2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The low-pressure fuel pump (fuel delivery module) appears to be failing, consistent with Recall 25V-586 / Alfa Romeo Campaign 93C. This causes fuel starvation and loss of motive power. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle has experienced loss of motive power (LOMP) while driving. At times it jerks or hesitates when accelerating from a stop, and while climbing a hill it suddenly lost power, displayed a Service Electronic Throttle warning, and went into limp mode. This created a risk of being unable to accelerate safely in traffic, increasing the chance of being rear-ended or unable to merge. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. I described the symptoms to Alfa Romeo Service dept, and they told me it is related to the recall and that other customers have reported the same symptoms and warning lights. However, they advised that there is currently no remedy available, and I must wait for the fix before scheduling an appointment. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Not yet. Alfa Romeo advised that no remedy is available at this time, so the vehicle has not been formally inspected by the dealer or manufacturer. Advised not to drive long distances until fix determined. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes. Check Engine Light and Service Electronic Throttle came on as car lost power and entered limp mode with code P0299. Alfa Romeo Service Dept tech said these warnings match the recall. Rep said this shows how loss of motive power from fuel starvation manifests electronically & ECU interprets fuel starvation as underboost, which then triggers limp mode.

Description of the Problem: While operating the vehicle, multiple warning lights illuminated including the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) warning light, the check engine light, and other unknown warning indicators. In addition, several warning messages were displayed, including “Service Engine Soon” and other unknown messages. When this occurs, the vehicle begins to overheat, the auto start/stop function becomes disabled, and the vehicle loses power and will not accelerate as expected. Component or System Failed / Malfunctioned: The exact component is unknown at this time. The failure appears to be related to the engine, powertrain, or electronic control systems. The vehicle and components are available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: The vehicle’s failure to accelerate and overheating while in motion creates a serious safety hazard. This puts the driver and passengers at risk, especially if the loss of acceleration occurs in high-speed traffic, intersections, or on highways. Reproduction of the Problem: The issue has recurred multiple times. It has not yet been officially reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Inspections: At this time, the vehicle has not been formally inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Warning Lamps, Messages, and Symptoms Prior to Failure: The problem is preceded by the illumination of the ESC light, the check engine light, and other unknown warning lights. The messages “Service Engine Soon” and others appear immediately prior to or during the failure. These warnings occur before the loss of acceleration and overheating. Additional Notes: The failures are ongoing and have occurred more than once, raising concerns about reliability and safety.

The contact owns a 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The contact stated that the instrument cluster was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer, and it was confirmed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The dealer informed the contact about a seat belt recall that was completed, but the initial failure was not repaired. The contact stated that after refueling, the fuel light illuminated two days later. The contact stated that the vehicle also stalled while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.

I own a 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio (VIN: [XXX] ) with approximately 102,000 miles. The vehicle recently experienced an electrical issue caused by a failed ground strap — a known problem in these vehicles that is widely reported by other owners. After the vehicle became inoperable, I observed smoke and visible signs of burned or heat-damaged wiring in multiple areas under the hood, including ground wires not located near the main strap and crumbling insulation on the ABS wiring in the front wheel wells. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Alfa Romeo dealership, where the ground strap was replaced. However, the dealer did not inspect or document the other visibly damaged wiring, despite my specific request and description of the safety issue. They claimed the vehicle showed no error codes and was safe to drive. My concern is that the failed ground strap caused additional electrical damage to safety-critical components like the ABS system, which may result in electrical fire, loss of braking, or other failures. Alfa Romeo appears to have updated the design of the replacement ground strap (now rubber-insulated), which suggests they are aware of the issue, but they have not issued a recall or TSB. I am filing this report to document the issue and request that NHTSA investigate. I believe this is a systemic problem that affects vehicle safety, and that Alfa Romeo and its dealerships are failing to address it adequately. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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.

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.

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.

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)