Stellantis’s American arm, the FCA US LLC is under investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after receiving complaints regarding the snap ring failure. NHTSA has received 82 complaints alleging the failure, of which 16 owners claimed complete loss of power. This particular issue has been found in certain 2022-model Ram heavy-duty trucks, including 2022 Ram 3500 pickups, 3500, 4500, and 5500 chassis cabs.
Owners complained that they witnessed the loss of motive power when driving above 25 mph. They further went on to complain that they were unable to restart the vehicle which makes sense since a faulty snap ring means losing gears first through fourth. However, the automaker has confirmed that the fifth and sixth gear are unaffected. Moreover, a warning message will be displayed if any failure is encountered.
The automakers have been aware of the issue since January 2023 and are looking into a problem with the K1 snap ring found in the Aisin AS69RC or AS66RC transmissions. To fix the issue, dealers would be required to remove the transmission, torque converter, and oil pump to fix the K1 and K2 clutch assemblies.
The investigation has not concluded yet so concerned owners might have to wait a bit. However, if the recall is initiated, it will encompass 188,320 trucks.
