Every 2025 and 2026 Ram 1500 in a recall that Chrysler (the FCA unit of Stellantis) filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on September 1, 2026, carries the same fault: a radio software error that can leave the rearview camera screen black when the driver shifts into reverse. The filing counts 239,131 trucks, and Chrysler estimates that 100 percent of them have the defect.
The recall filing points at no fault in the camera, the wiring or the screen. The failure sits in the infotainment radio code that is supposed to hand the camera image to the display, which makes this a software recall in a federal category that usually involves hardware.
The Part 573 filing and the 239,131 count
The controlling document is Chrysler’s Part 573 safety recall report, submitted on September 1, 2026, under NHTSA campaign 26V560 and Chrysler’s internal code 83D. It states the total “potentially involved” as 239,131 vehicles, all 2025 and 2026 model-year Ram 1500 pickups, and it lists a single remedy: a radio software update.
One wrinkle: NHTSA’s own recall database record for the same campaign carries a unit field of 239,130, one lower than the figure in the manufacturer’s filing. The filing, along with the weekly recall roundup that first listed campaign 26V560000, uses 239,131, and that is the number used here. The database record describes the component as “back over prevention: software” and quotes the manufacturer’s summary that “a radio software error may cause the rearview camera image not to display.”
Trade coverage adds production detail the filing summary does not. Mopar Insiders reports the affected trucks were built from October 6, 2023, through February 23, 2026, and that the radio is supplied by Harman Becker Automotive Systems. Those two details come from that outlet’s reading of the filing, not from the NHTSA summary page.
The detail that distinguishes this recall from a dead-camera complaint is the owner’s experience: the truck drives normally, the radio plays, and the failure shows up only at the moment of backing up. That is also why the defect was found through field records and warranty claims, since nothing in the truck signals the problem until reverse is selected.
The rear visibility rule in FMVSS 111
The rule at stake is FMVSS 111, the rear visibility standard. Under 49 CFR 571.111, a rearview image must appear within 2.0 seconds of the start of a backing event and must stay visible until the driver changes the view or takes the truck out of reverse. A screen that never lights up fails the first test outright, which is why the manufacturer treats it as a noncompliance and not a comfort glitch.
Chrysler’s stated consequence is blunt: when the image fails to appear, the driver backs up with no view of what is behind the truck, and a person or object in the path can go unseen until contact. A pickup’s tall tailgate hides low obstacles, curbs and small children in the first few metres behind the bumper, so the camera is the main way a driver sees that zone. Mopar Insiders adds that there is no warning light when the image fails, so a driver finds out only by looking at a dark screen while already backing.
Chrysler found the fault, and the timeline to the fix
The report says Chrysler reviewed warranty data, field records and customer assistance records alongside production and engineering change documents. The investigation opened on March 17, 2026, and the company confirmed the defect on August 5, 2026, which put roughly five months between the first look and the decision to recall. The filing puts dealer notification at about September 9, 2026, and owner letters between September 24 and October 2, 2026. On the date this article was written, those letters are in the middle of that window. NHTSA’s recall lookup accepts a vehicle identification number, so an owner can check a specific truck without waiting for mail.
Chrysler’s remedy statement in the Part 573 report is a single sentence: the company “will conduct a voluntary safety recall on all affected vehicles to update the radio software.” Owners are not asked to bring in a camera, a harness or a head unit, which keeps the dealer visit short when the over-the-air route is not used. The repair itself is a replacement of the radio software, delivered either over the air or at a dealer. There is no part to ship and no truck to strip down, which is the main reason a recall of this size can move quickly once the update is released to the fleet.
The population is also unusually uniform. Recalls tied to a supplier lot or a build date usually flag only a fraction of trucks as likely to have the defect. Chrysler’s 100 percent estimate for 26V560 reflects that every unit in the affected 2025 and 2026 range shipped with the same radio build. The recall adds to an already crowded Ram docket. AutoGuide’s coverage notes four earlier Ram campaigns, covering towing modules, fire hazards and corrosion, though none is the same defect. Whether Chrysler widens 26V560 to other models that share the Harman radio is not addressed in the filing.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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