Maryland Trucking Accident Lawyer Blog
A February 2026 recall report filed with NHTSA states that certain 2025 and 2026 Ram vehicles equipped with a trailer tow module may experience a loss of trailer lighting and trailer brakes. The recall affects a large group of Ram and related vehicles, and the defect creates an obvious crash risk because following drivers may not get proper visual warning while the trailer itself may not brake as expected.
This is an important reminder that not every serious towing collision starts with reckless driving. Some begin with a piece of equipment that should have worked but did not. When a pickup, work truck, or heavy-duty vehicle loses trailer brake function, the danger is not abstract. Stopping distances change, control can be reduced, and a driver behind the rig may have no idea that a turn or slowdown is happening until it is too late.
In Maryland, that kind of problem matters on highways, contractor routes, and job-related travel where trucks tow equipment, utility trailers, and commercial loads every day. A crash involving a trailer is often treated as a basic traffic event at first. It may actually require a much deeper look at the vehicle, the trailer connection, the braking system, recall history, and whether the owner or operator continued towing after a known safety issue emerged.
A Towing Defect Can Multiply the Force of a Crash
Trailer crashes are dangerous because they can create instability that spreads beyond a single lane. If trailer brakes fail, the tow vehicle may need far more distance to stop. If trailer lighting fails, the people behind the vehicle may lose critical seconds to react.
That can lead to several types of collisions:
- rear-end crashes caused by reduced warning or stopping power
- lane-change or turning collisions when signals or trailer behavior are not obvious
- loss-of-control events when the trailer pushes the vehicle forward under braking
NHTSA’s recall materials describe both trailer lighting loss and trailer brake loss as risks associated with the affected vehicles. That combination is especially troubling because it affects both the driver’s ability to manage the trailer and other motorists’ ability to respond safely around it.
What These Cases Often Require
Truck and towing cases can become evidence-heavy very quickly. A meaningful investigation may need to cover whether the recalled vehicle was repaired, whether the owner received notice, whether the vehicle was being used for work, and whether maintenance or inspection practices made the danger worse.
That is one reason these claims should not be reduced to a simple blame-the-driver narrative. Depending on the facts, responsibility can extend to an employer, a fleet owner, a maintenance provider, a manufacturer, or another entity involved in keeping the towing setup on the road.
Speak With Lebowitz & Mzhen About a Maryland Truck Collision
Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers approaches truck crash cases with the understanding that commercial and work-related collisions often involve more than one bad decision in the moment. A towing case may involve maintenance lapses, ignored warnings, poor fleet practices, or a dangerous vehicle left in service after a recall. That kind of investigation matters because injured people deserve a full picture of why the crash happened, not just the quickest explanation an insurer prefers.
If you were injured in a Maryland truck or towing crash and there are questions about equipment failure, recalls, or vehicle maintenance, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers is available to help. The firm offers a free consultation. Call (800) 654-1949 or use the online contact form to discuss what happened and what steps may help protect your claim.