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Auto Start / Stop Issues

15529 Views 17 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  AlfaConvert
Hey Everyone,

I'm new to this forum and just leased my first Stelvio, which I really like, but was curious if anyone else has experienced a similar issue with the auto stop / start I noticed within a week of getting the car.

Basically whenever I'm stopped the auto engine stop will kick in, but after about 10 seconds the engine will turn back on even if I continue to be stopped and pushing the brake. I've tested this multiple times by pushing the break down as hard as possible without releasing the brake at all at a red light (and on a flat road) and the engine still goes from stopping to starting even while the break is still engaged and the car is not moving. This unfortunately happens every time and is not a sporadic issue.

I know I can turn this feature off, but would like to take advantage of it if I can.

I've expressed my frustration to the dealer and am waiting to hear back, but was curious if anyone has had a similar issue.

Thanks,
Michael
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There are a number of factors considered in the system logic including cabin temp, engine temp, charge level (which I would suspect in a new vehicle possibly the issue) etc. See the video best explanation. Sorry don't hav e the link on mobile but it's posted elsewhere. There has been an issue with battery voltage due to time in inventory, and I have noticed with a/c running on a hot day it restarts to maintain comfort.

A good long drive may help restore charge condition. You can disable the feature per trip using the lower button @ headlight control panel.

Welcome + hope you love your Stelvio as most of us are!
Thanks for the quick response - if you get a chance to send over the video/link that would be helpful.

I live in LA and taken it on a couple of ~1 HR drives so would be surprised that it could be a charge level issue but wouldn't be surprised if that's the culprit. Usually my cabin temperature is pretty similar to outdoor levels as well given it never really gets that hot around here.

Thanks for the help though.
https://youtu.be/Bk1eJJ9jxGk
There are a number of factory videos to help us get familiar with the vehicle. Hope this helps!
Battery, 90%.
Other scenarios 10%

Recharge your battery.
I'm actually hoping a software update will come out that lets us turn off the start stop indefinetly. I want it off and I want it to remember that every time I start the stelvio, so I don't have to turn it off on each trip.
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ECM update avl.,

I'm actually hoping a software update will come out that lets us turn off the start stop indefinetly. I want it off and I want it to remember that every time I start the stelvio, so I don't have to turn it off on each trip.
Dealer told me last week my car has a ECM software update due to improve idle - namely, stop-start
that might do the trick...
Hey Everyone,

I'm new to this forum and just leased my first Stelvio, which I really like, but was curious if anyone else has experienced a similar issue with the auto stop / start I noticed within a week of getting the car.

Basically whenever I'm stopped the auto engine stop will kick in, but after about 10 seconds the engine will turn back on even if I continue to be stopped and pushing the brake. I've tested this multiple times by pushing the break down as hard as possible without releasing the brake at all at a red light (and on a flat road) and the engine still goes from stopping to starting even while the break is still engaged and the car is not moving. This unfortunately happens every time and is not a sporadic issue.

I know I can turn this feature off, but would like to take advantage of it if I can.

I've expressed my frustration to the dealer and am waiting to hear back, but was curious if anyone has had a similar issue.

Thanks,
Michael
Hello Michael,

Have you heard back from the dealer? Let us know if you need us to connect with them on your behalf or get this escalated to a Case Specialist.

Jasmine
Alfa Romeo Social Care Specialist
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I hope, like others, a software update will allow us to permanently turn off the start / stop function with the switch button. Based on my driving, I don't see a noticeable difference in fuel mileage. I don't like it.
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Auto stop/start on 2017 Jag F-Pace

Had to laugh when I just read the Motor Trend article by Ed Loh in the September 2018 issue about an update on their long term test of the 2017 Jaguar F-Pace 35T R-Sport after 9 months and over 15k miles ($64K). Several times the vehicle has failed to start after coming to a stop with the auto stop/start engaged. The car shuts down completely with the instrument panel dark, the transmission goes from Drive to Park and the Rotary Transmission Dial sinks into the console. Multiple presses of the ignition button restarts the vehicle. Inadvertently puttiing more pressure on the brake pedal after stopping seemed to cause the complete shut down. Another quirk showed up when coming to a stop and releasing the seat belt (maybe to reach for something), the vehicle shuts down, has to do with Driver Exit mode. They're taking the Jag into the dealership to see if they can figure out the cause of these issues. So I think it's fair to say, high tech vehicles are gonna have high tech problems.
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My Stelvio's Auto Start/Stop Malfunctioned at 8k miles

I hate the function to begin with but I understand it is required. However, I had just started out (and had not remembered to disable it) when basically ALL of the warning lights on my dash lit up. I pulled over and stopped the engine. I started it back up to see if it was just being an Alfa, and sure enough, all of the lights save Throttle, AutoStart/Stop and Check Engine. One more restart and it settled on just Check Engine and AutoStart/Stop. I was on my way back home when I came to a light. At that point the car started doing this lurching/bucking thing against the brake (which I was already on luckily). As we know, the brakes on the Stelvio are great so it was not a big deal to just jam them on...but the car definitely had some ideas of its own.

I got the car to the dealer where they found (echoes of Alfa days past) nothing wrong with the car. LOL. Seems that the diagnostic system doesn't know about it (yet) so it must not be a problem. When I drove Alfas in the 70s we could just fix them ourselves. Not so easy now.

Still love Alfas. They have always been a bit of an addiction. I was hoping that after decades of being out of the US market they would come back with their act together. So far, my experience has been bad. Too bad...Guess I will drive it a couple years and then sell before they bomb out of the market again and tank the resale value even more.
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FixitagainTony

Your dealer just needs to update the software. I had the same thing happen to mine and the tech did the software update and trouble free again.
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Is there anything that can be done for the car manufactures to just be honest and leave the stop start feature to default off if you want it then you have to turn it on . I don't know anyone that uses this feature and the companies are selfish and only do it to increase the MPG on the window sticker . All the companies do it and they are putting their marketing BS efforts ahead of the customer . I really wonder what would happen if we all just banned buying autos with this feature. Again if you want it then you remember to turn it on or they have an area to default it on in my auto section . Does this get anyone else as upset like me ?
Simple economics:
EPA regulations incentivize the use of [stop/start] technology because it has on-road fuel economy and greenhouse-gas benefits not fully captured on EPA’s fuel-economy tests,” a Ford spokesman said in an email. “In order to qualify for the incentives, [it] must be the predominant operating mode for the vehicle, such that the driver cannot permanently disable it.”
I don't know if something is "wrong" with my Stelvio but my auto start/stop is automatically disabled as long as I have the ac temperature set to the lowest setting (which is always, down here). Even if I have the ac turned off, as long as temp is set to Lo the auto start/stop doesn't activate. Does this trick work for anyone else?
Good evening to all.
The air conditioning system of μυ brand new Stelvio stops working at the traffic lights and when I start the car, sometimes the air conditioning remains off. All I can do to restart it is restart the engine. The dealership I went told me that they fixed it but 20 days later the problem reappeared.
I have the exact same issue on my MY 2020 Giulia. See my reply on your other post.
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