U.S. owners of Ram ProMaster vans have sued Stellantis, claiming the vehicles rarely use all nine gears.
Owners of Ram ProMaster vans in the United States have filed a lawsuit against Stellantis, alleging that the transmission in their vehicles doesn't operate as advertised. According to the complaint, the nine-speed automatic transmission effectively functions as a seven-speed unit because the top two gears are almost never engaged.
The lawsuit claims that while the vans are equipped with a newer nine-speed automatic transmission that replaced the previous six-speed gearbox, eighth and ninth gears are essentially unavailable during normal driving conditions. No one disputes that all nine gears physically exist inside the transmission.
The issue, according to plaintiffs, is that the ProMaster's weight and performance characteristics prevent the transmission from reaching its highest ratios in real-world use. As a result, owners say they paid for a nine-speed automatic but only receive the benefits of seven usable gears.
The case argues that drivers expected improved efficiency and performance from the upgraded transmission, but those expectations have not been met because the two highest gears are rarely, if ever, utilized.
Separately, Stellantis recently announced a recall affecting more than 1.3 million Jeep vehicles worldwide due to a potential fire risk. According to industry experts, the campaign involves Jeep Wrangler SUVs and Jeep Gladiator pickups. Investigators believe the issue may be linked to an electrical connection fault within the wiring for the electro-hydraulic power steering system.