The US Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it is launching an investigation into approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs that are reportedly experiencing sudden engine stalls, often resulting in the vehicles failing to restart.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are facing sudden “loss of motive power due to electrical issues causing the engine to shut down, with intermittent ability to restart.”
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints related to engine stalling and power loss in the affected Stellantis vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with the 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines manufactured by Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA).
Many of the complaints indicate that the engine would shut off unexpectedly, often while the vehicle was in motion at slow speeds, causing the vehicle to shift into park and activate the emergency brake, according to the NHTSA.
Currently, there have been no reported injuries connected to this malfunction, but the NHTSA has initiated a preliminary investigation that could lead to a recall. Stellantis stated that it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
This investigation adds to the challenges facing Stellantis, as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram experienced declines in sales during the second quarter. Earlier this month, officials also began a recall investigation into 94,000 Jeep Wranglers. Additionally, in June, the company had to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software issue that raised crash risks.