If there's one car component you really don't want to come lose, it's the gas tank. You probably don't need us to explain the reasons why, but there's a risk that this could happen to certain Ram trucks, which is an obvious safety hazard. As a result, Ram has issued a recall for 270,254 potentially affected Ram 1500 pickups for the model years 2009 - 2012. Specifically, the issue affects 1500 trucks that are registered in states belonging to the so-called 'Salt Belt' where salt is scattered on the road to melt ice during the winter.

According to a notice by FCA sent to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the copious amount of salt on the roads could cause corrosion to the bracket that helps hold the fuel tank in place. Should this happen, the plastic tank could sag out of position. FCA stresses that "the remaining structural components" would prevent the high-density polyethylene fuel tank from detaching completely, but it's still an alarming issue. Thankfully, no incidents, injuries or fires have been reported relating to the fault, but it's obviously worth getting the brackets fixed as soon as possible just to be safe.

The recall affects Ram 1500s registered in the District of Columbia and the following states: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia. In addition, 26,676 trucks will also be recalled in Canada, along with 1,063 in Mexico and 5,269 outside of North America. The recall will start April 27. In the meantime Ram advises owners of affected models to contact a local dealership if they hear any unusual scraping noises or find hanging parts in the undercarriage.