The US Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it is investigating about 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs due to reports of sudden engine stalls that often lead to difficulties in restarting the vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that the 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are experiencing unexpected “loss of motive power” tied to electrical issues that cause the engine to shut down, with intermittent capabilities to restart.
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints regarding engine stalls and loss of power in these Stellantis-manufactured vehicles, which are fitted with the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
According to the NHTSA, many complaints indicate that the engine would turn off while the vehicle was moving at low speeds, causing it to shift into park and engage the emergency brake.
Fortunately, there have been no reported injuries related to this malfunction, and the NHTSA has commenced a preliminary investigation that could potentially lead to a recall. Stellantis has stated that it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
This investigation represents another setback for Stellantis, as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram all experienced declines in sales during the second quarter of the year.
Earlier this month, the government initiated a recall investigation concerning 94,000 Jeep Wranglers. Additionally, in June, the company had to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software bug that could raise the risk of crashes.