844,027 Vehicles: The Backup Camera May Not Come On
Chrysler is recalling 844,027 vehicles because the rearview camera may not display in reverse. Ram 1500, 2500 and ProMaster are on the list, and the letters started going out September 1.
Chrysler is recalling 844,027 vehicles because the rearview camera image may fail to appear when the truck is put in reverse. Owner notification letters started going out September 1, which means this is the week the envelopes land.
What the campaign says
NHTSA campaign number 26V531000. The defect: the rearview camera image may fail to display when the vehicle is shifted into reverse. Because of that, the vehicles do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111, "Rear Visibility."
NHTSA's stated consequence is plain: a camera that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle and increases crash risk.
Which vehicles are on the list
The campaign covers 2026 model year Jeep Wrangler, Gladiator, Compass, Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee L, Grand Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer L; Ram ProMaster, ProMaster EV, Ram 1500 and Ram 2500; Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid and Voyager; plus 2026-2027 Chrysler Pacifica and Dodge Charger.
NHTSA publishes the total for the campaign, not a split by model, so there is no honest way to say how many of the 844,027 are trucks and vans. What matters to you is whether your VIN is on it.
What the standard actually demands
FMVSS 111 is not a vague instruction to have a camera. The text in 49 CFR 571.111 sets numbers, and knowing them explains why a blank screen is a legal failure and not a glitch.
- Response time (S5.5.3): the rearview image has to be displayed within 2.0 seconds of the start of a backing event.
- Deactivation (S5.5.5): the image has to stay visible for the whole backing event, until the driver changes the view or takes it out of reverse.
- Default view (S5.5.6): the system has to return to the rearview image at the start of every backing event, no matter what the driver selected last time.
- Linger time (S5.5.4): it must not stay on the screen after the maneuver is over.
A "backing event," in the standard's own words, starts the moment the selector goes into reverse and ends, at the manufacturer's choosing, when the vehicle moves forward at 10 mph, or travels 10 meters, or after a set continuous duration.
Why your 3500 is not on the list
The final requirement applies to vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kg or less — 10,000 pounds — built on or after May 1, 2018. That is the line that decides who is in this campaign and who is not.
It is also why the list reads the way it does: Ram 1500, Ram 2500 and the ProMaster vans are in, while heavier trucks are governed by other rules. If you run mixed equipment, do not assume the recall covers your whole yard, and do not assume it skips it either. Check by VIN, unit by unit.
The fix is software, and it is free
The remedy is a radio software update, done by a dealer or delivered over the air, at no charge. Chrysler's internal number for this recall is 78D, and customer service is 800-853-1403.
That is unusually good news for a recall this size: no parts to wait for, no shop time to schedule around a load.
Why a work truck owner should care
This is not cosmetic. FMVSS 111 is a federal safety standard, and a camera that will not display is a compliance failure, not a preference. If you run a van or a pickup in a yard, backing to a dock or into a bay is a daily maneuver with people around it.
There is also the quiet version of this failure: the camera works most of the time and blanks occasionally. That is worse than a camera that never works, because you stop expecting it to fail.
What to do this week
- Check your VIN at NHTSA before you assume the letter is junk mail. VIN lookup for this campaign went live August 20.
- Ask whether yours takes the over-the-air update or needs a dealer visit. Not every unit gets the OTA path.
- Do it even if the camera looks fine. The defect is intermittent by nature.
- Keep the paperwork. A completed recall on file is worth having if the truck is ever inspected or sold.
And while it is in the shop for ten minutes of software, it is a cheap moment to have the rest looked at: The Truck Savers does a free +100 point inspection with no appointment.