This new recall of 54,000 Alfa Romeos will not do the brand's reputation any good in North America.

Remember: if Alfa Romeo is back in the limelight in Europe, mainly thanks to the launch of the new Junior, the story is very different on the other side of the Atlantic. Long the brand's second-largest market, the United States now lags behind Germany. In just eight months, Alfa Romeo registered just 4,254 vehicles therea fall of 31 %.

Admittedly, there was an artificial surge in July and August, no doubt linked to early registrations before Donald Trump's 15 % tax on European car imports came into force. But this one-off effect was not enough to halt a major trend: the North American market is gradually closing in on Alfa Romeo.

A limited catalog undermined by taxes

It's hard for the Italian brand to win over customers when it can rely on just three models: the Giulia sedan (2016), the Stelvio SUV (2017) and the Tonale (2022). Models that, with the new taxes, are seeing their prices rise, whether for purchase or spare parts.

And as if that weren't enough, the recall campaigns keep coming. We already reported in April 2025 that there had been three in just six months. Three's company, three's company. At Alfa Romeo, it's even "never three without four"...

Nearly 54,000 vehicles recalled

Alfa Romeo has just announced its fourth recall campaign in North America in less than a year. This time, almost 54,000 Giulia and Stelvio vehicles produced between 2016 and 2019 are involved.

The cause: a faulty fuel pump, with internal parts vulnerable to heat. As a result, the flow of fuel can drop sharply, depriving the engine of power and bringing it to a sudden halt... while driving. The consequences are already there: five accidents and three injuries have been reported, as well as 437 complaints registered by the authorities.

What's most worrying is that there are no warning signs to alert drivers. The breakdown occurs without warning, making the situation dangerous. Affected owners will receive a letter from October 29, but they don't know how long it will be before their vehicle is actually repaired.

A still tarnished image

This latest episode further tarnishes the brand's image in North America, where Alfa Romeo's reputation already oscillates between passion and recall campaigns. In an ultra-competitive market, where German premium SUVs reign supreme, each recall further weakens Alfa Romeo's credibility. A scenario that contrasts sharply with the J.D. Power ranking of which the brand was so proud in 2023 (for the record, the Italian brand fell from 3rd in 2023 to 26th in the 2024 ranking, and no longer appears in the 2025 ranking).