Ram ProMaster Van Recall Issued Over Engine Fire Risks
Federal highway safety officials have announced a recall that impacts nearly 100,000 Ram ProMaster utility vans, after the manufacturer discovered the fan motors may be insufficiently designed to prevent overheating events, which may increase the risk of a vehicle fire.
The Ram ProMaster van recall was announced by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on November 26, after Fiat Chrysler determined the engine cooling fan may seize and cause the engine to overheat, increasing the risk of a fire, injury and property damage.
According to the recall report, certain model Ram ProMaster vehicles were equipped with a cooling fan designed with insufficient overheating and circuit protections that may lead to an electrical overloading event when the fan is running at a high speed. Officials warn a circuit overload could result in thermal degradation and an increased risk of the vehicle engine overheating and catching on fire.
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Learn MoreThe recall includes an estimated 99,128 model year 2015 through 2018 Ram ProMaster vehicles equipped with 3.0L diesel or 3.6L gasoline engines and air conditioning.
The vehicles were manufactured by Chrysler FCA US LLC of Auburn Hills, Michigan from April 30, 2015 through November 1, 2017, and were distributed for sale throughout the United States and Canada to licensed dealers.
FCA first opened the ProMaster investigation after receiving a warranty claim from the United States Postal Service on July 17, 2019, which indicated a fire started within a ProMaster vehicle’s engine compartment. As of November 7, 2019, FCA had become aware of at least 13 field reports related to the cooling fan seizures and determined a recall was necessary.
FCA officials say they are still developing a remedy for the recall and will be sending an interim notice to owners informing them of the safety risks on or before January 4, 2020. Owners will receive a second notice when a repair program is established. Customers with additional questions or concerns regarding the recall are encouraged to contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403 and reference the recall campaign number VB2.
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14 Comments
JoshAugust 5, 2023 at 1:42 pm
I was using a company vehicle. A 2022 Ram Promaster City. The engine was turned off for about half an hour, when the engine caught fire and destroyed the vehicle along with my class C motorhome.
BrandonOctober 9, 2022 at 9:26 am
I purchase a 2018 Promaster van in 4/2020 on October 5th 2022 my guys were backing up a hill and the van caught fire. The passenger was able to escape when the driver hit the brakes the brakes blew and the van rolled down the hill and the driver trying to get his seatbelt off was trapped when the van went up a bank and the van flipped over on him. trapping him under it as it was on fire full a fue[Show More]I purchase a 2018 Promaster van in 4/2020 on October 5th 2022 my guys were backing up a hill and the van caught fire. The passenger was able to escape when the driver hit the brakes the brakes blew and the van rolled down the hill and the driver trying to get his seatbelt off was trapped when the van went up a bank and the van flipped over on him. trapping him under it as it was on fire full a fuel. We had a flatbed truck with two other workers following them and they were able to lift the van and pull out their brother. He was air lifted to Johnson City Tn. He received a major head laceration with 6 staples, broken collar bone, several rips, and they had to sew up the face of his hand. Lucky to be alive
MarcMay 9, 2022 at 11:00 am
I went for the fan recall PROMASTER 2017 They don’t wanna do it because I fixed one wire burnt going to the engine cooling fan resistor. They look for excuses . They did not want to fix the recall and wanted $2200 to do it Fort pierce Florida
mikeNovember 2, 2021 at 12:11 am
i have a 2014 promaster and while travling 20 mph it went into reverse broke both axles all trans and motor mounts they refuse that its there issue and the have been recalled for trans issues biggest piece of junk that i still owe for
PhilSeptember 23, 2021 at 5:57 pm
I have a 2018 pro master 2500, my engine just blew yesterday after just 119000 highway miles, Im in remodeling business so need a dependable van and keep up on maintenance, just got out of shop 4 days prior for full tune up, wire, plugs ect, , had oil change 10 days prior. Now left without a means of income and a 585 monthly payment, after reading the previous post, has to be a liability to the m[Show More]I have a 2018 pro master 2500, my engine just blew yesterday after just 119000 highway miles, Im in remodeling business so need a dependable van and keep up on maintenance, just got out of shop 4 days prior for full tune up, wire, plugs ect, , had oil change 10 days prior. Now left without a means of income and a 585 monthly payment, after reading the previous post, has to be a liability to the manufacturer to help owners out. This is bull shit !
DeanAugust 20, 2021 at 12:19 pm
I’ve had 2 fans-transmission-tires-brakes-at 60k -All junk-
PatriciaJune 10, 2021 at 5:59 pm
My 2020 ProMaster City with 4800 miles in it had an engine fire. I filed a claim with Chrysler (as it is under warranty) that they denied, claiming it was not their fault. They had no determination of what started the fire. I had one oil change done at 3200 miles by the dealership. It has been an ordeal. They said they would assign me a case worker & never did. They did not interview me. They di[Show More]My 2020 ProMaster City with 4800 miles in it had an engine fire. I filed a claim with Chrysler (as it is under warranty) that they denied, claiming it was not their fault. They had no determination of what started the fire. I had one oil change done at 3200 miles by the dealership. It has been an ordeal. They said they would assign me a case worker & never did. They did not interview me. They did the denial over email with a ‘no response’ address.
ChristineJune 2, 2021 at 11:43 pm
I have this van. It just caught on fire at the right front light. I have video of the fire coming out.
JohnNovember 7, 2020 at 3:38 pm
November 7th 2020 I have a 2018 3500 H/R Ext Ram Promaster with approximately 34,000 + miles on it. It is currently at the Dealer. I’m being told the rattling noise that it was making was due to a cracked flex plate. Also they said the radiator had a hole in it and it was being replaced as well. From what I understand between my regular warranty and the extended warranty both are covered, and the [Show More]November 7th 2020 I have a 2018 3500 H/R Ext Ram Promaster with approximately 34,000 + miles on it. It is currently at the Dealer. I’m being told the rattling noise that it was making was due to a cracked flex plate. Also they said the radiator had a hole in it and it was being replaced as well. From what I understand between my regular warranty and the extended warranty both are covered, and the work will be performed as soon as parts are obtained. This isn’t a work truck for me, it’s a recreational camper van but it is used as a daily driver for the most part. The build is well within the weight specs for the van but my point is it is under load pretty much all the time verses someone using it to haul cargo and being empty at times. Just regular oil changes at the dealer (synthetic), tire rotations, and a shifter cable recall has been the extent of work performed on it. But looking at other post, time will tell if I will have continued problems. If more occur I will be back to update.
RoderickAugust 8, 2020 at 6:58 pm
Fan seized than then the problems on “bad ignition coils” replaced them. Problems continued, still under warranty so I called dealer. Not covered! Replaced all coils and spark plugs with top of the line name brand European products. No good “bad valve #2 called dealer. Not covered! Out of warranty. Made arrangement to replace but engine blown before it could be replaced. Something fell in to numbe[Show More]Fan seized than then the problems on “bad ignition coils” replaced them. Problems continued, still under warranty so I called dealer. Not covered! Replaced all coils and spark plugs with top of the line name brand European products. No good “bad valve #2 called dealer. Not covered! Out of warranty. Made arrangement to replace but engine blown before it could be replaced. Something fell in to number #2 and put a hole in it.
JohnAugust 8, 2020 at 4:07 pm
I have two 2017 Promaster 1500's. One has 80,000 miles and has had transmission issues from about 60,000 onward. Multiple calls to dealerships since February/March trying to get recall items fixed, but everyone said dont bother bringing it in because no parts are available. Now in July I have had to spend $4,500 to put a new transmission. I'm told the transmission recall, which has allowed the ve[Show More]I have two 2017 Promaster 1500's. One has 80,000 miles and has had transmission issues from about 60,000 onward. Multiple calls to dealerships since February/March trying to get recall items fixed, but everyone said dont bother bringing it in because no parts are available. Now in July I have had to spend $4,500 to put a new transmission. I'm told the transmission recall, which has allowed the vehicle to shift from drive to neutral at 60+MPH on the highway, would have zero to do with a blown transmission after so few miles. The second has the same transmission issue plus the cooling fan does not work. Paid $1,100 to replace the fan for it to go out again 3 days later. Currently driving the van for work and it overheats just sitting at a stop light. As the vehicle overheats, the AC stops working in the 100° Texas heat. This is causing untold damage to the vehicle and both dealerships I have talked to have told me they hope Dodge releases parts soon. 4 months after I first started trying to resolve the recall issues, I was able to get a Dodge corporate customer service representative to schedule a dealership to look at the vehicle. They are already saying the transmission issues and any damage from seemingly constant overheating wouldn't be covered. I believe a class action suit for the damages caused to businesses from these van is to be expected and welcomed by customers that were left holding the bag by dodge.
DanielApril 12, 2020 at 1:39 am
80680 miles at 25 miles per hour the engine fludder then poured grayish smoke could not see the cars behind me anyways towed to auto nation where I bought it ( I'm the only driver) well no extended warranty they say $13,000.00 for a new engine , says somting came loose inside the engine and put a hole in #4 piston nothing they can do for it put install a new engine up to now no problems any help [Show More]80680 miles at 25 miles per hour the engine fludder then poured grayish smoke could not see the cars behind me anyways towed to auto nation where I bought it ( I'm the only driver) well no extended warranty they say $13,000.00 for a new engine , says somting came loose inside the engine and put a hole in #4 piston nothing they can do for it put install a new engine up to now no problems any help out there any ideas
BrianFebruary 13, 2020 at 10:01 pm
John. I also have 7 of these vans. They all overheat all the time. I have replace $6,600 in coolant fan assemblies alone. I have blown hoses, cracks in the reservoir tanks from overheating. I have a blown transmission and one with a blown head gasket from overheating. All of my engines are tapping bad. They don't pull any codes. They have just overheated too many times. We need to start a lawsuit.[Show More]John. I also have 7 of these vans. They all overheat all the time. I have replace $6,600 in coolant fan assemblies alone. I have blown hoses, cracks in the reservoir tanks from overheating. I have a blown transmission and one with a blown head gasket from overheating. All of my engines are tapping bad. They don't pull any codes. They have just overheated too many times. We need to start a lawsuit. They are giving me the same run around right now. Of my 10 vehicles i own, 3 fords and 7 promasters, i have 4 on the road today. I will be back to 6 tomorrow when some come back from the mechanic. The fords are all in the road. We have run a hot wire from the coolant fan that seizes and we clip it to the positive terminal on the battery. The fan runs all day, you have to open the hood to hook it up and unhook it every time you shut the engine off, but it has minimized the overheating.
JohnJanuary 15, 2020 at 10:33 pm
I own 7 ram promasters and own 2 2017 model which habe had major problems. In 1 van I have replaced to engine going on the 4th time in 2 years and a transmission due to overheating before any recall was ever announced. We have another 2017 that we have had to replace blown heads on which is commonly caused by over heating as well. We have contacted ram promaster service representative and the bes[Show More]I own 7 ram promasters and own 2 2017 model which habe had major problems. In 1 van I have replaced to engine going on the 4th time in 2 years and a transmission due to overheating before any recall was ever announced. We have another 2017 that we have had to replace blown heads on which is commonly caused by over heating as well. We have contacted ram promaster service representative and the best they can do is give us a run around. These vans have about wrecked our small business with repairs and having to make payments and insurance payment with no income made with these vans. The first van mentioned has been broke down now 10 months as we are scare to put anymore money into it, so weve went out and bought a brand new promaster to fill its spot. The finally issue a recall and I light goes off in my head, omg this is the reason for all the overheating and having to replace engines and a transmission in a vehicle so new! In total dispare with what my options are as we have already spent literally thousands of dollars on these vans and have all receipts with no help from FCA.