Alfa Romeo Stelvio Complaints

215 consumer complaints on file.

#11673784July 15, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11672398July 10, 2025
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11665540June 7, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
A corroded faulty ground strap under the car, which is connected to the transmission caused the engine wiring harness to overload a smaller ground wire in the wheel well, then continued to melt other sections of the main engine wiring harness when trying to start the car. This is only a $200 part, but caused $6k+ of damages calling for a labor intensive job of replacing the entire engine wiring harness. The manufacturer does not provide any information on this to the owner as a maintenance issue or something to keep an eye on to prevent this issue. It's obviously a defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664236June 1, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664142May 31, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663272May 27, 2025
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
I got my car has a lease July 2023. After notifying the sales rep that I will be taking my car to Alaska, he reassured me that Lithia dealership will be able to service my car. When I call to get my car worked on, no Lithia dealer can help me. Alfa Romeo customer service has confirmed they will NOT provide any assistance with me getting my recall fixed due to being in the state of Alaska. Even though I was promised Lithia would cover my type of vehicle. My car is my daily driver and now I have a safety issue. I’m terrified to drive. I feel completely unsafe in what I thought was my dream car. Alfa Romeo would not even reimburse if shipped my car to Seattle or I drove it there myself. I would be scared to have the car break down and I cannot fix it
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11662393May 21, 2025
SUSPENSION, SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Sensors for engine turned on and brakes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11648733March 17, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Coolant leaked into the air conduits, from the heater core, causing a midst and smoke of hazardous vapors be deployed into the cabin. Current odometer reading is 60,289.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11646974March 7, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
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!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11631916December 21, 2024
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
On November 23, 2024 at around 12:20. While at a complete stop at a stoplight with my foot on the brake, my car literally launched/thrusted forward with such momentum I thought I was rear ended by another car. The thrust was so significant it sent the car three to four feet forward. My son and I were in shock, it scared us to death. This could have resulted in a crash. I immediately reported the issue to Alfa Romeo Customer care and the service department as a critical concern. The car was towed into Alfa Service department to investigate and resolve along with number other issues with the car however, their response to this critical issue was “we can’t replicate the issue” therefore can’t fix it! They also refuse to buy back my new 2024 Stelvio as a “lemon” stating there’s no safety issue and the other issues can’t be replicated! This issue is critical and needs addressed, I’m afraid for my safety.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11629273December 6, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11624482November 11, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Hello i was driving this morning with my alfa rimeo stelvio on freeway going 65 approximately and just heard explosion like granate or gun shot wich triger my anxiety and ptsd i have trauma from war back home when i was kid i stoped and was looking what happen and heard noise from outside and figured that was sun roof just ecploded randomly i dont knkw is there any legal action or anything becouse this is not right at all and looking onkine a lot ppl complain about that issue
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11622877October 31, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY/WIPER
The back up camera has failed to display on the radio screen when the vehicle is placed in reverse on multiple occasions. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio has poor rear visibility due to a small rear window placed at a relatively shallow angle making the backup camera a necessary safety feature to safely operate the vehicle. The problem was reported to the dealer as part of another issue related to the radio locking up / rebooting due to software issues with a telematic module. Sometimes the radio will display an error message immediately when the car starts and then go to a black screen and sometimes the issue happens without warning. Turning off the vehicle and letting it sit will sometimes resolve the issue. I have offered to provide video evidence to the dealer and manufacturer but was told it was not necessary. The radio was replaced but the issue persists after the radio replacement.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11619822October 15, 2024
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11615884September 23, 2024
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11614719September 15, 2024
ENGINE
The engine cooling hose is failing and may be made of similar materials under the same recall as the Stelvio Qudrofiligo NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 18V635000. Mine has a leak which can cause a loss of coolant and cause a crash. The engine cooling hose may have inadequate webbing material allowing a coolant leak.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11613593September 9, 2024
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
The contact owns a 2022 Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V510000 (Air Bags, Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11612829September 5, 2024
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS
A recall was issued for a disrupted connector on the front buckle switch hall effect sensor that may cause the air bag to not deploy during a crash. This seems to be an important safety concern. However all dealers in my area (Los Angeles) either do not have the part(s) to repair the issue and do not have a timeline on when the part will be available, or have a waiting list of >7 months due to taking only 5 recall cars per week. Both scenarios seems unacceptable, particularly when the recall is related to a safety concern, and fall under the category " dealer fails to remedy the defect within a reasonable time". I trust something should be done with the manufaturer to get more parts to all dealerships, and to force dealers to fix more than 5 cars per week.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11608908August 16, 2024
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the accelerator pedal travelled down to the floorboard, and the vehicle stalled. The ESC warning light, the check engine warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the message “Service Engine Soon" and other unknown messages were displayed. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, and the contact drove to the residence. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V510000 (Air Bags, Seat Belts); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the repair could not be covered because the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11607816August 11, 2024
AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
I was in an accident that was can be contributed to my lane keeping assistance. Once the car crashed into another vehicle my airbags failed to deploy.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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