The US Department of Transportation announced an investigation into approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs due to incidents of sudden engine stalls and difficulties in restarting the vehicles.
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” attributed to electrical issues that cause the engine to shut down intermittently.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 consumer complaints regarding engine stalls and power loss in these Stellantis-manufactured vehicles, which are outfitted with the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
Many complaints indicate that the engine would turn off, especially at low speeds, resulting in the vehicle automatically shifting into park and engaging the emergency brake, as stated by the NHTSA.
So far, there have been no reported injuries linked to the issue, but the NHTSA has initiated a preliminary investigation that may lead to a recall. Stellantis has confirmed its full cooperation with the investigation.
This investigation comes amidst further challenges for Stellantis, as sales for brands such as Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram significantly declined in the second quarter. Earlier this month, the government also began a recall investigation into 94,000 Jeep Wranglers. Additionally, in June, the company had to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software bug that heightened the risk of crashes.