FIAT Complaints

THE CLUTCH FAILED WITHOUT WARNING, PREVENTING THE CAR FROM SHIFTING GEARS -- FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR IN REGULAR, CITY-STREET TRAFFIC (LYNDALE AVE., IN MINNEAPOLIS, MN). AT THE MOMENT OF FAILURE, I HEARD/FELT A DISTINCT YET LIGHT "THUMP" AS I PRESSED DOWN ON THE CLUTCH PEDAL. THE CAR ONLY HAS 40K MILES ON IT.

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.

IN ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS WHEN PUTTING THE VEHICLE DRIVE OR REVERSE THE CAR HESITATES AND IS SLOW TO GET INTO DRIVE/REVERSE... EVEN WHEN AT A STOP SIGN OR A STOP LIGHT THE CAR IS STARTING TO HESITATE BEFORE PROPERLY ACCELERATING.

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

CAR STALL ON THE HIGHWAY 3 TIMES, TOOK THE CAR TO FIAT DEALER FOUND NOTHING IS WRONG WITH CAR, NOT FEEL SAFE WITH THIS CAR. MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR AT A SPEED OF 65 MILES AND THE CAR STALL COMPLETELY. MANUFACTURER AND SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAYING CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE BUT DID NOT FIND THE PROBLEM.

WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE AT INTERSTATE SPEED THE STEERING MECHANISM TENDS TO "HANG UP" BUT WITH EXTRA EFFORT YOU CAN STEER THROUGH IT. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY & SOMETIMES REQUIRES A LOT OF EXTRA STEERING EFFORT. SINCE MY NEAREST DEALER HERE IN EAST GALESBURG, IL IS 40+ MILES AWAY & I WAS TAKING A TRIP TO FLORIDA, I EISKED THE STEERING ISSUE & AFTER ARRIVAL IN FLORIDA TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER IN WINTER HAVEN, FL, WINTER HAVEN ALFA ROMEO & FIAT OF WINTER HAVE. AT FIRST THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE ISSUE, I DON'T BELIEVE THEY DROVE IT AT HIGHWAY SPEED, BUT THEY WENT THROUGH THEIR SERVICE "STAR" SYSTEM & WERE TOLD TO CHANGE THE RACK & PINION SYSTEM. THEY DID BUT ON MY RETURN HOME A WEEK LATER THE ISSUE STILL PERSISTS. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE IN THE EVENT THE STEERING LOCKS UP TOTALLY WHICH WILL RENDER THE STEERING INOPERATIVE & BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO A SERIOUS ACCIDENT . I COMPLETED COMPLAINT FORMS TO FIAT & EVEN ADDRESSED THE ISSUE IN THEIR SERVICE SURVEY WITH NO RESPONSE. I FINALLY SENT AN E-MAIL, RECEIVED A GENERIC REPLY THAT THEY WOULD CALL ME IN 2 DYAS, NEVER DID AFTER 5 DAYS, SO I CALLED. THEY OFFERED TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THEIR DEALER IN DAVENPORT, IA BUT WOULD NOT PERMIT A USER/RENTAL VEHICLE UNTIL DIAGNOSED. SO I WOULD BE WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION FOR HOWEVER LONG IT TAKES FOR THEM TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM, IF THEY ARE EVEN QUALIFIED TO DO. THE DEALER SAID THAT IF I DROVE IT THERE, AS I SAID I'M AFRAID TO DO SO, THEY WOULD ARRANGE FOR A LOANER. THIS STEERING ISSUE IS VERY DANGEROUS, THUS WHY I'M DEFERRING IT TO YOU AS FIAT SEEMS TO HAVE LITTLE CONCERN.

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

MY PREVIOUS COMPLAINT NHTSA # 10790955 WAS FILED PRIOR TO FIAT DIAGNOSING MY 2014 500L. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT A REAR PLATE IN THE EURO CLUTCH TRANSMISSION FAILED CAUSING THE THE TRANSMISSION TO BLOW APART WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE.

FIRST INCIDENT WAS TWO WEEKS AFTER I PURCHASED THE FIAT 500L. THE BRAKES JAMMED AND I ENDED REAR ENDING ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE SECOND INCIDENT WAS SIX WEEKS AGO AFTER REPLACING THE FRONT BRAKES. I PURCHASED NEW ROTORS AND PADS;THAT EVENING THE BRAKES JAMMED AND CAUSED ME TO REAR END ANOTHER VEHICLE TWICE. MY FIAT 500L HAS EXPERIENCED LOSING COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMPUTER TO THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH CAUSED MY VEHICLE TO STALL ON VARIOUS STREETS AND WHILE IN MOVING TRAFFIC. ON FRIDAY 13, 2015; MY FIAT 500L MADE A NOISE SO LOUD THAT IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO BLOW UP. I IMMEDIATELY CHECKED THE ENGINE AND IT SOUNDED LIKE A LARGE HEAVY PIECE OF METAL WAS TRYING TO BREAK THROUGH THE ENGINE WALL. I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND WAITED FOR 20 MIN. I STARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE NOISE WENT AWAY. AS I PULLED OFF THE VEHICLE STARTED MAKING A REAL LOUD NOISE AND SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TOWED TO THE DEALER; HOWEVER FIAT IS ONLY CONCERNED THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR IT BECAUSE THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. MY ISSUE IS NOT THE MILEAGE; HOWEVER MY SAFETY. I AM NOT EASILY SCARED; HOWEVER I FELT LIKE MY FIAT 500L WAS GOING TO BLOW UP. THERE IS SOMETHING SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THIS CAR, FCA NEEDS TO BUY BACK EVERY LAST ONE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY SLOWED DOWN TO 5 MPH WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO THE FLOOR; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND. THE CONTACT REMOVED HER FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THEN DEPRESSED THE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE EVENTUALLY RESPONDED. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING AT LOWER SPEEDS, USUALLY IN COLD WEATHER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 19,000.