Alfa Romeo will recall certain Giulia sedans and Stelvio SUVs after 437 drivers reported a serious problem. They say their engines died without warning. Five drivers crashed, and three were injured. Alfa Romeo investigated the crashes beginning in August. Now the company is finally warning drivers about defective fuel pumps it stopped installing in 2019. Here are the affected models:

• 2017‑19 Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan
• 2018‑19 Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV

Stellantis (the parent company that owns Alfa Romeo and the Chrysler Corporation) admits it has a problem with its “fuel delivery module.” The module combines the pump and gauge and sits inside the fuel tank. When the module gets hot, it can fail completely. That failure starves the engine for fuel. Without fuel, the engine cuts out. That loss of power can seriously limit your ability to steer and brake.

Alfa Romeo installed this faulty module in 24,382 Stelvio SUVs built between April 12, 2017 and June 26, 2019 (those are the 2018‑19 model year SUVs). It also installed the module in 29,467 Giulia sedans built between September 2, 2016 and June 26, 2019 (sold as 2017‑19 model years). That means these vehicles have a reported failure rate of 0.81% so far.

Alfa Romeo is working on a fix for faulty fuel pumps

Stellantis began investigating the issue in August. It is still working on a fix. Repairing will likely require draining and dropping the fuel tank. The automaker has not issued a “do not drive” warning. It is gambling that no more failing fuel pumps injure drivers or passengers while it develops the fix.

Alfa Romeo promises to notify owners of affected vehicles by the end of October. In the meantime, you can call your local Alfa Romeo dealership or enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check if your vehicle is affected.