Chrysler has recalled certain 2023–2026 Ram 2500 pickups over a software fault with an unusual description: the powertrain control module may allow the truck to exceed the speed rating of its own tires.

NHTSA lists the campaign as 26V288000, reported May 7, 2026. FCA’s internal number is 43D.

What the defect is

The filing states that a software error in the powertrain control module may improperly allow the vehicle speed to exceed the tire speed rating, which can result in a loss of vehicle control.

Heavy-duty trucks are normally speed-limited in software, and one of the things that limit is calibrated against is the tires the truck left the factory on. Every tire carries a speed rating — the sustained speed it is certified to handle. Exceed it for long enough and heat builds faster than the tire can shed it.

The consequence NHTSA lists is blunt: loss of vehicle control increases the risk of a crash.

Why this one matters beyond the recall

The recall is a software fix. The underlying principle is worth understanding whether or not your truck is affected, because owners of three-quarter and one-ton trucks routinely change the variable the software was calibrated around.

Aggressive all-terrain and mud-terrain tires frequently carry lower speed ratings than the highway tires a truck ships with. Load-range E tires in particular are built for weight rather than speed. Fitting a tire with a lower rating than the factory fitment does not update the truck’s speed limiter — the limiter does not know what you fitted.

So a truck that is entirely within its limiter can still be above the rating of the rubber underneath it. That is not a defect; it is a consequence of a modification, and it sits with the owner rather than the manufacturer.

The sidewall carries the rating as a letter after the load index. Worth reading it once when you change tires.

The remedy

Dealers will update the powertrain control module software free of charge. Owner notification letters went out May 21, 2026, and VINs became searchable on NHTSA’s site from May 14.

FCA customer service for the campaign is 1-800-853-1403.

A second Ram 2500 campaign

Separately, certain 2026 Ram 2500 pickups are recalled under campaign 26V244000 over steering column control modules that can cause a loss of electronic stability control.

NHTSA notes those vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 126, which governs electronic stability control systems. Dealers will replace the steering column control module free of charge; owner letters were mailed May 7, and FCA’s number for it is 36D.

Neither campaign carries a “park it” or “park outside” designation, and neither is fixed over the air — both require a dealer visit. That is a different posture from the GM transfer case recall, where NHTSA is telling owners not to drive at all.

Checking your truck

Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Model year alone is not enough on either of these — 26V288000 spans four model years and 26V244000 covers one, and both are limited to specific builds within them.

This article was researched and drafted with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed, fact-checked and edited by Leonidas Clark before publication. Confirm your vehicle status with NHTSA or the manufacturer.