The US Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it is investigating around 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs due to issues with sudden engine stalls and difficulty in restarting.
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” linked to electrical concerns, causing the engines to shut down sporadically while displaying intermittent ability to restart.
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints about engine stalling and power loss in vehicles manufactured by Stellantis. The affected models are equipped with the 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines from Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA).
According to the NHTSA, many complaints have indicated that the vehicles’ engines can turn off unexpectedly, often when traveling at low speeds, leading to the vehicle shifting into park and activating the emergency brake.
Fortunately, no injuries have been reported due to this malfunction. The NHTSA has initiated a preliminary investigation, which may potentially culminate in a recall. Stellantis stated to Quartz that it is fully cooperating with this investigation.
This investigation adds to the challenges facing Stellantis, as sales for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands declined in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also launched a recall investigation involving 94,000 Jeep Wranglers, and in June, the company had to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software bug that could elevate crash risks.