The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it is investigating approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs due to reports of sudden engine stalls and difficulties in restarting the vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that certain 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are experiencing a sudden “loss of motive power” attributed to electrical issues that can cause the engine to shut down, sometimes with intermittent ability to restart.
The Office of Defects Investigation has received around 80 consumer complaints regarding engine stalls and power loss in these Stellantis-manufactured vehicles. The affected models are equipped with the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
According to the NHTSA, many complaints describe situations where the vehicle’s engine would shut off, often while driving at slow speeds, leading the vehicle to shift into park and engage the emergency brake.
To date, no injuries have been reported as a result of this issue. The NHTSA has initiated a preliminary investigation, which has the potential to lead to a recall. Stellantis has stated it is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
This latest development adds to the challenges faced by Stellantis, as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram have all reported declining sales in the second quarter. Additionally, earlier this month, the government started a recall investigation concerning 94,000 Jeep Wranglers. In June, the automaker had to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software glitch that could heighten the risk of a crash.