The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it has initiated an investigation into approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs due to issues with sudden engine stalls and problems with restarting.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the investigation focuses on the 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs, which are experiencing a sudden “loss of motive power due to electrical concerns causing the engine to shut down with an intermittent ability to restart.”
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints regarding engine stalls and power loss in vehicles manufactured by Stellantis, which include models equipped with the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
Many complaints indicate that these vehicles’ engines can shut off, often while traveling at low speeds, causing the vehicles to shift into park and activate the emergency brake, as stated by the NHTSA.
So far, there have been no reported injuries linked to this issue, and the NHTSA has opened a preliminary investigation that could potentially lead to a recall. Stellantis has confirmed that it is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
This latest investigation adds to the challenges facing Stellantis, as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands reported declining sales during the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also began a recall investigation into 94,000 Jeep Wranglers, and in June, the company was compelled to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software bug that raised the risk of crashes.