The NHTSA has asked Stellanstis to investigate a possible fuel pump failure in some RAM models. The NHTSA-issued investigation has been ongoing since 2019 and if it is raised to a recall, it could affect more than 600,000 trucks.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working with Stellantis to investigate potential high-pressure fuel pump failures on its 2018-2020 Ram trucks with the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine. According to an NHTSA announcement on October 14, there have been 22 reports of pump failures.
Importance of the high pressure fuel pump
A diesel engine literally lives or dies by its high pressure fuel pump, thanks to the massive pressures required to atomize diesel fuel enough for efficient combustion.
A faulty or bad pump can cause a stall or no-start condition . The NHTSA document states that so far all failures have occurred at speeds in excess of 25 mph.
The failure could represent a recall
This investigation has yet to become a recall, nor is it clear how many vehicles would be affected if it soars that far ( NHTSA estimates up to 604,651 ), but only time will tell for sure.