What was supposed to be a simple trip home turned into a terrifying ordeal on the A1 highway between Naples and Rome. Since June 27, the account of Imma Battaglia, a well-known figure in Italian activism, has been circulating on social media and in Italian media following the sudden breakdown of her Alfa Romeo Junior.
The car, which is less than a year old and has about 14,000 kilometers on the odometer, reportedly came to a sudden stop while traveling at 120 km/h. This incident has received significant media attention, putting Alfa Romeo in a situation the brand would have gladly avoided.
An Alfa Romeo Junior hybrid that loses all its power
Images posted on social media make it possible to identify the model in question. The presence of exhaust pipes confirms that this is not the electric version, but rather an Alfa Romeo Junior Ibrida equipped with a 1.2-liter gasoline engine.
According to the account published by Imma Battaglia, the trip was proceeding normally on the A1 Naples-Rome highway when an audible alert sounded. Moments later, a message appeared on the dashboard: «Engine malfunction: stop the vehicle.» The accelerator stopped responding. The engine lost power, and the car slowed down abruptly. The driver explained that the vehicle coasted to a stop at an emergency pull-off area.
«It’s a miracle we’re alive,» she says in a video posted a few minutes after the incident. She points out that the situation could have been much worse if the car had been in the center lane or the passing lane at the time of the breakdown. The incident occurred around 7:15 p.m., while she was traveling with journalist Roberta Savona.
A story that went viral in Italy
Very quickly, the story spread beyond social media. Several national Italian media outlets picked up the story, while the video racked up several million views. In her account, Imma Battaglia doesn’t just criticize the breakdown itself. She also points the finger at roadside assistance, claiming she had difficulty reaching the support services. The tow truck arrived just over an hour after the vehicle broke down, and the tow was reportedly only provided as far as the first highway exit. The activist then announced her intention to take legal action against Alfa Romeo as well as the roadside assistance provider Arval.
Alfa Romeo Apologizes and Launches an Investigation
Given the scale the incident had reached, Alfa Romeo quickly contacted the driver. According to the Italian press, the automaker apologized and stated that it wanted to understand exactly what had happened. The investigation is reportedly focusing on both the technical cause of the malfunction and the handling of the assistance response. For now, Alfa Romeo has not provided any official explanation regarding the appearance of the «engine malfunction» message or the reasons for the sudden shutdown of the hybrid system. We will likely have to wait for the vehicle analysis to determine the exact cause of the problem.
Even though this is an isolated incident at this stage, the media coverage of this breakdown directly affects one of the Italian automaker’s most important models. An Alfa Romeo Junior hybrid that came to a standstill at 120 km/h on the highway is exactly the kind of situation a brand wants to avoid, especially when the story goes viral within a few hours.
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This fits right into the pattern of problems at Stellantis. Alfa needs to figure out the cause as soon as possible. Today's cars are packed with so much technology and software that problems like this are almost inevitable. Still, it's frustrating and not a moment of glory for Alfa.
I’d had the same kind of problem with my Fiat Tipo 1.8 16v. A sudden loss of power on the highway. Back then, it was the Marelli airflow meter—which was total junk on the early models. But I still loved my beautiful Italian car…
But come on, a Peugeot PureTech that breaks down at 14,000 km (half the engine's lifespan)—that's unbelievable!!! Who could have predicted that???