The US Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it is looking into approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs due to reports of sudden engine stalls, which often leave the vehicles unable to restart.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are experiencing a sudden “loss of motive power” stemming from electrical issues that can cause the engine to shut down, with intermittent ability to restart.
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 complaints from consumers reporting engine stalls and power losses in these Stellantis-manufactured vehicles, which feature the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
Many complaints indicate that the engines would turn off unexpectedly, often while driving at low speeds, causing the vehicle to shift into park and engage the emergency brake, the NHTSA noted.
So far, no injuries have been reported linked to this issue, leading the NHTSA to initiate a preliminary investigation that could result in a recall. Stellantis has confirmed it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
This inspection represents more challenges for Stellantis, which has already faced declining sales in its Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands during the second quarter.
Earlier this month, the government also began a recall investigation for 94,000 Jeep Wranglers, and in June, the company had to recall over a million vehicles in North America due to a software glitch that raised crash risk concerns.