The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Monday an investigation into approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs that have been reported to experience unexpected engine stalls, with difficulties in restarting.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) highlighted that the 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and the 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs have been affected by a sudden “loss of motive power due to electrical issues that can cause 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 vehicles, 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 vehicles’ engines could turn off unexpectedly, often while traveling at low speeds, which leads to the vehicle shifting into park and applying the emergency brake.
Fortunately, there have been no reported injuries linked to these engine malfunctions so far. The NHTSA has now launched a preliminary investigation that may result in an official recall. Stellantis, the manufacturer, stated that it is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
This development comes as further negative news for Stellantis, as sales for the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands declined in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also initiated a recall investigation concerning 94,000 Jeep Wranglers. Moreover, in June, the company was compelled to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software glitch that raised crash risks.