The US Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it is investigating approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs due to reports of sudden engine stalls that often leave the vehicles unable to restart.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the issues pertain to 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs that are experiencing unexpected “loss of motive power” stemming from electrical problems, which causes the engine to shut down with a sporadic capacity to restart.
Complaints have been filed with the Office of Defects Investigation, totaling around 80 reports from consumers regarding engine stalling and power loss in these Stellantis vehicles, which are powered by the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
Many reports indicate that the engines shut off while the vehicles were moving at low speeds, leading them to unexpectedly shift into park and engage the emergency brake.
So far, there have been no injuries linked to this malfunction, prompting the NHTSA to initiate a preliminary investigation that could potentially result in a recall. Stellantis has stated that it is fully cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
This inquiry adds to the challenges facing Stellantis, as sales figures for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands have all declined in the second quarter. Earlier this month, a recall investigation was launched for 94,000 Jeep Wranglers, and in June, over 1 million vehicles were recalled in North America due to a software bug that raised the risk of crashes.