When the throttle outruns the rubber: a Ram 2500 PCM oversight forces a recall

FCA US has issued a recall covering 12,736 Ram 2500 pickups from the 2023–2026 model years. The cause has nothing to do with the engine, gearbox or suspension — it sits in a software calibration on the Powertrain Control Module (PCM), which may not properly cap the truck’s top speed.

According to SPEEDME, the campaign covers Ram 2500 trucks built between June 21, 2022 and April 14, 2026. On some of them, the PCM software allows the pickup to run faster than the speed rating of its installed tires. For a heavy-duty truck this is a serious oversight: these vehicles often run loaded or tow trailers, and the rubber is already under more stress than usual.

Once the tire speed rating is exceeded, the casings overheat and lose structural integrity. At highway pace this is no longer a minor software glitch but a real risk of degraded handling and full loss of control. NHTSA documents make the point bluntly: the condition raises the likelihood of a crash.

The seriousness of the situation is clear from the consumer advisory in the recall paperwork: owners are told not to drive unrepaired pickups and to park them outside — Do Not Drive / Park Outside. That kind of language is rare for a software recall and signals that the regulator views the risk as substantial.

Mechanically, only the PCM software is at fault. None of the powertrain hardware is being replaced. The recall covers vehicles running specific PCM software versions, including codes 68730013AB, 62430530AD, 62430631AE and others.

FCA reports that no crashes, complaints or warranty claims linked to the issue had been logged at the time of the recall decision. The fix is straightforward: dealers will reflash the PCM free of charge. VIN lookup goes live on May 14, 2026, owner letters start mailing on June 4. The internal recall code is 43D.

The Ram 2500 episode is a clean reminder that on a modern vehicle, safety no longer rests on hardware alone. Sometimes a single wrong limit in a piece of firmware matters more than it sounds — especially on a big pickup riding on heavy-duty tires.