2025 RAM 1500 Recalled Over Back Over Prevention

Here’s the short version: if you back up your Ram 1500 and the screen goes blank where the rearview camera image should be, that’s the defect Chrysler is recalling right now. No picture behind you means you’re driving blind out the back, and that’s exactly the situation this recall is meant to fix.

Chrysler’s parent company, FCA US, LLC, is recalling 239,131 trucks over a radio software error that can stop the rearview camera from showing an image. The recall covers certain 2025 and 2026 Ram 1500 pickups and carries NHTSA campaign number 26V560000.

What actually fails

This isn’t a broken camera lens or a chewed-up wiring harness. The camera hardware is fine. The problem lives in the radio software — the system that takes the camera feed and puts it on your center screen.

When that software glitches, the image doesn’t display. You shift into reverse expecting to see what’s behind you, and the screen doesn’t show it. That’s the whole failure. Simple to describe, but it matters because federal law counts on that image being there.

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111, “Rear Visibility,” requires the rearview image to display when you back up. A truck that doesn’t show it fails to meet that standard. That’s why this is a recall and not just an annoying software bug you’d live with.

Why it matters behind the wheel

A full-size Ram 1500 is a big truck with a tall tailgate. The area directly behind the bumper is exactly where you can’t see over the sheet metal — where a kid, a bike, a mailbox, or a parked car disappears from view. The backup camera exists to cover that blind zone.

Take the image away and you’re relying on mirrors and a shoulder check that don’t reach the ground right behind the tailgate. As the filing puts it, a rearview image that doesn’t display reduces the driver’s view behind the vehicle and increases the risk of a crash. In plain terms: you could back into something, or someone, that you never saw.

What the filing says

Here’s the timeline straight from the paperwork:

• Chrysler received the recall on September 1, 2026.
• The affected VINs will be searchable on NHTSA.gov starting September 9, 2026.
• Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 24, 2026.

The fix is a radio software update. Chrysler says it can be done over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, and it’s free of charge either way. Chrysler’s internal number for this recall is 83D.

What this means if you own one

1. Run your VIN. Starting September 9, 2026, you can look up your truck at NHTSA.gov using campaign number 26V560000 to confirm whether yours is included. Do it even if your camera seems fine — a software glitch can show up intermittently. Owner hubs for the 2025 RAM 1500 and 2026 RAM 1500 are good places to keep track of the details.

2. Don’t ignore a blank screen. If you shift into reverse and the camera view doesn’t come up, treat that as the defect, not a fluke. Back up slow, use your mirrors, and get a spotter for tight spaces until the software is updated.

3. Watch for the OTA update. Because this can be pushed over-the-air, your truck may fix itself if it’s connected. Make sure your vehicle’s connectivity is on so it can receive the update. If you’d rather have a dealer do it, that’s an option too, and it’s still free.

4. Wait for your letter, but you don’t have to sit idle. Notification letters are expected to mail September 24, 2026. If you have questions before then, you can call Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403 and reference recall 83D.

5. Know the repair costs you nothing. A safety recall remedy is free by law. Whether the update comes over-the-air or through a service department, don’t let anyone charge you for it.

6. Document everything. Keep a note of when you got the update, whether it came OTA or from a dealer, and any camera problems you had before it landed. If a symptom keeps happening after the fix, that record matters.

The honest take

As recalls go, this is on the manageable end. Nobody’s engine is grenading and no part needs to be torn out. It’s a software error with a software fix, and the over-the-air option means a lot of these trucks will get patched without an owner ever setting foot in a dealership.

That said, don’t shrug it off. The reason FMVSS 111 exists is that people get hurt backing over things they can’t see, and a dead camera screen puts you right back in that blind spot. Confirm your VIN when the list goes live, make sure your truck can pull the update, and drive like the camera isn’t there until you know it’s fixed. That’s the safe way to treat it until the software is on.

Source: NHTSA recall campaign 26V560000.