FIAT Complaints

REFUELING IS DIFFICULT, GAS PUMP SHUTS OFF EVERY FEW SECONDS. I'VE TRIED MANY DIFFERENT PUMPS AT MANY DIFFERENT GAS STATIONS. I READ ONLINE THAT FIAT RECOGNIZES A PROBLEM WITH THE FUEL ROLLOVER VALVE, BUT THE ENTIRE GAS TANK MUST BE REPLACED TO REPLACE THE VALVE. THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM THAT CAUSES A SAFETY ISSUE.

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE MY ALARM GOES OFF. HORN BEEPS AND FLASHES FLASH. THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE IT STOP IS TO PULL OVER AND TURN CAR OFF. THIS HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES. THE CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW ON DEC 4, 2017 THE 1ST TIME WAS DEC 5. AND SO ON. THE CAR IS IN THE SHOP NOW.

ABOUT A MONTH AGO, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING TO/FROM WORK AND NOTICED A "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT COME ON. WE IMMEDIATELY SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH OUR LOCAL STUDIO AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR AS NORMAL. AT THIS POINT, NOTHING WAS GOING ON WITH THE CAR, EXCEPT THAT THE LIGHT CAME ON. A DAY OR TWO LATER, THE LIGHT WENT OFF, AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACT NORMAL. WE ENDED UP CANCELING THE APPOINTMENT, GUESSING THAT THERE WAS A GLITCH WITH THE COMPUTER. THE VERY NEXT MORNING, MY WIFE STARTED THE CAR TO FIND THE ENGINE SHAKING AND THE EXHAUST MAKING A STRANGE SOUND, SO SHE SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER, I GOT A CALL FROM THE STUDIO EXPLAINING THAT THE CAR WAS VERY LOW ON OIL AND THAT IT APPEARS THE CAR'S BEEN CONSUMING OIL AT AN ACCELERATED RATE. HE SAID THEY PERFORMED AN OIL CHANGE AND THAT, PER FIAT'S PROTOCOL, THEY'D PERFORM AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST BY LETTING US DRIVE THE CAR FOR 750 MILES AND THEN WE'D HAVE TO BRING THE CAR BACK TO LET THEM CHECK EVERYTHING OUT. I WENT TO PICK UP THE CAR ONLY TO FIND THE SAME ISSUE THAT MY WIFE HAD DESCRIBED (ENGINE SHAKING, EXHAUST MAKING NOISE). IT WAS LATE AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS CLOSED, SO I LEFT THE KEY WITH THE RECEPTIONIST AND EXPLAINED THAT THE CAR WAS IN THE SAME CONDITION AS WHEN WE HAD IT TOWED AND THAT I'D LIKE THEM TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON. A FEW DAYS LATER, THE STUDIO CALLED TO EXPLAIN THAT THE ENGINE'S OIL PRESSURE WAS SHOT AND THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. CYLINDER 3'S OIL VALVE WAS STUCK AND THE CYLINDER WAS MIS-FIRING. THE STUDIO RECOMMENDED REPLACED THE ENGINE AS OPPOSED TO INVESTIGATING WHAT FAILED, SINCE THE INVESTIGATION COULD TAKE HOURS AND COST MORE THAN AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT. THIS IS MY SECOND FIAT; THE FIRST EXPERIENCED THE CLUTCH RECALL THAT I HAD PREVIOUSLY REPORT TO NHTSA AND THANKS TO MINE AND OTHERS REPORTS, A RECALL WAS ISSUED.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, TRANSMISSION LIGHT COME ON INTERMITTENTLY. AMBIENT TEMP SENSOR RECORDS CRAZY TEMPS AS LOW AS NEGATIVE 40 F. PLASTIC CASING AROUND PASSENGER SIDE VIEW MIRROR MELTED WHICH IS WHERE AMBIENT TEMP SENSOR IS LOCATED AND COULD BE FIRE HAZARD. DEALER HAS CHANGED AMBIENT SENSOR BUT WARNINGS AND WILD TEMPS STILL OCCURRING. INCIDENTS OCCUR AS SOON AS CAR IS TURNED ON AND STAY ON FOR VARIOUS AMOUNTS OF TIME

STARTED TO HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING WHEEL STICKING. I NOTICE IT MOST AT HIGHER SPEEDS, 60-70 MPH. IT TAKES A LITTLE MORE PRESSURE THAN NORMAL TO TO MAKE SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS TO THE WHEEL TO KEEP THE CAR GOING STRAIGHT. AFTER I'VE BEEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY FOR A WHILE, IT FEELS LIKE I'M FIGHTING THE WHEEL. STICKING" HAS BECOME A REGULAR PROBLEM AT LOWER SPEEDS IN TOWN AND AT TIMES THE WHEEL ALMOST HAS TO BE FORCED TO KEEP THE CAR IN A LANE, WHICH OFTEN TIMES CAUSES OVER-STEERING AND VEERING INTO ANOTHER LANE. THIS REPRESENTS A SAFETY CONCERN AS YOU DONT HAVE FULL CONTROL OF YOUR CAR.

THIS CAR HAS HAD MAJOR ISSUES AND THE ACCELLERATION PROBLEM HAS NEVER BEEN FIXED. WHEN YPU PULL THE CAR UP BY THE VIN NUMBER IT IS OBVIOUS THIS CAR HAS PROBLES. I BELIEVE CHRYSLER SHOULD BY THIS CAR BACK. I HAVE PAID $20,000.00 ON THIS CAR AND STILL OWE $25,000.00. TELL ME THERE IS NOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT. ALLEN SAMUELS TOLD ME THEY WERE GIVING ME AN EXTRA WARRANTY FREE AND I HAVE A WITNESS. THEN THEY ADDED $2500.00 INTO THE LOAN AMOUNT.

THE 2013-2017 FIAT 500E CHARGER PORT [THE PART MOUNTED ON THE VEHICLE] IS A WEAK PLASTIC PART THAT BREAKS EASILY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS PARKED & BEING PLUGGED/UNPLUGGED FROM VEHICLE CHARGERS. INDICATIONS ARE THAT MOST BREAK DUE TO THE ACTION OF PLUGGING & UNPLUGGING THE VEHICLE. IT IS ALSO BOLTED TO THE BODY IN A WAY THAT STRESSES THE MATERIAL FURTHER, CAUSING IT TO BREAK EVEN EASIER. IT IS ALSO MOUNTED IN A POORLY CONCEIVED POSITION THAT LEAVES IT SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE BY OTHER VEHICLES, PASSING PEDESTRIANS & BICYCLISTS, HARD TO PLUG/UNPLUG CHARGE UNITS, & MORE. BROKEN CONNECTORS CAUSE WIRE HARNESS DAMAGE WHICH CAN LEAD TO ELECTRICAL SHORTS, FIRES [INCLUDING BATTERY PACK FIRES], & ELECTROCUTION. WITHOUT EVEN INSPECTING THE INVOLVED VEHICLE CHRYSLER/FIAT REFUSES TO REPAIR THEM UNDER WARRANTY, & INSTEAD DEALERS ARE QUOTING $1800-$4000 [DEPENDING ON LOCATION] TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HARNESS, NOT JUST THE BROKEN CONNECTOR BODY, WHICH AHS LED MANY OWNERS TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM OR TRY 'CREATIVE' WAYS OF GETTING BY, LIKE GLUES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY PREMATURELY FAILED TWICE AND WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN UNKNOWN DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THIS WAS A NORMAL ROUTINE REPAIR AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO REPLACE THE PART. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

IN THREE OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT DIFFERENT TIMES DURING MILD TRAFFIC, THE CAR STARTS TO SMOKE, A BAD SMELL STARTS ENTERING THE CABIN AND THE CAR AND ENGINE HAVE DIED, I COULD ALSO NOT PUT IT IN REVERSE IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE ONCE. AT ANOTHER INSTANCE WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY THE SAME THING HAPPENED (SMOKE/SHUT OFF) AND I GOT STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE A FAMILY MEMBER HAD TO COME AND GET ME. THE CAR HAS SHUT OFF WITH NO AVAILABILITY TO MOVE FORWARD OR BACKWARD. THE TRANSMISSION EURO CLUTCH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN THE CULPRIT AND THE DEALERSHIP HAS FIXED IT TWICE ALREADY BUT WITH NO LONG TERM SOLUTION. THIS IS EXPECTED TO HAPPEN AGAIN, AND THEY HAVE WARNED ME THAT I SHOULD DRIVE IT LIKE A MANUAL IN MANUAL MODE TO AVOID ANY FUTURE ISSUES, EVEN THOUGH THE CAR IS AN AUTOMATIC. THIS IS A MAJOR FLAW THAT FIAT OVERLOOKED, THEY EVEN CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION THE FOLLOWING YEAR TO A CONVENTIONAL AISIN AUTOMATIC AND GOT RID OF THE EURO CLUTCH AUTOMATIC. SOMETIMES NEEDS TO BE DONE AS I PLANNED ON KEEPING THIS VEHICLE FOR A LONG TIME AND I AM NOW VERY DISSATISFIED WITH MY PURCHASE.

SEVERAL TIMES, THE CAR HAS STALLED FOR UNKNOWN REASONS AND HAS HAD TROUBLE STARTING UP. WHEN I ASKED THE FIAT DEALERS THEY SAY THAT IT IS INTENDED BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER, SEVERAL ONLINE SEARCHES REVEALED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM. FURTHERMORE, FIAT IS DOING A RECALL FOR AN IDENTICALLY DESCRIBED ISSUE FOR "CHRYSLER (FCA US LLC) IS RECALLING CERTAIN 2014 FIAT 500L VEHICLES. THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE (PCM) SOFTWARE CALIBRATION MAYBE INCORRECT, LIMITING THE ENGINE TO IDLE SPEED AND TORQUE EVEN WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS FULLY PRESSED." RECALL NUMBER 17V192000, 14V103000