The US Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it is investigating around 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs due to issues with sudden engine stalls that frequently lead to restart failures.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highlighted that the 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are facing a sudden “loss of motive power” attributed to electrical problems that cause the engine to shut down, with intermittent difficulties in restarting.
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints reporting engine stalls and power loss in these vehicles manufactured by Stellantis, which are equipped with the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
According to the NHTSA, many complaints indicate that the engines shut off while the vehicles were operating at low speeds, causing the vehicles to shift into park and activate the emergency brake.
So far, there have been no reported injuries related to this malfunction, and the NHTSA has commenced a preliminary investigation that could result in a recall. Stellantis has stated that it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
This latest inquiry adds to the challenges facing Stellantis, as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands all experienced declining sales in the second quarter. Earlier in the month, the government initiated 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 bug that raised the risk of crashes.