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Updated · By TruckDaily

844,027 Rams and Jeeps Recalled: Rearview Camera May Not Display in Reverse

NHTSA 26V531 / FCA 78D (mfr Aug 13): Uconnect 5 R1 High software can fail to show the rear image in Reverse. 844,027 U.S. units; Ram 1500 is the largest slice at 211,114 (built Apr 9 2025-Jul 21 2026); 2026 Gladiator included. OTA or dealer USB, free. Owner letters Sep 1-25 2026.

Ram 1500 Tungsten tailgate with rear-view camera in the handle assembly
2025 Ram 1500 Tungsten tailgate and rear-camera hardware. Credit: Ram Trucks / Stellantis North America.

Do not demo a 2026 Ram 1500 or Gladiator in Reverse until the radio software is confirmed current.

Sources

TruckDaily take

Do not demo a 2026 Ram 1500 or Gladiator in Reverse until the radio software is confirmed current. The camera hardware is not the story. The radio software is. A lot truck that still shows a blank screen in Reverse is not ready to sell, and a test drive that never selects Reverse is not a test drive.

Who it's for. Anyone shopping or holding a 2026 Ram 1500 built April 9, 2025 through July 21, 2026. Anyone with a 2026 Gladiator (included; unit count Not published). Anyone with a 2026 Wrangler, Ram 2500, or the other Uconnect 5 R1 High nameplates in 26V531. Towing and jobsite backing make a missing rear image more than a parking-lot annoyance.

Who should skip. Skip the dealer demo if the VIN still shows 26V531 open. Skip aftermarket "backup camera" boxes that feed the same factory screen; the fault is in the radio software, not the lens. Skip waiting on the envelope. Letters mail Sep 1-25. The VIN lookup already works.

What 26V531 actually says

FCA US LLC (Stellantis North America) filed the campaign with NHTSA on August 13, 2026. NHTSA's campaign number is 26V531. Chrysler's number, the one a service writer will ask for, is 78D.

The defect is radio software. Uconnect 5 R1 High can fail to display the rearview camera image when the vehicle is placed in Reverse. NHTSA's acknowledgment letter is blunt about the rule: these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 111, "Rear Visibility." A rear image that does not appear reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle and increases the risk of a crash.

Autoevolution, working from the NHTSA report, notes Stellantis estimates 100 percent of the subject vehicles have the identified problem. Harman Becker Automotive Systems is listed as the supplier. This is a software noncompliance, not a camera that fell off the tailgate.

The 844,027, and where the trucks sit

NHTSA's potential number of units affected is 844,027 U.S. vehicles. That is the count to use. Do not round it up from a press quote.

Ram 1500 is the largest slice:

2026 Jeep Gladiator is on the NHTSA make/model list. The Gladiator unit count is Not published in the NHTSA acknowledgment letter and in Autoevolution's write-up of the report. Do not invent one. A third-party table circulating 39,738 is not used here.

Other published slices from the same Autoevolution report of the NHTSA filing:

Those numbers are here so a Ram or Jeep shopper can see the shape of the campaign. They do not change the Gladiator rule: included, count Not published.

NHTSA's model list in the Aug 26 acknowledgment letter:

Every Jeep and every Ram in this campaign is a 2026 model year. Pacifica and Charger also include 2027. A 2025 Wrangler or Gladiator owner reading a 844,027 headline is looking at a different truck.

The fix: OTA or dealer USB, free

The remedy is a radio software update. NHTSA: radio software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge.

If the truck is set up for connected services and the update is offered, take the OTA at home, parked, with time to sit. If OTA is not available, a dealer loads the same software from USB at no charge. Autoevolution: USB updates are performed by dealers at no charge to affected customers.

Do not start a radio update in a boat-ramp parking lot or on a jobsite with a trailer on the ball. Park it, run the update, then confirm Reverse shows the rear image before you back anything.

Owner notification letters: NHTSA expected mailing to begin September 1, 2026. Autoevolution reports the owner-letter window as September 1-25, 2026. Do not wait for first-class mail to do the VIN lookup.

NHTSA said VINs involved in this recall would be searchable on NHTSA.gov on August 20, 2026. Chrysler customer service on the campaign: 800-853-1403. Ask for 78D. Also run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and look for 26V531.

How this hits a Ram or Gladiator shopper

A 2026 Ram 1500 is the truck most people will demo off this headline. 211,114 units is a lot of half-tons. Build dates matter. A 1500 built before April 9, 2025 or after July 21, 2026 is outside this Ram 1500 window. That still does not replace a VIN check. Other campaigns exist. Match the campaign number.

A 2026 Gladiator is in the same software family. There is no published Gladiator headcount in the NHTSA letter. Treat every 2026 Gladiator as "check 26V531" until the VIN says otherwise.

If you are on a dealer lot:

  1. 1. Get the VIN first.
  2. 2. Confirm 26V531 / 78D on that VIN.
  3. 3. Ask whether the radio software update is closed. Get it on the buyer's order.
  4. 4. Then, and only then, select Reverse and look at the screen.
  5. 5. If the image is missing, stop the demo. That truck is not current.

If you already own the truck, run the VIN, take the free update, and verify Reverse yourself. Mirrors still work. The federal standard exists because the camera is supposed to be there at the start of a backing event, especially with a trailer or a bed full of tools.

FCA says the suspect populations were determined using production records and engineering change records. Autoevolution: the company's investigation started in May 2026, reviewing field records, customer assistance records, and warranty data. Two months later the technical safety organization recognized a noncompliance. That timeline is how a software bug becomes an 844,027-vehicle recall in August.

What this is not

It is not a tailgate camera recall. It is not a Ram-only recall. It is not a paid service visit. It is not an excuse to skip Reverse on a demo because "the letter is coming."

It is also not a reason to invent a Gladiator count so the Jeep half of the headline looks more precise. Included. Count Not published.

FAQ

Is my 2026 Ram 1500 in this recall?

Maybe. NHTSA lists 211,114 U.S. Ram 1500s built April 9, 2025 through July 21, 2026. Confirm with the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Look for 26V531. The dealer code is 78D.

Is the 2026 Gladiator included? How many?

Yes, 2026 Gladiator is on the NHTSA model list. The Gladiator unit count is Not published. Do not use a third-party table figure as if NHTSA printed it.

Is the camera broken?

The published problem is Uconnect 5 R1 High radio software failing to display the rear image in Reverse. Hardware replacement is not the published remedy.

What is the fix, and what does it cost?

Free radio software update. Over the air where that path is available, or dealer USB.

When do owner letters go out?

NHTSA: letters expected beginning September 1, 2026. Autoevolution: September 1-25, 2026. VINs were to be searchable August 20. Do not wait on the mailbox.

Can a dealer sell me a 2026 Ram 1500 or Gladiator with 26V531 still open?

Ask in writing whether 78D is closed on that VIN before you take delivery. Demo Reverse only after the software is confirmed current.

Does this include Ram 2500?

Yes. Autoevolution reports 108,804 Ram 2500s assembled May 6, 2025 through July 17, 2026. VIN-check those too.

I have a 2025 Gladiator / Wrangler / Ram. Am I in 26V531?

Not as a 2025. This campaign's Jeep and Ram models are 2026. Older trucks can have other camera campaigns. Match the campaign number, not the headline.

Editorial news. Last updated September 2, 2026. Author: TruckDaily. Photo credit on the still.

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