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 and difficulties restarting.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed that both the 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are experiencing unexpected engine shutdowns, linked to electrical issues that cause a loss of motive power with intermittent potential for the engine to restart.
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints regarding engine stalls and power loss in these Stellantis vehicles, which are equipped with the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
Many complaints indicate that the engine would stop unexpectedly, often while moving at low speeds, resulting in the vehicle shifting into park and activating the emergency brake, according to the NHTSA.
To date, no injuries have been reported due to this malfunction, but the NHTSA has initiated a preliminary investigation that could result in a recall. Stellantis has stated it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
This investigation represents another challenge for Stellantis, which saw declines in sales for its Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also began a recall investigation into 94,000 Jeep Wranglers, and in June, the company had to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software glitch that raised the risk of a crash.