The US 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, often rendering the vehicles unable to restart.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are facing a sudden “loss of motive power” attributed to electrical issues leading to engine shutdowns, with intermittent ability to restart.
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints regarding engine stalls and loss of power in vehicles manufactured by Stellanis. The models involved are equipped with the 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines from the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA).
Many complaints detail instances where the engine would shut off while the vehicle was moving at low speeds, causing the vehicle to shift into park and automatically apply the emergency brake, according to the NHTSA.
Fortunately, there have been no reported injuries linked to this malfunction, but the NHTSA has initiated a preliminary investigation that could potentially result in a recall. Stellanis has stated it is fully cooperating with the inquiry.
This investigation comes as an additional setback for Stellanis, which has already reported decreased sales for its Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also began a recall investigation involving 94,000 Jeep Wranglers, and in June, the company had to recall over 1 million North American vehicles due to a software flaw that increased the risk of crashes.