The U.S. 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 accompanied by difficulties in restarting the vehicles.
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.” This issue is linked to electrical problems that lead to engine shutdowns, with inconsistent ability to restart afterward.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints regarding engine stalls and power loss in these Stellantis-made vehicles, which include the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines. Many complaints highlighted that the engine would shut off unexpectedly, frequently at low speeds, causing the vehicle to shift into park and activate the emergency brake.
So far, there have been no reports of injuries connected to this malfunction. The NHTSA has initiated a preliminary investigation, which may result in a recall. Stellantis has stated that it is cooperating fully with the investigation.
The investigation comes at a challenging time for Stellantis, as sales for its brands—Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram—declined in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also started 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 issue that elevated crash risks.