2013 FIAT 500 Complaints

WE RECEIVED RECALL S26/NHTSA 16V-303 FOR OUR 2013 FIAT 500E. WHEN I CALLED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE CLOSEST FIAT DEALER, THE EARLIEST APPOINTMENT WAS MORE THAN FOUR WEEKS OUT. BECAUSE THERE ARE NO FIAT DEALERS NEAR WHERE I LIVE, I NEED A LOANER VEHICLE FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I'VE BROUGHT THIS CAR FOR PREVIOUS RECALLS TO THIS SPECIFIC DEALER AND HAVE ALWAYS RECEIVED EITHER A LOANER OR A RENTAL, FREE OF CHARGE. TODAY, THE SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD ME SHE CANNOT PROMISE ME A LOANER AND THAT THEY WOULD CHARGE FOR A RENTAL. THE DEALERSHIP IS FIAT OF THOUSAND OAKS AND I LIVE IN SANTA BARBARA, CA. THIS IS A HUGE WASTE OF MY TIME, BEING THAT I HAVE TO DRIVE FOR AN HOUR, USING ALL THE VEHICLE'S CHARGE, THEN HAVING TO WAIT FOR NOT ONLY THE RECALL FIX BUT FOR THE VEHICLE TO CHARGE FOR 4 HOURS IF THEY CANNOT PROVIDE ME WITH A LOANER OR A RENTAL. I BELIEVE CAR COMPANIES SHOULD BE LIABLE FOR ALL EXPENSES WHEN IT DEALS WITH RECALLS AND THAT LOANERS AND/OR RENTALS SHOULD BE AUTOMATIC. I ALSO FEEL OTHER DEALERSHIPS THAT ARE PART OF THE SAME GROUP SHOULD ALSO BE ABLE TO SERVICE CERTAIN RECALLS IF THE RECALL IS SIMPLY TO REPROGRAM OR UPDATE THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT IN AND OUT OF GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V302000 (POWER TRAIN); HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V302000 (POWER TRAIN) WAS RECEIVED. AFTER CONTACTING THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND NO ESTIMATED TIME FOR RECEIVING THE PARTS COULD BE GIVEN. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

THE MANUAL SHIFTER IS VERY DIFFICULT TO ENGAGE IN REVERSE, 1ST AND SECOND GEAR. I WAS TOLD BY FIAT THAT THE REVERSE GEAR IS A QUIRK OF THE CAR AND THERE IS NO SOLUTION. THIS 1 &2 SHIFTING PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC FROM A COMPLETE STOP. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THE GEARS WERE DIFFICULT DUE TO THE CLUTCH AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. MY CAR HAS 12,400 MILES AND THE CLUTCH WAS NOT COVERED AND I PAID FOR THE REPLACEMENT. I WAS SHOCKED THAT MY CLUTCH NEEDED REPLACEMENT AT 12,000 MILES! I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURE ABOUT THE DEFECT, BUT FIAT AGREED THAT I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE CLUTCH. AFTER THE REPAIR, THE CAR HAS THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE GEARS. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT CLUTCH NEEDED REPLACEMENT, THE CAR HAS A DEFECT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE HEADLIGHTS BURNED OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000.

I OWNED THE SECOND FIAT 500 THOUGHT THE BRAKE'S ISSUE WOULD GO AWAY WHEN DRIVING IN THE WINTER TIME. BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP THE CAR AND EVEN YOU PRESSED IT ALL THE WAY DOWN. I HEARD FROM A FRIEND WHO LOST CONTROL OF HER FIAT'S BRAKE THIS LAST WINTER IN BOSTON, MA AND WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IT'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY VEHICLES AS WELL BEFORE THE WINTER THIS YEAR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LIFTGATE LATCH MALFUNCTIONED AND THE HATCHBACK COULD NOT BE OPENED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

AT 25,000 MILES I HAD AN OIL CHANGE AND TIRE ROTATION. AFTER THAT, I NOTICED UNSAFE FEELING ON MY STEERING ON HIGH SPEED (OVER 75MPH) THAT I NEVER FELT BEFORE THE SERVICE. IT JUST DIDN'T FEEL STEADY. BROUGHT THE CAR BACK IN THEN THEY REPLACED AN INTERNAL SHAFT BUT DIDN'T HELP. BROUGHT BACK IN TWICE MORE AND THEY TEST DROVE IT AND CHECKED EVERYTHING (SO THEY SAID) BUT NOTHING WAS FOUND. I WAS TOLD THAT THE TIRES WERE GETTING OLD AND TO JUST GET USED TO IT AND NOT TO DRIVE SO FAST. BUT ON INTERSTATES, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO GO WITH THE FLOW AND THAT FLOW CAN BE THAT HIGH SPEED. I TALKED TO TWO SERVICE PERSONNEL BUT THEY SEEMED LIKE THAT THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND MY CONCERN NOR CARE ABOUT IT. I POSTED MY CONCERN ON FIAT USA FACEBOOK PAGE AND SOMEONE FROM THE FIAT HEADQUARTERS CONTACTED ME WHICH WAS NICE BUT NOT MUCH HELP BECAUSE MY DEALERSHIP DIDN'T WANT TO DEAL WITH THEM. I WAS EVEN SUGGESTED BY A PERSON FROM THE HEADQUARTERS TO CHANGE THE DEALERSHIP. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT I WILL HAVE TO BUY NEW TIRES ABOUT 6,000 MILES FROM NOW BUT THIS KIND OF THING NEVER HAD HAPPENED TO ANY OF MY PREVIOUS CARS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, WHILE DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH TO SLOW DOWN, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL SOUND AND THE GEAR FAILED TO SHIFT WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT MANEUVERED THE VEHICLE TO A PARKING AREA. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000. ...UPDATED 02/19/16 *BF *CN

I HAD TO HAVE MY FRONT TWO TIRES REPLACED ON MY 2013 FIAT 500 ABARTH IN MAY 2015 AFTER ONLY 17 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP (BOUGHT IT NEW AT THE END OF 2013) AND 12,666 MILES, AND WAS TOLD THEY WERE NOT COVERED BY ANY WARRANTY. THESE WERE THE PERELLI 205/40R17XL BSW 3 SEASON TIRES. THE WEAR WAS SO BAD THEY WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 2012 FIAT 500 SPORT WITH PERELLI'S AND HAD IT FOR 17 MONTHS, BUT PUT 30,105 MILES ON IT, AND ONLY HAD TO REPLACE TWO TIRES BECAUSE ONE GOT A NAIL IN IT. I KNOW ROTATING THE TIRES WHEN RECOMMENDED IS IMPORTANT. I HAVE HAD MY RECOMMENDED SERVICES FOR BOTH CARS AS THE DEALERSHIP HAS RECOMMENDED.