2012 FIAT 500 Complaints

DEALER REFUSE TO CHANGE A DEFECTIVE TIRE (GOUGE) IN SIDE WALL. I DID NOT TAKE POSSESSION OF CAR AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, DUE TO AFTER HOURS. FOLLOWING DAY SERVICE MANAGER CALLED ME SAYING IT WAS COSMETIC AND THAT IT MEETS NHTSA STANDARDS. I COULD STICK MY FINGER INTO THE HOLE AND FEEL THE TIRE CORD. LOOKED AT CAR INITIALLY WITH POOR LIGHTING. NOTICED THIS DEFECT JUST PRIOR TO DRIVING OFF WHERE THERE WAS BETTER LIGHTING.

I WAS DRIVING ALONG AT ABOUT 30 MPH AND MY CLUTCH PEDAL BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO PUSH IN AND I COULD NOT SHIFT. I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO TURN INTO A PARKING LOT WHERE I COULD NOT PUT THE CAR INTO GEAR. ONCE THE CAR WAS OFF I COULD MOVE ABOUT THE GEARS BUT ONCE THE CAR WAS ON THE PEDAL WOULD NOT GO DOWN ALL THE WAY AND I COULD NOT GET IT INTO GEAR. THERE HAS BEEN ZERO SLIPPING OR GRINDING OF THE GEARS AND I HAVE LESS THAN 30,000 MILES. I AM CURRENTLY AWAITING IF MY WARRANTY WILL COVER THIS ISSUE. FROM WHAT I HAVE SEEN ONLINE THE PRESSURE PLATE HAS BEEN CRACKED OUT WARPED SO I PLAN TO FIGHT TO HAVE THIS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. TO THINK THAT A CLUTCH WOULD GO OUT IN 2.5 YEARS AND UNDER 30,000 MILES IF CRAZY BUT WHEN I SPOKE WITH FIAT DEALERSHIP HE MADE IT SEEM THAT THEY SEE IT ALL THE TIME AND CUSTOMER CARE AT FIRST SAID THEY HAVE SEEN IT MULTIPLE TIMES....UPDATED 7/19/16*BF

THE TRANSMISSION NEARLY FELL APART WHILE MEGING ON THE FREEWAY. I NOW NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION ON A CAR WITH 46,000 MILES ON IT.

MY STEERING SHAFT HAS BEEN MAKING NOISE SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED, THE PART HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER EVERY TIME THE CAR HAS BEEN IN FOR SERVICE. IT'S BEEN A YEAR, SINCE I'VE HAD A CLUNKING STEERING SHAFT, AND THEY ASSURED ME IT WILL BE FIXED.... BUT THE PART IS ON BACK ORDER... THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THESE CARS IT SEEMS.

CLUTCH FAILURE IN TRAFFIC AFTER LEAVING A STOP LIGHT. NO PRIOR WARNING/SIGNS THAT THE CLUTCH WOULD FAIL (IE. NO SLIPPING). CAR STARTED IN FIRST JUST FINE, WENT TO SHIFT INTO SECOND AND THE CLUTCH WOULD NOT DISENGAGE. THE PEDAL WAS COMPLETELY STIFF AND WAS UNABLE TO BE PRESSED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I THEN DRIFTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO STOP, THANKFULLY I WAS NOT GOING AT A HIGHER SPEED OTHERWISE THIS PROBLEM COULD HAVE POTENTIALLY CAUSED A WRECK. AT THIS POINT IN TIME I TRIED TO SHIFT MY CAR INTO GEAR (WITH THE CAR OFF), BUT THE CLUTCH WOULDN'T EVEN ALLOW ANY GEARS TO ENGAGE. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY HOME, AND THEN FIAT HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALER OF MY CHOICE (I STILL HAD TO PAY FOR THE FIAT TOWING). I AM CURRENTLY PENDING A CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSE + FIX MY CAR, WHICH WILL MOST LIKELY HAVE TO BE PAYED OUT OF POCKET. THIS IS MOST LIKELY A MANUFACTURER DEFECT, AS HAS BEEN STATED IN NUMEROUS OTHER CLUTCH FAILURE REPORTS FOR THIS YEAR'S MAKE.

2012 FIAT 500 PRIMA EDIZIONE. BACKING OUT OF PARKING LOT, DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL DISCONNECTS FROM THE LOWER CONTROL ARM. CAR FALLS ALMOST TO THE GROUND. DEALER IDENTIFIES WORN BALL JOINT. JUST UNDER 62K MILES. RECENT ALIGNMENT AND TIRE REPLACEMENT DONE BY THE DEALER. ALL REGULAR SERVICE DONE AT SAME LOCAL DEALER SINCE NEW. FIRST AND ONLY OWNER. VERY FORTUNATE THIS DID NOT HAPPEN ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEED.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A BUSY THOROUGHFARE AT AROUND 30 MPH WHEN MY CLUTCH SUDDENLY STIFFENED UP AND BECAME IMPOSSIBLE TO ENGAGE. I TRIED IN VAIN TO SHIFT OUT OF THIRD GEAR AS I NEARED A STOPLIGHT, BUT THE GEAR STICK WOULDN'T BUDGE AND THE CAR ENDED UP STALLING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. I MANAGED AFTER A MINUTE TO YANK THE STICK INTO NEUTRAL AND COAST DOWN A SMALL HILL INTO AN EMPTY PARKING SPACE. IN THE END, IT WAS A DEAD CLUTCH AFTER ONLY 30,000 MILES. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT HAD IT OCCURRED ON THE FREEWAY OR IN A BUSY INTERSECTION.

BALL-JOINT BROKE OFF COMPLETELY CAUSING DAMAGE TO TIRES AND FRONT WHEEL WELL PANEL. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 36K MILES AND TIRES ARE ROTATED AT EVERY OIL CHANGE. 10/4/15 RUST SPOTS ON BACK HATCH PANEL (REPORTED OVER A YEAR AGO, HAS BEEN RETURNED 2 TIMES AND THEY ARE FIGHTING ME ON THE 3 RETURN)

MY 2012 FIAT500C HAD CLUTCH/PRESSURE PLATE FAILURE A FEW WEEKS AGO. I GOT INTO MY CAR TO RUN SOME ERRANDS AND IT STARTED FINE ALTHOUGH I DID FEEL THE CLUTCH WAS A BIT STIFF. I GOT UP TO 3RD GEAR AND DROVE 2 BLOCKS TOWARD THE INTERSECTION. AS I TRIED TO SHIFT THE GEAR TO NEUTRAL AT THE RED LIGHT I COULD NOT CHANGE GEARS. LUCKILY I PRESSED DOWN HARD ENOUGH PRESSING ON THE BREAKS AND MANAGED TO BRING THE GEAR TO NEUTRAL. I PUT MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON AND MANAGED TO ROLL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY FIAT SERVICE CENTER AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THEY INSTRUCTED ME TO CALL THE COMPLIMENTARY TOW SERVICE. I GOT A CALL ON MONDAY MORNING SAYING THAT THE PRESSURE PLATE AND CLUTCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND IT WOULD COST ~$1000. I ASKED THE SERVICE ADVISOR WHY IT WASN'T COVERED BY THE WARRANTY AND HE SAID THAT IT WAS CONSIDERED A WEAR AND TEAR ISSUE. IN OTHER WORDS, IT WAS MY FAULT THE CLUTCH FAILED AT 32,000 MILES. I CONTACTED FIATCARES AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD LOOK INTO IT. THEIR REPLY WAS THAT THE CAR NEEDED A NEW PRESSURE PLATE AND NEW CLUTCH AND THAT THE TECHNICIAN DID NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS CAUSED BY A DEFECT ON THE MANUFACTURER'S PART AND THEREFORE THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR. NO CLUTCH SHOULD WEAR OUT WITHIN 3 YEARS AND ~30K MILES WHEN IT HAS HAD ONLY ONE DRIVER WITH EXPERIENCE IN DRIVING A MANUAL TRANSMISSION VEHICLE. IT IS QUITE CLEAR FROM PUBLIC ACCOUNTS THAT 2012 FIAT 500'S EXHIBIT PREMATURE CLUTCH WEAR PROBLEMS. IN ADDITION TO THE CLUTCH ISSUE, I'VE ENCOUNTERED PROBLEMS WITH MY CAR ALMOST FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, WHEN IT ONLY HAD A FEW HUNDRED MILES ON IT. I'VE HAD NUMEROUS FALSE-START ISSUES WITH THE IGNITION, I'VE EVEN HAD A INCIDENT WHERE MY ENGINE COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING! LUCKILY THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING IN THE CITY. IMAGINE HOW DANGEROUS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN IF I WERE DRIVING 70 MPH ON A HIGHWAY.

LOWER BALL JOINTS ON BOTH SIDES LOOSE AND SHOW EXCESSIVE WEAR. DEALERSHIP PERFORMED MAINTENCE AND DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING WHILE UNDER WARRANTY BUT NEXT MAINTENCE SHOWED EXCESSIVE WEAR AND CAR WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY AND FIAT WOULD NOT COVER REPAIR. NUMEROUS DOCUMENTED INCIDENTS ON 2012 FIAT 500'S WHERE BALL JOINTS HAVE BROKEN LOOSE. A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT FIAT NEEDS TO ADDRESS AS THE BALL JOINTS ARE WEARING WITHIN 50,000-60000 MILES