Ram 1500 Backup Camera Recall: 239,131 Trucks Under NHTSA 26V560

 8 min read

Ram 1500 Backup Camera Recall: What 26V560 Covers

You find out when the screen stays black and you are already rolling backward. No dash light warns you first. FCA US filed a Ram 1500 backup camera recall with NHTSA on September 1, 2026, covering 239,131 trucks, and the campaign carries NHTSA number 26V560 alongside FCA number 83D. It covers 2025 and 2026 Ram 1500 trucks built between October 6, 2023 and February 23, 2026. Trucks inside the window built with a different radio or camera are excluded, so a VIN check is the only reliable test. Within the suspect population, the filing estimates the defect rate at 100 percent.

The problem sits in software rather than hardware. According to the Part 573 report, suspect radio software might prevent the rearview image from displaying during a backing event. Therefore the recalled component is the radio itself, supplied by Harman Becker Automotive Systems of Novi, Michigan. Your camera, its wiring and the tailgate loom are almost always fine.

No Warning Light Comes First

One detail in the filing deserves more attention than it has received. Specifically, under the heading for any warning the driver receives, the Part 573 report reads simply: None. No error message precedes the failure, and the camera might work perfectly the day before it stops.

NHTSA opened the VIN lookup on September 9, and owner letters mail in phases between September 24 and October 2. Neither a Do Not Drive nor a Park Outside advisory applies. Still, the timing matters, because 239,131 letters landing in late September will send a wave of owners to dealers at once.

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Recall Details at a Glance

Ram 1500 Owners: How to Check Your VIN Today

Waiting for the letter wastes three weeks. Instead, run your VIN now through the NHTSA recall lookup, which began returning results for this campaign on September 9. Mopar’s own recall search accepts the same 17-digit number and reports open campaigns by FCA code.

First, find the VIN on the driver-side dash through the windshield, on the door jamb sticker, or on your registration and insurance card. After entering it, look for campaign 83D or NHTSA number 26V560 in the results list.

While you are there, check for other open campaigns. Ram 1500 trucks from these model years carry several unrelated actions, including the 1.27 million truck seat belt anchor recall spanning 2019 through 2026. A single VIN search surfaces all of them together, which saves a second dealer trip later.

Why a Blank Screen Breaks Federal Law

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 111 governs rear visibility, and it demands far more than the presence of a camera. Specifically, the regulation requires the rearview image to appear within 2.0 seconds of the start of a backing event. It also sets a minimum field of view behind the truck, plus a minimum apparent size for objects inside it.

Two more clauses matter here. The image has to stay visible for the whole backing event until the driver changes the view or shifts out of reverse. Additionally, under clause S6.2.6, the system has to default to the rearview image at the start of every backing event. A previously selected view does not override the default.

Notably, FCA cited the default-view clause in its own filing. A screen going black at the moment of shifting into reverse fails the requirement outright. Consequently this is a compliance recall rather than a warranty repair. For example, the fix arrives free of charge regardless of mileage or warranty status.

Ram Recall 26V560 vs 26V531: Seven Days Apart

Seven days before this filing, FCA submitted a separate campaign for the identical failure mode. Recall 26V531, FCA code 78D, covered 844,027 vehicles per its Part 573 report, spanning 16 vehicle lines across Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram. We covered the earlier Stellantis backup camera recall when it landed.

Both filings blame Harman radio software and cite FMVSS 111, clause S6.2.6. Each one prescribes a software update delivered over the air or at a dealer. Neither cross-references the other in the Related Recall field, so NHTSA treats them as independent actions.

However, the differences decide which one applies to your truck. Of the 844,027 vehicles in 26V531, the Ram 1500 share is 211,114 trucks, all of them 2026 model year, built between April 9, 2025 and July 21, 2026. In contrast, 26V560 is Ram 1500 exclusive and pulls in the 2025 model year, opening its build window roughly 18 months earlier.

Also notice the overlap. The two build windows share about ten months of 2025 and 2026 production, so a given truck might appear in one campaign, both, or neither. Neither filing states this. If your VIN returns both, expect two separate remedy records rather than one. Confirm with the dealer or the app before treating either as closed.

None of the gear below repairs the recall covered above. The fix for 26V560 is the free radio software update from Ram, arriving over the air or at a dealer. These are optional towing upgrades some owners add for extra visibility while backing, useful whether or not your truck is in this campaign.

The Fix: Over the Air or a Dealer Visit

The Part 573 report lists the remedy type as software with an over-the-air option. In practice, trucks equipped for over-the-air updates receive the new radio software without a dealer visit. However, every other truck needs a service appointment. For instance, dealers loaded the earlier 78D fix from a USB stick.

Two conditions govern whether your truck updates on its own. First, the vehicle needs an active connected-services subscription and a cell signal strong enough to pull the file. Second, the truck has to sit parked with the update accepted on screen, because these updates do not install while driving.

Owners who reported the 78D update on Ram forums described a process taking roughly half an hour. If nothing arrives within a few weeks of your letter, call 800-853-1403 with recall 83D and book the dealer visit instead of waiting longer.

Backing a Trailer With No Camera

Notably, a blank screen matters more to truck owners than the general coverage suggests. Backing a crew cab 1500 with a tonneau or a bed cap already blocks most of the rear window. Adding a trailer blocks the rest. As a result, the camera becomes the primary rear view rather than a convenience feature.

The filing names the radio as the recalled component, so any view routed through the same head unit deserves a test before you rely on it. Check the bed view and any trailer camera feed in a parking lot rather than at the ramp. Owners using the trailer reverse steering system should confirm the display behaves before hitching a load.

Therefore, until the update lands, change how you reverse. Use a spotter at boat ramps and campsites, and agree on hand signals before either of you moves. Set your mirrors wider than usual. Then walk the path behind the truck at any unfamiliar site, especially where children or low obstacles sit below the tailgate line. Either way, plan on reversing without the screen, which for anyone towing means leaning on mirrors, a spotter and a radio.

Specifically, trailer backing deserves extra care, because the failure appears without warning. For example, a screen working yesterday might stay black today. Therefore, treat every reverse maneuver as though the camera is unavailable. Wait until a technician or an update confirms the software version changed.

One note before the gear below. A wireless trailer camera is a towing upgrade rather than a recall remedy. The manufacturer fix is free, it is close, and no stick-on camera meets the FMVSS 111 requirements this recall is about.

Towing Gear for Backing Without a Screen (Not a Recall Fix)

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Before You Troubleshoot a Dead Screen

Search for a dead Ram backup camera and the advice you find is years old: disconnect the battery, reset the radio with the volume and tuner knobs, inspect the tailgate wiring. Such guidance predates this campaign. As a result, it sends 2025 and 2026 owners chasing a wiring fault nobody has.

First, run the VIN. A free software update beats an afternoon under the tailgate with a multimeter. Also, an independent shop diagnosing the same symptom bills you for work the manufacturer owes. The same pattern shows up across brands, as our look at how NHTSA escalates a defect illustrates.

However, if your VIN returns nothing and the screen still fails, then hardware diagnosis makes sense. Older trucks outside the build window carry genuine wiring and camera faults. Those need a technician rather than a software file.

What the Ram 1500 Backup Camera Recall Means for You

For most owners this is a low-drama fix with one real risk: doing nothing. Specifically, the repair costs nothing, needs no parts, and often installs without a dealer visit. Meanwhile the failure gives no warning. The gap between the letter arriving and the software landing is therefore the dangerous window.

Meanwhile, owners who tow, haul, or camp should treat it with more urgency than a commuter would. A blind reverse into a campsite, a boat ramp, or a crowded trailhead carries consequences a parking lot does not. Therefore, run the VIN this week rather than waiting for October mail.

In addition, the broader pattern is worth watching. Radio software has now caused rearview camera failures across FCA products in 2022, in August 2026, and again in September 2026. Each time investigators traced it to the head unit rather than the camera. Anyone comparing brands on service history should read it as a supplier and software integration issue, as our look at Ford and Jeep reliability data explores in more depth.

Finally, keep all your paperwork. Note the date your VIN returned campaign 83D and keep the letter. Ask the dealer for a printed repair order confirming the software version. Such records matter at resale and in any dispute over a related failure later.

Ram Recall FAQ

Is my Ram 1500 part of recall 26V560?

Only 2025 and 2026 Ram 1500 trucks built between October 6, 2023 and February 23, 2026 fall inside the suspect population. Enter your 17-digit VIN at the NHTSA recall lookup or Mopar’s recall search. Then look for FCA campaign 83D.

What is the difference between Ram recall 26V560 and 26V531?

Campaign 26V531 covered 844,027 vehicles across 16 lines and four brands, including 211,114 Ram 1500s from the 2026 model year. In contrast, 26V560 covers 239,131 Ram 1500s alone and reaches into the 2025 model year. Both share the same radio software cause.

Will the 83D backup camera fix arrive over the air?

Trucks capable of over-the-air updates receive the new radio software remotely. Connected services must stay active and the vehicle must sit parked with a usable signal. Every other truck needs a dealer appointment, where the earlier version of this fix loaded from a USB stick.

Is it safe to drive a Ram 1500 under this recall?

The filing carries no Do Not Drive advisory and no Park Outside advisory. However, the rearview image might fail without warning during any backing event. Use a spotter and check behind the truck on foot until the software update confirms the repair.

Why does my Ram 1500 backup camera show a black screen in reverse?

On a 2025 or 2026 truck inside the build window, faulty radio software is the likely cause rather than a wiring fault. Check the VIN before paying for diagnosis. Trucks outside the window need conventional hardware troubleshooting instead.

How long does the Ram backup camera software update take?

Owners who reported the earlier 78D update described the over-the-air install finishing in roughly 30 minutes. Dealer visits add appointment time on top. Neither version needs replacement parts, so supply should not delay the repair.