- Vehicles
- 216,100
- Built between
- Aug 1996 – Oct 2000
- Models
- 6
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 18 June 2001
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between August 1996 and October 2000. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1997-2000 Dodge DakotaBuilt August 1996 to October 2000
- 1997-2000 Dodge DurangoBuilt August 1996 to October 2000
- 1997-2001 Dodge RAMBuilt August 1996 to October 2000
- 2000-2001 Dodge RAM 1500Built May 2000 to October 2000
- 2000-2001 Dodge RAM 2500Built May 2000 to October 2000
- 2000-2001 Dodge RAM 3500Built May 2000 to October 2000
What the defect is
Vehicle description: pickup trucks. Sound deadener material inside the steering wheel could become detached from the cover and housing. Note: the ram pickup trucks were built at the warren assembly plant ("s" in the 11TH VIN position) from may 16, 2000 through october 23, 2000; st. Louis north assembly plant ("j" in the 11TH VIN position) from may 19, 2000 through october 23, 2000; lago alberto assembly plant ("m" in the 11TH VIN position) from may 23, 2000 through october 23, 2000; and saltillo assembly plant ("g" in the 11TH VIN position) from may 23, 2000 through october 23, 2000. Important: vehicles that have already had the proper clockspring installed, according to warranty records, have been excluded from this recall. In addition, 1997-2000 model year vehicles that have had a suspect replacement clockspring installed, according to warranty records, have been added to this recall.
What could happen
When this occurs, the material could interfere with the clockspring ribbon and cause an open circuit. The driver air bag system will become disabled, and the air bag warning lamp will illuminate on the instrument panel.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CLOCKSPRING ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 18, 2001. ALSO SOME 1997-200 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES THAT, ACCORDING TO WARRANTY RECORDS, HAVE HAD A SUSPECT REPLACEMENT CLOCKSPRING INSTALLED, WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THIS CAMPAIGN.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtAugust 1996 to October 2000
- Recall reported to NHTSA8 May 2001
- Owners notified18 June 2001
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 8 May 2001.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact daimlerchrysler at 1-800-853-1403.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 982
- Recalling manufacturer
- DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORPORATION
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.