FIAT Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS DIFFICULT TO SHIFT IN AND OUT OF GEAR AND THERE WAS A LOSS OF POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MOSES FIAT-ALFA ROMEO (2041 MACCORKLE AVE, ST ALBANS, WV 25177, (304) 722-4900). THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V302000 (POWER TRAIN); HOWEVER, THE FAILURES OCCURRED AFTERWARDS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER MORE THAN ONCE. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE SAME OEM PARTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER TURNED THE CONTACT AWAY TWICE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

MY WIFE TOLD ME OF THIS HAPPENING TO HER AND I DIDN'T BELIEVE HER UNTIL IT HAPPENED TO ME. SO, I'M DRIVING DOWN NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS AT ABOUT 45 MPH, THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT, AND I GO TO CROSS AN INTERSECTION AND THE CAR LOSES ALL POWER WITH TRAFFIC HEADED TOWARDS ME. LUCKILY, IT REGAINED POWER A FEW SECONDS LATER, BUT I FEEL WE'VE JUST BEEN LUCKY SO FAR. MY WIFE HAS EXPERIENCED THIS SEVERAL TIMES, ON HIGHWAYS, NEIGHBORHOOD ROADS, ETC. AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED IT TWICE NOW. THE NEXT DAY, THE DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE MESSAGE CAME ON WHEN I STARTED THE VEHICLE AND WOULD NOT GO. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THE FIRST TIME I EXPERIENCED IT AND WAS TOLD THE OLD UPDATE STORY. TOOK IT IN AGAIN AND THEY KEPT IT A WHOLE WEEK THE NEXT TIME AND COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG THEY SAID. IT KEEPS HAPPENING, THE COMPUTER KEEPS TURNING OFF OUR DISPLAY, AND I BELIEVE THE ENGINE FAN MAY BE GOING OUT NOW. NOT A GOOD/QUALITY VEHICLE AT ALL AND I FEEL LIKE FIAT DOESN'T HAVE ANY ANSWERS FOR THE PROBLEMS AS WE KEEP BEING TOLD "UPDATES," YET IT CONTINUES HAPPENING.

A FEW WEEKS AGO, I WOKE UP AND DROVE TO WORK IN THE MORNING. MY FIAT PARKED, I WORKED, EVERYTHING WAS GOOD. 5 HOURS LATER, I GET BACK TO MY CAR TO DRIVE HOME. I START MY ENGINE AND THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS UP SAYING, "HILL START ERROR ... SEE OWNERS MANUAL". I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, "WELP, L GUESS I'LL GO SEE A MECHANIC NOW.". I LIFT THE E-BREAK, PRESS DOWN THE BREAK PEDAL, AND THEN TRY TO MOVE THE CAR INTO REVERSE, BUT IT'S LOCKED IN PARK. I TURN OFF THE CAR. I USE GOOGLE SEARCH ON MY PHONE TO FIND MY FIAT 500 OWNER'S MANUAL ONLINE. I LOOK FOR THE "HILL START ERROR" AND FIND AN OVERRIDE TO GET MY CAR OUT OF PARK AND INTO REVERSE/DRIVE. I RESTART THE CAR. NOW THE DASHBOARD IS COMPLETELY BLANK EXCEPT FOR THE LETTER 'P' IN THE BOTTOM-CENTER OF THE CIRCULAR DASH PANEL. THE LETTER "P" IS BLINKING CONCURRENTLY WITH A BEEP THAT DOES NOT STOP. THERE IS NO MEASURE OF SPEED AND I'M NOT ENTIRELY SURE IF MY LIGHTS ARE WORKING AT THIS POINT. I'M JUST TRYING TO GET THE CAR TO A MECHANIC ABOUT 10 MILES AWAY. I FOUND AN HONEST-FAMILY SPOT AND THE GUY TELLS ME TO LEAVE THE CAR THERE AND HE'LL LOOK AT IT. BREAK LIGHTS WERE OUT AND A SAFETY FEATURE CAUSED IT TO LOCK UP. A COMMON ISSUE IS A BREAK-LIGHT SWITCH WITH THIS CAR, SO... WE REPLACED THE BLS AND DID A FULL DIAGNOSTICS, BUT STILL NO FIX. WE TROUBLESHOOT ALL WEEK AND FOUND THAT A 5-AMP FUSE BLEW OUT IN THE BODY CONTROL MODULE. HE REPLACED THE FUSE AND FOUND THAT IT BURNED OUT AGAIN BECAUSE OF A LOOSE WIRE SOMEWHERE BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL. IF I RUN THE CAR, THE LOOSE WIRE WILL CAUSE MORE CONNECTIONS TO BURNOUT AND BREAK. THE CAR SHORTS IF WE RUN IT NOW. THE LOOSE WIRE CAUSING THIS SHORT CAUSED MY CAR'S GEARSHIFT TO LOCK UP COMPLETELY, DISABLED MY BREAK LIGHTS, AND LEAD TO SHORTAGES ACROSS THE BOARD. I CAN'T DRIVE IT AT ALL, LET ALONE START IT. I BARELY HAVE 89K ON THIS CAR AND IT'S PRETTY MUCH COOKED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED TO OPERATE. WHEN THE CONTACT SHIFTED THE GEAR INTO REVERSE TO ENTER A PARKING SPACE AND THEN ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT INTO PARK, THE GEAR SHIFTER ENGAGED INTO NEUTRAL INSTEAD. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RELEASE THE GEAR OUT OF NEUTRAL. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO SECURE THE VEHICLE IN THE PARKING SPACE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN MANUFACTURER RECALL NUMBER: R20. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000.

IM GETTING A TURBO UNDERBOOST CODE FROM THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. IT'S A SOLID LIGHT NOT FLASHING. I DO NOT HAVE A GAS CAP & IVE ALREADY HAD A SMOKE REST WHICH REVEALED NO LEAKS. I STARTED PUTTING PREMIUM GAS & THE LIGHT WENT OFF & WAS BACK TO PEAK DRIVING PERFORMANCE BUT RECENTLY IT CAME ON AGAIN WITH SAME CODE & IT'S DRIVING LIKE AN OLD LADY NOW

500X TREKKING IS HAVING ISSUES SHIFTING RANDOMLY. COMING TO STOP IT FEELS LIKE I AM GETTING REAR ENDED WHEN IT SHIFTS DOWN. PUSHING THE GAS HESITATES AND I FEEL LIKE I AM GETTING WHIPLASH FROM THE SHIFT.

I DROVE DOWN FROM IL TO WI WITH MY FIAT POP 500 2012 ON HIGHWAY 39 AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN ABOUT AN HOUR AWAY TO MY DESTINATION, MY SUNROOF SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODED (BOOM!) ALONG WITH LOUD NOISE. I DUCKED DOWN AND ALL THE SUNROOF GLASSES WAS SHATTERED AND FELL OFF ONTO MY HEAD, MY LAPS AND MOSTLY WENT FALLING DOWN ON THE FRONT OF PASSENGER SEAT. THIS WAS HAPPENING ON A CLEAR SUMMER SUNNY DAY, ON FRIDAY, JUNE 28TH OF 2019. THERE'S NO FOREIGN OBJECTS, THERE'S NOT A LOT (CONGESTED) OF TRAFFICS, THERE'S NO ANY SEMI TRUCKS AROUND ME NOR THE BAD WEATHER OR ANY DISTRACTIONS WHATSOEVER. IT WAS AROUND 6:10 PM LOCAL TIME AND IT IS ABOUT AN HOUR AWAY FROM MY FINAL DESTINATION TO MADISON, WI. THE WEATHER WAS AROUND 81 - 79 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, VERY CLEAR SKY, NO RAIN, NO WET ROAD.NICE AND DRY SUMMER TIME TO DRIVE, NORMAL BREEZE.SKY ARE ALL CLEAR AND SUNNY. WEATHER: 8 HUMIDITY: 62%, BAROMETER: 30.06 HG, AND SE WINDS CONDITION: 6.214 MPH. AS A WOMEN WHO COMPLETELY DOESN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CARS EXCEPT TOOK MY CAR TO THE AUTO SHOP FOR REGULAR OIL CHANGE, THIS WAS VERY SCARY TO ME - COMPLETELY RELYING ON MY SAFETY WITH THE CAR THAT I OWN AND I DRIVE EVERYDAY, AND THIS ACCIDENT DEFINITELY MADE ME REALIZED THAT FIAT POP 500 IT IS NOT A SAFE TO BE DRIVE FOR ANYONE PERIOD. THE SUNROOF THAT ALL OF THE SUDDEN SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODED WITH NO VALID REASON WHATSOEVER AND THERE'S NO WARNING FROM FIAT THAT COULD BE PART OF THEIR DEFECT IN THIS TYPE OF CAR IT'S VERY DANGEROUS FOR ANYBODY EVENT TO CONSIDER PURCHASE THIS TYPE OF CAR. THE GLASS THAT SHATTERED AND WAS FALLING DOWN COULD SLICED ANYONE HEADS IN A HALF. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS VEHICLE TO DRIVE FOR ANYBODY OR FOR EVERYONE AND THIS SUNROOF SHOULD BE A RECALL AND THE CONSUMER HAVE A RIGHT TO BE INFORM ABOUT THIS. THIS SUNROOF IS A SAFETY ISSUE. BE AWARE!

CAR JUST A FEW MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. STILL PAYING MONTHLY NOTE. TRANSMISSION FAILURE, WITH A COST OF $6000 TO REPAIR. CAR IS NOT WORTH WHAT WE OWE PLUS WHAT REPAIR CHARGE WILL BE. I SEE MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS OF THIS WITH OTHER OWNERS- WITH LOW MILES. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL AND FIAT NEEDS TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR REPAIR. THIS ISSUE LEFT MY 19 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER STRANDED WITH 3 YOUNG CHILDREN! I AM READING ALL THESE ACCOUNTS FROM OTHER OWNERS, BUT NOT SEEING ANY RESOLUTION. WE WERE TOLD TO JUST 'GIVE AWAY' THE CAR. WE ARE STILL PAYING THE NOTE! DID NOT KNOW A FOUR YEAR OLD CAR WHICH HAS BEEN WELL- MAINTAINED WAS CONSIDERED DISPOSABLE.

AS WE PULLED AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, THE CAR MADE A LOUD POPPING SOUND AND LOST POWER TO THE DRIVE SYSTEM. THE DASHBOARD IMMEDIATELY DISPLAYED A "PROPULSION SYSTEM WARNING" MESSAGE AND COULD NO LONGER BE DRIVEN. THE CAR WAS TOWED (FLAT BED) TO A DEALER FOR REPAIR. AFTER A WEEK, AND THE DEALER'S TECHS TALKING WITH TECHNICIANS IN DETROIT, DETROIT SUGGESTED REPLACING THE CAR'S POWER INVERTER. THIS REPAIR WILL COST MORE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH. THIS CAR HAD THE POWER INVERTER REPLACED BY THE SAME SHOP IN RESPONSE TO THE RECALL TO PREVENT SUDDEN POWER FAILURE. OUR EXPERIENCE WITH THE POPPING SOUND AND SUDDEN POWER LOSS IS IDENTICAL TO DESCRIPTIONS FROM OTHER OWNERS WHO HAD THE RECALL FOR THE POWER INVERTER REPLACEMENT. GLAD NO ONE WAS HURT AND THAT WE WERE NOT ON A HIGHWAY.

BOTH PASSENGER AND DRIVER WINDOW REGULATORS FAILED ON MY 2014 FIAT 500GQ AT 21250 MILES WITHIN 1 WEEK OF EACH OTHER. THE FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED ON 06/14/2019. I REPLACED THE REGULATOR MYSELF ON 06/22/2019, BUT AS I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY I ROLLED UP MY DRIVER SIDE WINDOW AND THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED THERE AS WELL! NEEDLESS TO SAY I WAS ABSOLUTELY SHOCKED. THE FAILURE WAS THE SAME FOR BOTH. WHEN ROLLING UP THE WINDOW WHEN THE WINDOW REACHES THE TOP OF THE TRACK AND STOPS AGAINST THE DOOR FRAME THE REGULATOR MOTOR CONTINUES TO RUN FORCING TOO MUCH TENSION ON THE INTERNAL MECHANISM. IN BOTH INSTANCES THE SAME TYPE OF FAILURE OCCURRED ON MY VEHICLE, THIS EXTRA TENSION CAUSED THE CABLE TO BE PULLED FREE FROM THE TOP PULLEY OF THE REGULATOR. A CRUNCHING/GRINDING NOISE IS HEARD AS THE CABLED IS PULLED THROUGH THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF THE DOOR, FOLLOWED BY THE WEIGHT OF THE WINDOW FORCING THE WINDOW TO DROP FULLY OPEN. THIS COULD BE VERY HAZARDOUS IF IT HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING DURING ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONS AS THE DRIVER HAS NO ABILITY TO RAISE THE WINDOW. BOTH OF THESE INSTANCES OCCURED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING BUT STATIONARY, THE FIRST WHILE I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT ON A CITY STREET, THE SECOND WHILE IN MY DRIVEWAY.