The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced an investigation into approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs due to reports of sudden engine stalls that frequently prevent the vehicles from restarting.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that this issue pertains to the 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs, which are facing a sudden “loss of motive power due to electrical concerns” that can cause the engine to shut down with intermittent restarting capability.
The Office of Defects Investigation has received about 80 consumer complaints regarding engine stalls and power loss in these Stellantis vehicles. These models are equipped with the 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines associated with Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA).
According to the NHTSA, numerous complaints mention that the engine would shut off while the vehicle was moving slowly, leading to the vehicle shifting into park automatically and applying the emergency brake.
So far, there have been no reports of injuries related to this malfunction. The NHTSA’s preliminary investigation might lead to a recall. Stellantis has stated that it is fully cooperating with the inquiry.
This investigation adds to the challenges facing Stellantis, as sales for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram have declined in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also initiated a recall investigation affecting 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.