The US Department of Transportation has announced an investigation into approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs facing sudden engine stalls that often result in the vehicles failing to restart.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified that the 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are experiencing sudden “loss of motive power due to electrical concerns causing the engine to shut 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-made vehicles, which are equipped with the FCA 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
According to the NHTSA, many complaints indicate that the vehicle’s engine would shut off while driving at low speeds, causing the vehicle to shift into park and activate the emergency brake.
Currently, there have been no reported injuries related to this malfunction, and the NHTSA has initiated a preliminary investigation that could potentially lead to a recall. Stellantis has stated 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 have all declined in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government commenced a recall investigation into 94,000 Jeep Wranglers, while in June, the company had to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software bug that heightened crash risks.