2014 FIAT 500 Complaints

AFTER ASKING I WAS TOLD THAT THE ISSUE IS CALLED CABIN PRESSURE. THIS OCCURS AT ALL SPEEDS OVER 20MPH THE PRESSURE INTERFERES WITH YOUR ABILITY TO HEAR. GIVES YOU ALMOST A HEADACHE IT HURTS YOUR EARS. IT OCCURS WHEN A WINDOW IS ROLLED DOWN MORE THEN 1 INCH. SOMETIMES YOU CAN STOP IT BY ROLLING DOWN ANOTHER WINDOW BUT SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO ROLL DOWN A 3RD WINDOW TO MAKE IT STOP. IT IS WORSE WHEN THE WINDOW IS ROLLED DOWN 1/4 OF THE WAY OR MORE. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500L. THE CONTACT WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V103000 (TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER). THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED UP A HILL, DOWN A HILL OR FLAT LAND THE GEARS SLIPPED FORWARD IN DRIVE AND BACKWARD WHILE IN REVERSE. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES WITH FORCE AND THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. THE FAILURE WAS INSPECTED, DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 250.

FIRST INCIDENT IN JAN. 2014 DEAD BATTERY, SECOND INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE WAITING IN DRIVE THROUGH LINE FOR FOOD. CAR ENGINE BEGAN TO SMOKE AND SMELL HORRIBLE. PEOPLE CAME RUNNING TO ME TELLING ME TO GET OUT OF CAR BECAUSE IT COULD BLOW UP. STEERING LOCKED . NEEDED TO START CAR AGAIN TO PUT INTO NEUTRAL AND GET PUSHED OUT OF THE WAY AND AWAY FROM BUILDING. TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. RECEIVED CAR 2 WEEKS LATER AND WAS TOLD AGAIN THEY NEVER HEARD OF THIS BEFORE BUT THE CLUTCH BECAME ENGAGED AND STUCK. HAD CLUTCH, FLY WHEEL AND A FEW OTHER PARTS REPLACED. I AM 85 AND BECOMING VERY AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR. DON'T THINK A CAR THAT IS NOT YET 1 YEAR OLD SHOULD BE ACTING THIS WAY AND DEALERSHIP SEEMS SURPRISED EACH TIME SOMETHING HAPPENS. DOES SOMETHING SERIOUS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME BEFORE THEY REALIZE THERE IS A TRUE PROBLEM HERE. *TR

HAD CAR FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND AFTER COMING HOME FROM VACATION, 1 WEEK, BATTERY TOTALLY DEAD. AFTER AAA ATTEMPTED TO CHARGE BATTERY 3 TIMES IT FINALLY CHARGED UP BUT WAS TOLD TO DRIVE DIRECTLY TO DEALERSHIP. I GOT ABOUT 3 MILES FROM HOME WHEN CAR AGAIN DIED IN MIDDLE OF ROAD BUT WAS ABLE TO STEER TO THE SIDE BEFORE STEERING LOCKED. AFTER CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THEY NEVER REALLY SAW THIS BEFORE, A TOTALLY DEAD BATTERY THAT WOULD NOT CHARGE UP. NO EXPLANATION, ACCUSED ME OF POSSIBLY LEAVING LIGHTS ON WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE. THEY SAID IF I WAS GOING TO LEAVE THE CAR SITTING FOR EVEN A FEW DAYS I SHOULD HAVE SOMEONE START CAR TO KEEP BATTERY CHARGED. FUNNY BUT MY DAUGHTER'S 2010 FORD FOCUS SAT FOR THE SAME WEEK WITHOUT BEING STARTED AND WHEN I STARTED IT THAT CAR HAD NO PROBLEM. *TR

WHEN STOPPED ON A UPWARD SLOPE AND I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE THE VEHICLE ROLLS BACKWARDS 15 FEET OR MORE UNTIL I STEP ON THE BRAKE AGAIN. IT HAS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION THEREFORE THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING. I WOULD UNDERSTAND IF THE VEHICLE WERE IN NEUTRAL OR HAD A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, BUT BEING AUTOMATIC THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE IN SLOWED TO STOPPED TRAFFIC OR IN PARKING LOTS. ALL THE VEHICLES I HAVE OWNED IN THE PAST WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS WHEN I EASE OFF THE BRAKE THE AUTO WOULD START EASING FORWARD NOT ROLLING BACKWARD. THIS FEELS LIKE DRIVING A MANUAL TRANSMISSION WITHOUT THE NEED TO SHIFT GEARS. *TR

THIS CAR HAS TOTALLY INCONSISTENT BRAKES. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY ARE "BRAKE-BY-WIRE" ELECTRONICS, BUT I'D BET SO, AND THERE PROBABLY NEEDS TO BE A SOFTWARE UPGRADE. THEY CANNOT BE MODULATED NORMALLY. THEY GRAB AND SLAM THEMSELVES AT ONE INSTANT AND THE NEXT ARE SMOOTH AND EASY. JERKS YOU AROUND WITHOUT WARNING. THERE IS JUST SIMPLY A FLAW AND THE DEALER SAYS "THEY ARE ALL LIKE THAT",AND "WE HEAR THAT A LOT", BUT THERE IS "NOTHING TO BE DONE". *TR

DOES NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP WHILE DRIVING, VERY DANGEROUS BEING ON THE EXPRESSWAY WITH FAMILY. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHIFT AGAIN. REPEATED PROBLEMS OCCUR SPORADIC THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. *TR

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, ENGINE IDLING ROUGH ,TRANSMISSION SHIFTER LIGHT BLINKING, TRNASMISSION GEAR LAGS ON SHIFT. *TR

ON DECEMBER 26TH MY KEY WAS NO LONGER RECOGNIZED BY THE FIAT IGNITION SYSTEM. I CALLED HOME, HAD A SPARE DELIVERED, AND THE SPARE STARTED THE CAR UP. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND TWO WEEKS LATER THE KEY WAS REPLACED. ON FEBRUARY 14TH I ONCE AGAIN HAD THE SAME ISSUE WHERE THE IGNITION SYSTEM WOULD NOT DETECT THE KEY. ONCE AGAIN I HAD THE NEW SPARE DELIVERED AND THE CAR STARTED RIGHT UP. I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING THE BAD KEY REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP. BOTH TIMES THE BAD KEYS WOULD GIVE THE INDICATION OF A CAR WITH A PADLOCK OVER IT. THE OWNERS MANUAL INDICATES THAT THIS MEANS THE KEY IN THE IGNITION IS NOT RECOGNIZED BY THE SYSTEM. *TR

WHILE IN MOTION, VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 2ND GEAR -- UP OR DOWN. I ALSO TRIED SHIFTING MANUALLY WITHOUT SUCCESS. I STOPPED VEHICLE ON SIDE OF ROAD. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART VEHICLE, IT WOULD NOT START -- NO ENGINE CRANKING. AFTER 10 MINUTES, SOMETHING WAS FELT DISENGAGING AND VEHICLE STARTED AND WAS DRIVEN WITHOUT INCIDENT TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. ANOTHER 500L LOANER CAR WAS PROVIDED AND THE NEXT DAY, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED TO IT. IT WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 2ND GEAR. CAR AND DRIVER ALSO RELEASED THEIR REVIEW IN FEBRUARY WITH SIMILAR ISSUES AND MANY OTHERS HAVE REPORTED THE PROBLEM ONLINE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS STATED THAT IT IS A KNOWN SOFTWARE ISSUE THAT CANNOT BE RELEASED WITHOUT EPA APPROVAL. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT ONLY UNRELIABLE, BUT UNSAFE. *TR