Watch Out, Alfa Romeo’s Having Problems With Leaky Stelvios, Tailgate Might Unexpectedly Open

With Italian flair and a legendary badge, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio presents a tempting alternative to the usual array of crossovers on the market. Unfortunately, the combination of Italian manufacturing and Chrysler reliability seems to mean the quality isn’t quite there just yet.

Case in point: the two latest recalls issued by the National Highway Traffic Administration. Both address build-quality issues with the Stelvio. And they’ll see the automaker calling in 12,595 units in the United States alone.

Water, Water All Around

The more glaring of the issue presents the danger that the tailgate could open while the vehicle is in motion – albeit only at low speeds. Apparently the problem comes down to corroding connectors.

The second issue also relates to water leakage, but at the other end of the vehicle. Moisture seeping into a control module could leave vital functions like the exterior lighting and windshield wipers malfunctioning (or not functioning at all).

To fix both issues, FCA will beef up the weather sealing to keep moisture from seeping in and making everything go haywire.

By our read of Fiat Chrysler’s sales figures, by the end of March it had only sold 5,374 examples of the Stelvio in the US to date. That’s less than half the number of vehicles being recalled. So suffice it to say, the recalls will affect every unit out there.

What’s more is that this isn’t the first recall we’ve seen issued for the Stelvio in the United States. A handful were previously called in (alongside the Giulia sedan) for contaminated brake fluid. The model only started reaching dealers last summer.