2012 Fiat 500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE GEAR WAS NOT ABLE TO SHIFT FROM THE FOURTH GEAR. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FINGER PLATE ON THE CLUTCH WAS CRACKED AND THE CLUTCH WOULD NOT DISENGAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE REMEDY FAILED. THE PART FOR THE REPAIR WAS ORDERED BUT IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WAS ALREADY CRACKED BEFORE USE. THE PART WAS REORDERED AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

PULLED UP TO A STOP LIGHT, DEPRESSED CLUTCH AND SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL. WHEN LIGHT TURNED GREEN, I DEPRESSED THE CLUTCH AND IT LOCKED UP AND WOULD NOT ENGAGE ALLOWING ME TO SHIFT INTO A GEAR. MECHANIC SAID ITS A BENT PRESSURE PLATE AND THE ENTIRE CLUTCH ASSY. NEEDS REPLACED FOR ~$2,000. OBVIOUSLY BENDING OF THE PRESSURE PLATE IS NOT "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR" AND ITS ALSO VERY RARE TO HAVE A CLUTCH FAIL SO EARLY (20,000 MILES). UNFORTUNATELY FIAT IS SAYING THIS IS A NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR ISSUE AND IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. READING THE FORUMS, THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANUAL SHIFT FIATS AND IS A TERRIBLE SAFETY HAZARD (THINK IF THE CLUTCH LOCKED UP AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS PREVENTING SOMEONE FROM SHIFTING OUT OF GEAR). THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED AND REPLACED ON ALL MANUAL TRANSMISSION FIATS AND COSTS FULLY COVERED.

THE CAR GOT STUCK WITH MUD UNDER THE CAR. WHEN WE GO IT PULLED OUT AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WOULD HAVE COST US 3000 TO HAVE IT FIXED. THAT WAY TO MUCH AND THEY TOLD THERE WAS PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE NOW. THEY WOULDN'T WORK A DEAL ON IT. WHEN DRIVING HOME WE NOTICED THRY LEFT A PLATE FROM UNDER THE STERLING WILL AND HAD RIP THE BLACK PEACE THAT WRAPES OROUND IT.WE TO IT TO A TRAMISSION PLACE IN TOWN WHERE THEY FIXED THE TRANSMISSIN , THE CAR DRIVE LIKE A MESS I JUST AFRAID TO GO LOMG DISTANCE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED TO SHIFT INTO THIRD GEAR. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT BACK TO THE SECOND GEAR AND THE GEAR SHIFTER FAILED TO SHIFT BUT REMAINED BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THE THIRD GEAR. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE FORWARD. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE CLUTCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 29,623.

WITHIN SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE OF FIAT 500 WE ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM STARTING THE ENGINE. UPON TURNING THE IGNITION KEY THE ENGINE RESPONDED WITH AN ELECTRICAL MOTOR WHINE BUT DID NOT START. AFTER SEVERAL REPEATED ATTEMPTS THE ENGINE WOULD START AND FUNCTION NORMALLY. GAS MILEAGE HAS NEVER BEEN AS HIGH WAS REPRESENTED IN SALES INFORMATION. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN RETURNED TO THE DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES FOR CORRECTION BUT THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. A COMPLAINT HAS BEEN LODGED WITH BOTH THE DEALER AND FIAT USA.

I WAS AT A BUSY INTERSECTION ABOUT TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN WHEN I SUDDENLY WAS UNABLE TO DEPRESS THE CLUTCH COMPLETELY OR SHIFT INTO GEAR. IT TURNED OUT THE CLUTCH HAD COMPLETELY GIVEN OUT WITH NO WARNING - NO SLIPPING, SMELL OF BURNING CLUTCH, NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, NOTHING. I'VE DRIVEN STICK MY WHOLE LIFE AND NEVER RUN THROUGH A CLUTCH IN 28,000 MILES! NOR HAVE I HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF A CLUTCH GOING OUT WITHOUT WARNING - IT HAS ALWAYS STARTED TO SLIP IN ADVANCE OF NEEDING REPLACED. THE POLICE HAD TO STOP TRAFFIC AND PUSH ME TO SAFETY AS THE CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE AT ALL. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE IF THE POLICE HAD NOT COME SO QUICKLY AS I WAS IN AN AREA WITH A LOT OF TRAFFIC AND SEVERAL PEOPLE NEARLY HIT ME IN THE SHORT TIME I WAS WAITING. DUE TO THE OUT OF THE BLUE NATURE OF THIS CLUTCH FAILURE, I THOUGHT IT WAS WORTH REPORTING AS A SAFETY ISSUE. HAD I BEEN ON A FREEWAY, THE SITUATION COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE. *TR

PURCHASED 2012 YEAR FIAT 500C ON 10/31/2011. AS OF MARCH 3, 2014 PUT 22819 MILES ON CAR. THIS IS A 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION MODEL. ON MARCH THIRD THE CLUTCH GAVE OUT. WAS TOLD BY FIAT THIS WASN'T AN WARRANTY ITEM, ALTHOUGH THE WINDOW STICKER SAYS 4 YEAR / 50,000 MILE WARRANTY. THEY ALSO SAY FREE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FOR 4 YEARS / UNLIMITED MILES BUT SINCE I REFUSED TO ALLOW THEM TO TAKE THIS CAR 18 MILES TO A FIAT DEALER AND ONLY 1.4 MILES TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR TOWING. I PAID OUT OF POCKET APROX $2,000 INCLUDING, CAR RENTAL, TOWING AND A $1,772.45 REPAIR BILL. PER THE MECHANIC THE CLUTCH DISC ITSELF WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, BUT THE CLUTCH PRESSURE PLATE WAS AT FAULT. FROM MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF RESTORING A FEW OLD CARS AND MOTORCYCLES OVER THE YEARS, THIS IS PRETTY UNHEARD OF A CLUTCH PRESSURE PLATE FAILING BEFORE THE ACTUAL CLUTCH DISC. MY TAKE THERE IS SOME DEFECT WITH THIS CLUTCH PRESSURE PLATE OR THE OVERALL DESIGN OF THE MANUAL CLUTCH. AS OF THIS DATE, I HAVEN'T NEEDED TO REPLACE THE BRAKE PADS ON THIS CAR SO HOW IN THE WORLD SHOULD IT NEED A NEW CLUTCH? THIS IS CRAZY. *TR

LAST NIGHT, WHILE PULLING ONTO THE HIGHWAY, MY CLUTCH LOCKED UP. MY CLUTCH HAS NEVER SHOWN ANY SIGN OF WEAR/TEAR (NO GRINDING, NO SLIPPING, NO BURNING, ETC.) AND OUT OF NOWHERE, IT CLAMPED SHUT. THANKFULLY, THERE WAS NOT MUCH TRAFFIC AND I PULLED OVER WITHOUT THE HAZARD OF HITTING/BEING HIT BY ANOTHER CAR. I GOT THE CAR TOWED TO FIAT OF ORANGE PARK, AND HAD TO WAIT UNTIL THEY OPENED TODAY TO GET A CALL FROM THEM. I WAS SO CONFUSED BY WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED MY CLUTCH TO DO THAT, LAST NIGHT I SEARCHED ONLINE AND FOUND FIAT-OWNER FORUMS OF OTHER PEOPLE DESCRIBING THE EXACT SAME INCIDENT HAPPENING TO THEM (ONE GUY WAS IN ATLANTA TRAFFIC AND ALMOST CRASHED, ANOTHER GUY WAS IN NYC ABOUT TO CROSS THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE AND ALMOST GOT INTO A WRECK). THEY ALL HAD, LIKE MYSELF, FIAT'S WITH LOW MILEAGE. SOME HAD 22K MILES, SOME 28KMILES, SOME 50K, SOME 60K; HENCE ADDING TO THE BIZARRE NATURE OF THIS INCIDENT. ALL INCIDENTS RESULTED IN BENT PRESSURE PLATES AS WELL AS MISCELLANEOUS DAMAGE TO CLUTCH PARTS. FIAT OF ORANGE PARK CALLED ME TODAY AND TOLD ME THAT THE DAMAGE IS MY FAULT, AS A RESULT OF WEAR/TEAR. DESPITE ME EXPLAINING TO THEM THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE WITH OTHER FIAT-OWNERS, THEY CONTINUED TO SAY THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAMAGE. DESPITE ALL OF THE EVIDENCE POINTING TOWARDS A MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION, THEY SAID I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIRING THE CLUTCH. THIS SEEMS TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT AND I WOULD LIKE TO REPORT THIS IN HOPE THAT THERE MIGHT BE ACTION TAKEN BY YOU, NHTSA, TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF THIS DEFECT FROM 1) POTENTIAL HAZARD AS A RESULT OF FUTURE INCIDENTS 2) PAYING THE LARGE AMOUNT FOR REPAIRING THE DAMAGE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. *TR

DRIVING AT CITY SPEEDS ~20MPH AT ONLY 12K MILES, CLUTCH PEDAL SUDDENLY BECAME STIFF, AND WAS UNABLE TO SHIFT GEARS. HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THE CLUTCH HAD FUSED TO THE FLYWHEEL (I DO NOT TRUST THAT THIS WAS AN ACCURATE, COMPLETE DIAGNOSIS). ABOUT 2 YEARS LATER (END OF 07/2014) AND ONLY AROUND 35K MILES, WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE 2 HOURS AWAY FROM HOME ( AT ~65MPH), AND WHEN I EXITED TO GET GAS, THE PEDAL ONCE MORE BECAME INSTANTLY STIFF OUT OF NOWHERE AND WAS NEARLY UNABLE TO GET THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. HAD TO HAVE THE CAR TOWED FROM DEALER TO DEALER UNTIL IT WAS IN MY HOME CITY. THE DEALER THEN AGAIN TOLD ME THAT THE CLUTCH AND FLYWHEEL HAD GONE OUT. *TR