Problems with 2012 FIAT 500 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

First wipers stopped working consistently then trunk and door locks wouldn't respond to fob and trunk can't be opened.

The wiring harness gets crimped when it goes from the main body of the car into the hatch creating shorts and malfaction of electric components. as, does the rear wiper hose. which leaks and empties into the wiring harness. this happens everywhere, at all times.

Concerns that vehicle s34 recall has never been complete vehicle is now for sale at a car dealership no paper trail on the recall.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. the contact attempted to open the trunk, but it was unable to unlatch automatically. the contact stated that the trunk could be accessed by pulling the back seat down; however, with the back seat lowered, the contact was unable to load or unload a suitcase. the vehicle was taken to fiat of edmond (14113 broadway extension highway, edmond, oklahoma 73013, (405)-696-0631) where it was diagnosed that the wiring harness failed. the dealer stated that the trunk wires could not be replaced individually; therefore, the wiring harness needed to be replaced. the wiring harness was not replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the manufacturer provided the contact with case number: 34994853. the approximate failure mileage was 38,000.

The hatch switch has had to be repaired 3 times. its a design flaw that shorts out the switch. there should be a recall!

The car was driven to shopping center, parked ok but when leaving the vehicle started, then engine cut out. now the vehicle will not start. engine cranks but engine warning lights goes on. towed to jeep/chrysler dealer (don allen in nantucket) and they said it was electrical issue. towed to another repair shop and they said they couldn't fix it (electrical issue). called fiat and they said not their problem. car has 27,000 miles.

Trunk / hatch pinched wire harness causing short. could not open trunk, license plate light would not illuminate. fiat does not make a pig tail replacement, shop had to re-wire trunk cousting 180.00 for new deck handel, and 600.00 for splicing in new harness

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. while attempting to start the vehicle, it failed to start and all the warning indicators illuminated. the contact attempted to restart the vehicle several times, but was unsuccessful. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact called safford alfa romeo of tysons corner (8448 leesburg pike unit a, vienna, va 22182, (571) 565-2500). the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. the failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. while attempting to unlock the trunk, it failed to open. the vehicle was taken to fiat of burlingame (2 california dr, burlingame, ca 94010, (866) 413-7332) to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the trunk wiring harness needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was informed of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 61,927.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start when attempting to drive. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was towed to ron lewis chrysler dodge jeep ram fiat cranberry (21145 us-19, cranberry twp, pa 16066, (724) 452-4040) where it was diagnosed that the starter mounting bolt needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to nhtsa. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

The wire harness from the body to the hatchback becomes crimped and causes broken wires causing the 3rd brake light, rear wiper, license plate lights, and rear door latch not to work this is a known problem with all fiat 500's and a safety issue when the 3rd brake light does not work as if a fuse blows on the regular brake lights the 3rd light should still work. also all states require lights illumination the license plate at night. also the rear wiper is essential on this vehicle in a rain situation to see behind the vehicle

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. the contact stated that the rear hatch and sun roof failed to open. the dealer (harper fiat, 10045 parkside dr, knoxville, tn 37922, (865) 243-3220) stated that they were aware of the failures, but no repairs were completed. the manufacturer stated that they did not handle those types of complaints and suggested the contact call nhtsa. the vehicle was not diagnosed. the failure mileage was 98,000.

Trunk will not open

My gear shifter wire broken to the point it would gets stuck in drive or park or reverse even though i had shifted to a different position. when i would turn off my car even thought i put it in park it still believed that it was in reverse and would roll.

Electrical issues throughout the car causing the trunk to not be able to open. check engine light, they're going to have to change spark plugs and ignition coil. light bulbs in middle console all have to be replaced. engine and air filters

Safety recall is still not complete! clutch safety swicth

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. the contacted stated that the brake lights failed without warning. in addition, the speedometer and odometer lights failed. the vehicle was taken to the local dealer (criswell fiat, 88 bureau dr, gaithersburg, md, 20878), but the cause of the failure could not be diagnosed. the manufacturer was not contacted or made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 69,000.

Tire pressure monitor does not function or reset. the car is not able to measure the tire pressure, it states unavailable. the dealership mechanics said to reset it, but upon driving it would reset.. however, it never did. the dealership said it was not their problem although car was just purchased within 2 weeks to be exact. the monitor does not recognize low or high pressure on tires, and the car is not equipped with an emergency tire. mechanics said it was normal for this year car, and while sitting waiting for another service, several people seem to complain for the same issue. monitor not working, but everyone was offered to be reset for a price, website does not help, mopar will not set it, and the mechanics will charge, but the reset does not work no matter what you do.

I called chrysler phone number 800-992-1997 around 6:30pm-7:00pm on 03/05/2017 to inform them that my 2012 fiat 500 pop 2door hatchback nero black has a problem the reverse has stop working! i was informed that i would need to take the car to ken garff fiat in salt lake city utah! i explained that i would like to take the car to larry h. miller chrysler dodge jeep in sandy utah. i ask chrysler if they would release the parts to fix my reverse to larry h. miller chrysler dodge jeep. i was told i must take the vehicle to ken garff fiat of salt lake city. i then explained refusing to release the parts for my fiat to anyone but ken garff fiat was not legal! the customer service agent reply by saying: "i don't no anything about being legal. ...... my reply was "oh that's for sure!"

On feb 11th 2017 i took my vehicle to a chysler dodge jeep dealer in sandy utah (lhm) i ask them if they could repair my vehicle. they said yes so i authorized larry h miller chysler dodge jeep to work on my vehilce. ken garff fiat refused to give the parts to larry h miller and backed the dealership into a corner making larry h miller take the car to ken garff fiat at 198 e 500 s in salt lake city utah and i know for fact ken garff refused to give larry h. miller the parts for the vehilce because ken garff fiat likes to force everyone to come to their dealership well ken garff had the vehilce towed to them and kept the vehilce from 12noon until 5pm stating they had not started work on the vehilce and they had plans to work on the vehilce over night when the shop was closed i told ken garff they will not be working on my vehilce over night and not to touch my car well now my car is setting on ken garff lot with not one piece of paperwork that says ken garff can touch my vehilce and if they try to lie and say they do then they have forged my signature. i had my plates removed from the car i contacted larry h miller and told them on 02/15/2017 that i would like for them to take the car back to larry h miller. the recall is still not complete and ken garff refuses to give the proper parts so another chysler dealership can work on the vehilce ........... i want to note that larry h miller chysler dodge jeep is wonderful and i am being treated with respect by larry h. miller chrysler doge jeep and their staff....... however the recall work is still incomplete because ken garff fiat 198e 500s of salt lake city utah will not give larry h miller parts.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. the contact stated that the license plate bulb was out and the liftgate did not open manually. the vehicle was taken to flower motor company (2580 n townsend ave, montrose, co 81401, (970) 249-9664) where the contact was informed that the wires were fractured and the liftgate handle was replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed that there were no recalls. no further assistance was offered. the failure mileage was 133,000.

My car [xxx] 2012 fiat 500 pop 2 door hatchback has still not had the safety recall fixed fiat chrysler is in contempt of court because my recall has not been fixed in a timely matter! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Takata recall - chrysler owns fiat and i had a problem with my air bags on a 2012 fiat. i was in a small fender bender. all air bags opened but all the front air bags ruptured. no one else was in the car with me but the sensor in the passenger seat did not kick in. all air bags deployed. i had injuries which were a fractured elbow, dislocated my arm in two places. since then i am having trouble with my shoulder, neck, headaches, and my back. i am going to the doctors and physical therapy. please get back to me as soon as possible as i am going to hire an attorney to see what can be done. my insurance company consider it a total loss. *tr

I bought my car in october of 2016 i paid $10,000 for it it had 56,000 miles on it i bought it because i am handicapped and i need it a small car but also one where i could put a walker or wheelchair in which i cannot because the wires all broke in the hat from a manufacture defect i had i just now was able to get it repaired it cost me $430 and then because of the electrical wires being broke they shorted out a computer so they still don't work i still cannot open my hatch and get into the back of my car to be able to put a walker or wheelchair in and i feel that the manufacturer needs to correct this for me for i'm disabled and i don't have that kind of money i wouldn't have bought the car if i known it had this issue it is not handicap accessible and it also the car could have caught fire it is all i will not pass safety inspection because of this please help

My fiat has less than 36k miles my driver's side door handle has broken off and has been on national back order for over a month. i can not even get it fixed right now. also my starter does not work and i have to pop start the engine at the moment because i can not order the starter to replace it. the car has less than 36k miles

I can not get my headlights to shut off when i contact fiat at 888-242-6342 they tell me that it is some kind of updating software called follow me 30. i know for fact that this vehicle did not have this software available for the 2012 that software was only used on vehicles in 2010 and fiat didn't have 5 dealerships in the entire united states of america if they had one in 2010. the software follow me was only on foreign fiat cars also i keep getting a light saying tire pressure monitoring is unavailable! when i call fiat i get poor customer service i even had a lady call me a criminal for giving my whole vin # she stated she needed to "make sure you didn't just walk by the vehicle and give a vin # that you got from something else." i believe fiat is hacking in to vehicles in an effort to get customers to bring the vehicles to ken graff fiat 198 e 500 south salt lake city utah 84111. i refuse to go back to this car dealership because they seem to be more concerned whith when and where i purchased the car and if i had a car note fiat tried to pretend that they didnt have parts avalible and to get me to drive a loaner car. i own my car! i dont have a car note and it seems to be alot of funny business going on in regards ken graff and chysler fiat aurbun hills refuses to help with the matter also the milegage seems to have slowed down a whole lot for example if i drive 20 miles it will only show 15. i want my car to work not be a danger to my child and myself my car now has 176,000 miles on it!

Stopped at bank to withdraw some cash and the alternator started on fire! had the car towed to mechanic to repair .

Takata recall mechanical defect has been detected. my car was on the highway when suddenly it randomly began stating to "check transmission see handbook." i took it to a fiat dealership in which i immediately advised them of the diagnosis code p0741 had been provided to them at drop off before any work was performed - tony (the service advisor) said that was not helpful could mean anything. (diagnosis means: torque converter clutch circuit performance or stuck off) i was advised numbers lies and was told i needed a new transmission. turns out there is a fault in the wiring of the system and computer which is now causing car to not stay in gear. i want to raise all awareness to this issue. especially since the purchase of this car (only 58k in mileage) i have had to personally replace the following: number of radiator repairs: 2 sunroof: 1 transmission: faulty mechanical error total tune ups: 2 brake installments: 3 i was not made aware of any prior issues before purchase all issues have occurred due to manufacture negligence! no accidents have occurred. please assist me in any way possible.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. while driving at a low speed, the instrument cluster, including the lights, gauges, and meters, failed to function. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 25,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the power steering module failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure occurred on multiple occasions. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 70,000.

Was driving on the freeway and the car lost power. all lights on indicator dash went off. no steering ability and little/no control of vehicle. failure resulted in a crash. no airbags deployed even though there was side impact to both sides and front end impact. the car was totaled.

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph, a burning odor was present inside the vehicle and all the warning lights flickered. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that the alternator needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 50,000. updated 3/13/15*cn the consumer stated in 2013 the battery was replaced under warranty. updated 10/8/2015*js

Pulling away from a stop light under light acceleration, multiple warning lights came on including "esc disabled" and multiple light warnings for the gearbox, the steering, electronic throttle control, general malfunction light, esc off light, and esc malfunction light, and lost power steering, almost causing an accident while trying to get the car off the road. the car was shut off and restarted immediately with no change. after letting the car sit for a half-hour, the car was restarted and steering was restored and no warning light were on. the vehicle was driven home and parked until it was towed to the dealership. they drove the car over 50 miles and were unable to repeat the incident or identify the problem so they released the unrepaired vehicle to the owner. *tr

Reported electrical burning smell thru ventilation system. dealership denied electrical burning but found gas puncture in plastic gas tank, says smell is from burning gas. (owner disagrees) however with no other suspension or body damage found except the gas tank puncture there is great concern that this is a serious dangerous design flaw. that the tank can be punctured so easily without the knowledge of driver of any event. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. the contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle stalled and the key become stuck in the ignition. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 39,000.

Air bag lights are not showing on the instrument cluster the airbags are not working! *tr

I own a 2012 fiat pop that i purchased new about a year ago. one thing that did not go away and was ever present at any time was the limp mode for the engine over the last few days. recycling did not work to correct problem and gauges were out. the indicator light on panel showed in limp mode when it worked. gauges kept going on and off sometimes for short periods and other times for longer periods. on 6/10/13 my vehicle caught fire in the dashboard. i was traveling back from the store in limp mode hoping it would go out but never did.i parked the car in front of my development pool and went to visit my employee there. within about 5 minutes or so she said that my lights were flashing. i checked and went to the vehicle. it was engulfed with smoke and a nasty electrical smell. fire department came. i was told that i had to wait for the fire inspector to come and examine my vehicle. he came. began tearing my dashboard apart to find the cause or source of the fire. it was determined by his knowledge and experience that the body control unit had failed and caused the fire. vehicle is totaled. the vehicle has only about 4000 miles on it. earlier that day before the incident i had called the local fiat dealer. explained the problem of the gauges not working, and limp mode, i asked if it was safe to drive and he said yes. at this point i made an appointment to have the vehicle looked at hopefully that day. only opening was next day at 2pm. i have filed an insurance claim and the vehicle has been towed away. *tr

Since i purchased my 2012 fiat 500 sport in september of 2012 i have had this issue. occasionally (about 4 times a week), the car fails to start. when turning the key in the ignition, the car makes a noise as if it is going to start but winds down and loses power. i turn the key back, wait about 5 seconds and the car will normally start. this happens all year around. i contacted the holt fiat of fort worth where the car was purchased and took it in to be looked at. they could not replicate the issue. it is very random but happens very often. *tr

Periodically the starter will not engage. it does a whine as though the starter on the vehicle is a starter that is going out. i took it back to butler fiat in indianapolis, in on april 1st , as the problem became worse and worse. they replaced the starter under warranty but it started doing the same thing less than two weeks after replacement. something was mentioned at the time about faulty bolt or a part in the starter causing a malfunction. if anyone has ever had a starter go out in a car it is the same sound when the rotary does not engage and you have to make a second attempt to start the car. my vehicle still has less than 13,000 miles on it and i need the problem fixed. *tr

After a week of driving the car, i noticed the time on the clock was 10 minutes fast. i reset the clock and three days later, it was 2 minutes fast again. i repeatedly adjusted the clock every week for about 18 months. after 8 months, i decided to let it continue to run fast to see if it would continue. about a month ago, it got to the point that i had to go ahead and reset it because i never really knew what time t was without checking my phone. at that point, the clock had not been reset for 6 months and was 50 minutes fast. very inconvenient for the driver and causes a distraction just to check my phone to make sure i'm not late to work or an appointment. *tr

Dash displays two mph - one gauge and one digital. when driving at 50mph, both display 50mph. when driving any slower or faster, they do not match. when driving through a school zone, the gauge shows 20mph while the digital shows 23mph. when driving on the highway, digital will show 65mph and gauge shows 68-70. the only time the two match is when i drive a steady 50mph. gauge shows slower when driving below 50mph and shows faster when driving about 50mph. *tr

The key fob button is not recessed. this means the ignition key often opens into my pocket just from normal body movement. it stabs my thigh. this is a vehicle safety problem because it happens when i am driving my other vehicle and can be extremely distracting. *tr

This occurred about 6 times already. when making a left or right turn the vehicle shuts off and coasts until you stop to shut it off and turn back on. the battery and oil pressure lights come on during the coasting. came very close to being hit twice due to this problem, but the dealer say they haven't heard anything like this before. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. when the ignition was turned to the on position, half of the instrument panel failed to illuminate. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the instrument panel was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. when the ignition was turned to the on position, the engine revved but the vehicle failed to start. the ignition had to be turned to the off position and back on in order for the vehicle to start. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the started idle gear failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the contact also stated that the fuel gauge failed to register the fuel range. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel gauge failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 15. ....updated 08/29/16 *bf

I was driving on the highway when the vehicle shut off and dropped speed quickly, was advised by the dealer that it was an electrical shortage to the battery as the car was brand new. took the vehicle back in for repair, and it has happened three more times since that over the past two years. two of those times were also on the highway. the most recent was last month (september 13, 2014) while making a u-turn at a light in front of moving traffic the car completely shut off right after my turn. luckily, i was able to coast to the side and the car behind me saw me in time to stop. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. while driving at various speeds, several unknown warning lights illuminated before the vehicle stalled. the contact stated that with multiple attempts, the vehicle was able to restart. the failure recurred intermittently. in addition, when parked, the vehicle was not able to start and the key could not be removed from the ignition switch. the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle's system had to be reprogrammed. the vehicle was serviced, but the remedy failed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 38,400.

Within several weeks after purchase of fiat 500 we encountered a problem starting the engine. upon turning the ignition key the engine responded with an electrical motor whine but did not start. after several repeated attempts the engine would start and function normally. gas mileage has never been as high was represented in sales information. the vehicle has been returned to the dealer multiple times for correction but the dealer has been unable to diagnose the problem. a complaint has been lodged with both the dealer and fiat usa.

Really cold morning, upon starting, the tpms reported the left front tire low on pressure. and tire light stayed on. i had all 4 tires checked and filled to specs, continental tires, but the tire light stayed on for the next day and a half, wherein i drove about 65 miles, and turned the car on/off numerous times. (at work, store, overnight, etc.) the tire place that i took the car too to have the air checked, was unable to determine how to reset the tpms. there was nothing out about this car yet. (fyi, you can use a chrysler reset unit) the tire light finally went out the next day on it's own on the way home from work. went to the fiat dealership a few days later to find out how to reset the tpms if/when it happens again. the service manager checked it out. let air out until the light came on, then filled it to the correct pressure, then drove it about 50 feet, and the tpms light reset itself. so, the system appears to operating properly now after what i had observed. will watch to see if it becomes a problem. *tr

I'd pulled over in a parking lot to take a phone call (bluetooth reception was static-y), and was sitting with my foot resting on the brake pedal. i felt a kick under my foot, turned the engine off and removed my foot from the brake as i completed the call. when i started the car and pulled to the edge of the lot's exit, i of course stepped on the brake to stop and check for traffic, but the brake pedal was stuck and i rolled into the street. i hope i used the handbrake to stop the car, although i really don't remember. i did reverse back into the parking lot, using the slight slope of the driveway to ensure i could stop once out of the street. the car was towed to the dealer. it's probably unrelated, but the voice recognition system was working sporadically that same morning. *kb

Body seams left open/unwelded during manufacturing causing water leaks and electrical problems affecting brakes, lighting, restraint systems, power door locks, windows, mirrors, abs, esp, hill start assist, etc. open/unwelded areas also weren't painted during manufacturing. improper repairs performed. "sealant" applied to close seams that should have been welded. purchased 12/22/2011. found interior wet on 12/25/2011. returned to dealer on 01/02/2012. spent 21 days in the shop. problem was found to be, "numerous open body seams measuring over 10 inches long that were left open and unwelded and unpainted during manufacturing." car was returned to me "repaired" on 1/23/2012. i immediately began experiencing numerous electrical problems. then, noticed that the car was leaking, again, and even worse, on 1/30/2012. car was never repaired/improperly repaired. interior very wet. electrical problems getting worse. problems with brakes and 'hill start assist'. fiat will not return my calls. i've sent letters asking that the car be replaced. the car is unsafe to drive. *kb