Skip to content
Emergency

Before you buy a used Alfa Romeo 159.

2005–2011 · Petrol / Diesel · 2 engines

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

Alfa Romeo 159, real photo of this generation
Tokumeigakarinoaoshima · CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

All versions

Sheets the catalogue links to all 2 of its engines.

1.75 TBi / 1.9 / 2.2 JTS

Petrol

  • Timing chain on the 2.2 JTS and 3.2 V6 (159, Brera and Spider)Timing system
    Period mentioned
    2005–2011
    Mileage mentioned
    What the sheet says: Long oil-change intervals (about 32,000 km) create sludge that stops the chains being properly lubricated; the original GM engines had the same issue.

    Applies if: Only the 2.2 JTS (and 3.2 V6) petrols; not the 1.75 TBi or 1.9 JTS.

1.9 / 2.0 / 2.4 JTDm

Diesel

Which engine has the fewest documented faults?

Documented faults and recalls by engine for the Alfa Romeo 159
EngineDocumented faultsRecalls
1.75 TBi / 1.9 / 2.2 JTSPetrol22 with conditions1
1.9 / 2.0 / 2.4 JTDmDiesel21 with conditions0

According to the data we have, all its engines have the same number of documented faults.

We only count the sourced sheets we have. An engine with fewer is not guaranteed to be more reliable: it may have been studied less or sold in smaller numbers.

Official recalls: ask before you pay

A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.

  1. Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
  2. Ask an official Alfa Romeo dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
  3. Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.
Brake hoses with internal restrictionBrakes

Engines: 1.75 TBi / 1.9 / 2.2 JTS (Petrol)

How to check it: Confirm VIN and batch; inspect and replace affected hoses under the recall.

View full entry

On the test drive: what to look and listen for

Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.

0 of 3 checked

Intake / EGR / flywheel

  • Look out for: Power loss, rough idle and an engine light with “swirl actuator malfunction”; soot around the intake manifold; vibration and knocks in low gears (dual-mass flywheel).

    Ask them to check: Check the rod and flap operation on top of the manifold, read actuator codes, inspect the EGR and listen to the flywheel when starting and stopping.

Timing system

  • Look out for: Chain rattle on a cold start; the chain stretches and in some cases breaks, causing serious engine damage.

    Ask them to check: Listen on a cold start; Honest John advises changing the oil about every 16,000 km.

Known weak points

  • Look out for: Rust on the front subframe (poor factory paint) that fails the inspection, and on the floor; radiator hoses chafing on the fan housing; failing manual gearboxes; on the 1750 TBi, reverse sticking on uphill starts; on diesels, intermittent loss of brake assistance (vacuum pump), belts and water pumps on the 1.9/2.4 JTDm and the dual-mass flywheel on the 2.0 JTDm.

    Ask them to check: Check the subframe and floor; test reverse on a slope; check campaigns by VIN.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.

More Alfa Romeo buying guides

View the model pageAll buying guides