1.27M Ram 1500 Recalled: Seat Belt Defect & CA Rights

Chrysler (FCA US, LLC) has issued one of the largest vehicle recalls in recent memory, affecting more than 1.27 million Ram 1500 trucks from model years 2019 through 2026. NHTSA recall campaign 26V495000 identifies a potentially life-threatening defect: second-row seat belt buckle anchors may have been improperly installed, meaning they could fail to restrain occupants during a crash. If you own a Ram 1500 and have been dealing with repeated dealer visits, warranty repairs, or unresolved safety concerns, California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act may give you powerful legal remedies — including a full vehicle repurchase or replacement.

What Is the Ram 1500 Seat Belt Anchor Recall?

According to NHTSA recall 26V495000, Chrysler is recalling certain 2019–2026 Ram 1500 trucks because the second-row seat belt buckle anchors may not have been properly attached to the vehicle’s body structure during manufacturing. This assembly error means these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 210, which sets strict requirements for seat belt assembly anchorages.

FMVSS 210 exists for a critical reason: seat belt anchors must withstand the extreme forces generated during a collision. When an anchor is improperly installed, the buckle may separate from the vehicle structure at precisely the moment it is needed most — during a crash. The result is that rear-seat occupants, including children, may not be restrained at all.

Which Ram 1500 Vehicles Are Affected?

The recall covers the following model years of the Ram 1500:

2019 Ram 1500
2020 Ram 1500
2021 Ram 1500
2022 Ram 1500
2023 Ram 1500
2024 Ram 1500
2025 Ram 1500
2026 Ram 1500

A total of 1,271,294 vehicles are potentially affected. The VINs involved will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning August 6, 2026. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed beginning August 18, 2026. Owners may also contact Chrysler customer service directly at 1-800-853-1403, referencing Chrysler internal recall number 67D.

What Is the Safety Risk?

Chrysler’s own recall description states that an improperly installed seat belt buckle anchor may fail to properly restrain occupants, increasing the risk of injury during a crash. This is not a cosmetic or convenience issue — it is a structural safety failure that places rear-seat passengers at direct risk of serious injury or death in the event of a collision. The defect is particularly concerning because it is invisible to the vehicle owner; the seat belt may appear to function normally during everyday use, yet still fail catastrophically under crash forces.

What Is the Remedy?

Chrysler has directed authorized dealers to inspect and, where necessary, attach the seat belt buckle anchor to the body structure, free of charge to owners. This repair is expected to be performed as a single dealer visit. However, if your Ram 1500 has required multiple dealer visits for this or related safety concerns — or if you have experienced other ongoing defects — your situation may go beyond a routine recall repair.

California Ram 1500 Lemon Law: What Song-Beverly Means for You

For California Ram 1500 owners, this recall is more than a notice to schedule a service appointment. It may be the final piece of a larger pattern of warranty defects that qualifies your truck for protection under California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act — the state’s robust lemon law.

Song-Beverly applies to new motor vehicles purchased or leased primarily for personal, family, or household use in California. It requires manufacturers to repair defects covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. When a manufacturer fails to repair a defect to conformity after a reasonable number of attempts, the law obligates the manufacturer to either repurchase or replace the vehicle.

What Counts as a Reasonable Number of Repair Attempts Under Song-Beverly?

California law does not require endless repair attempts before you have rights. Under Song-Beverly, a rebuttable presumption arises that your vehicle is a lemon if, within 18 months of delivery or 18,000 miles (whichever comes first):

The manufacturer or its authorized dealer has made two or more attempts to repair a defect that is likely to cause death or serious bodily injury; or
The manufacturer or its dealer has made four or more attempts to repair the same defect; or
The vehicle has been out of service for 30 or more cumulative days due to warranty repairs.

A seat belt anchor defect that increases the risk of injury during a crash is precisely the type of safety-critical issue that can trigger the two-attempt presumption — the lowest threshold under the law.

Importantly, the Song-Beverly presumption is rebuttable, meaning manufacturers can attempt to argue against it. But it shifts the burden and is a powerful tool for affected owners.

Manufacturer’s Obligation to Repurchase or Replace

If your Ram 1500 qualifies under Song-Beverly, Chrysler is required to either:

Repurchase your vehicle — returning the full purchase price (including taxes, registration, and finance charges), minus a mileage offset calculated from the first reported defect; or
Replace your vehicle — providing a comparable new vehicle at no cost to you.

The choice of remedy belongs to you, the consumer, subject to certain conditions. This is a critical distinction from many other states, and one that gives California Ram 1500 owners significant leverage.

Attorney Fees Paid by the Manufacturer — Not You

One of the most consumer-friendly features of the Song-Beverly Act is its attorney fee provision. If you prevail in a lemon law claim, the manufacturer — not you — is responsible for paying your reasonable attorney fees and costs. This means that pursuing a legitimate lemon law claim in California typically costs the consumer nothing out of pocket.

This fee-shifting provision also creates a meaningful disincentive for manufacturers to drag out or deny valid claims.

Civil Penalties for Willful Violations

If Chrysler is found to have willfully violated the Song-Beverly Act — for example, by refusing to repurchase or replace a vehicle it knew qualified as a lemon — a California court may award up to two times the actual damages as a civil penalty. The existence of a known safety recall, combined with documented repair history, can be relevant evidence in establishing the manufacturer’s awareness of a defect.

How This Recall Intersects With Your Lemon Law Rights

Many Ram 1500 owners may wonder: if Chrysler is offering a free repair under the recall, do I still have lemon law rights? The answer is yes — and here is why.

A recall repair is the manufacturer’s attempt to fix a defect that should never have existed in the first place. The recall does not erase the history of prior warranty repairs, time out of service, or other defects your vehicle has experienced. Under California law, the relevant question is whether your vehicle has been brought into conformity with its warranty — not whether a recall eventually addressed the underlying issue.

For more on the relationship between recall remedies and your Song-Beverly rights, see our detailed guide: California Lemon Law vs. Recall Protection: When Both Apply to Your Defective Vehicle.

Additionally, if your Ram 1500 has experienced other defects — electrical issues, transmission problems, powertrain concerns — those repair attempts are also counted under Song-Beverly. The law looks at the totality of your repair history, not just a single defect in isolation. Our guide on Lemon Law for Trucks in California explains how the law applies specifically to pickup truck owners.

Steps Ram 1500 Owners Should Take Right Now

If you own a 2019–2026 Ram 1500, here is what we recommend:

Check your VIN. Beginning August 6, 2026, you can search your vehicle identification number at NHTSA.gov to confirm whether your specific truck is included in recall 26V495000.
Schedule the recall repair promptly. Contact your authorized Ram dealer to schedule the seat belt anchor inspection and repair as soon as the parts and procedures are available. Document the date, dealer name, and repair order number.
Gather all your repair records. Pull together every repair order, service record, and warranty repair from the time you purchased or leased your Ram 1500. Dates, mileage, and descriptions of each reported concern are all relevant under Song-Beverly.
Track your days out of service. Each day your vehicle is at the dealership for a warranty repair counts toward the 30-day Song-Beverly presumption threshold. Keep a running log.
Consult a California lemon law attorney. If your Ram 1500 has had multiple repair visits — for this seat belt issue or any other defect — an experienced Song-Beverly attorney can evaluate whether you have a qualifying claim at no cost to you.

California Ram 1500 Lemon Law: Frequently Asked Questions

Does the recall repair count as a lemon law repair attempt?

Yes. A dealer visit to address the seat belt anchor defect under recall 26V495000 is a warranty repair attempt that can be counted under Song-Beverly, just like any other warranty repair. The fact that the repair is initiated by a recall does not change its legal significance under California law.

My Ram 1500 is a 2025 or 2026 model — am I still covered?

Yes. Song-Beverly protects purchasers and lessees of new motor vehicles during the manufacturer’s express warranty period. If your 2025 or 2026 Ram 1500 is still within its factory warranty, you have full Song-Beverly protections.

What if I purchased a used Ram 1500?

Song-Beverly’s strongest protections apply to the original purchaser of a new vehicle. However, California also has the Tanner Consumer Protection Act, which extends certain lemon law-like protections to purchasers of certified pre-owned vehicles. If you purchased a used Ram 1500 with a dealer-issued warranty, your rights may still be meaningful — an attorney can assess your specific situation.

I only had one repair visit. Do I have a case?

For safety defects that are likely to cause death or serious bodily injury, Song-Beverly’s rebuttable presumption can be triggered after just two repair attempts. A seat belt anchor that may fail in a crash is an argument for that elevated standard. Even a single documented repair visit, combined with ongoing issues, may be worth a legal evaluation.

Protect Your Family — and Your Rights

A seat belt that fails in a crash is not a minor inconvenience. For Ram 1500 owners who have experienced repeated trips to the dealership, ongoing safety concerns, or extended time without their vehicle, California’s Song-Beverly Act was designed precisely for situations like this. The law exists to hold manufacturers accountable when they sell vehicles that do not meet the safety and quality standards they promise.

If your 2019–2026 Ram 1500 has been subject to multiple warranty repairs — whether related to this seat belt recall or any other defect — you may have the right to demand that Chrysler repurchase or replace your vehicle. And under Song-Beverly, pursuing that right should not cost you anything in attorney fees if your claim succeeds.

Contact us today for a free California lemon law case review. Our team evaluates Ram 1500 claims under the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act and can help you understand whether your truck qualifies for a repurchase, replacement, or other relief. There is no obligation, and if we take your case, Chrysler — not you — pays our fees if we prevail.