FIAT Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FIAT 500L. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REVERSE CAMERA SENSOR FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON THREE OCCASIONS WHERE ALL FOUR REAR SENSORS AND THE CAMERA INSIDE THE VEHICLE WERE REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,200. UPDATED 5/26/15*CN

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 RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE IN SEPTEMBER 2014 REGARDING THE KNEE AIRBAG MODULE NEEDING TO BE REPLACED ON MY 2014 FIAT 500L, DUE TO RECALL. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED JULY 15 2014 FROM DRIVER'S VILLAGE LOCATED AT 5885 E. CIRCLE DRIVE, CICERO, NY 13039. AFTER REPEATED CONTACT WITH THE DEALER, TO DATE THEY STILL DO NOT HAVE THE PART. I HAVE ALSO CONTACTED FIAT AND WAS GIVEN CUSTOMER CARE #25864389 TO LEARN WHEN THE PART WOULD BE AVAILABLE. WE ARE NOW PAST 6 MONTHS WITH NO PART AVAILABLE TO REPLACE PER NOTIFICATION OF THE RECALL. *TR

SUDDEN TOTAL LOSS OF POWER TO THE WHEELS. THE CAR BEEPED AND DISPLAYED THE MESSAGE "SERVICE PROPULSION SYSTEM" ON THE SCREEN. BRAKES AND STEERING WERE STILL OPERATIONAL. THIS HAPPENED AFTER THE P23 RECALL SERVICE WAS PERFORMED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500L (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REVERSE, THE SENSOR ON THE REARVIEW CAMERA FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE SENSOR FOR THE REARVIEW CAMERA NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FIAT 500E. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V235000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO SCHEDULE A RECALL REPAIR SEVERAL TIMES AND THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE CONTACT HAD TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO CALIFORNIA TO HAVE THE REPAIR PERFORMED BECAUSE IT WAS AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE. THE CONTACT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE WITH THE VENT CONTROLS AND THE DEALER REPAIRED THE VEHICLE; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT HAD TO MAKE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO GET THE VEHICLE REPAIRED BY THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER DID NOT MENTION THIS TO THE CONTACT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE CONTACT RELOCATED TO ANOTHER STATE, THE AUTHORIZED DEALER WOULD NOT REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS UNABLE TO SCHEDULE A RECALL APPOINTMENT WITHIN A REASONABLE TIMEFRAME. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000.

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT NORMAL SPEED OF TRAFFIC AND THE CAR LOOSES ACCELERATION. THE CAR GOES FROM 55 MPH DOWN TO 0 AND I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND STOP THE CAR AND THEN START AGAIN. THE GAS PEDAL IS DEAD IS HOW IT IS DESCRIBED BY THE TECH NO RESPONSE TO ME PUSHING IT DOWN. THIS IS A DANGER BECAUSE IT HAPPENS AT RANDOM AND IN THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THE TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP GOING AT NORMAL SPEED AND THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS WHERE I FELT IN DANGER OF BEING REAR ENDED ... THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES RANDOMLY... THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING AND NOT OFFERING ANY INSIGHT INTO HOW TO FIX IT AT ALL. *TR

WHILE SLOWING TO TAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN THE CAR JERKED BACK AND HAD MOVED ITSELF FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL. IMMEDIATELY THE "SERVICE ELECTRIC VEHICLE SYSTEM" LIGHT CAME ON AND MADE A LOUD NOISE. I STOPPED, BUT WAS UNABLE TO MOVE THE CAR BACK INTO DRIVE. THE CAR WOULD NOT REVERSE EITHER. ONLY PARK OR NEUTRAL WERE WORKING. I WAS FORCED TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND HAD SOMEONE GET OUT AND PUSH THE CAR SO WE COULD MOVE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO FIAT DEALER WHERE THEY INDICATED IT WAS A GLITCH IN THE SOFTWARE AND THAT IT WAS FIXED WITH A SOFTWARE UPDATE "RRT 15-001". EXACTLY ONE WEEK LATER THE SAME INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED, AND THE CAR IS BEING TOWED AGAIN TO THE DEALERSHIP. *TR

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

WE PURCHASED THE 500L FIAT IN DECEMBER OF 2014. ON FEBRUARY 14, 2015 WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN BECAUSE ON A RETURN TRIP FROM TIJUANA MEXICO WHILE IN BORDER TRAFFIC THE ENGINE STARTED SMOKING. THE CAR LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO CATCH ON FIRE, IT SMELLED OF BURNT RUBBER. WE BROUGHT THE CAR IN AND THEY EXPLAINED THAT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING A LOT AND THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE BUT IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. WE CONTACTED CHRYSLER USA AND OPENED A CASE, HOWEVER DURING THE CASE REVIEW THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AND WE RETURNED THE CAR TO THE SERVICE SHOP ON MARCH 10TH...WHICH AGAIN THEY SAID IT IS OUR FAULT THE CAR IS DOING THIS DUE TO DRIVER ERROR. I SHOULD EXPLAIN THAT WHAT THEY ARE CALLING DRIVER ERROR, IT IS AN AUTOMATIC VEHICLE AND CHRYSLER USA IS SAYING THAT FOR THIS VEHICLE (MIND YOU IT IS AN AUTOMATIC) IF YOU ARE IN TRAFFIC FOR A PERIOD OF 5 MINUTES OR LONGER YOU MUST SHIFT THE CAR ON EVERY OCCASION INTO NEUTRAL OR ELSE IT COULD BURN OUT THE TRANSMISSION. THEY GO ON TO SAY THAT IF THE CAR DOES SMOKE JUST PULL OVER AND AFTER THE TRANSMISSION COOLS DOWN IT IS SAFE TO DRIVE AGAIN. I ASKED CHRYSLER USA TO SHOW ME ON EXACTLY WHAT PAGE DOES IT SAY THAT IN THEIR MANUAL, FURTHERMORE THAT WHEN PURCHASING THIS CAR THE DEALER DID NOT DISCLOSE SPECIAL DRIVING INSTRUCTION FOR THEIR AUTOMATIC VEHICLE. IF THE DEALER DID DISCLOSE THAT INFORMATION BEFORE THE SALE WE WOULD HAVE NOT BOUGHT A CAR THAT COULD LEAVE US STRANDED IN MEXICO OR OTHER AREAS. AT THIS POINT AFTER CHRYSLER USA, HAS REFUSED TO SHOW US WHERE IT STATES THAT IN THE MANUAL IF IN TRAFFIC MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES THE CAR MUST BE SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL TO AVOID BURNING OUT THE TRANSMISSION, AND THEY ARE NOT INTENDING ON DOING ANYTHING BESIDES TELL US THAT "SORRY THE CAR IS PERFORMING AS DESIGNED". WE ARE TAKING EVERY MEANS NECESSARY TO GET A BUYBACK ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR