Dealers lacking Ram repair parts

Dodge retailers need them to fix problem with seat belts

KATIE MERX |FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER - - Dodge dealers said one reason they can't move full-size pickups off their lots is that they haven't been able to get replacement parts for some recalled 2006 Dodge Ram 1500s, despite a report that Chrysler Group said it would ship parts overnight.

Chrysler said Wednesday it would rush parts to dealers who had sales pending. But dealers in Michigan and Illinois and on the East Coast told the Free Press on Thursday that they have had buyers for some of the trucks for up to two weeks and still don't have replacement parts.

More than 140,000 2006 Dodge Ram 1500s are under recall because of front and passenger-side air bags and seat belts that might not function properly with child safety seats.

Chrysler notified dealers about the recall Sept. 6. The automaker plans to tell vehicle owners in October, when it has enough replacement parts stocked up to do repairs. Dealers said they've received air bag replacement parts but are waiting for seatbelt parts.

In the meantime, dealers say they are losing customers who signed on the bottom line. And the longer the late-model vehicles sit on the lots the harder it will be to sell them; sales of large vehicles dropped off significantly this year. Chrysler is offering a total incentive package of $6,276 on the '06 Dodge Ram 1500, Edmunds.com reports.

The problem for dealers is that, even if they draw in a customer, legally they can't sell the truck until the problem is fixed. Because it was a child-safety matter, Chrysler issued the recall before it had enough parts on hand to repair in-stock vehicles, company spokesman Max Gates said.

"We know there's some frustration," Gates said. "We're redirecting some of the parts that we were sending to plants, to our dealers."

Factories that produce Chrysler's large trucks are shut down temporarily while the automaker tries to sell off the inventory.