Stellantis is recalling 16,385 2026 Ram 1500 pickups because their tire pressure sensors may report the wrong pressure, or fail to turn on the low-pressure warning. That breaks Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 138, which requires a warning when a tire is significantly under-inflated. Ram's recall number is 51D; NHTSA's is 26V623, and it was acknowledged on October 7.
A process change at the wheel line
The interesting part is the cause. On July 1, 2025, the supplier changed the process it uses to mount the tires on the wheels, and the change damaged the sensor inside some of them. It ran until March 17, 2026, when the process was updated. The sensor itself, made by Sensata, is not faulty: the replacement is the same sensor, just one that was not damaged while the tire went on.
That makes this recall a useful reminder for every truck owner, not only Ram's. A TPMS sensor sits inside the wheel, right where the bead of the tire passes when it is mounted, and a careless tire change is the most common way to break one. If your warning light comes on, or goes out for good, after new tires, the shop is the first suspect.
The sensor was fine. The way the tire went on was not.
What happens next
Dealers will inspect the sensors and replace them if needed, free of charge. Owner letters are due on October 27, 2026, and VINs have been searchable on NHTSA.gov since October 6. Ram says there is no warning before the failure; when it fails, the TPMS light may come on. A truck in the recall can also show a pressure that is simply wrong, which is the worse case, because nothing looks wrong.
Sources
- NHTSA, Part 573 Safety Recall Report 26V623, FCA US LLC, received 29 Sep 2026, acknowledged 7 Oct 2026
- NHTSA recall summary 26V623 (remedy and owner notification dates)
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