On April 14, 2020, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) issued a recall that affects 554,000 vehicles. There was a problem with the windshield wipers that went unnoticed at the time of manufacturing. At the beginning of the year, FCA started to see an increase in claims of vehicles under warranty. Once engineers were able to identify the problem, FCA issued the recall to rectify the issue. Although this is considered to be a minor problem, Ram 1500 owners are left frustrated with yet another recall.

Last week, FCA announced another recall for all Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks due to an ongoing issue with the multimedia display. Owners of the affected vehicles are anxious to get their trucks out of the shop and back onto the road without further recall concerns.

Is your vehicle affected?

The current voluntary safety recall announced by FCA includes all 2019 and 2020 Ram 1500 and Ram 1500 Classic trucks. Also included in the recall are all 2019 and 2020 Jeep Compass crossover SUVs. The vehicles affected by this recall were produced before March 3, 2020.

FCA reports that 425,588 trucks and SUVs are affected in the United States. There are another 76,280 vehicles affected in Canada and 48,800 outside of North America. Chrysler will be contacting all affected owners through approved communication methods to ensure their customers are made aware of this ongoing problem.

The most common complaints for the Ram 1500

Drivers of the affected vehicles report that the wipers are not clearing their windshields. Under inclement weather conditions, they have experienced poor visibility due to the windshield wipers not functioning properly. Some drivers have reported both wipers being affected, while others have only experienced it with one side.

The common concern is that the wiper arms are loose and not reliable. This diminishes the driver’s ability to see, creating a potentially hazardous driving condition. Owners of these vehicles have also noticed that when the wipers are in the off position, the blades are not resting properly. FCA reported that 439 warranty claims have been filed for this common issue. To date, there have been no reports of serious injury or crashes related to the wiper issue.

What is the recall for?

FCA has identified a problem with the improper manufacturing of some of its windshield wipers. According to the safety recall notice issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the above-mentioned vehicles “may have been built with an improperly formed wiper arm head joint that did not fully form the splines of the head joint on the wiper arm. This can allow the joint to strip and result in the wiper arm failing to operate properly when the system is activated.”

Left uncorrected, the inoperable windshield wipers could reduce visibility, leading to a car crash with no prior warning given.

How to fix the problem in your Ram 1500

The windshield wiper issue plaguing FCA vehicles can be easily rectified by a certified Chrysler service technician. Beginning May 29, 2020, dealerships will be authorized to tighten the nuts on the wiper blades to the required torque on all vehicles affected by this problem. There will be no cost incurred by the customer for this service. Customers experiencing this problem should schedule a service appointment and reference recall number W25.

Vehicle owners can enter their Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) at the NHTSA website to see if their vehicle has been affected by this recall. There is also an NHTSA hotline that can be reached at 888-327-4236. FCA owners may also contact Chrysler Customer Service at 800-853-1403 to address any concerns they may be having with regard to this recall.