WHILE SITTING IN A DRIVE THRU THE COOLING FAN WENT OUT AND WAS REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $400. JUST A FEW MONTHS LATER, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. *TR
2016 Fiat 500X
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 500X years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
101 reports with mileage · 53 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 52 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 50 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 48 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Engine complaints
52 reportsI WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY CAR SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, THE SHIFTER LOCKED, THE BRAKE LOCKED. THERE WAS NO SAFE WAY TO BRING THE VEHICLE OFF THE HIGHWAY. I COASTED OFF THE HIGHWAY INTO THE GRASS. THERE WAS A SIERRA 1500 THAT WAS BEHIND ME THAT WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO AVOID HITTING ME. THE …
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I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY CAR SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP, THE SHIFTER LOCKED, THE BRAKE LOCKED. THERE WAS NO SAFE WAY TO BRING THE VEHICLE OFF THE HIGHWAY. I COASTED OFF THE HIGHWAY INTO THE GRASS. THERE WAS A SIERRA 1500 THAT WAS BEHIND ME THAT WAS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO AVOID HITTING ME. THE FIAT DASHBOARD HAD NO WARNING LIGHTS ON, SUCH AS CHECK ENGINE, OIL LOW, OR ANY OTHER INDICATION THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. THE DEALERSHIP'S RESPONSE WAS IT NEEDED AN OIL CHANGE. THERE WAS NO ADDRESSING THE FACT THAT MY CAR WAS BURNING THROUGH OIL AT AN ACCELERATED RATE AND THAT THE CAR ITSELF TURNING OFF AND LOCKING UP WHILE IN OPERATION IS "NOT A DEFECT" OR "A SAFETY HAZARD". I SPOKE WITH THE FIAT DEALERSHIP THAT I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO AS THE FACTORY WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. THE FACTORY WARRANTY EXPIRED 1/1/2020. 127 DAYS LATER, MY CAR HAS THIS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS DEFECT. FCA CLAIMS THAT NO BUY BACK OPTION AVAILABLE DUE TO THE WARRANTY EXPIRATION. THEY OFFER TO HAVE SERVICE ATTEMPT TO FIX THE CAR BUT THE ISSUE IS WITH THE ENGINE, NOT JUST CHANGING THE OIL. THERE IS NO OTHER ENGINE THAT CAN BE PLACED IN THIS CAR TO COMPLETELY FIX MY VEHICLE. IF ANOTHER TIGERSHARK ENGINE IS PLACED IN MY CAR, THERE IS NO WAY TO DETERMINE IF IT IS DEFECTIVE UNTIL THE CAR SHUTS OFF AGAIN UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING WHICH CAN RESULT IN A FATAL ACCIDENT OR INJURY. FCA'S RESOLUTION IS TO CONTINUOUSLY BANDAID THE SITUATION. THEY ARE NOT OFFERING TO BUY BACK THE VEHICLE DUE TO THE MANUFACTURER DEFECT. I ALSO HAVE AN EFG WARRANTY THOUGH THE DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM THAT IS USELESS IN REMEDYING THIS SITUATION ALSO. THE DEALERSHIP POINTS THE FINGER AT FCA TO FIX THIS WHILE FCA POINTS THE FINGER AT THE DEALERSHIP TO REMEDY THIS SITUATION. MY CAR WITH THE TIGER SHARK ENGINE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. *TR
MY CAR WAS STATIONARY. SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY AND I WAS CLEANING THE INTERIOR OUT. LISTENING TO MY RADIO. THEN ALL THE SUDDEN A BUNCH OF WARNING LIGHTS START GOING OFF. PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THEM. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST DYING SO I TRIED TO START IT. THE ALARM STARTS BLARING. EVENTUALLY THE CAR SHUT IT SELF OFF. AND NOW IT WILL NOT T…
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MY CAR WAS STATIONARY. SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY AND I WAS CLEANING THE INTERIOR OUT. LISTENING TO MY RADIO. THEN ALL THE SUDDEN A BUNCH OF WARNING LIGHTS START GOING OFF. PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THEM. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST DYING SO I TRIED TO START IT. THE ALARM STARTS BLARING. EVENTUALLY THE CAR SHUT IT SELF OFF. AND NOW IT WILL NOT TURN BACK ON. IT'S JUST EXTREMELY SCARY THINKING I COULD OF BEEN DRIVING WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD BETWEEN ONE AND TWO. AND OCCASIONALLY THE RADIO TURNS IT'S SELF ON AND OFF. I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR USED WITH 43,000 MILES. IT'S INSANE AND INCREDIBLY UNSAFE WITH THESE ISSUES. AND NOW IT'S DEAD IN MY DRIVEWAY. I GET PARKING LIGHTS OUT AND DAYTIME DRIVING LIGHT OUT INDICATOR. ROUGH IDLE ON COLD STARTS SOMETIMES. *TR
VEHICLE HAS DIFFICULTY SHIFTING IN LOWER GEARS. WHEN THE VEHICLE SHIFTS, THE CAR JERKS YOU FORWARD. THIS HAS HAPPENED INCREASINGLY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT HAS BEEN PRESENT SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FEB '19. VEHICLE ALSO TENDS TO SHAKE WHEN IN IDLE AT RED LIGHTS, SHAKING STOPS AFTER PUTTING THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL.
MY FIAT KEEPS GIVING TRANSMISSION ERRORS. I TOOK THE CAR TO CONCORD, CA FIAT FOR DIAGNOSTICS 10/2019 AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPORT AN ISSUE. THEY 'RESET THE COMPUTER' AND SENT US OFF. NOW IN 02/2020 I'M STILL GETTING ERROR MESSAGES AND THE CAR LOCKED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD REFUSING TO TURN OFF, SHIFT GEARS, OR MOVE AT ALL…
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MY FIAT KEEPS GIVING TRANSMISSION ERRORS. I TOOK THE CAR TO CONCORD, CA FIAT FOR DIAGNOSTICS 10/2019 AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO REPORT AN ISSUE. THEY 'RESET THE COMPUTER' AND SENT US OFF. NOW IN 02/2020 I'M STILL GETTING ERROR MESSAGES AND THE CAR LOCKED UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD REFUSING TO TURN OFF, SHIFT GEARS, OR MOVE AT ALL. FOR 15 MINUTES.
DURING A NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, MY FIAT 500X'S ENGINE TURNED OFF / STALLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I WAS IN THE CITY AND GETTING READY TO TURN, SO I WAS AT A SLOW SPEED - AROUND 8 MPH. I HAD TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND ON AGAIN AND IT SEEMED TO BE FINE AFTER THAT. BUT THIS WAS VERY ALARMING AND IF I HAD BEEN GOIN…
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DURING A NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, MY FIAT 500X'S ENGINE TURNED OFF / STALLED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I WAS IN THE CITY AND GETTING READY TO TURN, SO I WAS AT A SLOW SPEED - AROUND 8 MPH. I HAD TO TURN THE CAR OFF AND ON AGAIN AND IT SEEMED TO BE FINE AFTER THAT. BUT THIS WAS VERY ALARMING AND IF I HAD BEEN GOING A HIGHER SPEED, IT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS.
ASIDE FROM THE NUMEROUS PROBLEMS THIS CAR HAS HAS (WHICH IT HAS HAD MANY) THE MOST RECENT ISSUE WAS THAT THE 'SERVICE ENGINE' AND THE 'DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE' LIGHTS CAME ON. I'M TOLD IT COULD BE A THERMOSTAT ISSUE. THIS ALERT HAPPENED WHEN I STARTED MY CAR AND HAD CONTINUED SINCE DRIVING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. I HAVE GOOGLED THE…
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ASIDE FROM THE NUMEROUS PROBLEMS THIS CAR HAS HAS (WHICH IT HAS HAD MANY) THE MOST RECENT ISSUE WAS THAT THE 'SERVICE ENGINE' AND THE 'DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE' LIGHTS CAME ON. I'M TOLD IT COULD BE A THERMOSTAT ISSUE. THIS ALERT HAPPENED WHEN I STARTED MY CAR AND HAD CONTINUED SINCE DRIVING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. I HAVE GOOGLED THE ISSUE AND IT SEEMS MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR ISSUES. THE CAR SEEMS TOO NEW AND CURRENT TO BE HAVING THESE KINDS OF ISSUES, SUCH AS POSSIBLY THE THERMOSTAT. I WANTED TO REPORT THIS TO YOU DUE TO FINDING NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVING THIS ISSUE. ALSO I HAVE ALSO HAD THIS CAR STOP ACCELERATING AND I HAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN A NEUTRAL SETTING. THIS SCARED ME TO DEATH AS IF I WERE TO BE ON THE FREEWAY, THE CONSEQUENCES OF THIS COULD HAVE BEEN DIRE. THEY RESET THE COMPUTER FOR THAT ISSUE, IT HAS NOT RECURRED BUT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND MY FEAR WHEN THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, I'M WORRIED SOMETHING SIMILAR COULD HAPPEN. I HONESTLY WISH THIS CAR WAS IN WARRANTY SO I COULD LEMON LAW IT, BECAUSE IT'S A TOTAL LEMON OTHERWISE.
THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO JERK OR SHAKE WHEN IT SHIFTS SOMETIMES, LIKE THE CAR IS GOING TO STALL OR LURCH FORWARD. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT HAVE GOTTEN NO WHERE WITH THEM. SOMETIMES WHEN IM DRIVING IN THE HIGHWAY IF I STEP ON THE GAS THE CAR JERKS BACK BEFORE GOING FOWARD. ITS EXTREMELY SCARY AS IF SOMEONE IS HI…
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THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO JERK OR SHAKE WHEN IT SHIFTS SOMETIMES, LIKE THE CAR IS GOING TO STALL OR LURCH FORWARD. I HAVE TAKEN IT IN TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT HAVE GOTTEN NO WHERE WITH THEM. SOMETIMES WHEN IM DRIVING IN THE HIGHWAY IF I STEP ON THE GAS THE CAR JERKS BACK BEFORE GOING FOWARD. ITS EXTREMELY SCARY AS IF SOMEONE IS HITTING YOU FOM BEHIND.
TRANSMISSION KICKS FROM FIRST TO SECOND AT TAKE OFF AFTER STOPS. USUALLY TRAFFIC LIGHTS. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE TWICE, THE KICK DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME ANYMORE, BUT IT STILL HAPPENS. IT'S A CONCERN SINCE I'VE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED TWICE.
I HAVE REPORTED MY ISSUES OF MY CAR COMPLETELY SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET WEATHER IT BE 25MPH OR ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70MPH. I HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE LOOKED AT BY DEALERSHIPS AND IT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. MY LAST INCIDENT LMAO THIS CAUSED ME TO FLIP MY CAN AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH. MY CAR TUR…
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I HAVE REPORTED MY ISSUES OF MY CAR COMPLETELY SHUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET WEATHER IT BE 25MPH OR ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70MPH. I HAVE HAD THIS ISSUE LOOKED AT BY DEALERSHIPS AND IT CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. MY LAST INCIDENT LMAO THIS CAUSED ME TO FLIP MY CAN AND HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELING 65 MPH. MY CAR TURNS OFF COMPLETELY, SO THEN I HAVE TO PUT IT IN PARK ONE I'M ABLE TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP AND RESTART. SOMETIMES THIS CAUSE ALL MY LIGHT TO FLICKER ON AND OFF. MY ENGINE FEELS LIKE IT'S GOING TO VIBRATE OUT OF THE FRONT OF MY CAR. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE I'VE BEEN REPORTING TO MY DEALER AND THE MECHANICS FOR ALMOST 2YRS NOW. I HAVE CONTACTED CHRYSLER ( FIAT SERVICE ) TO GET HELP TO FIGURE THIS ISSUE OUT PROPERLY. I WAS TOLD I MAY HAVE TO BE IN A WRECK FOR ANYTHING TO BE DONE. REALLY, SAD A TECH WOULD SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT. MY FIRST TIME MY CAR STALLED I WAS AT A 4 WAY TURNING TO GO HOME. THIS HAPPENS LITERALLY EVERY MONTH. I HAVE CHILDREN I HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND WITH MY CAR STALLING ON MY AND COMPLETELY LOOSING POWER TO EVERYTHING.
Official recalls
116V529000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission
Jul 12, 2016
Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Jeep Cherokee and 2015 Chrysler 200, Jeep Renegade, RAM ProMaster, and 2016 Fiat 500X vehicles equipped with 9-speed automatic transmissions. The transmission sensor clusters may have insufficient crimps in the transmission wire harness, and as a result, the transmission may unexpectedly shift to neutral. On August 29, 2016 Chrysler added the 2016 Fiat 500X vehicles to this recall.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the vehicle unexpectedly shifts to neutral, there is an increased risk of a crash.
Remedy: Chrysler will notify owners, dealers will reprogram the Powertrain Control Module and the Transmission Control Module and if necessary replace the transaxle range sensor wire harness, free of charge. The recall began on November 7, 2016. Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is S55.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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