Stellantis is recalling more than 300,000 vehicles in the U.S. market due to a malfunction in the brake hydraulic control unit (HCU), according to a spokesperson for the Netherlands-based automobile manufacturer.
The spokesperson said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times on Monday that an estimated 317,630 trucks in the model years 2017 and 2018, including Ram Heavy Duty pickup trucks 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500, have an HCU that has the potential to fail.
The recall also affects an estimated 22,119 vehicles in Canada, 548 in Mexico, and 2,979 in some markets outside of North America.
“A routine review of warranty data and other information prompted a Company investigation that discovered certain vehicles may have been built with a brake HCU that is susceptible to intermittent loss, potentially progressing to permanent loss, of the anti-lock brake system (ABS), electronic stability control and traction control performance,” the spokesperson said. “Normal braking performance remains available.”
Though the HCU may pass an initial test for functionality, extended driving could cause the ABS to malfunction, leading to warnings that the ABS, the electronic stability, and traction control “may be limited.”
The spokesperson said there have been no related injuries reported.
Customers who are affected may call 1-800-853-1403 and will be advised when they can obtain a service to remedy this.
In December, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares resigned as company shares plummeted by 40 percent in 2024.
In the third quarter of 2024, sales were down by 17 percent in the United States.
There were reported steep declines in the sales of Dodge, Ram, Jeep, and Chrysler vehicle brands.
Jeff Laethem, a Stellantis dealership owner in Detroit, told Reuters that he was grateful to hear that Tavares was resigning.
“It couldn’t get worse,” he said, adding to the growing voices of Stellantis dealers dissatisfied with Tavares’s leadership.
In August, it was reported that Stellantis would lay off up to 2,450 workers at its Warren Truck Assembly Plant outside Detroit, Michigan, beginning in October.
A spokesperson for Stellantis told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that production of the Ram 1500 Classic pickup truck at the Warren plant ended on Oct. 4.
As a result, layoffs for approximately 1,100 employees began on Oct. 12. This is “far fewer than the total number” initially announced, the spokesperson said.
This change comes with the company’s move to more advanced vehicles using electronic components and full electric vehicle technology.
In September, Stellantis announced that it invested $406 million in three Michigan plants to start production on its first electric Dodge Ram truck.
“With these investments supporting both Jeep and Ram, we’re adding innovations to our Michigan manufacturing footprint to support a multi-energy approach that is laser-focused on customer demand,” Tavares said.
In December, The U.S. Department of Energy announced that it would give a conditional commitment loan for up to $7.54 billion to Stellantis’s joint venture with Samsung—StarPlus Energy—to manufacture lithium-ion batteries at two plants in Indiana.
Tom Ozimek, Chase Smith, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
