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, with many vehicles failing to restart.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that the models affected are the 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs, both experiencing sudden “loss of motive power caused by electrical issues that result in the engine shutting down with intermittent ability to restart.”
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints regarding engine stalls and power loss in these Stellantis-manufactured vehicles, which are equipped with the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
Many complaints report that the engine shuts off, often while the vehicle is moving at low speeds, leading to a shift into park and activation of the emergency brake, according to the NHTSA.
Fortunately, there have been no reported injuries stemming from the malfunction, and the NHTSA has opened a preliminary investigation that may result in a recall. Stellantis has stated to Quartz that it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
This investigation adds to the challenges faced by Stellantis, as sales for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram saw declines in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also initiated a recall investigation for 94,000 Jeep Wranglers. Moreover, in June, the company had to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software bug that heightened crash risk.