Stellantis has identified a genuinely terrifying problem affecting the 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale PHEV and its mechanically similar sibling, the Dodge Hornet. According to recall documentation filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), nearly 6,000 crossovers produced at the ‘Giambattista Vico’ plant in Italy may have been fitted with a brake pedal assembly that is susceptible to outright collapse under braking.
In this scenario, the driver loses all ability to actuate the vehicle’s service brakes. Stellantis’s official advice is to pull and hold the electronic parking brake to reduce speed, and hope the Automatic Emergency Braking system intervenes during an imminent collision.
The affected vehicles were manufactured between February 10, 2023, and February 14, 2024. Stellantis initiated an investigation after receiving a field claim for a collapsed brake pedal in October 2025, followed by a second report a month later. By the time the recall documents were filed, Stellantis was aware of one single incident, mercifully, without injury.
The remedy is straightforward. Dealers will reinforce the brake pedal arm by installing a simple bolt and nut. This leaves one wondering why Stellantis couldn’t have spent a few extra cents on a non-fragile brake arm during the development process in the first place, saving itself the headache.
Dealers will receive notification on this week with customer letters following no later than January 13, 2026. In total, 5,974 vehicles intended for the US market are included in this campaign.This recall is particularly painful for Alfa Romeo, which is already struggling in the US market. The Tonale, while outselling the Stelvio and Giulia, only accounted for 2,109 deliveries in the first nine months of 2025. It is completely overshadowed by its mass-market counterpart, the Dodge Hornet, which managed 8,486 sales in the same period.
Stellantis needs a better quality compact crossover lineup for both Alfa Romeo and Dodge if it wants to reclaim any lost market share, and a collapsing brake pedal is not the way to start.
