2016 FIAT 500 Complaints

The contact owns a 2016 Fiat 500X. The contact stated that the cover over the button needed to open the driver’s side door would frequently fall off. Over time, the driver’s side door handle had fractured upon an attempt to open the door. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Fiat 500X. The contact stated that on two occasions while driving approximately 75 MPH, the gear disengaged, and the transmission unexpectedly shifted into neutral. The vehicle was taken to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

The Fiat 500X has a defective part, which is the Fiat Ambient Air Temperature Sensor. The dealer here claims that they replace this part at least once a month, and there are barely any Fiats on the road here. I called their customer satisfaction center and they said they are "sorry for the inconvenience" and cannot provide any assistance in the matter. The inconvenience, specifically, is: that this part is a known problem, that the entire mirror needs replaced and the door will need be disassembled to complete that work, that the mirror isn't provided in the color of the car so there is also painting involved, and the total cost is around $2,000. The part itself is just a little $10 bit, but because of the ridiculousness involved in this faulty part, the cost is bombastically high. So, that leaves me waiting for a part that is in short supply because they need replaced constantly, and having to drive in extreme heat until it's fixed. No one should have to pay thousands of dollars or die of heat stroke because of a faulty, tiny, $10 sensor.

The day after we had a bad storm, my car's electrical system went haywire. I was driving to work and all kinds of warning lights started flashing. Then when I came to a stop sign, stopped, then proceed to go again the car car would not go. I was still in drive but the car would not go when I pressed the pedal. So I put the car in park then back in drive and it started driving again. Then a warning came on about my power steering. I get further down the road to a stop light. I stopped and when the light turned green it would not go again while it drive. So I put it in park and back in drive and it went.i get to a stop sign about 1 mile down the road and my steering wheel locked up. So I put the car in park and back in drive and it started turning a little bit so I was able to pull off the road into an abandoned parking lot. I tried to turn the car off and it would not turn off. So I unhooked the battery cable and it cut off. I had the car towed to my house. They hooked the cables back up yo get the car onto the tow truck. Once the car was home, the wheel was fine but it had some warning messages on the dashboard. So the next day it rained again. And I went outside later that evening and my tail lights and the dashboard was illuminated. My air conditioner was running but the car was not crank. So I finally got it to the shop and they are saying water got into the RHA hub; but how? I don't have a leak in my car. I've never seen water in my car and on top of that, why is my RHA hub in the trunk? Anyway, after that I looked it up and come to find out a lot of people with Fiats have been having the same problem. And they are just as upset and lost as I am.

The drivers door is defective and will not open from the outside. Upon request the inspection has a cost of upwards of $1000 and customers who drive Fiat 500x models across the US have reported this as an issue. This becomes a safety problem as if there were to be a major accident, I would not be able to be rescued through the door unless I open it through the inside. This is particularly a problem if I were to have a medical emergency. There were no warnings that appeared until this door suddenly would just not open. Additionally, this is a commonly reported issue, as was confirmed to me in person at the dealership, through online forums, and through a customer support chat attached below.

My car spontaneously shifts from driving to neutral while I am actively driving it. This has happened at least a half dozen times so far. Each time this has happened I cannot get my car to continue driving, since it’s shifted to neutral all by itself and stuck there. I have to come to a complete stop, put my car in park, turn the engine off, and then turn it back on again. This has happened for the last year and is happening more and more frequently. The latest incident was 4/1/2024. I talked to the Fiat dealership and they said it looks like my car should have been included in a Transmission issue recall that was assigned to 2016 Fiat 500X cars, but for some reason it wasn’t assigned to my specific VIN.

The car had a NTSB recall on the engine. The engine needed to be replaced. After having the engine replaced I was told to pick up the vehicle which shook profusely and then had a check engine light come on only minutes from driving away from the dealership. I turn around and returned the vehicle immediately to have it remedy the situation. It took over a month and the second time I was told to pick up the car, the same thing happened again only minutes from leaving the dealership, except this time the engine started to stutter like it was going to stall. After another month of them attempting to remedy, which is now the 3rd time they told me to pick up the vehicle which was in 22nd December 2023, the engine stalled only 100 yards of driving away from the dealership in fast 2-lane traffic. The progressive deterioration of the new replaced engine after the required recall was and is clearly a danger not only to myself and my family but also to other drivers. They are now saying which is 13 of February 2024 over a month of them trying to fix it, that the car is ready to be picked up. I do not believe this vehicle is safe to be on the road. I am concerned for myself and other drivers safety if I attempt to drive this vehicle. I have been told it has been tested but they said that the other 3 times I have picked up the vehicle. There is no way to ensure or guarantee this vehicle will not stall again in dangerous traffic. I have a video of the incident with the foreman mechanic trying to start the vehicle.

There’s a recall on this specific year make and model and my powertrain is doing the exactly malfunction that’s states for the recall.

Every time my car starts now it will say drive mode unavailable or shift to park

The contact owns a 2016 Fiat 500E. The contact stated that the vehicle could not immediately be started. The "Service Electrical System" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the battery was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,347.