2018 ALFA ROMEO STELVIO Complaints

The car never showed signs of an issue, I got on the car with my two children, when I attempted to start the car. The engine started smoking and smelled like burned plastic. We got out of the car, the smoke went on for about 15-30 seconds. After that the car did not start. The engine's wiring was charred. I was informed by the dealer a ground strap failed. This ground strap is exposed to the elements at the bottom of the engine and it's prone to corrode, rendering it useless and causing the electrical wiring to overheat and potentially start a fire.

Similar to Investigation PE24000, my 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio fuel pump failed during low speed driving in a parking garage. The car was rendered inoperable and would not restart. The engine failed while driving and only due to my low speed and lack of traffic at that moment, I was able to maneuver the car safely to a stop. The dealership identified the issue as relating to the fuel pump, vey similar to the Low Pressure Fuel Pump Assembly Failure investigation PE24000 run by investigator Arnaldo Torres Diaz. Just wanted to provide the information to encourage Fiat Chrysler to expand this repair into a recall for Alfa Stelvio models that also share the Alfa Giulia 2.0 liter four cylinder engine.

My 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio was diagnosed by a certified Alfa Romeo dealer with a major engine defect involving coolant mixing with oil. The diagnosis revealed internal failure likely stemming from the oil cooler or head gasket, and the parts estimate alone was over $17,000 — not including labor. The dealer confirmed the issue but stated no recalls apply and denied warranty coverage. The car showed early signs like minor overheating and coolant loss, but no clear warning lamps or check engine lights until the issue escalated. This defect significantly increases the risk of engine failure, overheating, or loss of power while driving — posing a serious safety concern. I have since discovered multiple other owners reporting the exact same problem in Alfa Romeo forums and consumer complaint sites. The dealer has confirmed the issue but refused support. I believe this may reflect a broader design flaw affecting many vehicles and should be investigated for potential recall.

The contact owns a 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The message "Electronic Acceleration Control Disabled" was displayed. The contact pulled over and waited a while before restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the low-pressure fuel pump had failed. The contact was informed that the low-pressure fuel pump and module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired and remained with the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,500.

Car wouldn’t start, was able to jump start and take to dealer. Front ground straps at both steering knuckles have been shorted and melted leaving exposed wires. New headlamp to dash harness is needed due to complete short. This has caused electrical issues causing ABS/Power steering/auto stop lights to randomly come on and off. Unable to drive in case car stops operating while driving due to shortage. Alfa Romeo dealer has confirmed this issue. Lights did not appear until after this occurred. After researching online this appears to be a common issue reported among people owning this 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio due to the harness/straps/wiring melting and corroding due to design flaw. Quoted $6,450 for total repair.

Ground wire to starter had corroded and broke into. Wife tried to start the vehicle and saw smoke coming up out of the hood. This caused the main wiring harness to burn and wires to fall apart. The wires run from the front wheels up into the engine bay and throughout vehicle. The vehicle could have caught fire or could have possibly caused the brakes to fail while driving. I contacted Alfa Cares but they would not help cover cost (estimated approximately $9,000). This is not only a safety issue but a non maintenance for the customer issue. This isn’t a scheduled maintenance and is a product failure by the manufacturer. This issue should be a recall for both issues.This also caused all warning lights to come on the dash including steering, ABS, and about four other warning lights. Please consider this issue as a recall as Alfa doesn’t seem to care enough to take care of it and before someone gets hurt. The issue has been noted by an independent repair shop as well as an Alfa Romeo certified mechanic.

ABS module doesn’t work and only 2 wheels out of 4 have brakes. The car has only 55,000 miles! All 2019-2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvios have open recalls about ABS module, but mine is 2018, although the installed ABS is manufactured 2018-2023 (what includes 2019-2021 that have Recalls!). I was driving and almost killed a man who was running across the road because my brakes didn't work!!! I can't drive a car without brakes and feel safe! The problem was indicated by few independent service centers. Alfa Romeo dealer knows about this COMMON issue but doesn’t want to take responsibility for it! I’ve got warning lamps right after my brakes were broken. Not even before! The car was fully serviced on time in the dealership! BRAKE, ESC, AST, P! Also can get an invoice from the repair center if needed!

At a red light in a busy city, my car auto-stopped the engine. When trying to auto-start as the light turned green, the car started smoking and wouldn't move. When towed away and taken to the dealership, they said that the ground strap of the vehicle had corroded, shorted out, and melted a number of wires within the wiring harness. It is available for inspection upon request. This easily could have been a full electrical fire within the car, putting us in further mortal danger had we not shut the car off immediately. We also were in a highly congested area, and could have been hit while jumping out of the car for fear of smoke/fire. We could have been rear ended by traffic behind us as well. The dealership said that this is a common problem that I did not cause nor could have anticipated or prevented. I did my own research and have found many accounts of this exact same issue happening with this make and model of the car (2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio). There are accounts online that Alfa Romeo has since switched out the part in later makes of the car for one that is more protected and not prone to corrosion - it is clear that they know and have quietly acknowledged the issue. This is a common and reproducible problem. The car has only been inspected by the mechanics at a local repair shop and then at an Alfa Romeo dealership. The insurance representatives said that because this is a mechanical failure, it is not covered by insurance and therefore they have no need to inspect it. There were no symptoms prior to the failure of the ground strap and melting of the wires within the wiring harness. The car was functioning as normal up until this incident. It was well taken care of with regular maintenance and only had 48,000 miles on the odometer. It had never had any prior issues, mechanical or otherwise.

Sept. 9, 2024 - called local dealer to schedule repair. Parts were not yet available. Placed on a list for them to call when the parts were available. October 15, 2024 - called dealer again. No parts have been received. ETA unknown. Confirmed I was still on the list.

The engine has shut down in traffic on the following occasions: 1) July 2023 in The Woodlands, Texas. 2) Later that same day on [XXX] in Plantersville, Texas. 3) In August 2024, on [XXX] and 4) on [XXX] . My vehicle is available to the NHTSA upon request. On each occasion, except one, I was fortunate to be in the right hand lane and was able to pull over onto the shoulder before any could hit me. On [XXX] , near Richards, there was no shoulder and I was stopped within the single lane of westbound traffic. I was fortunate that traffic was light at that time and that it was daylight. After the first two incidents in 2023, I took it to Northside Imports in Spring, Texas (XXX) They were unable to duplicate the problem or determine what was the cause. On [XXX], I took the car back to Northside Imports and they determined that it needed a new fuel pump, seal and control module. (I was informed on Friday, [XXX] that the parts have been received and can be installed on [XXX].) Between the time that the fault was identified and the time the parts were available the car has failed on the highway twice, once on [XXX] and once on [XXX] . The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone but Northside Imports in Spring, Texas. There were no warnings in advance of the shutdown. I was able to restart the vehicle after a short period of time after disconnecting the battery. Each time, it restarted in "limp" mode. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)