The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced the recall of about 280,000 Dodge Ram heavy-duty pickup trucks worldwide to replace a steering component that could break and result in a crash.

The NHTSA recall report says the left tie rod ball stud in the vehicles may fracture, resulting in a potential loss of directional stability in the left front wheel. The condition tends to occur during low-speed maneuvers when a driver is a making a tight turn, such as in a parking lot.

The recall includes about 242,000 cars in the United States, 35,000 in Canada, and 8,500 in Mexico and the rest of the world.

The following models are affected:

• 2008-2011 Dodge Ram 2500/3500 4x4


• 2008-2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Cab Chassis 4x2


• 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 Mega Cab 4x4

Additionally, model year 2003-05 Dodge Ram 2500/3500 vehicles may have received the affected component as a replacement part during normal service.

Dealers will replace the tie rod ends as required and perform a front-end alignment on affected vehicles, free of charge.

Last December, Chrysler recalled about 22,000 Dodge Ram 4500/5500 pickups for a similar problem. However, the company told NHTSA it didn’t need to recall the 2500/3500 models because their steering linkage system was a different design.

But in March, Chrysler said the issue needed to be examined further in the 2500/3500 models. Shortly thereafter, in April, NHTSA opened an investigation into the matter after receiving 12 complaints.

Chrysler hasn’t announced yet when it will notify consumers of the recall, but owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-853-1403, or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

NHTSA recall of Dodge Ram pickups [NHTSA]
NHTSA investigation into Dodge Ram 2500/3500 4x4 [NHTSA]