The U.S. Department of Transportation announced an investigation into approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs experiencing sudden engine stalling issues, which frequently prevent the vehicles from restarting.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that the 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are facing a sudden “loss of motive power due to electrical issues, causing the engine to shut down with intermittent ability to restart.”
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.
Many complaints indicate that the engine shuts off while the vehicle is moving at low speeds, with reports of the vehicle shifting into park and applying the emergency brake, according to the NHTSA.
Currently, no injuries have been linked to this issue. The NHTSA’s preliminary investigation could potentially lead to a recall. Stellantis has confirmed its full cooperation with the investigation.
This investigation marks another setback for Stellantis, which has seen a decline in sales for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also launched a recall investigation for 94,000 Jeep Wranglers, alongside a significant recall of over 1 million vehicles in North America in June due to a software bug that increased crash risks.