Fiat 500L Complaints

209 consumer complaints on file.

#11518267April 21, 2023
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500L. The contact stated while his wife was accelerating from a standing stop at a traffic signal, the vehicle hesitated and then jerk and lunged forward once the transmission was shifted into drive(D). The contact stated that the check engine warning light and a message "Transmission Fault" warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that his wife stopped the vehicle and had difficulty shifting into park(P). The contact had to turn the vehicle off and on several times for the transmission to function normally. The contact stated that the hesitation and lunging forward nearly caused several crashes. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer where the contact was advised that the check engine warning light was no longer illuminated, and that the vehicle could not be diagnosed if the warning light was not illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was intermittent. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and referred the contact to a dealer because the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V192000 (Power Train). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,672.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11512089March 15, 2023
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
For the past several months my car will simply stop accelerating while I am driving down the road. I can put my foot on the gas, and it will not accelerate. The RPM's and speed go down and I must pull over to the side of the road quickly and turn the engine off, wait 5 minutes or so and try again. Sometimes I must wait longer before it will go back in gear and accelerate. It has been very unsafe when this happens on the interstate putting me, my passengers, and other cars/drivers at risk because it happens with no warning lights and not enough time to get over. This same problem happened before in 2017, and FIAT issued a recall. The dealership stated that recall was fixed and cannot use it for this problem even though it is the EXACT same issue. They state I need a new transmission now costing $9,876.00 repairs/labor for a 2014 FIAT 500L I bought for $13,000..... If this problem was acknowledged before, why isn't FIAT fixing it again?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11510661March 7, 2023
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500L. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V192000 (Power Train) which was associated with the VIN; however, the contact had not yet received notification of the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11503275January 23, 2023
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500L. The contact stated upon shifting into drive(D) or reverse(R), the gear shifter would move to the intended gear; however, the instrument panel would indicate that the vehicle was in neutral(N). There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would jerk and would hesitate to respond while driving from a complete stop. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys where it was diagnosed that the power train had failed. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V103000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. Additionally, the contact became aware that the vehicle had a salvaged title. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,864.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11495867December 3, 2022
STRUCTURE:BODY
The sunroof exploded on his Fiat 500 L while he was driving. It was very early in the day, no other vehicles on the road so no debris hit it. It just exploded out of nowhere. Insurance has been notified to inspect the damage. The sunroof was closed at the time, due to it being 20 degrees. No prior issue with it. This has happened to other drivers with this particular vehicle per online chat rooms.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11489771October 18, 2022
POWER TRAIN
WON'T SHIFT OUT OF PARK OR REVERSE, IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE THAT HASN'T BEEN ADDRESSED. THERE WERE TWO RECALLS, ONE IN 2014 AND ONE IN 2017 - THE TWO OPTIONS WERE TO REPROGRAM OR REPLACE PART. MY CAR APPARENTLY ONLY HAD THE REPROGRAMMING DONE AND STILL EXPERIENCES THE ISSUE BUT THE RECALL IS CONSIDERED CLOSED AT THAT. MANY OTHER DRIVERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11487620October 3, 2022
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500L. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to continue driving. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was making an abnormal clunking sound. The contact smelled a burning odor and saw black smoke inside the vehicle. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that a gear was damaged. The part was replaced; however, while driving at 70 MPH, the transmission warning light illuminated and a message indicating to shift into neutral(N), then drive(D) was displayed. The vehicle started decelerating independently. The contact stated that as she shifted into neutral(N) and then into drive(D), the vehicle responded as needed. However, the failure had been reoccurring while driving and coming to a stop. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys where it was diagnosed that the oil temperature sensors had failed. The vehicle was then taken to the Chrysler dealer who informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure and they could not service the vehicle as they did not have equipment for Fiat vehicles. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11475074July 21, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
License plate lights (2). Burned wires and components.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11466382May 27, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Manual transmission refused to shift while vehicle was moving. Car was stuck in neutral, so I was able to coast to curb. Had it been in gear, it would probably have been stuck in that one gear. Thinking it was just a broken cable, I took it to Telle Tire in Maplewood. They discovered the broken bushing and called a FIAT dealer for a replacement. The dealer informed them that this was a common problem, but that the part was not available separately; we'd have to buy the whole transmission ($6,000!), which they had in stock. Telle was able to locate an aftermarket bushing and I authorized the repair, which will run a little over $600.00. This has not been completed yet. There were no warning signs of the failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11463463May 5, 2022
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
So the dealer fixed the transmission / power train recall in 2020, my car is now doing exactly what the recall states, getting stuck in park, asking me to put engine in neutral and then drive without the car moving, so on and so forth. Fiat, as well as the repair dealer northside imports, is refusing to fix this issue as they state the car is out of warranty, and they feel they fixed the recall. This car only has 73k miles on it. The other issue of complaint is that the wire melted on the blower fan for the ac unit. Smelled burning wires in the car, and both fiat and dealer state that is normal wear and tear. That is not, as it could have caused a fire inside the car, luckily i was able to pull over and put out the smoldering wire. I need this fixed, and fiat is refusing to cover. They stated i need a new power train module and transmission which cost 12k which is 4k higher than the actual value of the car. During this whole time, fiat and the dealership was recommending that i purchase a new car. I want to know how i can get this fixed or the manufacturer to acknowledge they have a safety issue. I also got charged 326 dollars just for them to diagnose the issue. nothing fixed. 326 dollars to plug in a machine for 15 minutes. This is very wrong.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11462728April 29, 2022
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The is a code that states service transmission, software update needed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11460548April 12, 2022
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2014 FIAT 500L. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power but did not stall. The contact stated that after depressing the accelerator pedal the regained motive power. The contact stated that after the vehicle accelerated to 60 MPH the vehicle started to decelerate independently. The contact stated that the service transmission and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the failure was due to a software update that needed to be performed by the dealer. The dealer was contacted and notified of the failure. The contact was informed that there was a software update previously available which had since been closed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was 75,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11456856March 15, 2022
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500L. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the transmission warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle also instructed the driver to put the vehicle in neutral. The contact safely drove the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed a friend's house, then to AAMCO Transmissions & Total Car Care. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure and notified the contact of recalls for similar failures. The manufacturer was notified. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V103000 (Power Train) and 17V192000 (Power Train). The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449900February 2, 2022
POWER TRAIN
Vehicle randomly stuck in park and will not move in reverse or drive, at one point was in drive and moving while saying gear not available. All the complaints of the 2014 models and mine was manufactured in 2014 but labeled a 2015. Fiat is quoting the repair at 3000- to over 10k while second opinion transmission specialist says there is no fix and it's a manufacturer computer defect only temporarily fixed with a new transmission.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11447149January 12, 2022
POWER TRAIN
when i started the vehicle it wouldnt go into reverse or drive. The engine light came on and said check transmission but when i put my car into manual mode it went forward then the engine light went away.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434774September 28, 2021
POWER TRAIN
The Gear Shift Module is failing. It does not change gears from park to reverse or drive saying "gear unavailable". Service engine lite comes on and the red transmission symbol appears. I feel unsafe driving when this happens. I took it to a friend who is a mechanics and his diagnostic tool showed "P1CB1 gear shift activator 1 engage failure". This problem occurs with other customers complaints with this Fiat 500L model. I have to go to dealer and get this problem corrected because it is not safe to drive with the gears shift unresponding. I can image the bill I will be face with after all this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434106September 23, 2021
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500L. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously involved in a recall for the gear shifter module in 2014 that was completed. Since the repair was performed, the contact stated that while parked or are attempting to park the vehicle, the vehicle failed to shift from reverse to drive. A warning light displaying that the gear was unavailable was displayed. The contact stated while attempting to place the vehicle in drive, the vehicle was instead shifted to reverse. The failure occurred randomly and at various speeds. The contact contacted the dealer who stated that they may have an issue with the gear shifter module had yet to set an appointment for official diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434107September 23, 2021
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2014 Fiat 500L. The contact stated that upon depression of the accelerator pedal while at a red light, the vehicle stalled with the check engine and transmission warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that after multiple attempts to restart the vehicle, she was finally able to move the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that prior to owning the vehicle, the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V192000 (Power Train) and 14V103000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 17,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11422545June 28, 2021
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Recalls T19/NHTSA 17V-192 and P06/NHTSA 14V-103 I have taken mt Fiat 500L to Crown Fiat Dublin ohio for the same things that the above recalls show. I have looked on line and it showes that the recalls have been done, but I am still having the same problem with the vehicle. What should I do now if they can not remedy this problem. Any help on this is greatly appreciated.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11422146June 24, 2021
STEERING
FIRST, I HAVE LOVED THIS CAR - EXCEPT: RIGHT NOW I HAVE 22,315 MILES ON MY 2014 FIAT 500L. THERE IS A DEFINITE STEERING PROBLEM THAT IS INTERMITTENT BUT EVERY TIME IT REOCCURS IT'S WORSE. TODAY I HAD DIFFICULTY KEEPING THE CAR IN THE LANE AND WHEN I GOT HOME FELT AS THOUGH I'D BEEN DRIVING A TRUCK! THIS DIDN'T HAPPEN WHEN IT WAS NEW AND I COULD DRIVE FOR 5-6 HOURS ON THE FREEWAY WITH NO ISSUES. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER ONCE AND WAS TOLD THAT'S THE WAY THE CAR IS SUPPOSED TO DRIVE. THAT WAS ON 2/20/18 WITH 10,966 MILES. SPEED DOESN'T SEEM TO MATTER. MY HUSBAND AND I THINK THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED BECAUSE THEY DRIFT OUT OF THEIR LANE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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