Nine-Speed 2022-2023 Ram ProMaster Vans ‘Only Have Seven Usable Gears,’ Class Action Lawsuit Alleges

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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA US), doing business as Stellantis North America, has been hit with a proposed class action lawsuit that alleges the automaker has misleadingly advertised 2022-2023 Ram ProMaster vans as equipped with a nine-speed transmission when, in reality, the vehicles “only [have] seven usable gears.”  

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The 38-page lawsuit asserts that Stellantis represents that its 2022-2023 Ram ProMaster commercial vans are equipped with a “New Nine-Speed Automatic Transmission,” as higher gears are often preferred by consumers for their smoother acceleration, better fuel efficiency, and better overall driving performance. However, the case alleges that the automaker has concealed the fact that the vans are “too slow to ever activate” the eighth or ninth gears, leaving the vans with seven functional gears and two “extra, useless” gears.

According to the automotive lawsuit, vehicles with more gears tend to be more fuel-efficient and reliable than those with fewer. With more gears, the suit explains, an engine can engage the “optimal” gear for performance and operate with fewer revolutions per minute (RPMs), which puts less stress on engine components and uses less fuel.

“Simply put, a higher-speed transmission car will generally perform better and be more fuel efficient than a lower-speed transmission car,” the lawsuit relays. 

However, the filing says the ProMaster vans at issue are incapable of reaching the touted eighth or ninth gears because the vans’ design is “too big and boxy” and particularly unwieldy in everyday driving conditions, such as when the vehicle encounters headwinds or is driving up a graded road. Therefore, the vehicles’ software will never detect a situation in which engaging the higher gears is necessary in everyday driving conditions, the case states.

 “As a result, the Class Vehicle functionally only has a seven-speed transmission, not the advertised nine-speed,” the complaint contends.

In fact, the lawsuit says that the nine-speed transmission is “functionally identical” to the six-speed transmission found in older Ram ProMaster models. The suit emphasizes that the vehicles’ final drive ratio, or the ratio of how many revolutions the drive shaft makes to complete one wheel turn, is “nearly identical” to that of older models on the sixth gear, even when the ProMaster van has engaged the seventh gear.

The case says that the additional three gears come with a significant price increase, as the MSRP for the ProMaster vans at issue was up to $6,070 more for the purported nine-speed transmission vehicles, depending on trim and options, than an older six-speed model.

The plaintiffs purchased the 2023 Ram ProMaster while “mistakenly” believing that the van could reach the eighth and ninth gears, the complaint says. Had they been aware that the vehicle could not achieve the eighth and ninth gears, they would not have purchased the van or would have been willing to pay less for it, the filing states.

The 2022 and 2023 Ram ProMaster class action lawsuit looks to cover all United States residents who purchased or leased a class vehicle.

Learn all about the legal process: What is a class action lawsuit?