2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year most often describe a loss of drive power: the vehicle stalls, stumbles, or drops into a limp/low-power mode while accelerating, and owners frequently tie this to the open fuel pump recall. Electrical faults are the second large group, including water getting into body control module and liftgate wiring, charging/start-stop warnings, and a corroded engine ground strap. A smaller set of reports covers coolant leaks and turbo faults, brake work at low mileage, and advance safety systems braking on their own.

1. 1
   Fuel system

   Loss of power, stalling and limp mode (fuel pump)

   Mentioned in 25 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the vehicle losing motive power or stalling while driving, sometimes at low speed and sometimes at highway speed, often with the check engine, throttle, or start/stop warning lights and messages such as "Service Electronic Throttle." Many then went into a low-power or limp mode and had to pull over and restart. Complaints frequently mention the open fuel pump recall, with owners saying dealers told them the repair part was not yet available; some dealers identified a failed low-pressure fuel pump or module, and others could not duplicate the problem. Scattered across the range, with many reports between roughly 40,000 and 110,000 miles and some as low as 13,500 miles.

   Recall 25V5860002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether recall 25V586000 (fuel pump) has been completed and get written proof; confirm the low-pressure fuel pump and module part numbers if any repair was done. During a test drive, watch for hesitation or a stumble under acceleration and for throttle or start-stop warning messages.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was told I was on a priority list to have this recall fixed. My Stelvio is virtually undrivable. It continues to lose power when acceleration and goes into limp mode. I refuse to take the Stelvio onto the highway as it poses a danger to myself and passengers. This recall has been active for well over a year with a continual push back on the remedy date. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11752236, filed 2026-07

   “2018 Stelvio Quad 7/2025 Taking off from a red light with multiple cars behind and beside me, my car lost power throwing multiple warning lights, swapped itself from D to N driving mode and had to be limped off the road and restarted. It would not swap modes from N . Displayed check engine light. Contacted my service manager, completed 10 restarts, issues cleared. Car would drive in all modes without issue. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11688577, filed 2025-09
2. 2
   Engine

   Check engine light, misfire and coolant leaks

   • 62 complaints (46%)
   • median 65,236 mi at 7.1 yrs old (26 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners report the check engine lamp plus messages like "Service Engine" and "Service Throttle Body," sometimes with a burning coolant smell, fluctuating coolant level, and reduced power. Other complaints describe a rattling noise from the turbo area and, in some cases, a turbocharger replacement; others mention an oil line leak near the turbo that produces smoke. Complaints also describe repeated dealer visits where the cause was hard to confirm. Spread from about 20,000 to 120,000 miles, with several reports in the 30,000-60,000 mile range.

   Recall 18V635000Recall 18V6360005 related service bulletins

   What to check: Look for coolant residue or staining around hoses and the radiator, and check for oil mist or smoke near the turbo lines. Ask for service records on turbo or cooling-system repairs and scan for stored engine codes before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Alfa romeo USA is in my opinion hiding a constant problem they have with stelvios. The oil turbo line has a faulty oring and leaks oil onto engine which causes smoke that can not be healthy to breathe in. I have talked to severa alfa dealers in service depts and they confirm to me that they have fixed numerous stelvios with this problem. This should be a national recall for repair at no cost to the consumer. I tusually happens close to warranties expiration near 50k miles or shortly after.”

   NHTSA complaint #11396594, filed 2021-02, 50,000 miles

   “There was a issue with my vehicle turning on fine then once I got down the road it started to not go it completely stopped in mid drive on me and the engine light and oil light going crazy. It started sounding bad this has happened 3 times it shouldn't be happening on a 2018 that's been up to date on maintenance. I take the care home park it for a day then never day crank it up it cranks right up as if it did nothing the day before sounds normal runs fine no lights on at all but it did this 3 times in 3 months. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11395879, filed 2021-02, 65,000 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Water intrusion causing electrical faults

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe water pooling in the footwell or at the bottom of the liftgate, followed by odd electrical behavior: inoperative interior lights, wipers running on their own or not at all, lighting and horn faults, radio and backup camera dropouts, and start-stop not working. Several owners link this to the body control module and say a replacement was needed; some reported the problem returned after the water-intrusion recall work was already performed. Mostly reported from a few thousand to about 55,000 miles, often after rain or following the earlier recall repair.

   Recall 18V205000Recall 18V2030002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the passenger footwell and spare-wheel/liftgate area for damp carpets, water stains, or corrosion, and ask whether recalls 18V205000 and 18V203000 were completed. Test every light, the wipers, horn, and camera, and look for recurring warning lamps.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On may 9, 2018, the vehicle underwent the recall #u36/nhtsa18v-205 to seal the potential water intrusion that would affect the body control module. However, on december 16, 2019, a noticeable amount of water was located on the passenger floor board and after driving for 20 minutes on the freeway at 65 MPH, we experienced what we found out to be later water intrusion that affected the body control module. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11307971, filed 2020-02, 10,350 miles

   “21,000 miles may 2 2020 while exiting my neighborhood, electronics failed again and the car would not accelerate anymore; I was stuck in the middle of a heavily trafficked us highway, with the risk to be hit by other cars. The car went into the normal drive mode and I was not able to switch to economic or dynamic driving mode anymore, car would not run over 40mph. All kind of warnings started showing up on the dashboard. I had to stop/start the car a few times, and it resumed functioning. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11327199, filed 2020-06, 20,000 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Stall or surge around the start-stop system

   • 28 complaints (21%)
   • median 24,478 mi at 2.4 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Owners describe the engine cutting out at a stop or in slow traffic, with the start-stop indicator on, and the vehicle taking several seconds to restart or surging forward unexpectedly. Some complaints say it happened with the start-stop function switched off. Dealers often could not reproduce the condition or pointed to a software or sensor issue, and a few owners report the throttle behaving as if it were stuck open. Mostly reported under about 30,000 miles, with several at a few thousand miles.

   Recall 19V1480003 related service bulletins

   What to check: During a test drive, stop and restart the car several times with start-stop engaged and note any hesitation or lurch. Ask whether software updates for the brake/adaptive cruise module and start-stop charging bulletins were applied.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While on a hiway, with cruse on, stopped for a red light. While stopped the engine shut off. I pushed the stop-start disable buttion. The car acclerated into the intersaction before I braked it to a stop. Luckely there was no one infront of me and no cross traffic or we would have wrecked. The car then went back to idle and has been fine since.”

   NHTSA complaint #11366179, filed 2020-10, 12,766 miles

   “There's a problem called etc error. It has happened 5 times since 9500 mileage. And now car has 15900 mileage. Every time it happened when I was on highway trying to accelarate. When that problem occured, I suddenly lost power and had to pull over in the middle of traffic. Then I needed to shut down the engine and restarted, after this action power was back on with engine check light on, too. And car was driveable with auto start/stop and remote start unavailable. I went to dealships 3 times. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11287114, filed 2019-12, 9,500 miles
5. 5
   Vehicle speed control

   Automatic emergency braking activating unexpectedly

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the forward collision system braking hard with no obstacle present, including on a bridge and when starting from a traffic light, and adaptive cruise control reacting to vehicles in adjacent lanes. Owners say the events were intermittent and that dealers had difficulty confirming the cause. Mostly reported in the first few thousand miles on relatively new vehicles.

   Recall 19V148000

   What to check: Ask whether the adaptive cruise control software recall 19V148000 was performed, and test the forward-collision and cruise systems on an open road to see how they behave in traffic.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “It is disgusting that auto manufacturers don't give a spare or run flats on a car today. I was on i95 with my family when my new one day old car had blowout at 10pm at night. Alfa roadside took 6 hours to find us. This is safety issue because I was stuck side of the black darken highway without spare. The semi truck passing 12 inches away from my car doing 80+ MPH. How is it in 2019 manufacturers can sell a car without a spare or even flares. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11183764, filed 2019-03, 500 miles

   “The forward collision warning system activated for no reason. As I was starting to accelerate from a traffic light on a city street it came on suddenly and rapidly decelerated the vehicle. Luckily no one was behind me.”

   NHTSA complaint #11118270, filed 2018-08, 200 miles

Buying note. Check that all open recalls, especially the fuel pump campaign, are completed before purchase and get written confirmation, since many complaints center on waiting for parts. Also inspect for water intrusion in the footwells and liftgate area, and review service history for coolant, turbo, and electrical repairs.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.