Problems with 2012 FIAT 500 POWER TRAIN

I was driving home on a road flat/straight road with a 50 mph speed limit. i was shifting my gears (manual) as i noticed that the light ahead was turning from red to green. i could not get the gear to grasp 3rd. moreover, the when i tried pressing the brake, it did not feel like it normally does. it was much more difficult to push the brake. i was really scared and almost had an accident. i was somehow able to coax my car to the side of the road. i turned the car off, and turned it back on. i fully pushed the clutch in with my left foot, but was unable to moved the gear shift from neutral into any of the gears (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or reverse). i turned the car off again, at this point i took my foot off the clutch and was able to freely more the gear shift into any of the gears. something is tremendously wrong with this car. if this had happened to me on the highway i could have been seriously injured. the dealer has said that the clutch, bearings, and pressure plate needs to be replaced. my concern is that this may happen again to me if the dealer replaces the bad parts with new ('potentially defective') parts. a recall needs to be issued. i do not want this to happen to again to me or someone else. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v302000 (power train); however, the part to do the repair was not available. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. vin tool confirms parts not available.

2012 fiat 500 clutch went out as we were nearing railroad tracks. we could not get auto into any gear and had to coast over the tracks and into our neighborhood. we had it towed to the dealer for service. they stated it was a worn clutch even though we had less than 30,000 miles. we asked them to investigate if it were faulty parts. they stated ours was the only known case. we found many other cases on the internet. we could have hurt or killed, especially if it had happened while we were in the freeway fast lane. fiat paid for our parts, and we paid for the labor. they eventually agreed to reimburse us for the labor "as a gesture of goodwill". we are waiting for the check. we are still concerned about the safety of these parts in other cars, and about the safety of our replaced parts. *tr

2012 fiat 500. consumer requests reimbursement for clutch failure recall repairs. recall # 16v302000. *smd the consumer is seeking reimbursement, for two clutch repairs. the advisor acknowledged the problem had nothing to do with her operation of the vehicle. chrysler/fiat agreed to a good will repair with a $250 deductible. when the clutch failed, it left the consumer unable to shift the vehicle in the middle of a five lane road. the vehicle had to be towed. the second time, the consumer was stranded in the middle of the street, unable to shift. once again, the vehicle had to be towed. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500 sport. the contact stated while driving 40 mph, the vehicle failed to shift gears. the vehicle was driven onto the emergency lane and the generic warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 25,114.

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.

The vehicle "pops" out of 5th gear at highway speeds of 60mph or higher. the tachometer goes into the red and the car slows down in traffic or on a hill until placed into gear again. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 fiat 500. while driving various speeds with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate without warning. the contact also stated that a burning plastic odor emitted from the vehicle. in addition, the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to start. the contact mentioned that the failures recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the clutch pedal needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the contact later received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v302000 (power train); however, 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 manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 38,000. vin tool confirms parts not available.

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

Anytime sport mode is engaged, car does not decrease in speed properly. even with brake applied, the car lunges forward as i'm trying to slow down. when driving using sport mode, i have to stay very far away from other vehicles in case of sudden braking because the vehicle will not slow down properly. my husband drove my car in sport mode not knowing that it lunged forward when braking and wound up an inch away from someone's bumper after attempting to slow down from a speed of about 20mph. this is extremely unsafe for the driver and other's around. *tr

Shortly after purchasing my vehicle i began to have issues with a soft clutch or a stuck clutch. usually while driving at freeway speeds and attempting to downshift or come to a stop the clutch pedal will lose all pressure and either become stuck to the floor or not operate normally. upon stopping and pumping the clutch some pressure will return and the clutch will operate abnormally for a shot time before returning to normal feel. usually the clutch will get stuck to the floor and i will be unable to pull the car out of gear while driving 50+ mph. the fluid level in the master cylinder has never fallen below normal and 2 separate dealerships have checked it multiple times and said there was no fault to be found but i experience this problem on either a monthly, weekly or even daily basis during the worst episodes. the car is currently at about 25,000 miles now and the problem remains a constant annoyance that leaves me feeling unsafe in operating the vehicle at times because i do not know when or how bad the problem will be. *tr

Driving at city speeds ~20mph at only 12k miles, clutch pedal suddenly became stiff, and was unable to shift gears. had to have car towed to dealership where i was informed by the dealership that the clutch had fused to the flywheel (i do not trust that this was an accurate, complete diagnosis). about 2 years later (end of 07/2014) and only around 35k miles, was driving on the interstate 2 hours away from home ( at ~65mph), and when i exited to get gas, the pedal once more became instantly stiff out of nowhere and was nearly unable to get the car off the road. had to have the car towed from dealer to dealer until it was in my home city. the dealer then again told me that the clutch and flywheel had gone out. *tr

My car had problems shifting gears and the high coolant temperature light went on. the warning said stop and turn car off immediately. i pulled into my driveway and had the car towed to stateline fiat where i purchased the car. they topped off the coolant and said the car was ready to be picked up. i got in the car and it started to shake when i turned the ignition. they said it was a loose cap and tightened it. i drove back home and within 3 months the same thing happened again. the car was towed to a new local fiat. over the past 2 and a half years, i have had to pull off on the side of the road multiple times and have the car towed. no one can seem to find the exact issue with the car, but they keep telling me it is fixed. the bottom line is i do not feel safe driving this car. i feel my safety and the safety of other drivers is in jeopardy when this vehicle is on the road. *tr

When i am driving and i am start slowing down for a light before it get to a full stop the transmission down shift to quick that makes the car jerk, i stop and wait for the light to change and it downshift by itself, it feels like somebody is hitting you on the rear of the car but nobody is there .i brought the car several times to the dealer but because it does not happen all the time nothing they could do about it. one of the times that i was at the dealer it happened. i put the car in reverse, drove it for 10 feet and then shifted to forward and the transmission would not do anything for 3 to 4 seconds then a jump (shifted to 1st gear) i was with the person who makes the appointments so he told me to bring the car next day. next day they drove it and the car would shift fine so nothing was fixed. last week, i told then to keep the car and let the foreman to drive it home so he would feel what it was happening, he told me that it happened once but on downshift and that could be a computer program and i have to wait until fiat develop a new program. they tried everything that they know and the final solution was the way that i drive or the computer have to adjust when i change my driving from the highway to the city i thing is a lot of bs i drive 120 miles daily to work and i am worry that the downshift will happen when i am driving on highway speed and of course they told me that the downshift will not happen on higher speed even that they said they do not know why i keep bringing the car with the same transmission problem. please help me to resolve this problem because even the car folds on the lemon law still i have to makes the payments. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

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.