Water inside a wiring harness is the problem behind a new safety recall of 265,512 Ram ProMaster vans. Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) told federal regulators that water may enter the electric power steering wiring harness and disable power steering assist.
The recall reaches both the standard ProMaster and its electric version across five model years. The filing says a loss of steering assist raises the risk of a crash, and the owner letters are scheduled for November.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s record for recall campaign 26V621 lists the manufacturer as Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) and the report received date as Sept. 29, 2026. It covers “2022-2026 Ram 1500 Promaster, Ram 2500 Promaster, Ram 3500 Promaster, and 2024-2026 Ram 3500 Electric (EV) vehicles,” with 265,512 units potentially affected. NHTSA files the defect under the component heading “STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM.”
The defect and the risk
The record states the defect in one line: water may enter the electric power steering wiring harness, “which can disable power steering assist.” The consequence, in NHTSA’s wording, is direct: “A loss of power steering assist can increase the risk of a crash.”
NHTSA’s own investigators have described what that feels like from the driver’s seat. In a separate defect investigation into 2022-2023 ProMasters, covered below, the agency wrote that a failure of this kind increases steering effort, which “can potentially lead to a loss of directional control.”
What owners will get
The fix is free. According to the campaign record, “Dealers will inspect and replace the wiring harness and electronic power steering gear, as necessary, free of charge.” Replacement of the steering gear itself, not only the harness, is part of the planned remedy where inspection calls for it.
Notification will come in two steps. “Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, are expected to be mailed November 17, 2026,” the record says, and “Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available.” Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 800-853-1403. Chrysler’s internal number for the campaign is 92D.
NHTSA’s record says the vehicle identification numbers involved “will became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 6, 2026,” as written in the filing. The agency’s recall lookup page lets owners enter the 17-character VIN, found on the lower left of the windshield, and tells owners to “contact your local dealership to fix the recalled part for free.” The same page says manufacturers notify registered owners “by first class mail within 60 days of notifying NHTSA of a recall decision.”
An earlier NHTSA look at ProMaster steering
The recall is not the first federal attention to ProMaster steering assist in 2026. NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened Preliminary Evaluation PE26002 on March 2, 2026, covering an estimated 136,666 model-year 2022-2023 Ram ProMaster vans. The investigation summary cites alleged “Loss of power steering assist due to water intrusion into power steering module connector,” based on 19 owner complaints, and lists zero reported crashes, injuries or fatalities at the time it was opened.
The preliminary evaluation and the recall describe related symptoms but are not the same document. The investigation resume refers to water at the power steering module connector on 2022-2023 vans; the recall describes water entering the power steering wiring harness and reaches across 2022-2026 vans and 2024-2026 electric models. NHTSA’s campaign record does not say whether the recall grew out of the investigation.
The next dated step on the record is the Nov. 17, 2026 mailing of interim owner letters, with a second round of letters to follow once Chrysler’s final remedy is available.
Top image: A 2023 Ram ProMaster 2500 high-roof cargo van photographed in New Castle, Pennsylvania, in September 2023. Model year 2023 is within the recall’s range. Image Credit: MercurySable99 — CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Combat Rated editors prior to publication.