FIAT Complaints

MY CAR STARTED BEING SLOW TO CHANGE GEARS. TODAY, WHILE PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY I WANTED TO RUN AN ERRAND. I STARTED MY CAR BUT COULD NOT MOVE IT. IT IS STUCK IN PARK. I AM UNABLE TO SHIFT TO ANOTHER GEAR. IT IS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I AM DISABLED WITH A MOBILITY IMPAIRMENT, DIABETIC AND UNABLE TO GET TO HELP IF I NEED IT.

THIS CAR HAS BEEN TOWED IN 3 TIMES WITH STATING PROBLEMS, ENGINE LEAKING OIL AND ALL LIGHTS COMING ON DASH. IT HAS BEEN BACK TO DEALER 7 TIMES AND I ONLY HAVE 4700 MILES ON A 1 YEAR OLD CAR. EACH TIME THE CAR WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY

THERMOSTAT, EXCELERATOR PEDAL, REPLACED AND WINDOW WASHER TUBE REINSTALLED AT 2,477 MILES. AT 3,014 MILS CAR WAS TOWED 2 TIMES IN A WEEK FOR CAR NOT STARTING. THE SPARK PLUGS WERE OIL SOAKED AND FOULED OUT. THE MOST RECENT WAS NOW AT 4,681 MILES THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON , CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND VACUUM PUMP GASKET WENT AND WAS LOW IN COOLANT. EACH TIME THE CAR WAS IN FOR 4 DAYS AT A TIME. FCA PAID FOR 3 TOWS. I NOW HAVE A YEAR OLD CAR WITH UNDER 5,000 MILES ON IT. EACH TIME IT WAS TOWED FROM IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE.

THIRD HIGH CENTER BRAKE LIKE WIRES KEEP BREAKING. THEY RUN ALONG ROOF TO TRUNK LID AND THE OPENING OF THE TRUNK LID CAUSES THIS.

SITTING IDLE IN A LINE PUT THE CAR IN PARK WHILE IDLEING. LINE STARTED TO MOVE I TRIED TO SHIFT IT BACK INTO DRIVE AND STEPPED ON PEDAL TO MOVE FORWARD AND IT WOULDNT MOVE. IT WANTED TO BUT COULDNT THEN I SMELLED AND SAW ALITTLE SMOKE THAT SMELLED LIKE BURNING RUBBER. I IMMEDIATLLY LY SHUT THE CAR OFF. IT WAS TOWED AND NOW IS SITTING AT A FIAT DEALER.THREE WEEKS AGO WHILE ACCELERATING ONTO A HIGHWAY THE CAR HESITATED AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN TOOK OFF.

REAR LIFT GATE UNEXPECTEDLY UNLATCHES. THIS HAPPENS WHEN PASSIVE LOCKING AND UNLOCKING IS ACTIVATED. THIS HAPPENS SOMETIMES WHILE THE CAR IS RUNNING AND CAN HAPPEN WHEN VEHICLE IS STATIONARY OR MOVING

I LIVE IN A MAJOR CITY WHERE TRAFFIC IS ALWAYS STOP AND GO. WHEN I AM DRIVING DURING A TIME OF HEAVY STOP AND GO TRAFFIC SMOKE STARTS TO COME OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND SOMETIMES THAT SMOKE COMES FROM TURN LEFT AND THEN TURN RIGHT THE AIR VENTS IN THE CAR AND THERE IS A DISTINCT TOXIC AND PERVASIVE BURNING SMELL BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CAR. THAT SMELL CONTINUES TO LINGER FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME. NO WARNING LIGHTS COME ON AT ALL. SEPARATELY WHEN THERE IS NO TRAFFIC AND I AM DRIVING AT A SET SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY OR A LONG STRETCH OF ROAD MY CAR WILL GO INTO LIMP MODE AND THE SPEED WILL NOT GO PAST 20 OR 30 MILES PER HOUR. THIS ONE'S HAPPENED ON A BRIDGE AND A FEW TIMES ON THE HIGHWAY.

THE WIRE HARNESS FROM THE BODY TO THE HATCHBACK BECOMES CRIMPED AND CAUSES BROKEN WIRES CAUSING THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT, REAR WIPER, LICENSE PLATE LIGHTS, AND REAR DOOR LATCH NOT TO WORK THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH ALL FIAT 500'S AND A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT DOES NOT WORK AS IF A FUSE BLOWS ON THE REGULAR BRAKE LIGHTS THE 3RD LIGHT SHOULD STILL WORK. ALSO ALL STATES REQUIRE LIGHTS ILLUMINATION THE LICENSE PLATE AT NIGHT. ALSO THE REAR WIPER IS ESSENTIAL ON THIS VEHICLE IN A RAIN SITUATION TO SEE BEHIND THE VEHICLE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, AN ABNORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE TURNING IT IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SAFFORD CHRYSLER JEEP DODGE RAM SRT OF FREDERICKSBURG (5202 JEFFERSON DAVIS HWY, FREDERICKSBURG, VA 22408, (540) 898-7200) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,681.

THE CAR IS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD AND NO MORE THAN 5000 MILES. I NOW HAVE A WARNING MESSAGE "SERVICE ENGINE - DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE". NOW REMOTE START WON'T WORK NOR WILL THE TRACTION CONTROL (I.E. THE VARIOUS DRIVE MODES). FIAT DEALERSHIP IS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR FIX THE PROBLEM.