2016 Fiat 500X

IN DECEMBER 2018, THE VEHICLE'S CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND A "DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN. THE LOCAL FIAT DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THAT THE COOLING FAN NEEDED REPLACING BECAUSE IT HAD BLOWN A FUSE. IN JANUARY 2018, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WITH OUR CHILD IN THE BACK SEAT, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND SUDDENLY TURNED OFF. WE TRIED TURNING THE VEHICLE ON SEVERAL TIMES BUT IT WOULD NOT COME ON. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, THE VEHICLE FINALLY TURNED ON BUT NO WARNING MESSAGES WERE DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. THIS VEHICLE IS DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY AND MANY TIMES WITH OUR CHILDREN AND WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE THAT THE CAR STALLED ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET AND NOT WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. WE IMMEDIATELY REPORTED THIS INCIDENT TO FIAT (CASE # 57913062) AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A FIAT DEALERSHIP. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS HAVING A LOW LEVEL OF ENGINE OIL EVEN THOUGH IT HAD BEEN THERE A FEW WEEKS BEFORE AND WENT THROUGH THEIR "MULTI-POINT" INSPECTION. THEY RECOMMENDED AN OIL CHANGE WITH AN ADDITIVE AND A FUEL INJECTION CLEANING WHICH COST US $600. TWO WEEKS LATER, WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR STARTED TO SHAKE AS IF IT WAS ABOUT TO STALL, WOULD NOT SPEED PAST 60MPH, AND SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE HOOD. THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND A "DRIVE MODE UNAVAILABLE" MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED ON THE SCREEN. WE TOOK THE FIRST HIGHWAY EXIT AVAILABLE AND PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND CALLED FOR TOWING. WE REPORTED THIS INCIDENT TO FIAT ONCE AGAIN (CASE # 58008152) AND REQUESTED FOR IT TO BE ESCALATED DUE THE FREQUENT INCIDENTS AND OUR CONCERN FOR SAFETY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO SAME FIAT DEALERSHIP AS BEFORE WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS BEING A BAD IGNITION COIL THAT CAUSED A MISFIRE. WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE FROM FIAT.

WHEN DRIVING ON ANY KIND OF TRAIN, STRAIGHT GROUND OR HILLS, ESPECIALLY WHEN ACCELERATING, THE ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION SLIPS INTO NEUTRAL MODE AND SUDDENLY KICKS BACK INTO DRIVE MODE. THE CAR LUNGES FORWARD AND IT FEELS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING. THIS STARTED ABOUT TWO TO THREE MONTHS AGO (NOVEMBER 2018) BUT HAS BECOME SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS. THE CAR HAS 35K MILES, AUTOMATIC 9 SPEED TRANSMISSION. I BOUGHT IT NEW IN JUNE OF 2015. I NOTICED THAT THE IS A RECALL FOR SIMILAR PROBLEMS ON SIMILAR FIATS SINCE NOVEMBER OF 2016, BUT I NEVER RECEIVED ANY KIND OF NOTICE FROM FCA ABOUT THIS.

MY TIE ROD HAS BENT 2 TIMES NOW. I HAVE DONE NOTHING TO IT. THE FIRST TIME IS THAT MY WHOLE TIRE FELL OFF WHEN I WAS DRIVING. THE NEXT IT JUST BARELY NOT EVEN A YEAR AFTER MY TIRE FELL OFF I WAS DRIVING IN THE SNOW AND MY DRIVE MODE STOP WORKING. ONCE I PARKED I LOOK AT MY TIRE AND SAW IT WAS COCKEYED. I DID NOT HIT ANYTHING. I WAS ONLY GOING MAX 5 MILES AN HOUR. IT HAS BEEN A YEAR FROM HELL WITH MY CAR.

VEHICLE FOG LIGHTS HAVE AN ISSUE WHERE ONE LIGHT GETS TOO MUCH VOLTAGE, CAUSING IT TO BURN OUT THE BULB AND THE HOLDING UNIT. SOMETIMES THE BULBS WILL RANDOMLY SWITCH (FOR EXAMPLE ONE DAY THE DRIVER'S SIDE WILL BE OUT, THEN THE NEXT DAY THE PASSENGER SIDE). I HAVE TAKEN IT TO GET REPAIRED: THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE BULB AND THE HOLDING UNIT AND ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN A FEW MONTHS LATER. I THEN TOOK IT BACK, THE MECHANIC CHECKED MY ALTERNATOR WHICH WAS FINE AND PUTTING OUT CORRECT AC AND DC VOLTAGE. HE TOLD ME HE CALLED FIAT AND THEY WERE AWARE OF THIS BEING AN ISSUE BUT DON'T KNOW WHY. THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN ON BACK ROADS (SO GOING UNDER AND UP TO 45MPH) THE VERY FIRST TIME THE LIGHT WENT OUT. AFTER THE FIRST TIME, I WOULD TURN THE CAR ON AND IT WOULD BE OUT, OTHER DAYS IT WOULD BE ON AND WOULDN'T GO OUT AT ALL, OR IT WOULD GO OUT LATER WHEN I WAS DRIVING. THERE WAS REALLY NO CONSISTENCY TO THE ISSUE.

AROUND OCTOBER 9, I TRIED TO TURN ON THE IGNITION AS USUAL WITH THE KEY FOB. THE ENGINE WOULD'T TURN, SO I RECHARGED THE BATTERY. AFTER 10 MINUTES, IT FINALLY CRANKED. THE BATTERY IS GOOD, HOWEVER, SO I REPLACED THE BATTERY IN THE FOB. ON OCTOBER 19, I USED THE KEY FOB AND ALL KINDS OF INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON. WHEN I PLACED THE CAR IN REVERSE, SEVERAL LIGHT INDICATORS (SERVICE ENGINE, CHECK TRANSMISSION, ETC.) AND IT WAS LIKE SOMETHING INSIDE THE ENGINE DROPPED AS IF THE CAR SHIFTED INTO ANOTHER GEAR. THE 'R' AND THE 'D' BLINKED STEADILY. I CALLED AND ALERTED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT BREWBAKER DEALERSHIP, BUT THE ONLY AVAILABILITY WAS THE FOLLOWING MONDAY. BY FATE, THE CAR BEGAN TO OPERATE BETTER. FOR NEARLY A WEEK, THE IGNITION STARTED TO IMPROVE ALTHOUGH IT WOULD TAKE TWO TRIES. ON THE MORNING OF OCTOBER 29, THE SAME PROBLEMS REOCCURED FROM OCTOBER 19. INSTEAD OF GOING TO WORK, I DROVE THE CAR STRAIGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY KEPT IT OVERNIGHT FOR SERVICE PERSONNEL TO ANALYZE THE PROBLEM. IN RESEARCH OF RECALLS, I NOTICED THAT MY CAR IS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST ALTHOUGH THE DESCRIPTIONS OF DEFECTS FIT WHAT MY CAR IS EXPERIENCING.