2014 Fiat 500

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500. WHILE AT A STOP, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE TIRES. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO START. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION BALL BEARINGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,000.

ON THE DAY OF FEB. 24 2015 ME AND MY WIFE WERE IN THE DRIVE-THRU AT STAR-BUCK. WHILE WE WERE IN LINE TO GET COFFEE WE SMELL THIS BAD BURNING SMELL. I THOUGHT IT WAS FROM SOME WHERE IN THE AREA, I EVEN ASK THE STAR-BUCK CLERK WHATS THAT SMELL, HIS REPLY WAS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME SMELLING IT. AS WE PULLED OFF FROM STAR-BUCKS I NOTICED WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND MAKING ITS WAY INTO THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE. CALLED THE FIAT DEALERSHIP AS IT WAS HAPPENING, THEY SUGGEST ME TO BRING FIAT IN, SO I DID. FIAT VERIFIED THE PROBLEM AND STATED THIS.( VERIFIED CLUTCH BURNING TYPE SMELL UNDER HOOD. INSPECT AND FOUND NO LEAK AND NO CODES IN PCM OR TCM. DROVE AND FOUND ENGAGEMENT FROM STOP VERY SLIGHTLY DELAYED COMPARED TO NEWER VEHICLE. RELEARNED CLUTCH CONTACT POINTS. DROVE AGAIN AND FEELS BETTER. OK AT THIS TIME.) THEN ON MAY 6 2015 14005 MILES,MY FIAT 500L DID IT AGAIN. WE WERE AT POPEYES DRIVE-THRU WAITING IN LINE TO BUY CHICKEN AND IT HAPPEN AGAIN WITH THE BURNING SMELL AND WHITE SMOKE,BUT THIS TIME MY FIAT WOULDN'T MOVE WHILE WE WERE IN DRIVE. SO I SHIFTED OUT OF DRIVE TO REVERSE FROM REVERSE TO NEUTRAL AND CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. THEN I PUT IT IN PARK AND KILL THE CAR, REATRTED CAR AND IT DECIDED TO MOVE THEN. SO IT SCARED ME AGAIN WITH THE BREATHING OF THE BURNING SMELL, IN WHICH HURTS YOUR LUNGS AND BURNS YOUR EYES. SO I BROUGHT THE FIAT TO A DIFFERENT FIAT DEALERSHIP, WITH MY CONCERN. THEY KEPT THE CAR FOR 1 DAY AND SAID. (TEST DRIVE VEHICLE AND IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. SHIFTS THROUGH GEARS PRO PERTLY, UP SHIFTS AND DOWN SHIFTS. UNABLE TO DUPLICATE CONCERN AT THIS TIME. CHECKED OVER VEHICLE ANS IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 42 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AND THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE REAR DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE REAR WINDOW. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500. THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE EMITTING FROM THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE ADJUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,200.

QUESTION: DO YOU THINK THIS VERY TINY SMALL CAR THAT BOTH THE NYPD AND LAPD HAS IS UNSAFE FOR SOME POLICE BUSINESS THAT THEY HAVE? YES, ON LINE THE LAPD HAS A PHOTO OF THEIR VERY TINY SMALL CAR THAT THEY USE AND TODAY I SEE THAT THE NYPD NOW IN FAR ROCKAWAY, NY HAS A VERY TINY SMALL CAR THAT THEY USE FOR PATROLS. WOW, YOU MAY KNOW THAT POLICE WORK MAY REQUIRE HIGH SPEED CHASES AND LIKE DIFFERENT WORK WHICH REQUIRES A BIG CAR. THIS NYPD SMALL TINY CAR THAT THEY HAVE THAT IS THE SAME AS THE LAPD SMALL TINY CAR EVEN HAD SIRENS ON TOP OF IT. YES, WOW, DID YOU HEAR OR HAVE ANYBODY COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS SMALL LAPD AND NYPD CAR THAT THEY HAVE. YOU CAN VIEW THEM ON LINE WITH THE LAPD AND THE SAME TINY SMALL NYPD CAR WITH LIGHTS ON TOP I SAW IN FAR ROCKAWAY, NY TODAY. IS THAT TINY SMALL CAR GOOD FOR PATROLS? *TR

WAS DRIVING THE CAR IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC IN DETROIT. CAR BEGAN TO SMOKE HEAVILY AS IF ON FIRE, AND ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND STALLED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DO IMMEDIATE DIAGNOSIS OF CAR. CAR HAS LESS THAN 5000 MILES ON IT AND WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW IN OCTOBER 2014. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FIAT 500L (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REVERSE, THE SENSOR ON THE REARVIEW CAMERA FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE SENSOR FOR THE REARVIEW CAMERA NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000.

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT NORMAL SPEED OF TRAFFIC AND THE CAR LOOSES ACCELERATION. THE CAR GOES FROM 55 MPH DOWN TO 0 AND I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND STOP THE CAR AND THEN START AGAIN. THE GAS PEDAL IS DEAD IS HOW IT IS DESCRIBED BY THE TECH NO RESPONSE TO ME PUSHING IT DOWN. THIS IS A DANGER BECAUSE IT HAPPENS AT RANDOM AND IN THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE THE TRAFFIC DOES NOT STOP GOING AT NORMAL SPEED AND THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL CLOSE CALLS WHERE I FELT IN DANGER OF BEING REAR ENDED ... THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES RANDOMLY... THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING AND NOT OFFERING ANY INSIGHT INTO HOW TO FIX IT AT ALL. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR, WOULD EXPERIENCE JERKY MOVEMENTS WHILE THE CAR SHIFTED IN 1ST, 2ND AND 3RD GEARS, BOTH ACCELERATING AND DECELERATING. HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION LOCKING WHILE THE CAR IS IN PARK, NEEDING TO LET THE CAR SIT AND THEN RESTARTING IT. HAVE ALSO HAD ISSUES WITH SLUGGISH 1ST GEAR THAT SUDDENLY LURCHES FORWARD WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS REALLY PUSHED DOWN. BRAKING IS ALSO TOUCHY. MULTIPLE TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO HAVE THIS FIXED, OPENED A CASE WITH THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING THE FIXES. MANUFACTURER SUPPLIED A NEW TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY THAT WAS REPLACED, SEEMINGLY FIXED THE JERKY MOVEMENT BUT RESULTED IN THE SLUGGISH 1ST GEAR. MANUFACTURER CLOSED CASE WHEN LEMON LAW WAS MENTIONED. *TR

WE PURCHASED THE 500L FIAT IN DECEMBER OF 2014. ON FEBRUARY 14, 2015 WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN BECAUSE ON A RETURN TRIP FROM TIJUANA MEXICO WHILE IN BORDER TRAFFIC THE ENGINE STARTED SMOKING. THE CAR LOOKED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO CATCH ON FIRE, IT SMELLED OF BURNT RUBBER. WE BROUGHT THE CAR IN AND THEY EXPLAINED THAT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING A LOT AND THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE BUT IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. WE CONTACTED CHRYSLER USA AND OPENED A CASE, HOWEVER DURING THE CASE REVIEW THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AND WE RETURNED THE CAR TO THE SERVICE SHOP ON MARCH 10TH...WHICH AGAIN THEY SAID IT IS OUR FAULT THE CAR IS DOING THIS DUE TO DRIVER ERROR. I SHOULD EXPLAIN THAT WHAT THEY ARE CALLING DRIVER ERROR, IT IS AN AUTOMATIC VEHICLE AND CHRYSLER USA IS SAYING THAT FOR THIS VEHICLE (MIND YOU IT IS AN AUTOMATIC) IF YOU ARE IN TRAFFIC FOR A PERIOD OF 5 MINUTES OR LONGER YOU MUST SHIFT THE CAR ON EVERY OCCASION INTO NEUTRAL OR ELSE IT COULD BURN OUT THE TRANSMISSION. THEY GO ON TO SAY THAT IF THE CAR DOES SMOKE JUST PULL OVER AND AFTER THE TRANSMISSION COOLS DOWN IT IS SAFE TO DRIVE AGAIN. I ASKED CHRYSLER USA TO SHOW ME ON EXACTLY WHAT PAGE DOES IT SAY THAT IN THEIR MANUAL, FURTHERMORE THAT WHEN PURCHASING THIS CAR THE DEALER DID NOT DISCLOSE SPECIAL DRIVING INSTRUCTION FOR THEIR AUTOMATIC VEHICLE. IF THE DEALER DID DISCLOSE THAT INFORMATION BEFORE THE SALE WE WOULD HAVE NOT BOUGHT A CAR THAT COULD LEAVE US STRANDED IN MEXICO OR OTHER AREAS. AT THIS POINT AFTER CHRYSLER USA, HAS REFUSED TO SHOW US WHERE IT STATES THAT IN THE MANUAL IF IN TRAFFIC MORE THAN FIVE MINUTES THE CAR MUST BE SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL TO AVOID BURNING OUT THE TRANSMISSION, AND THEY ARE NOT INTENDING ON DOING ANYTHING BESIDES TELL US THAT "SORRY THE CAR IS PERFORMING AS DESIGNED". WE ARE TAKING EVERY MEANS NECESSARY TO GET A BUYBACK ON THIS VEHICLE. *TR