FIAT Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V817000 (POWER TRAIN) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FIAT OF BURLINGAME LOCATED AT (2 CALIFORNIA DR SUITE A, BURLINGAME, CA 94010) BUT WAS NOT REPAIRED DUE TO PARTS NOT BEING AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PART DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECTS. *DT *JB*DT*JB

WHILE DRIVING MY FIAT 500X, IT JERKS WHEN IT'S SHIFTING GEARS OR ACCELERATING. I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND THERE WAS A BULLETIN CONCERNING THE TRANSMISSION I BELIEVE. BUT WHATEVER UPDATE WAS DONE, IT DID NOT TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM. I'VE LOOKED FOR INFO REGARDING THIS ISSUE AND HAVE FOUND THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM.

LATE IN MARCH 2019 I WENT OUT TO MY CAR AT WORK TO DRIVE HOME (HOUR COMMUTE VIA MOSTLY HIGHWAY ROADS). WHEN I PUT MY CAR IN REVERSE, THE STICK SHIFT DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE CAR IN 1ST GEAR IT WOULD NOT GO. AT THAT POINT I ONLY HAD 2ND AND 4TH GEAR AVAILABLE (3RD AND 5TH WOULD ALSO NOT WORK). I DROVE HOME AT LOWER SPEEDS DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO SHIFT INTO 5TH GEAR. I IMMEDIATELY DROPPED THE CAR OFF AT A TIRES PLUS IN ATHENS, GA WHERE I LIVE. I THOUGHT MY CLUTCH HAD GONE OUT AS BY THE TIME I GOT THERE I COULD NO LONGER SHIFT GEARS AT ALL (STUCK IN 2ND). OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, TIRE PLUS TOLD ME THEY THOUGHT IT WAS MY TRANSMISSION AND THEY ADVISED ME TO LOOK INTO GETTING IT FIXED ELSEWHERE DUE TO THEM NOT BEING ABLE TO DO THE WORK. ONE OF THE TECHS THERE DID MENTION THE POSSIBILITY THAT IT COULD BE THE SHIFTER CABLE AND THAT IT MIGHT BE WORTH IT TO TAKE IT TO A CHRYSLER DEALERSHIP TO VERIFY. I THEN PICKED THE CAR UP AND DELICATELY DROVE IT TO ATHENS DODGE CHRYSLER JEEP ON 4/1/19. THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS AND DETERMINED SURE ENOUGH- IT WAS A BROKEN SHIFT CABLE (INVOICE ATTACHED SAYS THEY "REPLACED SHIFTER CABLES"). I RECENTLY BECAME AWARE OF A RECALL (VIA MAIL?) ON FIATS IN THE AGE RANGE OF MY VEHICLE (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID: 19V817000 AND CHRYSLER RECALL #VB4) AND UPON LOOKING INTO IT ON BOTH THE NHTSA AND FIAT SITES, FOR WHATEVER REASON MY CAR WASN'T UNDER THE RECALL. I CALLED CHRYSLER DIRECTLY AT 800-853-1403 AND THE REPRESENTATIVE I SPOKE TO SAID SHE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY VIN # WASN'T ONE THAT WAS RECALLED BASED ON THE NATURE OF THE MALFUNCTION AND SUBSEQUENT REPAIR LAST APRIL. SHE SAID THAT PEOPLE CALL ALL THE TIME HAVING ALREADY HAD THE WORK COMPLETED PRIOR TO THE OFFICIAL RECALL SEEKING (AND RECEIVING) REIMBURSEMENT. SHE SUGGESTED GOING TO THIS SITE TO REQUEST THAT MY SPECIFIC VEHICLE BE ADDED TO THE RECALL SO THAT I COULD BE REIMBURSED, AS WELL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 19V817000 (POWER TRAIN) HOWEVER, THE PARTS FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AUTO NATION FIAT NORTH DENVER LOCATED AT (749 W 104TH AVE SUITE 100, NORTHGLENN, CO 80234 303-578-6121) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

CAR WILL NOT START AND WILL NOT COME OUT OF PARK. LIGHTS ARE ALL ON, AND CHECKED BATTERY AND ALL IS FINE. BEING TOLD IT IS THE GEAR SHIFT MODULE. TIME/DATE: 6:45 AM 02/08/20 VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500 SPORT HATCHBACK. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH THE RIDE OF THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SMOOTH. THE CONTACT THAT THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THERE WAS AN ODOR OF SMOKE IN THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FIAT OF BURLINGAME LOCATED AT 2 CALIFORNIA DR SUITE A BURLINGAME, CA 94010, WHERE THE TECHNICIAN REPLACED THE PCV VALVE SEAL AND ALSO REPAIRED THE CABLE SHIFTER IN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000.

SUDDENLY ONE DAY I WAS NO LONGER ABLE TO PUMP GAS INTO MY VEHICLE. WHENEVER I TRY TO FILL UP MY GAS TANK GAS WERE JUST BACK UP, NO MATTER HOW EMPTY MY TANK WAS. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO MY DEALERSHIP, AND A STATED THAT THERE WAS A VALVE AT THE TOP OF MY GAS AT THE TOP OF MY FUEL TANK THAT IS PREVENTING THE GAS FROM DRAINING INTO THE TANK. NOTHING THAT I DID OR COULD HAVE DONE CAUSED THIS ISSUE TO BREAK. AND WHEN I INQUIRED ABOUT REPLACING THE VALVE THEY STATED THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE FUEL TANK SYSTEM, BUT THE PART WAS ON BACK ORDER FOR 1 TO 2 MONTHS BECAUSE THEY WERE SOLD OUT.

IN THE COLD WEATHER FOR THE PAST YEAR, THE COMPUTER SCREEN HAS INTERMITTENTLY ADVISED DRIVER TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL BEFORE SHIFTING BACK INTO R/D. LAST MONTH, THE CAR LOST ACCELERATION LIKE IT WAS NOT EVEN IN GEAR. THE DEALERSHIP FOUND A FAULTY TRANSMISSION CONTROL MODULE WAS TO BLAME FOR THIS. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH I FOUND A RECALL ON THE TCM FROM 2014, STATING THE SAME PROBLEMS AND THAT THEY WERE REPROGRAMMED/REPLACED AT THE MANUFACTURER'S DISCRETION. I DO NOT BELIEVE A RECALLED PART SHOULD BE HAVING THE EXACT PROBLEM AS IT DID 5 YEARS LATER. MY WIFE AND I ARE LOOKING FOR A NEW CAR AND FIAT IS ON OUR LIST, BUT IF I CAN ONLY EXPECT A 5 YEAR SHELF-LIFE ON THE COMPUTER SYSTEM, WE MAY HAVE TO RECONSIDER. PERHAPS OUR CAR IS THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE THIS RECURRING PROBLEM. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.

ON 2/5/2020, I LEFT MY HOME TO GO TO WORK. IT WAS A COLD MORNING IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND WHEN I GOT IN THE CAR AND TURNED IT ON A YELLOW SNOWFLAKE/ROAD APPEARED. IN THE 5 YEARS THAT I HAVE HAD THIS CAR, I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS IMAGE APPEAR ON THE DASHBORD. I STARTED TO DRIVE THE CAR AND CALLED FIAT CHRYSLER TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE WARNING LIGHT. I SPOKE WITH A REPRESENTATIVE NAMED ASHLEY IN THE CALL CENTER. I TOLD ASHLEYT ABOUT THE WARNING AND SHE PLACED ME ON HOLD TO RESEARCH IT. SHE CAME BACK ON THE LINE AND THE WARNING MEANT I NEEDED TO PUT SNOW TIRES ON MY CAR BECAUSE OF THE WEATHER. I TOLD HER IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WHERE I LIVE WE DON'T NEED SNOW TIRES BECAUSE IT DOES NOT SNOW. SHE THEN TOLD ME MY TIRES WERE COLD ALONG WITH THE OUTSIDE OF THE CAR AND UNDERCARRIAGE THEREFORE THE CAR WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. I TOLD HER THE TIRES WERE LESS THAN A YEAR OLD AND NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THEM. SHE THEN SAID IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. I SAID OK AND END THE CALL. AFTER THINKING FOR A BIT IT WAS UNSETTLING THAT I WAS DRIVING A CAR THAT WAS UNSAFE AS A FIAT REP INFORMED ME OF THIS SO I CALLED BACK TO START A BUY BACK WITH FIAT. I THEN SPOKE TO ANOTHER WHO INFORMED ME ASHLEY WAS NOT A MECHANIC AND SHOULD NOT HAVE TOLD ME THIS. I COULD NOT GET HER TO ACKNOWLEDGE IF THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE SO I ASKED HER TO HAVE A SUPERVISOR REVIEW THE CALL AND CALL ME BACK. I RECEIVED A CALL FROM MELISSA THE SUPERVISOR WHO ADVISED SHE REVIEWED THE CALL ASHLEY DID IN FACT TELL ME THIS BUT SHOUDL NOT HAVE THEREFORE IT'S A COACHING OPPORTUNITY FOR HER. I ASKED MELISSA TO SEND ME A LETTER CONFIRMING THE SAFETY OF THE CAR AND SHE WOULD NOT. I THEN INFORMED HER I WOULD CONTACT THE CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS. THE SENSOR EVENTUALLY WENT AWAY ONCE THE CAR WARMED UP.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500 L. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED TO OPERATE AS DESIGNED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.