Ram Recalls 1.3 Million 2019-2026 Ram 1500s For Seat Belt Anchor Issue

Short Summary:

• Ram and the NHTSA have recalled nearly 1.3 million 2019-2026 Ram 1500 pickups.
• The reason is the second-row seat belt buckle anchor wasn't tightened properly.
• The repair is simple: inspect and retorque the second-row seat belt buckle anchor.

When your friends, family, or co-workers hop into the rear of your Ram 1500 pickup, all of you expect the trip to be normal and free of worry. But accidents happen, which is why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has rules on occupant safety. Unfortunately, it appears that 1500s built between model years 2019 and 2026 might not have had the seat belt buckle anchor for the second-row seats attached properly. That issue has triggered a recall affecting 1,271,294 of these popular pickups.

What Is This “Anchor”?

The anchor being referred to here is the bolt that secures the buckle to its body attachment point under the seats. Because it is not properly tightened to specification, it reduces the load-carrying ability of the entire assembly during a crash or even during "certain types of driving conditions." The other issue is that it will continue to loosen over time and eventually fall out. Either way, you could potentially end up with someone severely injured or worse should you find yourself in an accident.

It Won’t Need a New Bolt or Buckle

Thankfully, the repair for this recall is simple: Inspect and retorque the bolt. Because it was installed loose and normal usage does not result in high stress on the buckle and bolt, a simple retorque is all that is necessary to fix it and the labor will not be charged to you as it's part of a recall service.

If it has fallen out, the technician will likely reinstall it and torque it down to proper specification. However, should there be any evidence of damage to the bolt, it will be replaced with a matching fastener at no cost to you. You can continue driving your 2019-2026 Ram 1500, but we advise you not to seat anyone in the second row until the buckle bolts are inspected and torqued to spec.

That also means there will not be long downtime for this recall. Simply bring your truck in, let the technician inspect and retorque the buckle anchor bolts, and be on your way. Total time for the repair should be under an hour, so this is a job you can schedule and wait for instead of needing a rental for the day. Still, check to see how busy your dealer is before committing to that.

Dealers should already be aware of the recall, and affected VINs are searchable on the NHTSA website or the Mopar service website. You will see a notice starting Aug. 18 through Sept. 24.

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