Ram Brake Settlement Resolves Class Action Suit Over Alleged ABS Module, Hydraulic Control Unit Defect

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A new class action settlement will provide owners and lessees of certain model year Ram pickup trucks allegedly equipped with defective anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and faulty brake hydraulic control units with reimbursements for repairs and vehicle rentals, with automaker FCA US also agreeing to initiate a voluntary safety recall. 

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The Dodge Ram class action settlement covers all current owners or lessees of a model year 2017-2018 DJ Ram 2500, D2 Ram 3500, DD Ram 3500 Cab Chassis, DF Ram 3500 10K LB. Cab Chassis, DX Ram Cab Chassis, or DP Ram 4500/5500 built between April 1, 2017 and December 29, 2018. 

The settlement agreement defines “current owners or lessees” as those who owned or leased any of the vehicle models listed above on or after November 1, 2023. 

According to the court-approved settlement website, FCARamBrakeSettlement.com, all class members will be able to take part in FCA US’s voluntary recall—NHTSA Recall No. 24V-896—of the Ram vehicles listed above. This recall will provide for the installation of a new brake hydraulic control unit with a pump motor brush material change, the settlement site states. 

Ram settlement class members who paid for the repair of a brake hydraulic control unit component can submit a claim for reimbursement on FCARecallReimbursement.com. To submit a reimbursement claim, you will need to provide your class vehicle’s 17-digit VIN. Valid reimbursement claims will be paid according to FCA US’s “normal recall payment processes,” the settlement website shares. 

Lastly, Ram drivers who had their vehicles repaired may submit a claim on FCARecallReimbursement.com for reimbursement of rental vehicle costs. FCA US will pay a maximum of $600,000 for all claims related to vehicle rental reimbursements, with such a claim not to exceed $100 per day, or up to $1,000 per class vehicle, the site states. If class-wide rental vehicle reimbursement claims exceed $600,000, they will be paid out on a pro-rated basis. 

“To obtain this reimbursement, Settlement Class Members must provide car rental receipts and proof of a contemporaneous repair to the Brake HCU,” the site reads. 

One of the initial class action lawsuits against FCA US alleged the hydraulic control unit and anti-lock braking system on certain 2017-2018 Ram pickups could cause the ABS, cruise control and traction control systems to become inoperable, leaving a vehicle difficult to control and “especially dangerous” to drive. 

A first amended complaint filed in March 2024 alleged FCA US had knowledge of the ABS and HCU defect yet failed to issue a recall or offer another remedy to drivers, leaving class members with expensive repair bills and unsafe Ram trucks. 

The court will hold a final approval hearing on April 11, 2025. It is typically after a class action settlement receives final approval from the court, and any appeals are resolved, that benefits—or settlement rebates, if applicable—are distributed to eligible class members. 

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