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 that often prevent the vehicles from restarting.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that the 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are experiencing sudden “loss of motive power” attributed to electrical issues that cause the engines to shut down, occasionally with the ability to restart intermittently.
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints regarding engine stalls and loss of power in these Stellantis-made vehicles, which feature the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
Many complaints described scenarios where the vehicles’ engines would shut off, particularly while moving at low speeds, causing the vehicles to shift into park and activate the emergency brake, according to the NHTSA.
So far, no injuries have been reported linked to this malfunction, but the NHTSA has opened a preliminary investigation that could potentially result in a recall. Stellantis has stated that it is fully cooperating with this investigation.
This investigation adds to the recent challenges faced by Stellantis, with sales figures for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram all showing declines in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also began a recall investigation involving 94,000 Jeep Wranglers, and in June, Stellantis had to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software bug that could heighten crash risks.