fiat 500 2014 Complaints

ENGINE

today is the 30th day of the purchase of my car and haven't make a payment yet. while driving in the normal morning commute traffic at 5 to 10 miles per hour and making frequent stops due to the traffic jam, smoke began to come out of the air vent. initially i thought that the vent was open to the outside and the smell belonged to a trailer next to me; but no... the air was circulating from within the vehicle. when i opened the door heavy smoke was coming from under the car and it seems like the car was going to set on fire, i was trapped between two lanes and i panicked because if an explosion would have occurred too many cars were close to me due to the heavy traffic. panel did not light up with any indications of "check engine" or "temperature" rising. temperature was normal according to the thermostat. i pulled up to the shoulder and got off the car and opened the hood and it was full of smoke. at the beginning car engine did not run but later the tow truck was able to drive the car over the platform. car was left at the dealership for further evaluation since it is a brand new model that just came to the usa. unknown defect at this time.

Reported in: MEBANE NC || Crash: N || VIN #: ZFBCFABH8EZ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

after a week, car mil started to blink , but manual mentions it can be drive and computer may reset itself, but then malfunction lamp was on all time , and then car started to stall , to stop completely . started car just to park it, then white smoke came from exhaust when reversing . immediately towed car to repair shop, it took 3 weeks for repair as parts are not easy available. parts affected are: multi air actuator , gasket no, gasket cy , and wiring en.

Reported in: SAN FRANCISCO CA || Crash: N || VIN #: ZFBCFABH9EZ

ENGINE

after a week, car mil started to blink , but manual mentions it can be drive and computer may reset itself, but then malfunction lamp was on all time , and then car started to stall , to stop completely . started car just to park it, then white smoke came from exhaust when reversing . immediately towed car to repair shop, it took 3 weeks for repair as parts are not easy available. parts affected are: multi air actuator , gasket no, gasket cy , and wiring en.

Reported in: SAN FRANCISCO CA || Crash: N || VIN #: ZFBCFABH9EZ

ENGINE

car does not shift from park to drive. instrument panel relays many warnings (gear not available, transmission warning, seek service) and check engine light comes on. this is occurring daily now and fiat does not have a fix. codes can be cleared by the dealership and the transmission module is where the warnings are stored. i have been told it is safe to drive. i have been told to let the car warm up for 2 minutes before putting it into drive.

Reported in: NEW BALTIMORE MI || Crash: N || VIN #: ZFBCFADH1EZ

POWER TRAIN

car does not shift from park to drive. instrument panel relays many warnings (gear not available, transmission warning, seek service) and check engine light comes on. this is occurring daily now and fiat does not have a fix. codes can be cleared by the dealership and the transmission module is where the warnings are stored. i have been told it is safe to drive. i have been told to let the car warm up for 2 minutes before putting it into drive.

Reported in: NEW BALTIMORE MI || Crash: N || VIN #: ZFBCFADH1EZ

POWER TRAIN

we've been dealing with this issue since before christmas with our new fiat 500. i was able to drive it for a couple of weeks with the check engine light staying on, and once in a while the shifter panel lights flashing for about 30 seconds before i was able to drive it while we waited for parts. it took two weeks for the dealership to get a new control module in, first they got a module that didn't work, then they got one that did work and we thought it was fixed. last night my wife is driving home from work on the expressway and suddenly the "no gear found" error pops up on the the dashboard display, the transmission disengaged into neutral. no acceleration whatsoever. the engine is still running, the brakes work, the lights are on, but no gears. she was able to coast to the shoulder, called a tow truck and got it back to the dealership. we are waiting on parts again.

Reported in: MADISON WI || Crash: N || VIN #: ZFBCFABH8EZ

POWER TRAIN

while in motion, vehicle would not shift out of 2nd gear -- up or down. i also tried shifting manually without success. i stopped vehicle on side of road. when i attempted to restart vehicle, it would not start -- no engine cranking. after 10 minutes, something was felt disengaging and vehicle started and was driven without incident to dealership for repair. another 500l loaner car was provided and the next day, the exact same thing happened to it. it would not shift out of 2nd gear. car and driver also released their review in february with similar issues and many others have reported the problem online. the manufacturer has stated that it is a known software issue that cannot be released without epa approval. this vehicle is not only unreliable, but unsafe.

Reported in: SPOTSYLVANIA VA || Crash: N || VIN #: ZFBCFADH0EZ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

on december 26th my key was no longer recognized by the fiat ignition system. i called home, had a spare delivered, and the spare started the car up. called the dealership and two weeks later the key was replaced. on february 14th i once again had the same issue where the ignition system would not detect the key. once again i had the new spare delivered and the car started right up. i am currently in the process of getting the bad key replaced by the dealership. both times the bad keys would give the indication of a car with a padlock over it. the owners manual indicates that this means the key in the ignition is not recognized by the system.

Reported in: CHEYENNE WY || Crash: N || VIN #: ZFBCFADH1EZ

POWER TRAIN

engine light came on, engine idling rough ,transmission shifter light blinking, trnasmission gear lags on shift.

Reported in: FRESH MEADOWS NY || Crash: N || VIN #: ZFBCFADH5EZ

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

engine light came on, engine idling rough ,transmission shifter light blinking, trnasmission gear lags on shift.

Reported in: FRESH MEADOWS NY || Crash: N || VIN #: ZFBCFADH5EZ

POWER TRAIN

does not shift into gear. vehicle came to a complete stop while driving, very dangerous being on the expressway with family. after several attempts vehicle began to shift again. repeated problems occur sporadic throughout the week.

Reported in: DONNA TX || Crash: N || VIN #:

ENGINE

does not shift into gear. vehicle came to a complete stop while driving, very dangerous being on the expressway with family. after several attempts vehicle began to shift again. repeated problems occur sporadic throughout the week.

Reported in: DONNA TX || Crash: N || VIN #:

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

had car for about 6 months and after coming home from vacation, 1 week, battery totally dead. after aaa attempted to charge battery 3 times it finally charged up but was told to drive directly to dealership. i got about 3 miles from home when car again died in middle of road but was able to steer to the side before steering locked. after car was towed to dealership i was told they never really saw this before, a totally dead battery that would not charge up. no explanation, accused me of possibly leaving lights on which was not the case. they said if i was going to leave the car sitting for even a few days i should have someone start car to keep battery charged. funny but my daughter's 2010 ford focus sat for the same week without being started and when i started it that car had no problem.

Reported in: TARPON SPRINGS FL || Crash: N || VIN #: ZFBCFABH4EZ

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL

i purchased the brand new vehicle june 8, 2014 with 98 miles on it from premiere fiat of fremont. after only owning the car for 4 days, the check engine light came on june 12, 2014. it was towed to the neillo fiat studio in sacramento where they first determined a broken relay to be the cause of the light. after test driving the car, the light still came on. then they decided the problem was a broken o2 sensor. they ordered the part, and replaced it. the light still came on during a test drive. at this point, they now have had the car for over a week with litter idea of what is wrong with it. the last update i received was that they were waiting for a part to come in so they could test the power control module. there is no eta for this. i have been in contact with chrysler in order to try to see what my options are, as this car now seems like a lemon and unsafe to drive. they are providing little assistance other than contacting the studio for updates and trying to deter me from asking for a trade. there does seem to be something very wrong with this brand new vehicle, which was purchased in good faith and only driven for 4 days.

Reported in: DUBLIN CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 3C3CFFARXET

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

i purchased the brand new vehicle june 8, 2014 with 98 miles on it from premiere fiat of fremont. after only owning the car for 4 days, the check engine light came on june 12, 2014. it was towed to the neillo fiat studio in sacramento where they first determined a broken relay to be the cause of the light. after test driving the car, the light still came on. then they decided the problem was a broken o2 sensor. they ordered the part, and replaced it. the light still came on during a test drive. at this point, they now have had the car for over a week with litter idea of what is wrong with it. the last update i received was that they were waiting for a part to come in so they could test the power control module. there is no eta for this. i have been in contact with chrysler in order to try to see what my options are, as this car now seems like a lemon and unsafe to drive. they are providing little assistance other than contacting the studio for updates and trying to deter me from asking for a trade. there does seem to be something very wrong with this brand new vehicle, which was purchased in good faith and only driven for 4 days.

Reported in: DUBLIN CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 3C3CFFARXET

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

i purchased the brand new vehicle june 8, 2014 with 98 miles on it from premiere fiat of fremont. after only owning the car for 4 days, the check engine light came on june 12, 2014. it was towed to the neillo fiat studio in sacramento where they first determined a broken relay to be the cause of the light. after test driving the car, the light still came on. then they decided the problem was a broken o2 sensor. they ordered the part, and replaced it. the light still came on during a test drive. at this point, they now have had the car for over a week with litter idea of what is wrong with it. the last update i received was that they were waiting for a part to come in so they could test the power control module. there is no eta for this. i have been in contact with chrysler in order to try to see what my options are, as this car now seems like a lemon and unsafe to drive. they are providing little assistance other than contacting the studio for updates and trying to deter me from asking for a trade. there does seem to be something very wrong with this brand new vehicle, which was purchased in good faith and only driven for 4 days.

Reported in: DUBLIN CA || Crash: N || VIN #: 3C3CFFARXET

ENGINE

intermittent no crank no start, when turning the key ti to start the car the engine does not engage on the first try. you can hear the clicking of the starter and all electronics power up but engine does not engage and start, similar to not having enough compression in the engine. as time passes the more frequent the issue becomes. 5/23/14 1st visit to service department, updated powertrain module. returned car to service department on 5/29/14 for same no start issue, software update and reprogrammed instrument cluster module software. 6/9/14 car did not stat, return to service department 6/13/14, internal circuit/software failure replaced and programmed new powertrain control module. 7/3/14 went to pick up car from service department and car did not start. back in shop and was told needed an update that has not been released to pick up car and deal with no starting issues until update is ready. left the car at dealership saying not acceptable to pick up if not fixed. still working on trying to get it fixed.

Reported in: PHOENIX AZ || Crash: N || VIN #: 3C3CFFBR7CT

POWER TRAIN

intermittent no crank no start, when turning the key ti to start the car the engine does not engage on the first try. you can hear the clicking of the starter and all electronics power up but engine does not engage and start, similar to not having enough compression in the engine. as time passes the more frequent the issue becomes. 5/23/14 1st visit to service department, updated powertrain module. returned car to service department on 5/29/14 for same no start issue, software update and reprogrammed instrument cluster module software. 6/9/14 car did not stat, return to service department 6/13/14, internal circuit/software failure replaced and programmed new powertrain control module. 7/3/14 went to pick up car from service department and car did not start. back in shop and was told needed an update that has not been released to pick up car and deal with no starting issues until update is ready. left the car at dealership saying not acceptable to pick up if not fixed. still working on trying to get it fixed.

Reported in: PHOENIX AZ || Crash: N || VIN #: 3C3CFFBR7CT

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

intermittent no crank no start, when turning the key ti to start the car the engine does not engage on the first try. you can hear the clicking of the starter and all electronics power up but engine does not engage and start, similar to not having enough compression in the engine. as time passes the more frequent the issue becomes. 5/23/14 1st visit to service department, updated powertrain module. returned car to service department on 5/29/14 for same no start issue, software update and reprogrammed instrument cluster module software. 6/9/14 car did not stat, return to service department 6/13/14, internal circuit/software failure replaced and programmed new powertrain control module. 7/3/14 went to pick up car from service department and car did not start. back in shop and was told needed an update that has not been released to pick up car and deal with no starting issues until update is ready. left the car at dealership saying not acceptable to pick up if not fixed. still working on trying to get it fixed.

Reported in: PHOENIX AZ || Crash: N || VIN #: 3C3CFFBR7CT

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

air conditioner does not stay cold no matter what speed, stopped, facing or not facing the sun, rush hour traffic or not rush hour, on freeway or surface streets. air is cold and after a couple minutes becomes humid and cool, not cold. it displays similar symptoms as is if the condenser is icing over. went into shop on 5/23 internal circuit failure and replaced the a/c clutch relay. returned to shop for exact same issues on 5/29/14 for failure in new relay and was replaced with new a/c clutch relay. returned to shop on 6/13 for same issue of not stating cold. was told new powertain computer module would fix the issue. when i went to pickup car on 7/3/14, car did not start so unable to verify if a/c was fixed. since no work was completed on a/c unit figure tghat since the module did not fix the starting issue the a/c would more then likely still fail.

Reported in: PHOENIX AZ || Crash: N || VIN #: 3C3CFFBR7CT

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

at a stop to shop, everything locked up. could not turn car key on or off or remove key. could not open doors or windows. after about 10 minutes it was ok. i am elderly and quite nervous about such things. next day took it to dealer and they still are waiting for replacement parts and telling me a bunch of nonsense that this can happen if steering wheel and front wheels are not aligned properly.

Reported in: SEFFNER FL || Crash: N || VIN #: 3C3CFFAR7ET