FCA US, the Stellantis subsidiary, is recalling roughly 266,000 Ram vans because water can get into the electric power steering wiring harness and cause a loss of steering assist, according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall covers certain Ram ProMaster 1500, 2500, and 3500 vans from model years 2022 through 2026, plus electric Ram ProMaster 3500 vans from model years 2024 through 2026. FCA estimates that 7.7 percent of the recalled vehicles actually have the defect, per the recall report.
The failure mode is straightforward. Water intrusion into the electric power steering system can corrode the wiring harness, which can cause steering assist to deactivate either intermittently or permanently. That raises the risk of a crash, according to the recall report. The failure can happen without warning, although a power steering fault warning light may illuminate on the dashboard when assist is lost. Dealers will inspect affected vans and, if needed, replace the wiring harness or the electric power steering box with an improved-sealing version at no charge. The remedy is not yet available; FCA told dealers it is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The recall follows a long paper trail. In September 2025, NHTSA opened a preliminary investigation after receiving nine owner complaints about power steering loss in Ram vans. FCA US started its own internal investigation on January 8, 2026, and began examining water intrusion into power steering electronics on ProMaster vans between March and June. NHTSA's defect investigation office opened a formal probe on March 2, citing 19 owner questionnaires about steering assist failures involving ProMaster 1500, 2500, and 3500 vans from model years 2022 and 2023.
The complaint and warranty numbers grew steadily through 2026. In response to a NHTSA follow-up request in June, FCA US identified 437 customer records, 2,799 warranty claims, and 191 field reports across all markets potentially related to the problem, with reports received between April 2022 and June 2026. The automaker reviewed production records and design changes to the electric power steering system to try to pin down the root cause and the affected vehicle population. By September 2, the company had identified 974 additional potentially related reports spanning April 2022 to April 2026, bringing the combined total to 4,401 potential warranty claims and reports tied to steering assist loss in Ram vans.
FCA US is aware of one potentially related accident, with no injuries reported. Interim owner notification letters are expected to be mailed starting November 17. In a separate filing, FCA US also recalled nearly 8,400 Mopar body and start wiring harnesses sold through dealers as replacement parts, because of the same defect. That matters for anyone who has had a harness swapped outside the recall population, since the aftermarket part carries the same water intrusion risk.
The ProMaster recall lands in a busy stretch for commercial vehicle safety actions. A Fleet Maintenance roundup published October 20, 2026, lists NHTSA recalls covering Daimler Truck Freightliner models with fuel filter hoses that may separate and leak, Ford F-150 front seats that may be improperly secured, 2015 Ford Transit Connect vans with rearview camera failures, and Kalmar terminal tractors whose printed circuit boards can short circuit and catch fire even when parked. Chrysler is also recalling 8,329 2026 Ram 2500 pickups over steering column control modules that can cause a loss of electronic stability control, expanding a previous NHTSA recall.
For fleet operators, the practical takeaway is to check whether their ProMaster vans are covered, watch for the interim letters starting November 17, and track the remedy availability expected in Q4 2026. Because the fix is not yet on shelves, vans in service will keep operating until parts arrive, so drivers should know that a sudden loss of steering assist is possible and that a dashboard warning light may or may not appear. The NHTSA Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 and nhtsa.gov remain the fastest ways to confirm recall status in the meantime.
Why it matters
A sudden loss of power steering in a full-size work van is a serious safety and uptime issue, and the remedy is not yet available. Fleets need to know which vans are covered, when letters go out, and when parts arrive.
Builder angle
The defect chain here runs from water sealing to harness corrosion to intermittent electrical failure, a pattern that shows up across many vehicle systems. Builders working on fleet telematics or diagnostic tooling could surface dashboard fault codes and recall status in one view, since owners may not notice a warning light before assist drops out. The separate Mopar harness recall also shows how replacement parts can carry the same defect as production parts, which is a useful edge case for parts-tracking systems.
What to watch next
Whether the remedy parts ship on schedule in Q4 2026 or the timeline slips How many of the 266,000 recalled vans ultimately need harness versus steering box replacement Any updates to the NHTSA investigation record as the 4,401 claim and report total evolves The outcome of the separate Mopar replacement harness recall
Sources
- www.pathtopark.fr Source checked 2026-10-23
- www.nst.com.my Source checked 2026-10-23
- www.fleetmaintenance.com Source checked 2026-10-23