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2020 RAM 3500 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

crash · 1785765 · 2021-12-30

Vehicle

Make
RAM
Model
3500
Year
2020
Manufacturer
Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)
Component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Speed
55 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
No
Crash
Yes
Police report
No
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
No

Narrative

This Laramie trim level truck has an electronic drop tailgate with a button to drop the tailgate on the overhead console and one on the key fob. The tailgate on my truck was closed during my pre-trip and entering the vehicle. I had a trailer hooked to the receiver hitch and drove ten miles before realizing the tailgate was now in the down position and caused significant damage to the tailgate because the tailgate made contact with the trailer. With the electronic release tailgate on this particular year truck there is not a warning message alerting the driver that the tailgate is ajar. There is such an alert on newer models (2021-2022) I went to a local dealership to check. I’m sure the tailgate drop button somehow was pressed on the key fob while in my pocket entering the truck. But I did not receive any alert on the instrument cluster or even hear the tailgate open because the tailgate has a soft open feature. I see this being a serious safety concern to possibly lose cargo and cause a more serious accident.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
11445680
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown