What 65 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia

Fuel pump and module failed and car stalled while on highway almost causing an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11665140

Dear NHTSA, I am writing to report a serious safety incident involving my vehicle. On [XXX] at approximately [XXX], while driving to an extracurricular activity for my [XXX] child, my vehicle displayed the following warning messages: “Service Engine,” “Service Electronic Throttle Control,” and “Start/Stop Unavailable.” Immediately after these warnings appeared, the vehicle shut off and shifted into neutral. I lost the ability to steer, creating a highly dangerous situation. I was on a busy road approaching an interstate entrance and had to react quickly to avoid a potential accident. Fortunately, I was able to maneuver the vehicle safely to the side of the road, but I believe this malfunction presents a serious risk to public safety and should be investigated. Please let me know if additional information or documentation is needed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11661734

Multiple times the check engine light will come on while driving. It shuts engine down at any speed. This usually happens during warm up phase of vehicle. You have to pull over and cycle power off and on multiple times before it starts and runs again. It has stalled in intersections causing traffic delays. Once it starts and codes clear it typically runs fine for long periods. Symptom codes include throttle system failure, fuel pump low pressure, miss fire, bcm communication error. Cycling off and on clears codes and car operates normally until next cold start. Symptoms seem to worsen when driving in n or a mode. Symptoms seem to worsen when remote starting vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11625740

Sudden loss of power while at 45MPH. Was luckily able to pull off into a parking lot. Vehicle was then unable to restart with clear no fuel being pulled. Code reading showed low fuel pressure and fuel pump errors. Was then towed.

NHTSA ODI 11624380

On September 1, 2024, I was driving my Giulia over a busy 4-lane overpass. An error code related to the fuel system flashed on the dashboard, and the car stopped nearly instantly in the lane where I was driving. Upon seeing the error code, I was not able to pull over into the breakdown lane - it was that sudden. Attempts to restart the vehicle failed. My wife (who was a passenger) and I quickly walked off the overpass to relative safety and called for a towing service. The police initially thought that the car was left in the way of traffic in the middle of a travel lane, rather than being pulled over into the breakdown lane. I had to explain that my Giulia stopped too quickly for me to be able to pull into the breakdown lane. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic that same day (September 1st, 2024) who confirmed the failure to restart the vehicle but declined to perform any work, referring me instead to Alfa Romeo service. The vehicle was towed to an Alfa Romeo dealership on September 23rd, 2024, where it sits to this day (November 1st, 2024). The dealership reports that the failure is due to a known issue - a defective fuel pump and associated control module. The dealership reports that they have the new fuel pump on hand, but that the associated control module is still unavailable. The dealership is unable to provide a date when the control module will become available. Looking back, I shudder at the thought that my wife and I were less than 1 minute from getting onto the I495 interstate.

NHTSA ODI 11623112

On September 1st 2024 we were faced with a serious problem with our Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T leaving us stranded. The culprate was a defect in the fuel pump on which led to the complete stop of the car during our trip abroad. After driving 900 kilometers without problems, various error messages suddenly appeared on the dashboard, including “Have engine checked”, “Start/stop function not available” and “Service throttle control”. A few seconds later, the engine stopped responding to the accelerator pedal and misfires appeared, which caused the engine to come to a complete stop and the power steering noticeably deced. Fortunately, we were just able to get to safety, but the car could not be started from that moment on. This incident occurred while we were far from home and caused significant inconvenience and stress. The diagnosis of our authorized Alfa Romeo dealer was: defective fuel pump and fuel pump module, with replacement costs of €1,294. What is striking is that at the same time another Giulia, with the same year of construction, was at the same dealer with exactly the same problem. In our case, because we were driving on a fairly empty road, we did not incur any injuries or damage to our vehicle or fellow road users, but of course this could have been very different in a busy traffic situation. We think this is a serious safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11618646

When I'm driving on the highway, the vehicle suddenly have a notification stating 'Service Electronic Throttle Control' and started to lose power, no matter howbjard the pedal was being depressed, it's notbgiving enough power out and start dropping speed. That drop me almost hit the vehicle behind me and inposing a serious risk because I'm on the highway. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the dealer mentioend it might be a fuel pump problem. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, it start almodt everytime suddenly from nowhere. Usually it will be ok after a few restart, but this t.ime it's persistent

NHTSA ODI 11599341

Received multiple code resulting from fuel rail, fuel pump, and fuel control module issue that cuts power when driving leading to unsafe driving situation. The car would stall in the middle of driving starving of fuel.

NHTSA ODI 11591078

My wife was driving the alfa on a tree lined winding country road when the car died without warning. The road has no hard shoulder so it was shuck on the road. My wife had to get out of the car and wave at to warn other traffic that the car was stuck on the road just around the bend. this went on for about an hour until the tow truck arrived, she was very stressed out as there was some close calls with traffic braking at the last second. The cause of the problem was the fuel pump failing, code P008. I am trying to source a replacement pump and during my research discovered this failure is common with 2017 and 2018 Alfa Giulia models. I am quite upset that they have not made this a recall, because the risk of being in an accident due to a car suddenly losing power is quite possible.

NHTSA ODI 11584264

I was on the highway ramp picking up speed, and the car suddenly started to loose thottle. I pulled over to the side and the car went limp. The car shut off. I attempted to turn on the vehicle and it would not. The car was taken to an Alfa Romeo dealership and they confirmed that the fuel pump and fuel pump relay are both the cause for the vehicle not gaining any power and not remaining on. The car is still with the mechanics.

NHTSA ODI 11578165

IN OCTOBER 2023 WHILE DRIVING THE FUEL PUMP SUDDENLY LOST POWER RESULTING THE VEHICLE TO STOP DEAD IN THE ROAD CAUSING A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A TRAGIC ACCIDENT. TODATE (1/31/2024) A REPLACEMENT FUEL PUMP CAN NOT BE LOCATED.

NHTSA ODI 11568992

when driving at highway speed car stalls. When you pull over car will not restart. Codes that t come up are: U0415,P008A,P062A,P0087 which point to a fuel pump error. This has happened 5 times while driving on highway and is very dangerous.

NHTSA ODI 11568754

Fuel pump fails when hot outside or prolonged use. Has happened multiple times a week. Was driving, get a low pressure fuel code, and then engine sputters and stalls. Dealership said its a known issues and are trying to charge me $2500 to have the fuel pump, fuel control module, and software reprogrammed for the new design that doesnt fail with heat. This is a known issues and I had to pull over with no power, almost got hit by another car. This is dangerous and should be a recall! The dealership said they stock those pumps for this specific problem and alpha is fully aware. Please advise. The fuel pump behaves fine when it is cold out, below 50 deg F.

NHTSA ODI 11564794

Fuel pump failed while driving causing car to go into neutral with no power. Had to have it towed after risking my safety on a busy road. Had to pay for a new fuel pump and repairs at dealer. This happened in 2023 a few months back.

NHTSA ODI 11564980

I have a 2017 Alfa Romeo giulia TI on several occasions between the dates of September 2023 to current November 21st 2023 I have had a series of low pressure fuel codes pop up during numerous Diagnostics it was found to be my in tank fuel pump during further research it was found it was a TBS on it and feel it should be cool due to the fact that wild traveling in a high-speed Lane at 80 miles an hour the car shut down I had myself and my family in the vehicle on another occasion I had myself in the vehicle in the slow lane knowing that this may come up or feeling this may come up and it shut down doing 65 miles an hour at any point in time we have been rear-ended and killed. On several occasions it has shut down but luckily turning into a parking lot on secondary roads this unfortunately has caused so much stress for my wife that she will not get into the car my children won't drive in it and my daughter doesn't want to get in any car cuz she doesn't trust them this is very very unsettling even at the fact that I have to pay for it and the stress is caused my family it's crazy to think out of all the vehicles I've ever owned in my life BMWs Porsches Chevrolets and Dodges I've never had to worry about a fuel pump going in this fashion without any safety mechanism set up I really hope to receive a response soon as I am actively getting it fixed and feel I should not even have to be putting out any money for this let alone the amount of time it's going to take for my kids to be able to get back into the car Alfa Romeo you really let me down on this one and as I continue to read and investigate I see that there are many many instances and threads with the same situation please do the right thing I'll be in touch

NHTSA ODI 11556375

Was driving my 2017 Giulia on a busy interstate, and everything was perfectly fine until 3 error messages popped up: service engine, service electronic throttle control, start/stop unavailable. Then the engine cuts off and the car shifted into N gear. It was a very horrifying experience as the semi-truck behind me almost crashed into me since my car lost power. I tried to restart the car but with no success, the engine will sputter for 3-5 seconds and gave up. Plugged in the OBD scanner and received a "P008A low fuel pressure" reading (I had almost a full tank of gas). So it is a fuel pump related issue. Apperantly this is a very popular issue/defect, and Alfa Romeo is well aware of it as they even published a service bulletin for this specific error. Please see the attached PDF file for the service bulletin. Basically, the fuel pump module should be replaced. I am taking my car to an Alfa Romeo dealership for further investigation. I believed that Alfa Romeo should recall and inspect the conditions of the fuel pumps because it is very dangerous when your engine cut off while driving on a busy interstate. I also have another passenger with me while the incident happens and some other video and photo evidence. I can provide more evidence when my dealer finishes inspecting the car.

NHTSA ODI 11539483

Hello, I was driving in the highway at highway speed and my engine shutdown with any sort of warning. I almost caused a huge accident. After I took it to the Alfa Romeo dealer, I had to replace the fuel pump according to the dealer, which is a common problem. I think Alfa Romeo should do a recall on the fuel pump. I also,scratched my car due to this incident avoiding a bigger accident. This car needs to be recalled for fuel pump repairs for all the car with the old bad fuel pump design. Thank you

NHTSA ODI 11535748

When driving vehicle it randomly goes into Limp mode and gives an “electronic throttle module error”. This in turns decreases the power of the vehicle significantly and causes you to move over lanes as to not cause traffic. This issue is common for a lot of Alfa Romeo Guilia owners.

NHTSA ODI 11513815

On August 18, 2022, I was driving the vehicle at a speed of approximately 45 mph when the vehicle motor suddenly and without any prior warning completely shut down. Several warning lights appeared immediately but none prior to the shutdown. I was driving in moderately heavy traffic and had to coast to a spot off the shoulder of the road. This was a dangerous situation and if I had been in heavier higher speed traffic, this would have been a very risky safety situation since I had no power whatsoever to control the vehicle movement. The vehicle would not restart and had to be towed to a repair shop. The problem was with the Fuel Pump Control Module which had to be replaced along with replacing the fuel pump. The manufacturer had previously issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) concerning this but had not issued a recall. I was unaware of the TSB. The manufacturer was obviously aware of issues with the Fuel Pump Control Module but did not issue a recall for vehicles. The TSB was for cars produced prior to August of 2017 and my car was produced in May of 2017.

NHTSA ODI 11485890

While waiting for a traffic light to change, the vehicle turned off but immediately turned back on. About four miles later, the same situation happened again but this time it took me a few minutes to get it to start. The vehicle had 1/4 fuel on the tank. After refueling, it drove fine. It was fine again on my way home from work, at least most of the way. When I was near home, it started to shut off and back on at a few traffic lights, but was able to drive it home.

NHTSA ODI 11423313

DRIVING ALONG THE HIGHWAY THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN AND GOES INTO LIMP MODE. NO POWER STEERING, NO BRAKES, NOTHING. ABSOLUTELY HAZARDOUS AND A SAFETY ISSUE. NO WAY TO START THE CAR. NO WAY TO MOVE THE CAR UNLESS OWNER GOES UNDER THE CAR WITH A SPECIFIC TOOL AND UNLOCKS THE BREAKS MANUALLY. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED TO BE. I BELONG TO A GROUP OF CAR ENTHUSIASTS WHICH OWN THE SAME MODEL AND SEVERAL HAVE REPORTED TO HAVE THE EXACT SAME ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11338023

WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY STUCK IN TRAFFIC, IT WAS A STOP AND GO AT VERY SLOW SPEEDS. WHEN RESUMING THE ACCELERATION (WHILE IN NORMAL FROM THE DNA ). I SLOWLY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE, WHEN I PRESSED THE BREAKS THE FEELING ON THE PEDAL WAS ABNORMAL AND THE CAR DID NOT STOP CAUSING ME TO HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. IT FELT AS IF THE BREAKS DID NOT FULLY ENGAGE, THE CAR JUST KEPT GOING WHILE ONLY PRESSING THE BREAKS WHICH I REPEAT AGAIN FELT AS IF THEY DID NOT FULLY ENGAGE. ALL THIS HAPPENED WHILE GOING AT A VERY LOW SPEED NO MORE THAN 20MPH. NO ONE WAS HURT AS ALL THIS HAPPENED AT A VERY SLOW SPEED. HOWEVER IT SCARES ME TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE NOW. NOT TOO LONG AGO I HAD IT IN THE SERVICE WHERE THEY PERFORMED A FAULT WITH THE SOUND SYSTEM AND A MISALIGNED HOOD. I HAVE ALSO FELT THE BREAKS ACTING FUNNY WHILE COMING TO A STOP LIGHT PER SAY, IT TAKES A WHILE FOR THE CAR TO FULLY STOP WHETHER A SOFT PRESS ON THE PEDAL OR A HARD ONE. THERE SEEMS TO BE A "DEAD POINT" WHEN STEPPING ON THE BREAK PEDAL AS WELL. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THE CRUSHED GIULIA TO THE NEAREST SHOP. THE OTHER PARTY WHO WAS HIT DIDN'T SUFFER MUCH DAMAGES, ON MY CAR, BOTH HEADLAMPS BROKE, HOOD CRUSHED INWARDS AND THE BUMPER IS TRASHED. I HAVE EXPRESSED MY CONCERN WITH ALFA ROMEO BUT NEVER RECEIVED A REPLY. ON A SIDE NOT I HAVE BEEN HAVING CONSTANT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS POP UP RANDOMLY SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 2017. ALL OF WHICH HAS BEEN ADDRESSED BY THE ALFA ROMEO DEALERSHIP, HOWEVER IT HAS BEEN IN THE SERVICE DRIVE OVER 5 TIMES SINCE PURCHASED. MY VEHICLE HAS 13K MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ODI 11206516

CAR CLUSTER REBOOTS RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING AND FUEL GAUGE / MILES TO EMPTY RADICALLY JUMPS ALL OVER THE PLACE - THEY HAVE ATTEMPTED TO FIX 8 TIMES WITH ALFA ENGINEERS INVOLVED EACH TIME CLAIMING IT WAS FIXED - ATTEMPTED TO GO THROUGH STERICYCLE THEY CLAIMED THEY ARE NOT LIABLE AND WILL DO NOTHING TO CORRECT. EMAIL FROM DEALER INDICATES HE HAS 4 OTHERS WITH THE SAME ISSUE CALDEN.FORD@STERICYCLE.COM WAS REP AT STERICYCLE

NHTSA ODI 11133399

I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE AT THE END OF MAY 2017, AFTER PUTTING ON ABOUT 500 MI WITHIN 4 WEEKS, A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY KEPT IT OVERNIGHT,LOOKED AT IT, AND CALLED THE FOLLOWING DAY & SAID THERE WAS "SOMETHING LOOSE THAT NEEDED TO BE TIGHTENED" AND THAT THE CAR WAS READY FOR PICK UP. I DROVE THE CAR AND PARKED IT IN MY GARAGE. THE FOLLOWING DAY, I TOOK THE CAR OUT, TURNED IT AROUND AND BACKED IT UP TO PARK IN FRONT OF MY GARAGE, I WAS GOING SLOWLY (UNDER 5 MPH) THE BRAKED LOCKED UP AND THE CAR ACCELERATED IN REVERSE HITTING MY GARAGE BEFORE I COULD STOP IT BY TURNING OFF THE ENGINE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, BUT GOT NO RESPONSE. A FEW HOURS LATER I HAD A LUNCH APPOINTMENT. THE MAN I WAS MEETING WANTED ME TO TAKE HIM FOR A SHORT RIDE IN THE CAR, WHICH I DID. AS WE RETURNED TO THE RESTAURANT, I PULLED INTO THE PARKING SPACE SLOWLY, AND ENGAGED THE BRAKES, AGAIN THE CAR WENT INTO SUDDEN ACCELERATION, GOING OVER ARBORVITAE TREES AND INTO A NEIGHBORING PARKING LOT. THE DEALERSHIP WAS CALLED AND THE CAR TOWED. ON BOTH OF THESE OCCASIONS I WAS DRIVING SLOWLY, BOTH TIMES I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND FELT THEM LOCK AS THE CAR WENT INTO ACCELERATION, AND BOTH TIMES I HAD TO TURN OFF THE CAR TO GET IT TO STOP.

NHTSA ODI 11023575