FIAT Complaints

DRIVING ON HWY 183 IN CEDAR PARK, TX, A TRUCKER DID NOT HAVE HIS TARP TIED DOWN TIGHT ENOUGH, ALLOWING A LARGE AMOUNT OF ROCKS AND DEBRIS TO FLY OUT OF HIS TRUCK BED. THESE ROCKS, OF COURSE, BOUNCED ALL OVER THE HIGHWAY CAUSING QUITE A DISTURBANCE AND CRACKING MY WINDSHIELD SO BADLY THE WHOLE THING NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I CONTACTED THIS TRUCKER AND HE WILL NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS, I HAVE HIS TRUCK ON VIDEO RIGHT AFTER THE INCIDENT. DRIVER'S NAME IS [XXX] WITH TERRY TRUCKING, DOT #[XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE OIL PRESSURE SENSOR WARNING LIGHT WOULD RANDOMLY GO ON AND OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP THREE TIMES TO REPAIR THE PROBLEM. ON THE THIRD TIME, THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT IT WAS DUE TO A DAMAGED SHORT BLOCK AND THAT IT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS WAS IN OCTOBER 2014 AND THE MILEAGE WAS 52,500 SO MY CAR WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER QUOTED APPROXIMATELY $5000 FOR THE REPAIR. SHOULDN'T THE WARRANTY COVER THE REPAIR BECAUSE THE PROBLEM BEGAN AT 49,800 MILES? THE FIAT DEALERSHIP DOES NOT AGREE. *TR

I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM FIAT REGARDING THE INVERTER THAT PROVIDES POWER TO THE MOTOR OF THE CAR. I MOVED FROM CA TO SC AND FIAT REFUSES TO REPAIR MY CAR. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE SHUT OFF AND DROPPED SPEED QUICKLY, WAS ADVISED BY THE DEALER THAT IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL SHORTAGE TO THE BATTERY AS THE CAR WAS BRAND NEW. TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK IN FOR REPAIR, AND IT HAS HAPPENED THREE MORE TIMES SINCE THAT OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS. TWO OF THOSE TIMES WERE ALSO ON THE HIGHWAY. THE MOST RECENT WAS LAST MONTH (SEPTEMBER 13, 2014) WHILE MAKING A U-TURN AT A LIGHT IN FRONT OF MOVING TRAFFIC THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT OFF RIGHT AFTER MY TURN. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE AND THE CAR BEHIND ME SAW ME IN TIME TO STOP. *TR

THIS IS A FOLLOW UP TO MY FIRST COMPLAINT, FILED ON 07/01/14. ON 08/16/14 MY FIAT WAS TOWED FOR THE 3RD TIME TO CONCORD OF FIAT. THE FIRST TIME THE POWER INVERTER MODULE WAS REPLACED (RECALL), THE SECOND TIME THE BODY CONTROL MODULE WAS REPLACED, THE THIRD TIME THE POWER INVERTER MODULE (RECALL) WAS REPLACED, FOR THE SECOND TIME. I HAVE CONTACTED THE CHRYSLER ARBITRATION DEPARTMENT. I WILL BE SEEKING DAMAGES UNDER CIVIL CODE SECTION 1790. FURTHER, UNDER THE CA "LEMON LAW" GUIDE (1): "THE SAME PROBLEM RESULTS IN A CONDITION THAT IS LIKELY TO CAUSE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY IF THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN AND THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN SUBJECT TO REPAIR TWO OR MORE TIMES BY THE MANUFACTURER OR ITS AGENTS." THE RECALL EXPLICITLY STATES THAT A DEFECT IN THE POWER INVERTER CONSTITUTES A CONDITION THAT "IS LIKELY TO CAUSE DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY IF THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN..." THE CHRYSLER RECALL STATES THAT THE PROBLEM IS: "THE POWER INVERTER MODULE (PIM) ON YOUR VEHICLE MAY CONTAIN COOLING PLATES THAT LEAK COOLANT INTO AREAS OF HIGH-VOLTAGE CIRCUITRY. THIS CAN RESULT IN AN OVERCURRENT ELECTRICAL CONDITION, WHICH WILL CAUSE THE HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY MANUAL SERVICE DISCONNECT FUSE TO OPEN. AN OPEN HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY MANUAL SERVICE DISCONNECT FUSE WILL CAUSE A LOSS OF VEHICLE PROPULSION AND COULD CAUSE A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING." *TR

I HAD NOT DROVE MY CAR IN 3 DAYS IT WAS PARKED INSIDE OUR GARAGE, I PUT IN THE IGNITION KEY, AND CAR WOULD NOT MAKE A SOUND, NOT EVEN A CLICK, WHILE THE KEY IN THE START POSITION, ALL KINDS IF THINGS STARED TO COME ON THE DISPLAY, . I HAD TO CALL THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY JUMPED THE CAR TO GET IT OUT OF MY GARAGE, AND HAD THE CAR FOR 5 DAYS, EVERY ONCE AND A WHILE I SMELL GAS FUMES INSIDE THE CAR, WE SPENT 24,000 FOR THE CAR, AND IT JUST DOES NOT SEEM TO BE RIGHT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FIAT 500. WHILE TURNING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDED THAT THE COMPUTER BE REPROGRAMMED. THE REPAIR FAILED TO REMEDY THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,000.

CAR HAD BEEN SITTING, UNDRIVEN FOR ONE WEEK. IT WOULDN'T START--NO LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD, NO CLICKING, NOTHING. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THE KEY WOULD NOT COME OUT OF THE IGNITION. THIS HAS HAPPENED A SECOND TIME, ON A CAR THAT IS JUST 5 MONTHS OLD AND STILL HAS LESS THAN 2,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

MY VEHICLE BEGAN LEAKING GASOLINE FROM UNDER THE CAR PROFUSELY. A LARGE PUDDLE OF GASOLINE FILLED MY GARAGE FLOOR. I PUSHED THE CAR OUT MY GARAGE AND A TOW TRUCK PICKED IT UP AND TOOK IT TO A LOCAL FIAT DEALER. GASOLINE WAS VISIBLY DRIPPING OUT THE CAR. THE LEAK WAS VERY BAD. IT WAS NOT A SMALL LEAK AT ALL. *TR

WIPER FLUID RESERVOIR LEAKING AND CAN NOT HOLD FLUID FOR WIPER. WENT TO DEALERSHIP UNDER WARRANTY BUT NO PARTS TO REPLACE AND NO ETA OF PARTS. CONTACTED THE FIAT USA ABOUT PARTS AND WAS TOLD NO PARTS AVAILABLE AND WILL NOT GIVE ANY ETA ON PARTS. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING IN HOUSTON IN RAINY SEASON AND CAN NOT CLEAR WINDSHIELD WITH WIPER FLUID WHEN DRIVING. WHEN CALLING THE FIAT USA, SERVICE REP CAN NOT HELP AND WILL NOT PROVIDE ANY UPPER LEVEL MANAGEMENT CONTACT TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. *TR