2015 Fiat 500E

THE 2013-2017 FIAT 500E CHARGER PORT [THE PART MOUNTED ON THE VEHICLE] IS A WEAK PLASTIC PART THAT BREAKS EASILY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS PARKED & BEING PLUGGED/UNPLUGGED FROM VEHICLE CHARGERS. INDICATIONS ARE THAT MOST BREAK DUE TO THE ACTION OF PLUGGING & UNPLUGGING THE VEHICLE. IT IS ALSO BOLTED TO THE BODY IN A WAY THAT STRESSES THE MATERIAL FURTHER, CAUSING IT TO BREAK EVEN EASIER. IT IS ALSO MOUNTED IN A POORLY CONCEIVED POSITION THAT LEAVES IT SUSCEPTIBLE TO DAMAGE BY OTHER VEHICLES, PASSING PEDESTRIANS & BICYCLISTS, HARD TO PLUG/UNPLUG CHARGE UNITS, & MORE. BROKEN CONNECTORS CAUSE WIRE HARNESS DAMAGE WHICH CAN LEAD TO ELECTRICAL SHORTS, FIRES [INCLUDING BATTERY PACK FIRES], & ELECTROCUTION. WITHOUT EVEN INSPECTING THE INVOLVED VEHICLE CHRYSLER/FIAT REFUSES TO REPAIR THEM UNDER WARRANTY, & INSTEAD DEALERS ARE QUOTING $1800-$4000 [DEPENDING ON LOCATION] TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HARNESS, NOT JUST THE BROKEN CONNECTOR BODY, WHICH AHS LED MANY OWNERS TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM OR TRY 'CREATIVE' WAYS OF GETTING BY, LIKE GLUES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FIAT 500E. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V303000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM). THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A DEALER TO PERFORM THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

VEHICLE WILL NOT START FOLLOWING A EVENING CHARGE. 12 VOLT SYSTEM DRAINS AND CHARGING SYSTEM DOES NOT FUNCTION. FOLLOWING MORNING VEHICLE IS NOT MOVABLE AND KEY WILL NOT BE REMOVABLE. YOU CAN TRY JUMPING THE 12 VOLT SYSTEM, BUT DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK. IF VEHICLE BECOMES FUNCTIONAL YOU WILL GET A HOST OF ERROR MESSAGES INCLUDING PROPULSION SYSTEM ERROR REQUIRING A RETURN TO DEALERSHIP. CHRYSLER/FIAT IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND SUGGEST TO PLUG THE VEHICLE IN AS NORMAL AND ADD A TRICKLE CHARGER UNDER THE HOOD TO THE 12 VOLT SYSTEM!!! THIS PROBLEM OCCURS AT LEAST ONCE/WEEK AND FIAT DOES NOT HAVE A SOLUTION. FILED A COMPLAINT WITH CUSTOMER CARE WHICH AGREED TO DO A SOFTWARE FIX, BUT INSTEAD CLOSED THE ORDER WITHOUT CONTACTING US AND SAID THEY DID NOT HAVE A FIX. VEHICLE IS STATIONARY AT THE TIME OF FAILURE, BUT IF IT DOES RECOVER, ERROR MESSAGES WILL SUGGEST RETURNING THE VEHICLE TO A AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER. WE ARE CONCERNED THAT SOMETHING WILL FAIL DURING MOTION. ATTACHED IS THE LAST SERVICE RECORD INDICATING CHRYSLER/FIAT IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AS WELL AS THE SUGGESTION TO ADD AN ADDITIONAL CHARGER TO MAINTAIN THE 12 VOLT SYSTEM. VEHICLE WAS TOWED AGAIN THIS MORNING DUE TO SAME FAILURE.

RECEIVED A R20 SAFETY RECALL NOTICE FOR MY 2015 FIAT 500E REGARDING A PROBLEM WITH THE EVCU (ELECTIRC VEHICLE CONTROL UNIT) THAT MAY SET A DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE COD (DTC) THAT CAN RESULT IN A SHIFT TO NEUTRAL CONDITION. THIS COULD CAUSE A LOSS OF MOTOR POWER, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. I CALLED PREMIER FIAT OF FREMONT 7 TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF 1-2 MONTHS AND WAS NEVER ABLE TO REACH ANYONE IN THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT. I LEFT A MESSAGE EACH TIME NOTING THE SAFETY RECALL, BUT STILL NO RESPONSE. I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT A GREAT SALES EXPERIENCE WAS FOLLOWED BY A SERIOUSLY UNRELIABLE SERVICE EXPERIENCE. LOOKS LIKE I'LL HAVE TO DRIVE INTO THE DEALERSHIP UNANNOUNCED AT THIS POINT BECAUSE PHONE CALLS TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT APPARENTLY DOESN'T WORK HERE...AND SAFETY IS AT STAKE.

ON FEBRUARY 5, 2015 AT 8:40 A.M. WHILE DRIVING SOUTH IN THE HIGH SPEED LANE AT 55 MPH ON HIGHWAY 101 FROM SAN RAFAEL TO SAN FRANCISCO, THERE WAS A TOTAL AND CATASTROPHIC ELECTRICAL FAILURE AND RESULTING ZERO MOTOR POWER OF MY FIAT 500E. I WAS ABLE TO COAST THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER AREA CROSSING FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC. A FIAT REPAIR TECHNICIAN COINCIDENTALLY APPEARED ON THE SCENE AND OFFERED ASSISTANCE. I INDICATED I WAS UNWILLING TO DRIVE THE CAR ANY FURTHER. HE INSTEAD DROVE THE FIAT 500E AND I DROVE HIS GASOLINE FIAT TO THE DEALER IN SAN FRANCISCO FOR REPAIR. DEALERSHIP INSPECTION AND DIAGNOSIS INDICATED DEFECTIVE EVCU. DEALER REPLACED EVCU. ON MARCH 19, 2015 - EVCU FAILURE AGAIN; UNABLE TO CHANGE GEARS FROM PARK TO DRIVE WITH "NOT READY" AND ALREADY IN DESIRED GEAR MESSAGES. DEALERSHIP DISCOVERED NO FAULT CODE USING SCAN TOOL. ON MAY 26, 2015 SERVICE PROPULSION SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED INDICATING MALFUNCTION WITH PROPULSION SYSTEM. DEALERSHIP INSPECTION REVEALED "CODE INDICATING BATTERY POSITIVE CIRCUIT HIGH RESISTANCE AT B+ TERMINAL AND POSITIVE BATTERY POST AT 0.11 V OK TEST FUSED B+ WITH TEST LIGHT; TEST PIM CASE GROUND HIGH RESISTANCE FROM PIM CASE TO BATTERY GROUND; FAULT OCCURRED ONCE IN SNAPSHOT DATA. PIM SOFTWARE UPDATE AVAILABLE AND SYMPTOM/CONDITION CAN CAUSE PROBLEM; REPROGRAM POWER INVERTER MODULE TO LATEST SOFTWARE." ON JUNE 23, 2015 R20 SAFETY RECALL" AND RED PLUGGED IN INDICATOR ILLUSTRATED MALFUNCTION/INTERRUPTION DURING VEHICLE CHARGING PROCESS VEHICLE UNABLE TO CHARGE TO PRIOR OPTIMUM LEVEL. CAR BROUGHT TO BURLINGAME FIAT DEALERSHIP FOR FLASH EVCU REPROGRAMMING/ UPDATED SOFTWARE. ON JULY 17, 2015 - SERVICE PROPULSION SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT AGAIN APPEARED; UNABLE TO CHANGE GEARS; DISPLAY INDICATED ALREADY IN DESIRED GEAR. ON AUGUST 16, 2015 - ALREADY IN DESIRED GEAR; UNABLE TO CHANGE GEARS

3 DAYS AFTER DRIVING MY NEW FIAT 500E WHICH I AM LEASING , I BEGAN TO NOTICE EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE PHYSICAL SENSATIONS. THE ONLY THING I CAN COMPARE IT TO IS TAKING ON AN OLD CELLPHONE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. IT'S A SIMILAR KIND OF FEELING OF POWER AND RADIATION. I HAVE TAKEN AT LEAST 10 PEOPLE FOR RIDES IN THE CAR. 3 OF THEM REPORT SIMILAR SENSATIONS, WITHOUT BEING PROMPTED IN ANY WAY WHILE SOME ARE NOT AWARE OF THE THE RADIATION. EFFECTS/SYMPTOMS (PARTIAL LIST ) : HEAD ACHE, TINGLING ON FACE AND AROUND EARS ,PRESSURE FEELING IN EARS, PRESSURE FEELING IN CENTER OF CHEST, FOGGY FEELING IN HEAD, WHICH CONTINUES FOR 15 TO 60 MINUTES AFTER DRIVING. NOTES: I HAVE TESTED MYSELF SITTING IN THE CAR WITHOUT IT TURNED ON FOR 30 MINUTES. THERE ARE NO NEGATIVE EFFECTS WHATSOEVER. THE SYMPTOMS ARE WORSE WHEN: 1) THE AIR CONDITIONER IS TURNED ON 2) MORE ACCELERATION IS USED, USING MORE POWER. THESE ARE NOT DUE TO THE FEELING OF THE AIR, OR G FORCE FROM ACCELERATION. I HAVE MADE SURE TO RULE OUT BOTH OF THESE FACTORS. I HAVE STOPPED DRIVING THE CAR BECAUSE IT IS NOT SAFE FOR ME TO DRIVE. IT HAD BEEN TESTED AS "NORMAL" BY FIAT MECHANICS. THERE IS NOTHING AT ALL NORMAL ABOUT THIS AND SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE.

CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER WITHOUT WARNING AND STALLED IN MIDDLE OF ROAD AND HAD TO BE PUSHED TO THE SIDE. CAR WAS ONLY 3 WEEKS OLD. FIAT CHRYSLER HAS KNOWN ABOUT DEFECT FOR YEARS BUT CHOOSE TO HIDE DEFECT INSTEAD OF RECALL/FIXING. THEY DID RECALL ONLY AFTER DUMPING HUNDREDS IN A GROUP LEASE SUSPICIOUSLY DAYS/WEEK JUST BEFORE NOTIFYING NHTSA/DOT OF DEFECT AND PROBLEMS. I'VE HAD THE "FIX" DONE AND IT DIDN'T WORK !