Alfa Romeo Stelvio Recalled Over Water Leaks
Insert Alfa reliability joke here.
Alfa Romeo is recalling a total of 12,595 Stelvio crossovers due to leaky sheetmetal around the car's A-pillar and rear hatch area that may expose electrical components to water according to two separate National Highway Traffic Safety Administration filings. As a result, the Stelvio's windshield wipers, exterior lights, turn signals, and horn are at risk of malfunctioning if the Alfa's front end gets wet. If a leak is present near the hatch, the rear liftgate may unexpectedly open while the car is traveling up to 3.1 miles per hour.
If you're driving your Stelvio in heavy rain, the last things you want all that water to mess with are your wipers and lights. A rear liftgate that stays shut would also be ideal.
For the engineers in the crowd, the leaks specifically affect the luxury SUV's A-pillar connector and body control module up front as well as the rear liftgate wiring connectors, harness, and opening switches around back. All recalled cars were assembled between March 20, 2017 and February 14, 2018. The Italian automaker says Stelvios made after Valentine's Day used an ergonomically improved application process for the sealant, protective tape and shrink tube to seal water leak paths and provide additional protection to affected connectors in the back and an additional body sealer, improved gasket crimping process, additional shielding to the body control module and sealing tape between the plenum and body sheet metal near the A-pillars.
Alfa Romeo will start notifying affected owners starting May 18 at which point they'll be instructed to take their crossover to a local Alfa dealer to get additional seals installed free of charge.
If you're reading this, actually have a Stelvio in your garage, and have questions or concerns, Alfa Romeo customer service can be reached at 1-844-253-2872 while the number for NHTSA is 1-888-327-4236.
The 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio starts at $41,995.
