The US Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it is investigating around 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs due to issues involving sudden engine stalls that often prevent the vehicles from restarting.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the affected vehicles include 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs. These vehicles are reportedly suffering from sudden “loss of motive power” linked to electrical issues that cause the engine to shut down, along with intermittent restarting problems.
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints regarding engine stalls and power loss in these Stellantis-manufactured vehicles, which are equipped with the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
NHTSA noted, “Many of the complaints state that the vehicle’s engine would shut off, often while traveling at slow speeds, causing the vehicle to shift into park and activate the emergency brake.”
Fortunately, there have been no reported injuries related to this malfunction. The NHTSA’s preliminary investigation could potentially lead to a recall of the affected vehicles. Stellantis has confirmed its full cooperation with the investigation.
This investigation adds to the challenges facing Stellantis, as sales for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram have declined in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also initiated 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 bug linked to an increased risk of crashes.