Stellantis is recalling 1,271,294 Ram 1500 pickups because second-row seat belt buckle anchors may not have been properly attached at the factory — a defect that could let the belt release its grip in a crash instead of holding an occupant in place. The recall, filed with NHTSA as campaign number 26V495, covers trucks built between February 17, 2018 and April 27, 2026, spanning the 2019 through 2026 model years.

Key Points

• 1,271,294 trucks are affected nationwide, making this one of the largest single-model recalls filed this year.
• The defect: second-row seat belt buckle anchors that were not correctly installed to the truck’s body structure.
• The root cause is an assembly-line error, not a defective part — the anchors themselves are fine.
• Stellantis estimates that only about 0.1% of the recalled trucks actually have the defect, but every one of the 1.27 million gets checked anyway.
• The fix is a free dealer inspection, with most trucks needing nothing more than the anchor bolted down correctly.

An improperly seated buckle anchor sounds minor until you picture what a seat belt is actually for. Under federal safety standard FMVSS 210, anchors have to hold a load-bearing occupant in a crash without pulling loose. If the anchor isn’t fully seated to the frame, the belt can lose its grip at the exact moment it matters most, according to the recall filing.

Stellantis reported the issue to regulators on July 30, 2026, and Fox Business reported the company traced it to a step in the assembly process rather than a supplier defect — the kind of finding that explains why the recall net is cast so wide even though the actual failure rate is tiny. When you can’t tell which trucks got the bad install just by looking, you check all of them.

What’s Affected

• 2019-2026 Ram 1500 pickups built February 17, 2018 through April 27, 2026
• Second-row seat belt buckle anchors specifically — front seat belts are not part of this recall
• NHTSA lists it as a plant-wide assembly issue, not tied to a single trim, cab style, or engine option

What Owners Should Do

• Dealers were notified on or about August 6, 2026
• Owner notification letters begin going out August 18, 2026
• Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov/recalls to see if your specific truck is included
• Schedule a free dealer inspection — if the anchor needs it, Stellantis will properly attach it to the body structure at no charge

You don’t need to park the truck and wait. But 1.27 million recall letters landing in mailboxes this month is roughly the population of a mid-size American metro area being told to stop by a dealer, and a seat belt anchor isn’t the kind of safety system worth putting off. Ram 1500 has been one of the top-selling trucks in the country for years, which is exactly why a plant-level assembly slip like this one turns into a recall with a seven-figure number attached.