Owning a 2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio was initially a dream. The performance, the styling – it’s everything you could want in a sports sedan. However, my experience quickly turned into a reliability nightmare that any potential buyer should seriously consider. It all started subtly enough about six months into ownership when the “Service Electronic Throttle Control” light began to flicker on my dashboard, accompanied by the dreaded “Service Engine” light.
At first, the warning lights were intermittent, appearing for a week then vanishing for days, making diagnosis difficult. During my scheduled five-year service, the dealership, frustratingly, couldn’t find any error codes logged in the computer system related to the electronic throttle control. They essentially dismissed it, unable to address a problem they couldn’t see actively occurring, although they did discover and rectify a cracked radiator under warranty – a minor victory in hindsight.
Fast forward a month, and the gremlins resurfaced at the worst possible moment: a ski trip to northern Maine. The “Service Electronic Throttle Control” light illuminated again, an unwelcome passenger on our journey. Compounding matters, an accidentally left-on dome light drained the battery overnight. The next morning, the Giulia Quadrifoglio was completely unresponsive. Even a jump start failed, and we were locked out of accessing the transmission module to disengage the parking brake. The scene of my prized Alfa Romeo being dragged onto a flatbed tow truck, rear wheels locked, is not one I’ll soon forget. A costly tow to Alfa of Portland ensued, where they diagnosed a battery short and reinitialized the electronics. Yet, crucially, the persistent ETC error remained unresolved, a ghost in the machine.
The real breakdown occurred just last Saturday. While driving on the highway, the “Service Electronic Throttle Control” light reappeared, but this time, the consequences were immediate and severe. The car began to lose power, speed bled away, and eventually, the engine died completely. Stranded on the side of the highway, I managed to restart the car after a five-minute wait, enough to limp home and back to the dealership for the fourth time in two months. Finally, a diagnosis: a failing fuel pump. However, the part was back-ordered with no estimated time of arrival. As a temporary measure, they replaced the fuel control module and cleared the fault codes, allowing me to drive away with a stark warning: this could happen again at any moment, potentially leaving me stranded once more.
This 2022 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, a car I initially adored, has become a source of immense frustration. Four shop visits in two months, each involving a three-hour round trip to the nearest dealer, and I still drive with the constant anxiety of another breakdown. The car is essentially undrivable with confidence, and the irony is palpable – I’m trapped with a broken-down sports sedan that’s too unreliable to even sell. I’m left in automotive purgatory, with no clear end in sight to this saga of malfunctions and dealer visits. The dream of Giulia Quadrifoglio ownership has devolved into a frustrating reality of unreliability and unresolved issues.
