FIAT Complaints

MY 2012 FIAT 500 WITH 36,298 MILES ON OD HAD CLUTCH FAILURE. I RECEIVED S34 RECALL FROM FIAT AND HAD RECALL WORK COMPLETE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE RECALLED PART COULD CAUSE WEAR ON CLUTCH PLATE AND THAT THE RECALL WAS CORRECTING THE ISSUE. THREE WEEKS LATER, I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT AND THE CLUTCH FELT FUNNY AND TRANSMISSION WAS STUCK IN FIRST GEAR. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALER AND DIAGNOSTIC STATES THAT BEARING-CLUTCH RELEASE AND DISC & PRESSURE PLATE NEED REPLACEMENT. I WAS TOLD THAT THE RECALL HAD NO BEARING ON THE CLUTCH FAILURE..."IT'S NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR LIKE BRAKE PADS AND TIRES." I HAVE SPOKEN WITH MY SERVICE REP AND FIAT CUSTOMER SERVICE. I HAVE REPEATEDLY BEEN TOLD THE FAILURE IS A "WEAR AND TEAR ISSUE". I HAVE REPEATEDLY STATED THAT I UNDERSTAND THIS, BUT THE RECALLED PART WAS SAID BY BOTH THE SERVICE PROVIDER AND FIAT, TO CAUSE WEAR ON COMPONENT (WEAR AND TEAR) PARTS OF THE CLUTCH. I MAINTAIN THAT THE FAULTY PART HAS ACCELERATED WEAR AND TEAR ON THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY AND THAT THE REPLACEMENT OF THE CLUTCH SHOULD BE COVERED BY FIAT. FIAT CUSTOMER SERVICE STATES THEY ARE INVESTIGATING MY CLAIM BUT I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM THEM. AT THIS TIME, I AM HAVING TO PAY FOR THE $1200 REPAIR WHICH SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY ACCELERATED WEAR AND TEAR DUE TO A DEFECTIVE, RECALLED PART. PLEASE ADVISE.

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, MY CAR HAS SUDDENLY REVVED UP TO 6000 RPM, START JERKING AND REVVING UP; AND A RANDOM ERROR WILL POP UP ON THE DASH. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, IF YOU LET OFF OF THE BREAK THE CAR WILL AUTOMATICALLY SPEED UP TO 40 MPH WITHOUT PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL DOWN. SOMETIMES IT WILL HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING, AND SOMETIMES IT WILL START AS SOON AS THE CAR IS STARTED. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT KIND OF ROAD THE CAR IS ON. SOMETIMES THE CAR JUST JERKS AND DISPLAYS AN ERROR. THE MOST PREDOMINANT ERROR IS "ESC OFF NO HILL START". SOMETIMES IT SAYS "COOLANT TEMP HIGH". I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES AND EVERY TIME I DO THEY SAY THEY ARE UNABLE TO "RETRIEVE AN ACTIVE CODE OFF OF THE COMPUTER OR DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM." ONE TIME, THEY REPLACED THE COMPUTER IN THE CAR BECAUSE THEY READ HIGH VOLTAGE COMING OFF OF ONE OF THE CIRCUITS, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED AFTER THAT. MY WIFE RECORDED A VIDEO ONCE WHERE IT COUNTED DOWN FROM 3 TO 1 AND THEN SUDDENLY REVVED UP. SHE ALSO SHOWED DIFFERENT VIDEOS THAT SHE HAD MADE OF IT AT DIFFERENT TIMES TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY JUST FLAT OUT SAID THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON.

"MANUAL TRANSAXLE CLUTCH PEDAL" THERE IS AN ONGOING RECALL THAT SINCE MAY 2016 HOWEVER PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE DEALER FINALLY INFORMED US PART WAS AVAILABLE AND SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT FOR 5/9/2017 AT 9AM. CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN TO APPOINTMENT WHEN CLUTCH FAILED TO DISENGAGE RESULTING IN CAR REARENDING CAR INFRONT OF IT AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 50 TO 60 MPH.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE CLUTCH PEDAL FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLUTCH COVER DIAPHRAGM WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER REFUSED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE DUE TO FATIGUE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V302000 (POWER TRAIN). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE AND STATED THAT SHE WOULD BE CONTACTED WHEN THE PART BECAME AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,100.

HAZARDOUS DELAY IN DOWNSHIFTS WHEN AN EXTRA BURST OF SPEED IS NEEDED. THIS HAPPEN OFTEN. DANGEROUS WHEN TRYING TO MERGE.

I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TO A DEALERSHIP BECAUSE THE CLUTCH STOPPED WORKING. MY CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. AFTER MY CAR WAS TAKEN TO A DEALERSHIP, THEY TOLD ME THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON MY CAR INVOLVING CLUTCH AND THAT THEY WILL REPLACED IT. THEY ALSO SAID IT WILL BE COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY. THE NEXT DAY THEY CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THAT THE CAR IS STILL NOT WORKING BECAUSE THE PRESSURE PLATE IS WORN OUT AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. HOWEVER, THEY SAID PRESSURE PLATE IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY AND I WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS PART PLUS LABOR. I ASKED CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE IF IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE PRESSURE PLATE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY THE RECALLED CLUTCH AND HE STATED NO, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE. (I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW CAR 1 YEAR AND 4 MONTH AGO AND ONLY HAS 24,000 MILES). I ASKED FOR A WRITTEN LETTER STATING THAT THE PRESSURE PLATE DAMAGE COULDN'T HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE RECALLED CLUTCH AND THEY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ME WITH ANYTHING IN WRITING. AFTER RESEARCHING ABOUT THE RECALL, IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THE 2 RECALLED PARTS ARE DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO A PRESSURE PLATE AND THEREFORE, COULD AFFECTED PRESSURE PLATE. I AM SEEKING HELP IN MAKING FIAT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE RECALL. I HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL TO GET ANY STRAIGHT ANSWERS FROM THEM. FURTHERMORE, THEY NEVER SENT ME A RECALLED NOTICE AND IF MY CAR HASN'T BROKEN DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD I WOULD NOT HAVE EVEN KNOWN ABOUT THE RECALL. I WILL ATTACH REPAIR INFORMATION. THE CAR BROKE DOWN WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING. HE WAS UNABLE TO PRESS ON THE CLUTCH OR SHIFT GEARS AND HAD TO PHYSICALLY PUSH THE CAR OF THE ROAD.

PLEASE SEE ATTACHED. THIS LETTER WAS SENT TO THE NTSB. THEY SENT US A FOLLOW-UP LETTER STATING THAT THE NHTSA WOULD NEED TO HANDLE THIS. THEY ALSO INDICATED THAT A COPY OF OUR LETTER WAS SENT TO THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARIAT ON 4/27/2017. THANK YOU

THE BUCKLING MECHANISM IS JAMMED ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE CAUSING ME NOT TO BE ABLE TO BUCKLE THE SEAT BELT IN MY CAR. THE CAR "THINKS" THERE IS ALREADY A SEAT BELT BUCKLED. I AM USING THE PASSENGER SIDE BUCKLE FOR THE DRIVER'S BELT AT THIS TIME. IF I HAVE A PASSENGER, BOTH OF US CANNOT BE BUCKLED IN.

WE HAD A SEVERE ACCIDENT ON INTERSTATE 405 WHERE A LARGE SUV HIT US FROM BEHIND AT SPEED AND PUSHED US INTO A STATIONARY TRUCK. BOTH THE REAR AND FRONT OF THE CAR WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED. WE WERE MODERATELY INJURED. WERE GIVEN FIRST AID BY PARAMEDICS AND WE CHOSE NOT TO GO TO EMERGENCY AND GO TO URGENT CARE INSTEAD.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO DOWNSHIFT TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY, BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT ENGAGE IN GEAR. THE VEHICLE LOST ACCELERATION AND WAS RUNNING VERY SLOWLY. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND NOTICED A BURNING ODOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V302000 (POWER TRAIN); HOWEVER, THE CONTACT NEVER RECEIVED ANY COMMUNICATION FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR FIVE WEEKS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,000.