2013 Fiat 500

Systemic Hydraulic Defect & Safety Recall Circumvention I am reporting a critical safety defect in the clutch hydraulic system of my 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth, which directly mirrors the failures described in NHTSA Recalls 16V-302 and 20V-124. Diagnostic measurements confirm a 1.23mm hydraulic over-travel in the clutch release bearing/slave cylinder assembly. This over-travel causes the diaphragm spring to be over-extended, leading to the catastrophic failure of the pressure plate and subsequent inability to disengage the clutch. This poses an immediate safety risk of vehicle surge or inability to shift gears while in motion. Despite this objective engineering data, Stellantis (FCA US, LLC) Executive offices (specifically Mike Macdonald) have formally refused to perform the safety recall repair, citing my status as the "5th owner" as a justification for exclusion. This represents a willful circumvention of a federal safety recall, as the hydraulic over-travel is a latent design defect present since manufacture and is entirely unrelated to ownership history or vehicle maintenance. The vehicle is currently available for inspection to verify these measurements.

2013 FIAT 500 - Manual Transmission. The clutch cover diaphragm spring on the vehicle has fatigue and/or fracture. A failed clutch cover diaphragm spring has resulted in the inability to disengage the clutch, or shift gears. There is an inability to disengage the clutch, shift gears. It is potentially available for inspection if needed. This occurred while driving at low speed (thank goodness). The car became stuck in place when the failure occurred (obviously a safety concern). The issue has been confirmed by a professional. The component has been inspected by service technician. There were no warnings (lamps, messages, etc.). I believe this failure is described in Recall S34 (NHTSA), and this vehicle should be included in that recall. FIAT disagrees and has denied responsibility. Can you help?

The contact owns a 2013 Fiat 500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V302000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the clutch pedal was depressed; however, the pedal was sticking and failed to respond as designed. The contact was almost involved in a crash due to the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle then started operating as needed after the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 195,000. VIN tool showed no open recall.

The contact owns a 2013 Fiat 500. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the clutch was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact stated that there was a jingling sound coming from the engine compartment. In addition, the contact stated that while the clutch was depressed, the vehicle jerked and then rolled forward. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the hard braking warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that parts were not available to repair the vehicle. The contact was fearful of driving the vehicle due to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V302000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 90,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2013 Fiat 500. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle failed to shift into park after stopping. While shifting into gear, the vehicle failed to move after the gear selector was placed in the desired gear. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V817000 (Power Train). The contact called a towing company. The tow truck driver was able to re-attach the gear shifter cable, but the failure recurred. While reversing slowly to parallel park, the gear shifter cable detached again. The contact reattached the shifter cable. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 128,300.

The contact owns a 2013 Fiat 500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V302000(Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced the failure causing the clutch to fail. The failure mileage was 103,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2013 Fiat 500. The contact stated that upon shifting the vehicle into drive, the RPMs increased, but the vehicle failed to move, and had lost motive power. The contact shifted the vehicle to manual mode, and manually shifted the transmission into first gear and drove the vehicle. However, the vehicle would not shift into higher than third gear while in manual mode. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V817000 (Power Train) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 72,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Fiat 500. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V302000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the RPM failed to exceed 2,500 RPM. The contact stated that upon applying added pressure to the accelerator pedal, the RPMs increased, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact who is an independent mechanic, determined that the failure was related to the recall. The contact stated that he stopped driving the vehicle due to safety issues. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the part was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact only one part per week was being shipped to dealers. The failure mileage was approximately 3,800. Parts distribution disconnect.