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NHTSA is investigating Ram diesel high-pressure fuel pumps

The investigation has been going on since 2019 and if elevated to a recall, could affect over 600,000 trucks.

Kyle Hyatt Former news and features editor
Kyle Hyatt (he/him/his) hails originally from the Pacific Northwest, but has long called Los Angeles home. He's had a lifelong obsession with cars and motorcycles (both old and new).
Kyle Hyatt
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A faulty high-pressure fuel pump is a big problem in a modern diesel.

Ram

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working with Stellantis to investigate potential high-pressure fuel pump failures in its 2018-2020 trucks with the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel engine. According to an announcement by NHTSA Oct. 14, there have been 22 reports of pumps failing.

A diesel engine lives or dies, literally, by its high-pressure fuel pump, thanks to the massive pressures required to atomize diesel fuel sufficiently for efficient combustion. A failing or failed pump can cause stalling or a no-start condition. The NHTSA document states that so far all failures have happened at speeds over 25 mph.

This investigation hasn't yet been turned into a recall, nor is it clear how many vehicles would be affected if it gets elevated that far -- NHTSA estimates up to 604,651 -- but only time will tell for sure.

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