FIAT Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STARTED, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE FORWARD OR IN REVERSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE COMPUTER CODES WERE RESET, HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE THEN BEGAN TO MOVE IN REVERSE WHEN THE GEAR WAS IN THE DRIVE POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 16,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THERE WAS A LOUD SCREECHING NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL HAD TO BE LIGHTLY DEPRESSED AND THE STEERING WHEEL HAD TO BE TURNED IN ORDER FOR THE NOISE TO SUBSIDE. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. A WEEK LATER, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT STRUT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER AGAIN WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR BRAKES FAILED AND THE CALIPER SEIZED, WHICH CAUSED THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE ROTOR TO ABNORMALLY DETERIORATE. THE ROTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. A FEW MONTHS LATER, WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CLUTCH COULD NOT BE DEPRESSED AND THE VEHICLE COULD NOT SHIFT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLUTCH FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 3,171.

I BOUGHT THIS CAR BRAND NEW IN JUNE 2014 WITH 3 MILES ON IT AND ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. WHILE SITTING IN A DRIVE THRU ONE DAY, THIS WHITE SMOKE CAME OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND THE SMELL WAS AWFUL. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON SINCE NO LIGHT INDICATORS LIT UP ON THE DASH BOARD. I LEFT THE DRIVE THRU AND PROBLEM SEEMED TO STOP SO I THOUGHT NOTHING MORE ABOUT IT. THE OTHER DAY, AGAIN WHILE SITTING IN A DRIVE THRU, WHITE SMOKE POURS OUT FROM UNDER CAR, CAR SHUTTERS, THEN DASH BOARD LIGHTS UP AND CAR DIES. I AM LEFT FREAKING OUT IN A DRIVE THRU ALONE WITH A DEAD SMOKING CAR WHICH HAD TO BE PUSHED OUT BY 2 HELPFUL EMPLOYEES. TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS INFORMED THAT YOU CAN'T JUST SIT IN TRAFFIC WITH THIS CAR, YOU HAVE TO PUSH THE BREAK PEDAL HARD TO RELEASE THE CLUTCH FROM SPINNING AND CAUSING FRICTION. THE FRICTION IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC WILL CAUSE OVERHEATING AND STALLING OF THE VEHICLE... UM HELLO, THIS IS NOT SAFE. I LIVE IN ORLANDO FLORIDA, STOP AND GO TRAFFIC CAPITAL. I HAVE 8400 MILES ON THIS CAR AND NOW FACED WITH THE DILEMMA OF GETTING RID OF THIS FIRE TRAP WAITING HAPPEN WITH MYSELF AND CHILD IN THE CAR, OR JUST KEEP IT AND PRAY IT DOES DIE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSTATE AND I AM KILLED TRYING TO PUSH IT OFF THE ROAD. I WILL NEVER BUY THIS BRAND AGAIN, NOR WILL I SUPPORT ANY "FIXES" THEY SAY WILL HELP. THE COMPANY KNOWS THEY MADE A MISTAKE AND COULD COST LIVES, THIS IS WHY IT IS NOT OFFERED IN THE NEW 2015 500L OR THE NEW 2016 500X. I AM GETTING RID OF THIS DEATH TRAP, BUT NOT UNTIL I BUG THE HELL OUT OF THE CORPORATION FOR SELLING FAULTY PRODUCTS TO THE PUBLIC AND KNOWING THE ISSUES AND RISK THEY HAVE CAUSED.

FIAT 500 ABARTH 2015 AFTER DRIVING THE CAR FOR ABOUT 30 MIN. I PARKED THE CAR AND AFTER RETURNING TO LEAVE I STARTED THE CAR BACKING OUT OF PARKING SPACE AND THE ENGINE JUST DIED. TRIED TO START IT 3 TIMES WITH NO CRANKING SOUND. PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND PUSHED THE CAR BACK INTO PARKING SPACE. 5 MINUTES LATER STARTED THE CAR WITH NO PROBLEM. THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON BUT NOT BLINKING. I DECIDED TO REMOVE THE GAS CAP AND PUT IT BACK ON. THE ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON FOR ABOUT A DAY AND THEN WENT OUT. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP FOR AN APPOINTMENT.. THE DIAGNOSE WAS A FAILED INTAKE BRICK AND REPLACED THE INTAKE ACTUATOR. THEN DID A PCM FLASH, FLASH, PERFORMED PCM SOFTWARE UPDATE/ THEN A TCM FLASH, FLASH, PERFORMED TCM SOFTWARE UPDATE.

BLUETOOTH DISPLAY SAFETY ISSUE. A MONTH AFTER PURCHASING A NEW 2015 FIAT 500 ABARTH, THE DISPLAY FOR BLUETOOTH / BLUE&ME STOPPED WORKING ON THE CENTRAL CLUSTER DISPLAY. (I.E. NO INFO DISPLAY WHEN A CALL COMES IN, NO ACCESS TO PHONEBOOK). TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER WHO RESET IT. WORKED FOR ABOUT A MONTH AND FAILED AGAIN, SO TOOK IT BACK TO THE SAME DEALER WHO REPLACED THE CTM (CONVERGENCE TELEMATICS MODULE). THE NEW CTM THEN CAUSED INTERFERENCE TO THE SATELLITE RADIO, SO NOTIFIED THE DEALER. WAITED A WEEK AND NO RESPONSE, SO DECIDED TO CALL SIRIUSXM MYSELF FOR SIGNAL RESET. ALL GOOD FOR ANOTHER MONTH UNTIL THE BLUETOOTH DISPLAY FAILED AGAIN FOR THE THIRD TIME. SO BASICALLY SAME PROBLEM EVERY MONTH SINCE PURCHASE AND PER THE DEALER, THERE ARE SIX OTHER FIATS AT HIS DEALERSHIP WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND CANNOT BE FIXED. TALKED TO MY CASE MANAGER AT FIAT CORPORATE CUSTOMER SERVICE WHO SAID THEY ARE LOOKING INTO IT. ANOTHER MONTH HAS PASSED BY AND STILL NO RESOLUTION TO THIS MATTER. IT IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL BUTTON FAILS AND STOPS DISPLAYING INCOMING CALL INFO ON THE CLUSTER, ONE HAS TO LOOK AT THE PHONE TO SEE WHO IS CALLING, WHICH TAKES ATTENTION OFF OF THE ROAD - EXACTLY WHAT THE DISPLAY SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO PREVENT.

THIS IS MY THIRD COMPLAINT AND I HAVE YET TO GET ANY FEEDBACK FROM YOU ALL. FIAT USA AND THE DEALERSHIPS ARE AT ODDS OVER THE CLUTCH ISSUE. FIAT USA TELLS YOU TO SCHEDULE A SERVICE APPT AND THE DEALERSHIPS TELL YOU THAT THIS IS A NORMAL COMPONENT OF THE VEHICLE, THAT IT IS NORMAL MIND YOU FOR THE VEHICLE, ONLY A YEAR OLD, TO SMOKE AND STALL OUT DUE THE CLUTCH OVERHEATING AT ANYTIME IN HEAVY TRAFFIC OR THEY TELL YOU TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL IN TRAFFIC, OR PULL OVER AND POP THE HOOD TO LET VEHICLE COOL DOWN, NEITHER OF WHICH IS VERY SAFE, FEASIBLE OR PRACTICAL. THIS IS NOT NORMAL, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND A VERY HAZARDOUS DEFECT. I WANT MY MONEY BACK OR ANOTHER MODEL OF VEHICLE. I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR ASSISTANCE AND FEEDBACK PLEASE. PREVIOUS ODI #S 10723909 AND 10693082.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1986 GRUMMAN LONGLIFE (NA). WHILE EXITING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT CLOSED THE DOOR AND HIS MIDDLE FINGER WAS CAUGHT BETWEEN THE SLIDING DOOR AND THE DOOR FRAME. AS A RESULT, 1/3 OF THE CONTACT'S FINGER WAS AMPUTATED. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS REQUIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS OUT OF BUSINESS AND COULD NOT BE NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,000. MA 08/11/15 UPDATED 10/19/2017*CN

I AM REPORTING A SECOND INCIDENT, THE FIRST WAS MARCH 2015 ODI #10693082, OF THE CLUTCH OVERHEATING AND MY VEHICLE STALLING OUT, THIS TIME IT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF F STREET DOWNTOWN DC ON A FRIDAY NIGHT. I WAS SITTING IN TRAFFIC AND ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A THREE POINT TURN WHEN MY VEHICLE STALLED OUT WITH NO WARNING, NO SMOKE THIS TIME, NO INDICATION THAT IT WAS OVERHEATING AND DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF MAKING A THREE POINT TURN AND WOULD NOT START AGAIN. I HAD TO BE PUSHED OUT OF THE STREET BY STRANGERS WHO ASSISTED ME AND POPPED THE HOOD SO THE VEHICLE COULD COOL DOWN. THIS CAR IS PUTTING ME IN PRECARIOUS AND DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. THE CLUTCH OVERHEATS SITTING IN TRAFFIC AND IT WILL IN TURN STALL OUT AND WON'T START AGAIN UNTIL THE CLUTCH COOLS DOWN. THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT AND I AM ASKING YOU ALL FOR THE SECOND TIME TO ASSIST ME IN HAVING FIAT EITHER REPLACE OR FIX THIS ISSUE IN THE 2014 FIAT 500 L. *TR

MY 2013 FIAT ABARTH WAS REAR ENDED. I WAS STOPPED. THE OTHER DRIVER, IN A GRAND CHEROKEE, REAR ENDED ME. HIS SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY 20-30 MPH. I WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS BRIEFLY & HAD SEVERE HEAD PAIN. I AM STILL UNDERGOING TREATMENT. NONE OF MY CARS SAFETY FEATURES WORKED, INCLUDING THE FUEL PUMP SHUT OFF. I BELIEVE THE SEAT HIT ME IN THE HEAD. THE ABARTH HAS UNIQUE, HIGH BACKED SEATS WITH A FIXED / INTEGRATED HEAD REST WITH A HARD, PLASTIC INSERT. MY SEATBELTS FAILED TO TIGHTEN AND THE FUEL PUMP FAILED TO SHUT OFF. I WORKED FOR CHRYSLER FIAT AT THE TIME AND DID TELL PEOPLE IN ENGINEERING ABOUT THE CONCERN. I SUFFERED A CONCUSSION & NOW HAVE CONSTANT, DAILY HEADACHES AND MIGRAINES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FIAT 500. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS AND SPEEDOMETER BECAME INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE RESET. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 350.