FIAT Complaints

CAR FALLS FRONT AND DROPS ON A PARKING LOT. I WAS MANUVERING TO PARK AND THE CAR FALL BECAUSE THE TIRE , SHOCK,TRANSAXLE,BALL JOINT FALL OFF. THIS RESULTS IN DAMAGE IN THE BODY AND I HAVE PHOTOS OF THE CAR AT THE SITE ON MY WORK. NO POTHOLE,NO CRASH, JUST FALLS AND BREAKING APART...UPDATED 12/02/14 *BF UPDATED 12/22/2015*JS UPDATED 9/7/2017*CN

I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AT 10MPH. I ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE CAR TO PARK. THE BRAKE JAMMED AND THE ENGINE REVVED .I REPEATEDLY PRESSED ON THE BRAKE AND IT WOULD NOT GO DOWN.IT WAS A VERY SMALL ENCLOSED PARKING LOT AND NOT MUCH SPACE TO MOVE. I HIT THE PARKING BARRIER CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WHERE ELSE TO GO .RADIATOR FLUID POURED OUT OF THE VEHICLE. MY MOTHER WAS WITH ME IN THE CAR AND WITNESSED THIS ACCIDENT. SHE DROVE THE CAR TO A CLOSE AUTO MECHANIC AS I WAS DISTRAUGHT. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS CAR. *TR

THE TIRES ON THIS FIAT ARE PIRELLI NERO ZERO . ALL FOUR ARE VERY CHOPPY AND BADLY WORN. THEY WERE ROTATED AT 5,000 MILES. THE ROAD NOISE IS SO LOUD IT OVERPOWERS THE FACTORY RUMBLING OF THE FLOW THROUGH EXHAUST SYSTEM. THE TIRES AFFECT THE HANDLING AS I GET VIBRATIONS AND THE CAR DARTS FROM SIDE TO SIDE ON UNEVEN ROAD SURFACES. *TR

WE LEASED A 500E IN AUG 2014 FROM MCKEVITT FIAT IN BERKELEY, CA. WITHIN THE FIRST 3 WEEKS, WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR TWICE UNEXPECTEDLY AND SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER AND STALLED. WE TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICING. AFTER A WEEK AT THE DEALERSHIP, WE WERE TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED AND PICKED UP THE CAR. THREE DAYS LATER, THE CAR SUDDENLY STALLED AGAIN (THANKFULLY AS MY WIFE WAS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN). AFTER ANOTHER 2 WEEKS AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS, WE WERE TOLD THE CAR WAS "FIXED" AND WERE ASKED TO PICK IT UP. NOTWITHSTANDING OUR CLEAR CONCERN FOR OUR SAFETY AND THAT OF OUR 3 KIDS, WHEN WE PROBED THE SERVICE TECH ON WHAT THEY DID TO FIX THE VEHICLE, HE TOLD US THAT THEY MERELY "CLEARED THE FAULT CODES" AND HAD MADE NO OTHER CHANGES. GIVEN THE CLEAR DANGER INVOLVED WITH A CAR SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY LOSING POWER AND STALLING--SIMILAR TO THE PROBLEMS GM HAS FACED WITH FAULTY IGNITION SWITCHES--WE REFUSED TO ACCEPT THE CAR BACK. ULTIMATELY, THE SERVICE TECH, TO HIS CREDIT, ADMITTED THEY DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND THAT HE DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT ABOUT GIVING IT BACK TO US. FOR OVER 7 WEEKS NOW, WE HAVE NOT HAD USE OF THE CAR--A CLEAR LEMON--WHILE STILL MAKING THE MONTHLY LEASE PAYMENTS AND SUFFERING THROUGH THE INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING AND INEPT FIAT "CUSTOMER SERVICE" EXPERIENCE. MCKEVITT EMPLOYEES HAVE REPEATEDLY LIED TO US AND HAVE BEEN DISINGENUOUS REGARDING THE "REPAIRS" TO OUR VEHICLE. I WANTED TO MAKE SURE NHTSA WAS AWARE OF OUR 500E'S SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AND STALLING BECAUSE I WOULD FEEL DEEPLY REMORSEFUL IF SOMEONE WERE HURT OR KILLED BY A 500E THAT SUDDENLY STALLED LIKE OURS HAS ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. *TR

I HAD TO REPLACE 10 HUB CAPS FROM 2012 - 2014(86,000). THE PLASTIC THAT HOLD THE RING ON THE HUB CAB KEEP BREAKING WITH JUST A SMALL BUMP. I HAVE BOUGHT 4. FIAT HAS REPLACED 6 SO FAR ON MY CAR AND HAVE LOST NOW 3 MORE AND HAS BEEN ON BACK ORDER FOR 7 MONTHS NOW. FIAT SAID THEY WILL REPLACE THEM AFTER 4 MONTHS OF GRIPING. NOW MY WIFE HAS A 2013 MODEL AND SHE DOESN'T PUT AS MAY MILES AS I DO AND SHE IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. 15" STEAL RIMS WITH HUB CAPS. I HAVE 40 YR AS A FORD MECHANIC AND HAS WORK AS AN SERVICE REP. THIS CO. HAS NO ONE THAT YOU CAN TALK TO ONE ON ONE AND GET ANY ANSWERS. ALL DONE ON PHONE. I HAVE ASKED TO HAVE SOMEONE CALL BUT ONLY CUSTOMER SERVICE. IF YOU LOOK ON THE WEB ALOT OF CUSTOMERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND CAN'T GET THE HUB CAPS TO REPLACE.TO MANY ON BACK ORDER. JUST AT MY DEALER THERE IS OVER 60 ORDERS FOR THE PART. RIGHT NOW I HAVE ONLY 1 HUB CAP ON MY CAR AND LOOKS BAD. *TR

FIAT 500 E (ELECTRIC ENGINE) WAS FULLY CHARGED. STARTED CAR AND BACKED OUT OF DRIVEWAY. HEADED DOWN RESIDENTIAL STREET AT APPROXIMATELY 25MPH. WITHIN 1/8 MILE, "SERVICE ELECTRICAL VEHICLE SYSTEM" WARNING LIGHT CAME UP. CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER, BUT WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER BEFORE CAR STOPPED. CAR WOULD START, SHOW WARNING LIGHT, BUT COULD NOT BE PUT INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE TO BE DRIVEN. WAS ABLE TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND PUSH IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. HAD TOWED (FLAT BED) TO FIAT DEALER - WHERE CAR RESTARTED WITHOUT PROBLEM. FIAT DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. KEPT CAR FOR ONE WEEK, TESTED FOR 100+ MILES. TOLD ME "CORPORATE" KNEW OF THE PROBLEM AND WAS WORKING ON A "SOFTWARE FIX" - BUT TO TAKE THE CAR HOME AND DRIVE IT. THIS CAR HAS BEEN PART OF A FIAT RECALL (WORK COMPLETED TWO MONTHS PRIOR) TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM. DID NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM BEFORE THE RECALL. SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED IN A FRIEND'S 2014 FIAT 500 E TONIGHT - EXACT SAME WAY - WITH ENGINE POWER FAILING WHILE CAR IS IN MOTION - WITH JUST BARELY ENOUGH TIME TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC LANE. THIS FRIEND'S VEHICLE HAD ALSO HAD THE RECALL COMPLETED A MONTH PRIOR. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED BY OTHER OWNERS ON THE INTERNET AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BEFORE A CAR FAILS IN MOVING TRAFFIC RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON DALLAS NORTH TOLLWAY CRUISING AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEED. I WAS IN 5TH GEAR IN THE FAR LEFT LANE DRIVING AT CONSISTENT SPEED. I HEARD A POP SOUND AND THEN A SOUND AS IF SOMETHING WERE DRAGGING. IT WAS AS IF I HAD RUN OVER A BLOCK OF STYROFOAM IN A SHOPPING CART. IMMEDIATELY MY CAR LOST POWER FOLLOWED BY MESSAGES ON THE HUD: LOW OIL PRESSURE; NO OIL PRESSURE; SEE HANDBOOK. I IMMEDIATELY LET MY FOOT OFF THE PEDALS AND CRUISED TO THE SHOULDER. I SAW OIL OR SOME OTHER FLUID HAD COVERED THE REAR OF MY CAR AND WAS COVERING THE GROUND UNDERNEATH. THE FLUID HAD A REDDISH TINGE TO IT. A PIECE OF METAL APPEARED TO BE HANGING FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR. OIL WAS EVERYWHERE. [XXX], THE GENERAL MANAGER OF FIAT OF MCKINNEY, TOLD ME THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BUT THAT IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY BECAUSE THE MAXIMUM ENGINE "OVER-REV" REACHED A VALUE OF 7300 A TOTAL OF 26 TIMES. FIAT VEHICLES ARE EQUIPPED WITH ENGINE SAFETY FEATURES WHICH LIMIT RPM TO ACCEPTABLE VALUES. I HAVE NEVER REACHED THAT RPM IN THAT VEHICLE. I RECEIVED A COPY OF THE FIAT 500 DIAGNOSTICS CAPTURED USING A WITECH AND IT SHOWS 3 PIECES OF DATA: TOTAL OVER REV COUNTER = 26, MAX ENGINE OVER REV RPM = 7320, TOTAL TIME EXCEEDING MAX ENGINE RPM 0.0 SECONDS. THERE ARE NO TIMES ASSOCIATED WITH THE OVERREV INSTANCES SO THAT ONE COULD DEDUCE THAT AN OVERREV CAUSED THE ENGINE FAILURE. IF IT SAYS THAT THE TOTAL TIME OVER MAX ENGINE RPM IS 0.0 SECONDS, HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE IF IT INDICATED 26 TIMES? SINCE THIS IS VALUED IN TOTAL SECONDS, IF THE TIMES ADDED UP TO 0.0444 - WHICH WOULD BE THE MAXIMUM VALUE POSSIBLE BEFORE ROUNDING UP TO 0.1, THAT MEANS EACH OF THE 26 OVER REV INSTANCES WOULD HAVE LASTED 0.0017 SECONDS. EVEN IF GOING AT 7320 RPM, THE FIAT 500 ENGINE CAN ONLY GO 12.44 REVOLUTIONS IN 0.0017 SECONDS. THERE IS NO WAY THAT IT COULD BE MEASURED THIS ACCURATELY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A STREET BY A SCHOOL DOING 20 MPH. WENT TO DOWN SHIFT AND THE CLUTCH LOCKED UP. I COULD NOT PUSH IT TO THE FLOOR. SINCE I COULD NOT PUSH THE CLUTCH DOWN I COULD NOT SHIFT GEARS. I HAVE DRIVEN A CLUTCH FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A CLUTCH. THERE WAS NO WARNING WITH THIS. JUST HAPPENED WITH NO PREVIOUS SLIPPING OR ANY INDICATION SOMETHING WAS GOING BAD WITH THE CLUTCH. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2014 FIAT 500L. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, AN ANIMAL JUMPED IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT AND CRASHED INTO A LAKE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V481000 (AIR BAGS) AND BELIEVED THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE RECALL. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000. UPDATED 01/23/15*LJ UPDATED 02/19/15*JB

VEHICLE SUSTAINED A CATASTROPHIC CLUTCH FAILURE WHILE BEING DRIVEN AT APPROX 25 MPH RESULTING IN AN INOPERABLE VEHICLE. ADDITIONALLY, THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE SHIFTED OUT OF 4TH GEAR AS CLUTCH COULD NOT BE ENGAGED. VEHICLE HAD TO BE TURNED OFF AND EMERGENCY BRAKE USED TO GUIDE VEHICLE OFF OF ROAD. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALER. MANUFACTURE REPLACED PRESSURE PLATE AND CLUTCH. VEHICLE DISPLAYED NO SIGNS OF WORN CLUTCH PRIOR TO INCIDENT. *TR