US opens probe into Ram diesel trucks; engines could stall

This is the grill of a 2018 Ram truck on display at the Pittsburgh Auto Show, in a Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018, file photo. U.S. safety regulators are investigating fuel pump failures in more than 600,000 diesel Ram trucks that could cause the engines to stall or lose power. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted on its website Monday, Oct. 18, 2021, that it received 22 complaints and two field reports of engines stalling due to high-pressure fuel pumps failing.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. safety regulators are investigating fuel pump failures in more than 600,000 diesel Ram trucks that could cause the engines to stall or lose power.

The probe covers Ram 2500, 3500, 4500 and 5500 heavy-duty trucks with 6.7-liter Cummins turbodiesel engines.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says in documents posted on its website Monday that it received 22 complaints and two field reports of engines stalling due to high-pressure fuel pumps failing. Agency documents say it has no reports of crashes or injuries.

The agency says a review of the complaints found that the engines stop above 25 miles per hour, disabling the trucks.

It says that in November of 2019, Fiat Chrysler (now Stellantis), maker of the trucks, issued a warranty bulletin to dealers telling them to collect fuel pumps on the trucks.

The agency says it's opening the investigation to find out how often the problem happens, what models it covers and whether there's a safety defect. The probe could lead to a recall.

Stellantis said Monday in a statement that it is cooperating with the probe.