Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
In Feb 2025, I was involved in an accident where a driver damaged my driver's side door. I brought my car to the Fix Auto Downtown LA location for repairs. Cosmetically the door was repaired, but over the next year my latch would temporarily lock, preventing access and requiring me to enter through my passenger side door/climb over the center console. In Feb 2026, the latch permanently closed. In Jan 2026, I hit debris on the freeway, which required a repair of my front bumper and undercarriage. I had moved from LA to Orange County, and went to the Fix Auto Yorba Linda location to remediate the door repair and address the new damage. The date of repair for both items was April 15, 2026, as I was unable to make time for an immediate appointment. …
Around 715p, today, May 29, my wife was driving the Alfa Romeo Giulia, and we pulled into our driveway. I was in the passenger seat and had my right elbow resting on the window sill (the window was fully open) and my palm was resting against the window frame. My wife pressed the automatic window up button as she was turning off the car. As the window started up, my forearm was trapped between the sill and the window frame. the pain was extremely intense, particularly from where the window kept trying to close. I yelled at my wife several times to hit the window down button. I could not get my arm out. Finally, I was able to pull my arm out scraping the skin. I feel that, if there had been soft tissue such as a baby's neck where my arm was, the tissue would have been crushed. After I pulled my arm out, the window did not continue to raise.
Driving and stopped at a traffic light, car engin stopped then when I tried to start the engin burning smell and smoke came from under the hood. Took the car to the dealership and they advised me that the starter had been completely burned out but yet they don't know why or how. This incident had made me fearful for my kids, wife and my life, the starter is close to gas lines and that could have caused an explosion. I am not sure how can the starter burn in flames when there is a relay and fuses to protect the regulation of current going into the starter. Thanks
The vehicle is subject to Alfa Romeo Safety Recall 93C (NHTSA Campaign 25V586) for a defective Fuel Delivery Module. The safety defect is an active, un-remedied hazard. The vehicle is currently located at [Name of Alfa Romeo Dealership] for an official diagnosis and is available for inspection. The vehicle has an active safety recall for sudden, catastrophic engine stalling at highway speeds due to fuel pump warping. Because the manufacturer has not provided a remedy or a safe alternative transport, I am forced to choose between driving a vehicle with an acknowledged highway-stalling hazard or being completely deprived of my transportation. The vehicle cannot be safely operated in commerce until Recall 93C is performed. The vehicle is currently undergoing inspection by the manufacturer's authorized technicians at the Alfa Romeo dealership. …
Due to a faulty starter relay, my Alfa Romeo Giulia would intermittently not start or restart. The dashboard illuminated properly but the starter did not engage and the engine did not attempt to crank. Afterwards, a warning lamp would sometimes appear saying "auto start/stop unavailable". This became a safety hazard when the auto start/stop feature shut the engine down at a stop light and the car would not restart when the light turned green. In my case, the light turned green and other cars were approaching the intersection and I could not move out of the way. The problem occurred multiple times on initial startup and while driving in a 3 week period before it the faulty relay was replaced under warranty by my local dealer. The car's ECU recorded P26E4-OO for start stop relay and the dealer had seen the issue before. The part has been upgraded and should proactively be recalled.
The contact owns a 2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the horn was inoperable and there was no audible sound while depressed. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the horn failure was caused by an air bag clock spring failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.
Alfa Romeo Giulia (and Stelvio) models have an exposed powertrain ground strap under the vehicle body. Because of the exposed position of the ground strap it is prone to corrosion which causes the fine wire braid of the ground strap to become brittle and break. Breaking of the strands of wire is further accelerated due to the acute 90 degree bend in the ground strap routing resulting in wire fatigue. When the ground strap fails it is typical the vehicle may not start. With continued attempts to start, alternate grounding paths may be sought by the current from the starting circuit. This results in substantial and expensive damage to other wiring and electrical components within the engine bay. Alfa Romeo is aware of design flaw of exposed ground strap and the resulting damage from their choice of placement (and lack of protection of the ground strap). …
I was travelling along the road when 3 cars suddenly hit the brakes really hard. I was able to hit my brakes fast, but I did not feel any pressure on the pedal and I was unable to avoid hitting the car in front of me. I also had a problem with the start system. I was randomly unable to start the car (about 3 times.) I would have to wait 10 minutes or longer for the car to be able to start again. I also noticed that the front bumper frame of my car was split in half (as if I had hit a post or something big.) I also noticed that there was writting on the front bumper frame (no foam padding in between,) and the following written on the front (DNR. 01/09/2017 and a time 10:20.) I don't know what's going on with my vehicle. It's frustrating and I've had to take it to the dealership a few time 3 hours away.
Related recalls (2)
Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
Alfa Romeo (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Giulia and Stelvio vehicles. The Body Control Module (BCM) may indicate an inaccurate fuel level that displays higher than the actual amount.
Remedy: Alfa Romeo will notify owners, and dealers will update the BCM software, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Alfa Romeo customer service at 1-800-853-1403.
Electrical system › Wiring
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Alfa Romeo Giulia and 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio vehicles, equipped with 2.0L engines. These engines may misfire causing the catalytic converter to overheat, possibly resulting in damage to the nearby wiring and engine components.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles for diagnostic codes, and update the engine control module software, free of charge. The recall began October 10, 2018.
Frequently asked questions
Which Alfa Romeo Giulia years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2017 (36), 2018 (20) and 2019 (6) model years. Electrical complaints make up 35% of all complaints for the 2017.
Is there a recall for Alfa Romeo Giulia electrical problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 19V-551 (instrument cluster/panel, Jul 25, 2019); 18V-636 (wiring, Sep 14, 2018). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Alfa Romeo Giulia electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 18,000 miles; 88% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the starter assembly (1 mentions), followed by the 12v/24v/48v battery (1).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.