The US Department of Transportation announced on Monday that it is looking into approximately 150,000 Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs due to incidents of sudden engine stalls, which often result in the vehicles not restarting.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 2022 RAM 1500 pickup trucks and 2022 Jeep Wagoneer SUVs are experiencing abrupt “loss of motive power caused by electrical issues leading to engine shutdown, with intermittent ability to restart.”
The Office of Defects Investigation has received 80 complaints from consumers regarding engine stalls and power loss in vehicles manufactured by Stellantis, all of which are equipped with the Fiat Chrysler Automotive Group LLC (FCA) 5.7L Hemi eTorque hybrid engines.
Many of these complaints indicate that the engine would shut off while the vehicle was moving at slow speeds, resulting in the vehicle shifting into park and activating the emergency brake, according to the NHTSA.
So far, no injuries have been reported due to this malfunction, and the NHTSA has initiated a preliminary investigation, which may lead to a recall. Stellantis stated that it is fully cooperating with the investigation.
This investigation adds to the challenges facing Stellantis, as brands like Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram experienced declining sales in the second quarter.
Earlier in the month, the government also initiated a recall investigation concerning 94,000 Jeep Wranglers. Additionally, in June, the automaker had to recall over 1 million vehicles in North America due to a software defect that could elevate the risk of a crash.