What 10 owners told NHTSA about the 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale

I have found a huge barrier to getting my brakes serviced as Alfa Romeo makes it impossible for an independent mechanic to acquire the necessary brake hardware to keep my car safely on the road. 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale already has a formal federal safety recall regarding a brake pedal collapse defect. I am concerned that my vehicle, having less than 33k miles, already needs front and rear brakes and rotors even though I do not drive it in an aggressive or rough manner.

NHTSA ODI 11746209

I own a 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale. The rear passenger seatbelt became internally jammed and would not retract or function properly. The belt appears to have twisted within the retractor mechanism during normal use. The condition is not user-correctable and requires removal of interior trim and access to the retractor assembly to resolve. This indicates that the seatbelt mechanism allowed the belt to become internally tangled and locked. There is no visible damage, fraying, or evidence of misuse. The vehicle is new, and the seatbelt has only been used under normal conditions, including use with a child passenger. The dealership diagnosed the issue as a “twisted/tangled belt” and denied warranty coverage, stating it was caused by external influence, but did not provide evidence of misuse or component damage. This raises a safety concern because a seatbelt should not become internally jammed to the point that it cannot retract or function without disassembly. A failure of the retractor to properly manage belt alignment during normal use could impair occupant protection in the event of a crash. I am reporting this as a potential defect in the seatbelt retractor system.

NHTSA ODI 11728233

Component/System: Brake system – specifically brake pedal assembly / braking performance. Description: The vehicle experienced recurring issues with braking performance, including inconsistent or reduced deceleration during braking. Availability for inspection: The vehicle is currently in my possession and available for inspection upon request. The braking issue reduced the vehicle’s ability to slow or stop as expected during normal driving conditions. This created a safety risk to myself and other drivers and contributed to a rear-end collision. Although no one was injured, the inability to decelerate as expected increased the risk of a crash without prior warning. The issue was reported to an authorized dealer on three separate occasions over the past year. The dealer was unable to fully resolve the braking concern, and the issue persisted after each visit. Additionally, a safety recall was issued on December 9, 2025 (NHTSA Recall Number 25V-846) identifying a brake pedal assembly defect that may collapse during braking. The vehicle has been inspected by an authorized dealer multiple times for the braking concern. The vehicle was also inspected by insurance representatives following the collision. Repairs have not yet been completed pending further documentation and recall-related review. No specific warning lamps or messages were observed. The primary symptom was inconsistent or insufficient braking response during normal operation. These symptoms began prior to the first dealer visit and continued intermittently despite multiple repair attempts.

NHTSA ODI 11710575

The car engine and hybrid system shuts down randomly and without warning when I am driving, and the car has no power. The first time it happened was on Wednesday, Dec. 11th 2025. I had just picked up the car a few days prior, when they replaced the high voltage generator under warranty. I was on the highway and the car shut down, with a red turtle on the right side of the instrument display. I rolled to a stop on the shoulder and managed to get it running again. I drove it in E-SAVE mode for about 40 miles and it shut down again, and I rolled to a stop on the side of the road. I got it restarted and in E-SAVE mode I managed to get it to the dealer. It was returned to me on Wednesday, Dec. 17. The dealer, Ron Lewis Alfa Romeo, said it was not programmed properly after installing the part on the prior repair job. They claimed to have driven it 50 miles without issue after the reprogramming, and said it was fixed to good working order. Today (Dec. 26th, 2025) I was going up a hill and it shut down again, with a red turtle on the dash, and the car stopped. I got it started and drove it home in E-Save mode. I then had Alfa Romeo roadside assistance have the car towed back to Ron Lewis Alfa Romeo. The car is unsafe and I cannot drive it without fear of it shutting down while underway. Having a car engine and hybrid system completely shut down in live traffic, either on the highway or in a suburban or business district, suddenly and without warning is incredibly dangerous to the driver, passengers and those in other vehicles. They have been unable to find and fix the problem, and keep giving me back an unsafe car to drive.

NHTSA ODI 11707183

The contact owns a 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and attempting to slow down, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the brake pedal was abnormally stiff. In addition, the vehicle hesitated to come to a complete stop. The contact stated that there was a shuddering sound coming from the brakes. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 23,000.

NHTSA ODI 11658266

I was pulling into a parking space and started to apply the brake to stop before reaching the parking curb. When I gently pressed the brake the vehicle lunged forward, so I fully depressed the brake pedal. At that point the vehicle accelerated, jumped the parking curb and continued forward although my foot was still pressing on the brake. Since my wheels were turned to the right, I missed hitting a tree and drove off the paved area of the parking lot, into a hedge, and continued into the swale separating the street from the parking lot. There was a FORD F-250 XLT parked on the swale perpendicular to the parking lot. I hit the F-250 on the front passenger door with enough force to move the front end of the truck almost 2 ft., even though the truck was less than 10 ft in front of my car. The collision with the F-250 is what stopped my vehicle’s acceleration and forward movement. During the accident the brake pedal was actually accelerating the vehicle. I was not hurt due to the confined area in which the accident occurred. The vehicle sustained severe damage and was towed to the dealer collision center. I contacted the manufacturer (Stellantis, Alfa Romeo) and filed a claim. They sent BOSCH to retrieve the EDR data. Stellantis is claiming the crash was not their responsibility but have refused to share the EDR data/report or cooperate in any way. They told me to have my insurance pay to fix the car and continue to drive it. If the vehicle malfunctions again I may die or kill someone. I have contacted over a dozen attorneys, but since I was not injured, they are not interested in taking my case. The proximity sensors did not alert, the collision avoidance system, and autonomous braking did not engage or even give a warning. Stellatis (manufacturer), Rick Case Fiat (Dealer), Rick Case Honda Collision (Repair shop), BOSCH (EDR data collector), and Allstate (my insurance) are all aware and yet will put the car back on the street.

NHTSA ODI 11631708

At any point in time when driving, the dashboard could turn on all error and warning lights, which leaves the vehicle unable to accelerate above 15mph. The errors indicate issues with parking brake, steering, stability control, engine, hill start assist, electronic throttle control, and autonomous emergency braking. After a period of time for the vehicle being turned off, most of the warnings and errors will clear and the vehicle will only show the check engine light when started and in operation, however, at any point in time that the vehicle is in use while driving, the same exact situation occurs. The vehicle was towed to the dealership four times for this issue. Initially on 1/25/2024 where the technician "reset codes" per the invoice. The next occurence was on 3/27/2024 where the vehicle was disabled completely, unable to power on to even get it into gear. Again, software errors were cleared and they sent us away. Now, in October, we had to have the vehicle towed in twice - 10/2/2024 where the technician "reset codes related to radio" and most recently on 10/16/2024. Again, same exact issue, they reset codes again and said the vehicle was fine. The most recent occurrence on 10/16/2024 is the one where the safety concerns happened. I had just got onto I-270 S, began accellerating to 45mph (heavy traffic in the AM) and the dashboard lit up. At this point, I lose the ability to accelerate the vehicle, nearly getting hit from behind. I was able to get the vehicle over to the shoulder and get to the next exit to get off the interstate. I had to drive on the shoulder as I couldn't accelerate. I was unable to accelerate above 15mph and it took me nearly an hour to get home - just a 2-mile distance. There is no way to tell when this error and issue will occur - there's no pattern to what we're doing when it happens - and further, if we're driving the vehicle again, we don't want to be put in a situation where we can't control the vehicle on an interstate.

NHTSA ODI 11620581

Automatic emergency braking randomly engaged braking the vehicle while traveling 75 miles per hour on an interstate highway. I had moved into the left lane to pass a semi. I moved over with plenty of space between me and the semi and was next to the semi cab when my vehicle started beeping, flashing BRAKE on the dash, and then started to brake hard. I was able to slam my foot on the gas pedal and override the braking. There were no vehicles in front of me on the road for quite a distance. Luckily there was no car behind me to rear end me and I did not lose control and swerve into the median on my left or into the semi on my right. I have taken the vehicle to the dealership, who was not able to find any issue. I have also logged a case with Alfa Romeo support (case number can be provided if needed). Alfa Romeo customer support was not helpful in any way and has closed my case with no resolution to the issue. I feel this is a major safety issue and I am afraid to drive my vehicle at higher speeds for fear it will autonomously brake for no reason and cause an accident.

NHTSA ODI 11572812

Leased a brand new 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale (first year new model production) on 12-23-23. This is a hybrid. On [XXX] at 1347 miles the car would not start. Entire electrical system shut down. Towed to dealership were purchased - Stateline Alfa Romeo in Fort Mill SC. Car was released to me on [XXX] and dealer charged battery but had no idea what caused failure. On [XXX] again at 1681 miles electrical system totally failed once again - car would not start and flatbedded again to Stateline Alfa. Car was keep a week until [XXX] at dealership. I came to pick up the car after they charged the battery again and not knowing cause of failure again, but now car would not start again right at the dealership after they told me it was fixed and ready to pick up. They said they have had conversations with the engineers in Italy but still do not know the cause of the electrical failure. They are going to keep the car another week to trouble shoot. So this new car is on its third repair at the dealership in the 2 months since I have owned it and will be in the shop 2 and a half to 3 weeks so far. I believe I have a lemon on a new model year car. I asked the dealership for an exchange to a new Tonale but they said it’s the manufacturers problem not theirs . Please help in anyway you can! Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11572646

The lower bolt attaching the left rear brake caliper fell out at about 1400 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11549586