Fiat Chrysler Recalls 1.2 Million Ram Pickups Over a Fatal Flaw -
By BILL VLASIC and NEAL E. BOUDETTEMAY 12, 2017
DETROIT — A major recall of pickup trucks announced Friday by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
is another dose of bad news for a company already on the skids in the American market.
In the latest in a series of safety problems dating back three years, the company said it would recall more than 1.2 million Ram pickups to fix faulty software
that can disable airbags and seatbelt tension devices.
Fiat Chrysler said the recall covered 1.02 million vehicles in the United States and 259,000 trucks in Canada, Mexico and other international markets.
“The company is aware of one fatality, two injuries and two accidents
that may be related” to the defect, according to a statement on Fiat Chrysler’s website.
The recall is particularly troublesome for Fiat Chrysler because it involves the Ram pickup — by far its best-selling vehicle
and one of its only models whose sales are growing in a declining domestic market.
The defect has been linked to accidents resulting in one death
and two injuries, the company said in documents submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
