FIAT Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V817000 (POWER TRAIN) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT CONTACTED PUTNAM CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE 3 CALIFORNIA DR, BURLINGAME, CA 94010 WHERE THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE PARTS WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER TO THE CONTACT. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

THE STEERING HANGS OR STICKS. IT STARTED A COUPLE YEARS AGO AND WAS REPORTED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED. I WAS TOLD IT DOES THAT. IT STARTED DOING THIS AROUND 50 TO 70 WHEN FIRST NOTICED AND NOW DOES IT AT ALL SPEEDS. WHEN IT FIRST STARTED IT WOULD COME AND GO AWAY SLIGHTLY BUT NEVER COMPLETELY. NOW IT IS ALL THE TIME AND ANY SPEED. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IT MAKES THE VEHICLE STEER SLIGHTLY FROM SIDE TO SIDE IN THE LANE SINCE YOU CAN'T MAKE SLIGHT STEERING CORRECTIONS. WHEN TRYING TO MAKE STEERING CORRECTIONS THE STEERING WILL STICK OR HANG AND THEN RELEASE ABRUPTLY CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO MOVE SLIGHTLY BACK AND FORTH IN THE LANE. AT TIMES IT IS BAD ENOUGH TO RESEMBLE A VERY DRUNK DRIVER OVER CORRECTING. IT IS BAD ENOUGH THAT WE DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND IT ONLY HAS 30,000 MILES ON IT. IT'S A SHAME FIAT/CHRYSLER WON'T ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A PROBLEM. WE HAVE HAD A FEW CLOSE CALLS BUT NO ACCIDENT YET DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. ALSO THE PROBLEM WILL OCCUR ANYWHERE AT ANY SPEED EXCEPT TURNING. IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN MOSTLY WHEN GOING STRAIGHT. WHEN IN A TURN AS LONG AS THE STEERING WHEEL IS IN MOTION IT DOESN'T HANG BUT IF IT STOPS AND YOU START TO TURN FURTHER OR GO BACK IT WILL HANG AGAIN. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS BEFORE SOMEONE DOES GET HURT.

DURING A NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, MY FIAT 500X'S ENGINE TURNED OFF / STALLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I WAS IN THE CITY AND GETTING READY TO TURN, SO I WAS AT A SLOW SPEED - AROUND 8 MPH. I HAD TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND ON AGAIN AND IT SEEMED TO BE FINE AFTER THAT. BUT THIS WAS VERY ALARMING AND IF I HAD BEEN GOING A HIGHER SPEED, IT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS.

ASIDE FROM THE NUMEROUS PROBLEMS THIS CAR HAS HAS (WHICH IT HAS HAD MANY) THE MOST RECENT ISSUE WAS THAT THE 'SERVICE ENGINE' AND THE 'DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE' LIGHTS CAME ON. I'M TOLD IT COULD BE A THERMOSTAT ISSUE. THIS ALERT HAPPENED WHEN I STARTED MY CAR AND HAD CONTINUED SINCE DRIVING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. I HAVE GOOGLED THE ISSUE AND IT SEEMS MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR ISSUES. THE CAR SEEMS TOO NEW AND CURRENT TO BE HAVING THESE KINDS OF ISSUES, SUCH AS POSSIBLY THE THERMOSTAT. I WANTED TO REPORT THIS TO YOU DUE TO FINDING NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVING THIS ISSUE. ALSO I HAVE ALSO HAD THIS CAR STOP ACCELERATING AND I HAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN A NEUTRAL SETTING. THIS SCARED ME TO DEATH AS IF I WERE TO BE ON THE FREEWAY, THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DIRE. THEY RESET THE COMPUTER FOR THAT ISSUE, IT HAS NOT RECURRED BUT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND MY FEAR WHEN THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, I'M WORRIED SOMETHING SIMILAR COULD HAPPEN. I HONESTLY WISH THIS CAR WAS IN WARRANTY SO I COULD LEMON LAW IT, BECAUSE IT'S A TOTAL LEMON OTHERWISE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 FIAT 500X. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE CHANGED GEARS INDEPENDENTLY. THE DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO JEFF D'AMBROSIO ALFA ROMEO FIAT OF THE MAIN LINE, LOCATED AT 487 LANCASTER AVE, MALVERN, PA 19355, AND WAS TOLD THAT SOMETHING STICKY MIGHT HAVE SPILLED IN THE VEHICLE WHICH CAUSED THE MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO BE DISPLAYED. THE CONTACT DISAGREED WITH THE ASSESSMENT. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT AN UNKNOWN PART NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE CARMAN CHRYSLER-JEEP-DODGE DEALER, LOCATED AT 196 S DUPONT HWY, NEW CASTLE, DE 19720, AND IT WAS STATED THAT SOMETHING STICKY MIGHT HAVE SPILLED AND ENTERED THE DRIVE MODE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000.

TWO WEEKS AGO, I GOT INTO MY CAR AND UPON STARTING IT FOUND THAT IT WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE GEAR (MY CAR IS A 5-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION). FOLLOWING THIS INCIDENT I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A GARAGE, AND AFTER CONSULTING A MECHANIC, I WAS TOLD THAT THERE HAD BEEN A FAILURE WITH THE SHIFT CABLE BUSHINGS AND THAT A TOTAL REPLACEMENT WAS NEEDED; I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE 2013 FIAT 500 HAD BEEN ISSUED A RECALL BY THE COMPANY FOR THIS VERY ISSUE. HOWEVER, AFTER TALKING WITH A REPRESENTATIVE OF FIAT, I WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR'S VIN NUMBER WAS NOT IN THE RECALL GROUP. AS A RESULT, I WAS FORCED TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR INDEPENTLY. I AM WRITING, AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF MY MECHANIC, TO REQUEST THAT MY VEHICLE TO BE ADDED TO THE RECALL GROUP AND THAT THE REPAIR EXPENSES BE REIMBURSED.

THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO JERK OR SHAKE WHEN IT SHIFTS SOMETIMES, LIKE THE CAR IS GOING TO STALL OR LURCH FORWARD. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT HAVE GOTTEN NO WHERE WITH THEM. SOMETIMES WHEN IM DRIVING IN THE HIGHWAY IF I STEP ON THE GAS THE CAR JERKS BACK BEFORE GOING FOWARD. ITS EXTREMELY SCARY AS IF SOMEONE IS HITTING YOU FOM BEHIND.

ONE DAY MY AIR BAG FAILIURE LIGHT CAME OM ALONG WITH A FUEL CUTOFF UNAVAILBLE LIGHT. BOTH OF THESE LIGHTS WERE TEMPORARILY FIXED BY MANUALLY LOCKING AND UNLOCKING THE DOORS. RECENTLY THAT FIX HAS NOT WORKED. WHILE THESE ERRORS ARE HAPPENING MY CRUISE CONTROL WILL NOT TURN ON AT ALL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER CONTACTING THE LOCAL DEALER STEVEN WADE FIAT (1724 S. HILTON DR. ST. UTAH), THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 16V302000 (POWER TRAIN) WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE WAS NOT PRESENT ON THE VEHICLE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

MOVING TRANSMISSION SHIFTER IN COLD WEATHER RESULTS IN FLASHING SHIFTER INDICATOR LIGHT AND CAR NOT ABLE TO LEAVE PARK.