FIAT Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, SHE DEPRESSED THE CLUTCH BUT IT BECAME JAMMED AND THE VEHICLE BECAME STUCK IN SECOND GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION CLUTCH DISC FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,200. *TR

DOES NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR. VEHICLE CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP WHILE DRIVING, VERY DANGEROUS BEING ON THE EXPRESSWAY WITH FAMILY. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHIFT AGAIN. REPEATED PROBLEMS OCCUR SPORADIC THROUGHOUT THE WEEK. *TR

WHILE ACCELERATING THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD NOT READ ANY HIGHER THAN 20 MPH, EVEN WHEN GOING SPEEDS WELL OVER 20 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD READ AT 0, HOWEVER ONCE ACCELERATING OR DECELERATING FROM OVER 20 MPH WOULD NOT BE REGISTERED. THE CAR WAS TURNED ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES, AND SHIFTED THROUGH ALL THE GEARS, STILL NO FIX. *TR

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, ENGINE IDLING ROUGH ,TRANSMISSION SHIFTER LIGHT BLINKING, TRNASMISSION GEAR LAGS ON SHIFT. *TR

ON DECEMBER 26TH MY KEY WAS NO LONGER RECOGNIZED BY THE FIAT IGNITION SYSTEM. I CALLED HOME, HAD A SPARE DELIVERED, AND THE SPARE STARTED THE CAR UP. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND TWO WEEKS LATER THE KEY WAS REPLACED. ON FEBRUARY 14TH I ONCE AGAIN HAD THE SAME ISSUE WHERE THE IGNITION SYSTEM WOULD NOT DETECT THE KEY. ONCE AGAIN I HAD THE NEW SPARE DELIVERED AND THE CAR STARTED RIGHT UP. I AM CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF GETTING THE BAD KEY REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP. BOTH TIMES THE BAD KEYS WOULD GIVE THE INDICATION OF A CAR WITH A PADLOCK OVER IT. THE OWNERS MANUAL INDICATES THAT THIS MEANS THE KEY IN THE IGNITION IS NOT RECOGNIZED BY THE SYSTEM. *TR

2012 FIAT 500 CLUTCH WENT OUT AS WE WERE NEARING RAILROAD TRACKS. WE COULD NOT GET AUTO INTO ANY GEAR AND HAD TO COAST OVER THE TRACKS AND INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE. THEY STATED IT WAS A WORN CLUTCH EVEN THOUGH WE HAD LESS THAN 30,000 MILES. WE ASKED THEM TO INVESTIGATE IF IT WERE FAULTY PARTS. THEY STATED OURS WAS THE ONLY KNOWN CASE. WE FOUND MANY OTHER CASES ON THE INTERNET. WE COULD HAVE HURT OR KILLED, ESPECIALLY IF IT HAD HAPPENED WHILE WE WERE IN THE FREEWAY FAST LANE. FIAT PAID FOR OUR PARTS, AND WE PAID FOR THE LABOR. THEY EVENTUALLY AGREED TO REIMBURSE US FOR THE LABOR "AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL". WE ARE WAITING FOR THE CHECK. WE ARE STILL CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THESE PARTS IN OTHER CARS, AND ABOUT THE SAFETY OF OUR REPLACED PARTS. *TR

WHILE IN MOTION, VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 2ND GEAR -- UP OR DOWN. I ALSO TRIED SHIFTING MANUALLY WITHOUT SUCCESS. I STOPPED VEHICLE ON SIDE OF ROAD. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART VEHICLE, IT WOULD NOT START -- NO ENGINE CRANKING. AFTER 10 MINUTES, SOMETHING WAS FELT DISENGAGING AND VEHICLE STARTED AND WAS DRIVEN WITHOUT INCIDENT TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. ANOTHER 500L LOANER CAR WAS PROVIDED AND THE NEXT DAY, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED TO IT. IT WOULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF 2ND GEAR. CAR AND DRIVER ALSO RELEASED THEIR REVIEW IN FEBRUARY WITH SIMILAR ISSUES AND MANY OTHERS HAVE REPORTED THE PROBLEM ONLINE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS STATED THAT IT IS A KNOWN SOFTWARE ISSUE THAT CANNOT BE RELEASED WITHOUT EPA APPROVAL. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT ONLY UNRELIABLE, BUT UNSAFE. *TR

THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH "AUTO-PARK". IF THE DRIVER'S DOOR IS OPENED AND SEAT BELT UNBUCKLED IT AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGES PARK. SEEMS LIKE A GOOD IDEA, EXCEPT: IT DOES THIS ALSO IF THE KEY IS TURNED OFF-- WHILE STILL MOVING!!!!! OR IF ROLLING BACK OR FORWARD SLIGHTLY ON AN INCLINE AS I ENGAGE THE PARKING BRAKE TO BEGIN TO LEAVE VEHICLE TO ATTEND TO A GATE ON MY HILLY DRIVEWAY. THIS OCCURS SO SUDDENLY IT CAN LAUNCH OCCUPANTS FORWARD INTO THE INSTRUMENT PANEL! (MY WIFE AND I TYPICALLY DO NOT RE-BELT TO MOVE 15 FEET TO CLOSE THE GATE). ACCORDING TO FIAT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THE DEALER SAY THIS CANNOT BE DEPROGRAMMED. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND SOMEONE WILL BE HURT, OR AN ACCIDENT COULD OCCUR IF THE KEY WAS TURNED OFF WHILE MOVING DUE TO A THROTTLE OR OTHER DEFECT. YOUR FORM IS FREAKY ABOUT ACCEPTING THE AFFECTED PARTS! *TR

I EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION TWICE THIS WEEK. THE FIRST INCIDENT TOOK PLACE ON JANUARY 31, 2014. THE OTHER WAS FEBRUARY 1, 2014. BOTH INCIDENTS TOOK PLACE AT LOW SPEEDS. BASICALLY AS I WAS COMING TO A STOP, THE CAR JUST ACCELERATED OUT OF CONTROL. I WAS UNDER 5MPH ON BOTH INCIDENTS. WHAT IT FEELS LIKE IS AS I AM COMING TO A SLOW DOWN THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT GO DOWN IN GEAR AND JUST THRUSTS AND TAKES OFF. I RAN INTO A HEDGE IN THE PARKING LOT ON THE FEBRUARY 1ST INCIDENT. I WAS ABLE TO APPLY THE BRAKES, BUT NOT IN TIME TO AVOID THE COLLISION WITH THE HEDGE. I DID NOT HAVE MY FOOT ON, OR NEAR THE ACCELERATOR. BOTH TIMES MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500 SPORT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ENTERING THE HIGHWAY AT 20 MPH, THE REAR ROOF WING BECAME DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE AND FLEW INTO INCOMING TRAFFIC. BOTH THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER WERE UNWILLING TO REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,000.