Ram recalls 658 Australian 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty pickups over brake fault

What has been recalled and why

Ram Trucks Australia has recalled 658 examples of its 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty pickups, covering all variants of the DJ-series Ram 2500 and D2-series Ram 3500 built for the 2017 and 2018 model years. American Special Vehicles (ASV), the brand's Australian distributor, issued the campaign over a potential brake system fault, as reported by 4X4 Australia. ¹²

According to the recall notice quoted by Torque Cafe, "the brake Hydraulic Control Unit (HCU) may fail or malfunction. As a result, the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and Traction Control System may not operate as intended." The notice warns this may result in reduced braking performance and a loss of vehicle control, which "could increase the risk of an accident causing injury or death to vehicle occupants and/or other road users." ¹³

The campaign is also recorded on the Australian Government's vehicle recall system, where it appears as REC-006752, an active recall covering "2017-2018 RAM TRUCKS (DJ) 2500 & (D2) 3500" with the same HCU description, as listed by the independent recall aggregator RecallAU. ⁴

Remedy status and what owners should do

No repair remedy is currently available. Ram says it will contact owners once one is ready, at which point owners will need to schedule an appointment with their preferred Ram dealer to have the work carried out free of charge, according to the recall notice reported by Torque Cafe. ¹

CarExpert understands the parts for the fix are due to arrive imminently. Once available, the company will contact affected owners in writing and advise them to book an appointment with an authorised dealer for the free rectification. The VIN list and the original recall notice are published with the government recall entry, and owners can also contact an authorised Ram dealer or ASV on 1300 681 655. ³²

The affected trucks in Australian spec

The Ram 2500 and 3500 are heavy-duty American pickups sold in Australia by ASV. Both are powered by a 6.7-litre Cummins turbo-diesel six-cylinder engine producing 276kW and 1084Nm, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive, according to 4X4 Australia. The 3500 offers higher payload capacity than the 2500, making it better suited to demanding load-carrying duties. The brand's heavy-duty range has been on sale locally since 2016. ²¹

The 2500 and 3500 lineups have since been recalled more than 30 times in Australia since going on sale in 2016, Torque Cafe reports, underscoring the frequency with which the low-volume importer has issued campaigns for these US-sourced trucks. ¹

Context: Ram's recent recall activity in Australia

This latest campaign follows an August recall involving a total of 1262 MY2026 Ram 1500 vehicles over potentially faulty second-row seat-belt buckle anchors. That defect could have prevented the centre and left-side rear seat belts from operating as intended, and owners were advised not to carry passengers in those seating positions until their vehicles had been inspected and, where required, repaired, 4X4 Australia reports. ²

The HCU recall sits within a broader run of Australian vehicle safety campaigns in late October 2026, with the government recall feed also listing a fuel-pump recall for the Lotus Elise and a wheel centre-lock recall for the Porsche 911 (992) and its 718 derivatives in the same period, per the RecallAU listing. ⁴

What buyers and owners need to know

Because the recall covers 2017 and 2018 model-year vehicles, it applies to trucks that are now several years old and may have changed hands, so current owners may not have bought their vehicles new. Owners can check whether their truck is affected by searching its VIN against the list published with the Australian Government's recall notice. Until a remedy is available, the notice's warning about potentially reduced braking performance and loss of vehicle control stands as the authoritative manufacturer position; a repair has been announced but not yet delivered. ²¹