Photo: Alfa Romeo
Instead of the 3 Series and X3, a few people among us have chosen the Giulia and Stelvio as their compact executive sedan and compact luxury crossover of choice. But as it’s often the case with Italian cars manufactured in Italy with Italian parts, the two models are now being recalled over “elevated catalytic converter temperatures” caused by misfires.
Safety recall UA4, also known as NHTSA 18V-636, involves 34,300 examples of the 2017 to 2018 model year Alfa Romeo Giulia and 2018 model year Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Inadequate protection of the catalytic converter is the problem, leading to “localized damage of wiring and components in the engine compartment.”
Rough operation of the 2.0-liter Global Medium Engine is the first manifestation of the problem, and in some cases, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp lights up. In more extreme cases, “a burning odor may be noticeable prior to an engine stall or engine compartment fire.” Alas, this mess-up will cost Alfa Romeo dearly as soon as customers arrive at authorized dealerships to fix the issue.
The document forwarded to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration instructs dealers to “minimize customer inconvenience by placing the owner in a loaner vehicle” if the repairs took longer than expected. Instead of repackaging the catalytic converter, Alfa Romeo will fix the problem by calibrating the software of the Powertrain Control Module.
Adjusting the fuel delivery to minimize misfiring might not seem like a great deal in this regard, but then again, this is what the engineers claim it’s enough to repair the fault. The time it takes for fixing the issue is estimated at one hour according to the recall notice.
As curious as it may sound to you, the third most-reliable car according to WhatCar.com is the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Only the Vauxhall Insignia (a.k.a. Buick Regal) and Volvo V60 ranked higher, with the following two places going to the BMW 3 Series and Mazda6.
Over in the United States, the Giulia and Stelvio are priced at $38,195 and $42,195. In other words, the 320i ($34,900) and GLC 300 ($40,700) are cheaper than what Alfa Romeo has to offer in these two segments.
Rough operation of the 2.0-liter Global Medium Engine is the first manifestation of the problem, and in some cases, the Malfunction Indicator Lamp lights up. In more extreme cases, “a burning odor may be noticeable prior to an engine stall or engine compartment fire.” Alas, this mess-up will cost Alfa Romeo dearly as soon as customers arrive at authorized dealerships to fix the issue.
The document forwarded to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration instructs dealers to “minimize customer inconvenience by placing the owner in a loaner vehicle” if the repairs took longer than expected. Instead of repackaging the catalytic converter, Alfa Romeo will fix the problem by calibrating the software of the Powertrain Control Module.
Adjusting the fuel delivery to minimize misfiring might not seem like a great deal in this regard, but then again, this is what the engineers claim it’s enough to repair the fault. The time it takes for fixing the issue is estimated at one hour according to the recall notice.
As curious as it may sound to you, the third most-reliable car according to WhatCar.com is the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Only the Vauxhall Insignia (a.k.a. Buick Regal) and Volvo V60 ranked higher, with the following two places going to the BMW 3 Series and Mazda6.
Over in the United States, the Giulia and Stelvio are priced at $38,195 and $42,195. In other words, the 320i ($34,900) and GLC 300 ($40,700) are cheaper than what Alfa Romeo has to offer in these two segments.
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