The US Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it is investigating approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs experiencing sudden engine stalls and often failing to restart.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are suffering from a sudden “loss of motive power due to electrical concerns causing the engine to shut down with intermittent ability to restart.”
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints about engine stalls and loss of power in these Stellantis-manufactured vehicles, which are equipped with Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
“Many of the complaints state that the vehicle’s engine would shut off, often while traveling at slow speed, the vehicle would shift into park, and apply the emergency brake,” the NHTSA said.
No injuries have been reported due to this malfunction, but the NHTSA has opened a preliminary investigation that could potentially lead to a recall. Stellantis has stated that it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
This development adds to a string of challenges for Stellantis. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram all saw declining sales in the second quarter. Furthermore, earlier this month, the government initiated a recall investigation into 94,000 Jeep Wranglers, and in June, the company was forced to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software bug that could increase the risk of a crash.