1.5 million worldwide.
What the recall covers and why it matters
The recall applies to Ram 1500 model years 2019 through 2026. In the United States alone, the company reported 1,271,294 vehicles in the campaign; worldwide the total nudges just over 1.5 million. Chrysler estimates the actual problem affects only about 0.1% of those trucks, but even a tiny percentage of a million‑plus fleet is still a lot of people who could be hurt.
The Part 573 filing says the center and/or driver‑side second‑row seat belt buckle anchors may not be properly attached to the vehicle body structure. That weak attachment can reduce load management in a crash and increase the risk of injury to second‑row occupants. Stellantis told regulators it traced the issue to assembly/installation errors, not to a broken design part.
What owners should do now
Dealers were notified in early August and owner notices were scheduled to start on or about Aug. 18, with a phased mailing through late September. The fix is straightforward: dealers will inspect the second‑row center and driver‑side buckle anchors and, if needed, properly attach them to the body structure at no charge. Manufacturers advise drivers they can operate their trucks but should avoid sitting in the affected second‑row positions until inspection and any needed repair are completed.
Quick steps for Ram 1500 owners
- Check your truck’s VIN on the recall lookup tool provided by Mopar or NHTSA (recall campaign 26V495).
- Wait for the owner notice or contact your dealer to schedule an inspection if your VIN is included.
- Avoid using the affected second‑row seats until a dealer confirms the anchors are properly attached.
Who’s responsible — and why this stinks
Let’s call it what it is: an assembly failure on a mass scale. The supplier and the bolt part number are named in the recall filing, but the manufacturer is responsible for quality control on the line. Customers buy trucks to haul people and gear, not to hope the fasteners were torqued correctly that day. Stellantis should explain what production fix it put in place and how it will prevent this from repeating — and soon.
At the same time, regulators did their job: the NHTSA noncompliance finding triggered a formal recall so owners can get inspected and fixed for free. Still, owners are right to worry about dealer capacity and scheduling delays when a million‑plus vehicle population is involved. A quick inspection sounds easy — until your dealer backlog says otherwise.
Bottom line: if you own a Ram 1500 from 2019–2026, don’t ignore this. Note the recall number 26V495, check your VIN, and book an inspection. Stellantis can and should be sharper about assembly controls, and owners should push dealers for timely service. That’s the plain truth — and it’s worth saying bluntly.
