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10 Common Problems Of An Alfa Romeo Giulia (Quadrifoglio)

By: Author Stefan K.

Posted on Last updated:

Categories Sedans & Coupes

10 Common Problems Of An Alfa Romeo Giulia (Quadrifoglio)

What kind of problems does an Alfa Romeo Giulia usually have? In this blog, we’ve outlined all the most important things you should watch for when you’re in the market for a Giulia and Giulia Quadrifoglio. However, let’s first start with a quick answer:

All generations of the Alfa Romeo Giulia are prone to electrical problems caused by a faulty dynamo or poor wiring. Furthermore, fracturing brake discs and a loss of ABS are common problems for the 2020 – 2021 models, whereas the 2017 – 2018 models suffer from an overheating engine and non-deactivation of the cruise control.

However, that doesn’t tell the whole story. In the rest of the article, we’ll discuss every problem in detail. Furthermore, we’ll let you know how to identify it, fix it and how much it costs to fix. Read on!

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1. Electrical Errors

One of the most complained about problems of all generations of the Giulia is how it has been engineered from a technical standpoint. Here, it doesn’t seem like there’s one issue causing a specific problem. Instead, people have complained about a variety of symptoms.

For example, reverse lights that are on all the time, which drains the battery, a start-stop system that stops functioning way too frequently, and the car shutting down completely without warning lights or illuminating a few warning lights all at once.

It’s difficult to identify what’s truly causing these problems. Alfa Romeo doesn’t produce Giulia’s on the scale that some other carmakers in the United States or Europe produce cars. This means information is inherently harder to find.

In some cases, owners have stated that the dynamo doesn’t seem to be able to charge the battery completely or quickly enough for the car to function. In other cases, it could be that faulty wiring is causing problems (which is likely to explain some exterior lights of the car staying on even though the car is turned off).

2. Material Defects Of The Rear Brake Discs

Owners of some Alfa Romeo Giulia complained about a sudden loss of braking power, which caused dangerous situations. Eventually, it turned out the rear brake discs of the 2020 Giulia were prone to fracturing. Alfa Romeo issued a recall under number 20V714000 at the end of 2020, and the brake discs and pads were replaced free of charge.

3. Loss Of ABS When Braking Hard

One of the more serious recalls involved 2020 – 2021 models of the Giulia, which were recalled for a mechanical issue. Hard braking could result in the ABS Hydraulic Control Unit rotor separating, which meant a reduction of brake power and a loss of ABS. Owners were notified of this in June 2021, and the ABS HCU was replaced free of charge.

4. Wrong Tires

The 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia was recalled for a rather small but still important issue. The tires that were equipped on the Giulia had the wrong load rating, which meant the car owner could load the car up to heavy, which would increase the risk of a crash. Alfa Romeo owners were notified of this at the end of 2021 under recall number 21V848000, and the tires were replaced free of charge.

5. Fuel Leaks

The Giulia has also proven not always to be a leak-free car. One such instance was a recall under number 21V878000. This particular recall involves the fuel line sensor housing, which could crack in the 2020 – 2021 Giulia. This crack then results in fuel leaks and an increased risk of fire. Alfa Romeo contacted the owners at the beginning of 2022 about this problem and will replace the necessary part free of charge.

Also read: Types Of Gas An Alfa Romeo Giulia (Quadrifoglio) Takes

6. Contaminated Brake Fluid And A Breaking Hose

First, certain 2017 – 2018 Giulia were recalled when they were equipped with a GME 280HP engine and all-wheel drive. The brake fluid line could possibly contact a coolant hose clamp and break, causing brake fluid to sip into the exhaust. The recall was issued at the end of 2018 under number 18V828000.

Furthermore, some early 2018 models were recalled at the end of 2017 because there was a chance they were filled with contaminated brake fluid. The recall was carried out under number 17V823000. As can be expected, both issues were solved free of charge.

7. Heat Damage Because Of Misfires

2017 – 2018 Giulia’s were recalled in September 2018 under recall number 18V636000. The 2.0L engines equipped in some of these models were prone to misfiring, which caused the catalytic converter to overheat. Which could result in damage to the wires and engine components. The engine control module software was updated, which supposedly fixed the problem.

8. Can’t Deactivate Cruise Control

Another problem involved the owners of 2017 – 2019 Giulia. They were unable to disable the adaptive cruise control in some situations. This was caused by faulty brake system module software, which wouldn’t allow this to happen when the traction control detected a wheel slip. A recall was issued in March 2019 under number 19V148000 to update the software free of charge.

9. Faulty Fuel Gauge

A faulty Body Control Module in the 2018 – 2019 models of the Giulia resulted in the fuel gauge indicating a higher fuel level than was actually in the car. This resulted in people running out of fuel before they thought they needed to refill. A recall was issued under number 19V551000, and the BCM software was updated at dealers free of charge.

10. No Carplay Or Android Auto In Earlier Models

One final, small thing to keep in mind for some people is the lack of Apple Carplay or Android Auto in the 2017 models of the Giulia. This is, of course, not a defect in any way, but some owners figured this out a bit too late when they were buying a used Giulia, so it does seem worth mentioning.

What’s The Worst Year Of The Giulia?

Finally, we have to answer the question of what is the worst and best years of the Giulia. Before we do this, it’s important to understand that many of the complaints we’ve talked about today were recalls.

Alfa Romeo has proven to be quite quick in recalling their cars and therefore catch problems early on (instead of letting them loom for years, as some other major car manufacturers do). However, our conclusion is as follows:

The 2020 – 2021 models of the Alfa Romeo Giulia are its worst years because they were prone to the brake fluid hoses breaking, loss of ABS, fracturing brake discs, leaking fuel hoses, and electrical problems. The 2017 – 2018 models were also prone to some of these problems.

The best model year of the Alfa Romeo Giulia is the 2019 model. This model has had much fewer recalls than other model years, and its recalls were much less severe. However, this car is most likely still prone to the electrical problems that have taunted it over its lifespan.

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