2012 FIAT 500 Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. AFTER BEING INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON CRASH, THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT ENDURED A SHOULDER INJURY AND THE PASSENGER SUFFERED A NECK INJURY THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. IT WAS UNKNOWN IF A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED OR NOT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A COLLISION CENTER AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR LOST POWER. ALL LIGHTS ON INDICATOR DASH WENT OFF. NO STEERING ABILITY AND LITTLE/NO CONTROL OF VEHICLE. FAILURE RESULTED IN A CRASH. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS SIDE IMPACT TO BOTH SIDES AND FRONT END IMPACT. THE CAR WAS TOTALED.

I WAS AT A BUSY INTERSECTION ABOUT TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN WHEN I SUDDENLY WAS UNABLE TO DEPRESS THE CLUTCH COMPLETELY OR SHIFT INTO GEAR. IT TURNED OUT THE CLUTCH HAD COMPLETELY GIVEN OUT WITH NO WARNING - NO SLIPPING, SMELL OF BURNING CLUTCH, NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, NOTHING. I'VE DRIVEN STICK MY WHOLE LIFE AND NEVER RUN THROUGH A CLUTCH IN 28,000 MILES! NOR HAVE I HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF A CLUTCH GOING OUT WITHOUT WARNING - IT HAS ALWAYS STARTED TO SLIP IN ADVANCE OF NEEDING REPLACED. THE POLICE HAD TO STOP TRAFFIC AND PUSH ME TO SAFETY AS THE CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE AT ALL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE IF THE POLICE HAD NOT COME SO QUICKLY AS I WAS IN AN AREA WITH A LOT OF TRAFFIC AND SEVERAL PEOPLE NEARLY HIT ME IN THE SHORT TIME I WAS WAITING. DUE TO THE OUT OF THE BLUE NATURE OF THIS CLUTCH FAILURE, I THOUGHT IT WAS WORTH REPORTING AS A SAFETY ISSUE. HAD I BEEN ON A FREEWAY, THE SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. *TR

I CONSTANTLY GET A "DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG FAILURE, SEE HANDBOOK" NOTIFICATION ON MY DASHBOARD. THERE'S NO RHYME OR REASON. NO SET SPEED WHEN IT HAPPENS. IT HAPPENS TYPICALLY IF YOU GO OVER BUMPS, LIKE THERE'S A SHORT IN IT. BUT NO ONE CAN FIX IT. *TR

PURCHASED 2012 YEAR FIAT 500C ON 10/31/2011. AS OF MARCH 3, 2014 PUT 22819 MILES ON CAR. THIS IS A 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION MODEL. ON MARCH THIRD THE CLUTCH GAVE OUT. WAS TOLD BY FIAT THIS WASN'T AN WARRANTY ITEM, ALTHOUGH THE WINDOW STICKER SAYS 4 YEAR / 50,000 MILE WARRANTY. THEY ALSO SAY FREE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR 4 YEARS / UNLIMITED MILES BUT SINCE I REFUSED TO ALLOW THEM TO TAKE THIS CAR 18 MILES TO A FIAT DEALER AND ONLY 1.4 MILES TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR TOWING. I PAID OUT OF POCKET APROX $2,000 INCLUDING, CAR RENTAL, TOWING AND A $1,772.45 REPAIR BILL. PER THE MECHANIC THE CLUTCH DISC ITSELF WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, BUT THE CLUTCH PRESSURE PLATE WAS AT FAULT. FROM MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF RESTORING A FEW OLD CARS AND MOTORCYCLES OVER THE YEARS, THIS IS PRETTY UNHEARD OF A CLUTCH PRESSURE PLATE FAILING BEFORE THE ACTUAL CLUTCH DISC. MY TAKE THERE IS SOME DEFECT WITH THIS CLUTCH PRESSURE PLATE OR THE OVERALL DESIGN OF THE MANUAL CLUTCH. AS OF THIS DATE, I HAVEN'T NEEDED TO REPLACE THE BRAKE PADS ON THIS CAR SO HOW IN THE WORLD SHOULD IT NEED A NEW CLUTCH? THIS IS CRAZY. *TR

LAST NIGHT, WHILE PULLING ONTO THE HIGHWAY, MY CLUTCH LOCKED UP. MY CLUTCH HAS NEVER SHOWN ANY SIGN OF WEAR/TEAR (NO GRINDING, NO SLIPPING, NO BURNING, ETC.) AND OUT OF NOWHERE, IT CLAMPED SHUT. THANKFULLY, THERE WAS NOT MUCH TRAFFIC AND I PULLED OVER WITHOUT THE HAZARD OF HITTING/BEING HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. I GOT THE CAR TOWED TO FIAT OF ORANGE PARK, AND HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THEY OPENED TODAY TO GET A CALL FROM THEM. I WAS SO CONFUSED BY WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED MY CLUTCH TO DO THAT, LAST NIGHT I SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND FIAT-OWNER FORUMS OF OTHER PEOPLE DESCRIBING THE EXACT SAME INCIDENT HAPPENING TO THEM (ONE GUY WAS IN ATLANTA TRAFFIC AND ALMOST CRASHED, ANOTHER GUY WAS IN NYC ABOUT TO CROSS THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE AND ALMOST GOT INTO A WRECK). THEY ALL HAD, LIKE MYSELF, FIAT'S WITH LOW MILEAGE. SOME HAD 22K MILES, SOME 28KMILES, SOME 50K, SOME 60K; HENCE ADDING TO THE BIZARRE NATURE OF THIS INCIDENT. ALL INCIDENTS RESULTED IN BENT PRESSURE PLATES AS WELL AS MISCELLANEOUS DAMAGE TO CLUTCH PARTS. FIAT OF ORANGE PARK CALLED ME TODAY AND TOLD ME THAT THE DAMAGE IS MY FAULT, AS A RESULT OF WEAR/TEAR. DESPITE ME EXPLAINING TO THEM THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE WITH OTHER FIAT-OWNERS, THEY CONTINUED TO SAY THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAMAGE. DESPITE ALL OF THE EVIDENCE POINTING TOWARDS A MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION, THEY SAID I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIRING THE CLUTCH. THIS SEEMS TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT THIS IN HOPE THAT THERE MIGHT BE ACTION TAKEN BY YOU, NHTSA, TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF THIS DEFECT FROM 1) POTENTIAL HAZARD AS A RESULT OF FUTURE INCIDENTS 2) PAYING THE LARGE AMOUNT FOR REPAIRING THE DAMAGE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. *TR

DRIVING AT CITY SPEEDS ~20MPH AT ONLY 12K MILES, CLUTCH PEDAL SUDDENLY BECAME STIFF, AND WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT GEARS. HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE CLUTCH HAD FUSED TO THE FLYWHEEL (I DO NOT TRUST THAT THIS WAS AN ACCURATE, COMPLETE DIAGNOSIS). ABOUT 2 YEARS LATER (END OF 07/2014) AND ONLY AROUND 35K MILES, WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE 2 HOURS AWAY FROM HOME ( AT ~65MPH), AND WHEN I EXITED TO GET GAS, THE PEDAL ONCE MORE BECAME INSTANTLY STIFF OUT OF NOWHERE AND WAS NEARLY UNABLE TO GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED FROM DEALER TO DEALER UNTIL IT WAS IN MY HOME CITY. THE DEALER THEN AGAIN TOLD ME THAT THE CLUTCH AND FLYWHEEL HAD GONE OUT. *TR

NOTICED CAR WOULD 'HUNT' OVER RUTTED ROAD SURFACES SUCH AS COMING TO A STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. TOOK IN FOR ALIGNMENT AND WAS TOLD DRIVER SIDE BALL JOINT BAD AND THE UPPER STRUT MOUNT WAS AS WELL. WAS ALSO INFORMED BY BOTH A LOCAL GOODYEAR DEALER AND THE FIAT DEALER THAT THE ORIGINAL PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AND THAT THE REPAIR WOULD BE $1400+ BECAUSE MULTIPLE THINGS HAD TO BE UPGRADED TO A LATER YEAR'S SPECIFICATIONS REQUIRING THE PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION OF 2013 OR LATER CAST NOT STAMPED LOWER CONTROL ARM WITH NEW JOINT. BECAUSE THAT HAD TO BE CHANGED, THE STEERING KNUCKLE, THE BEARINGS AND THE DRIVE SHAFT WOULD ALL REQUIRE REPLACEMENT TO MATCH THE 2013 OR LATER PRODUCT. THIS WOULD BE VERY EXPENSIVE AS NOTED AND IS A KNOWN PROBLEM THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS IGNORING. THIS SHOULD BE A 100% MANUFACTURER PAID REPLACEMENT IF THEY HAVE DETERMINED THE PART IS NOT SAFE OR OTHERWISE TOO DEFECTIVE TO BE SOLD. *JS

FAILED PRESSURE PLATE WITH 2012 FIAT 500. DESIGN FLAW/MATERIALS ISSUE. FIAT IS NOT STANDING BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT, NO MANUAL TRANSMISSION SHOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT 61,000 MILES. *TR

WHILE DRIVING TO THE STORE, I TURNED INTO THE STORE PARKING LOT, I PRESSED THE CLUTCH TO SHIFT THE CAR DOWN INTO A LOWER GEAR, AND I COULD NOT SHIFT. THE CAR KEPT ROLLING AND I LOST POWER STEERING AND THE VEHICLE DIED. UPON TROUBLE SHOOTING, THE PROBLEM WAS A FAILED PRESSURE PLATE NOT ALLOWING THE CLUTCH TO ENGAGE. *TR