— Alfa Romeo fuel pump failure complaints convinced the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to open a January 2024 federal investigation into why the pumps failed in 2017–2019 Alfa Romeo Giulia cars.
The Giulia sedans are equipped with Fiat Chrysler 2.0L 4-cylinder and 2.9L 6-cylinder turbocharged engines.
According to NHTSA, drivers complained the low pressure fuel pumps failed while driving above 25 mph and caused the cars to stall. The Alfa Romeo Giulias typically couldn't be restarted.
Making matters worse, many owners complained their cars were repaired only for the problems to reoccur.
Safety regulators found the fuel pumps were supplied by Vitesco Technologies in Germany, and NHTSA also confirmed 2018–2019 Alfa Romeo Stelvio vehicles were equipped with the same fuel pumps. Regulators also found the failures seemed to be worse with the original fuel pumps that were installed in the vehicles.
"The failure mode involves interruption of fuel flow, resulting in fuel starvation and an unexpected loss of motive power, typically with little to no advance warning." — NHTSA
Chrysler reported 2,162 complaints, field reports and legal claims about fuel pump failures, along with another 464 warranty claims. Adding Chrysler's numbers with NHTSA's number of complaints indicate 1,900 Alfa Romeo vehicles suffered fuel pump failures.
The government has closed its fuel pump failure investigation based on a September recall of more than 57,000 Alfa Romeo Giulia and Alfa Romeo Stelvio vehicles. All the vehicles are equipped with Vitesco fuel pumps.