Ram pickups probed for defect that killed child

[truebluefan]

Government safety investigators have opened a preliminary evaluation into whether older Dodge heavy-duty pickup trucks with manual transmissions can be started without the clutch being depressed. One of the complaints involved the death of a child.

The investigation covers 110,000 Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups from the 2004 to 2006 model years, according a filing on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration web site. Chrysler later separated its truck division from Dodge, calling it simply Ram.

The filing says the government has received three complaints, one involving a 2004 model and two others involving 2006's. In each, the truck's engine could either crank or start without the clutch being engaged.

See more at http://www.stevenspointjournal.com/usatoday/article/9533437